Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #5 // Review
Family always manages to get really complicated. Brielle’s got a bit more going on with her family than most kids do, though. She recently found out that her father was a half-vampire vampire hunter with strange powers. Then, she found out that she has some of those powers. Now, she’s got to save him in Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #5. Writer Danny Lore brings Brielle into interesting new territory with the aid of artist Karen S. Darboe and colorist Cris Peter. Brielle continues to come across as an appealing character in another issue that brings her ever closer to being a firmly established hero in the darker end of the Marvel Universe.
Whitney probably didn’t seem all that bad. She was just another girl at school. As it turns out, Whitney’s adoptive father is a guy named Frost...and from there, it gets complicated. Frost is a clone of a vampire of the same name. That vampire is the one responsible for the curse of Brielle’s father. Whitney’s helping him...and he’s gaining followers. Brielle is going to have to save her father...and a whole lot of innocent followers as well. Fighting this kind of villain would be a challenge for any hero. There are so many innocent lives directly in the path of danger.
Lore has everything really well lined-up in the fifth issue of the series. The central plot is beginning to reach a climax. By this point, Lore’s not even being subtle about the inspiration he’s drawing from classic episodes of Joss Whedon’s Buffy. It’s kind of weird seeing the ensemble/vampire/high school dynamic play out in the Marvel Universe. Lore doesn’t really immerse Bloodline in the heart of that universe, but it’s kind of cool to know that this particular...slayer...happens to get her powers from the same source as Blade.
Without a specific costume, Brielle just looks like kind of an attractive girl. There’s a determination in her face that speaks of dark heroism. And she’s instantly recognizable due to the bright color of her hair. It’s a central visual element that broadcasts her presence in the night-soaked world she’s inhabiting. Darboe does a good job of immersing it all in the right kind of darkness. Peter breathes depth into the shadows of a fun Marvel-based mutation of classic Buffy-style schoolgirl vampire hunting. There’s a clean wonder about the night in Peter’s colors that gives the setting its own energy.
The series draws to a close. It’s been fun. Lore and company have done a good job of telling an interesting story. It makes a pretty good case for further adventures with Brielle. Brielle DOES come across as the type of character who could carry her own ongoing series. She hasn’t quite been dropped into the heart of the bewildering mess that is the totality of the Marvel Universe, so there are a lot of different directions she could be taken in if the right creative team decided to sponsor her.
