Bad Blood #5
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The good
Excellent issue and satisfying conclusion to the series. Very interesting vampire mythos I hope to see in another series. Character development is still on point and events unfold in an electrifying way
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The bad
Vampires come off as somewhat underwhelming
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The ugly
- Total score
Bad Blood #5 continues the story of Trick and Lolly after discovering Jonas lied to them about who he was and why he was training them. When Jonas hands them over to Lord Sturge they see that Jonas is actually a vampire and he mocks them for not figuring that out. Trick and Lolly’s attempt to attack him is ended swiftly by Jonas who states he’s doing this to make peace between the vampire houses. Jonas is from a different house than Sturge and since the tainted blood has been a plague on all vampires he was training the two of them and getting their blood clean for the survival of all vampires. And he reveals to them the true history and nature of vampires, who aren’t created from being bitten but are the result of someone dying violently while devoid of all hope, and even in a case like that it’s rare someone turns into a vampire. So they’ve planted agents throughout history to wage war to create these conditions since they’ve always had power but not the individual numbers to conquer the entire world. But their progress was stopped once humans started using synthetic drugs to treat diseases and the air became polluted because the vampire houses started to die off due to tainted blood. And now with this problem close to being solved they can rule once again. How can Trick and Lolly possibly contend with these vampires at this point, and what is Jonas’s real goal?
SUMMARY
Bad Blood #5 is a very satisfying conclusion to a series that didn’t hold any punches in addressing the human condition, suffering and loss, and despite dragging briefly in the middle of the series, ultimately stayed on track and also became an inspirational tale. For a story to take a weakened cancer patient and a drug addict and not only turn them into heroes but show the journey as well is not an easy task but one that Jonathan Maberry pulls off convincingly, and the artwork was perfect for this series. The vampires themselves are somewhat underwhelming again this issue despite a very interesting backstory but when it’s all viewed as Trick and Lolly facing all their struggles and demons together one can appreciate the series even more (and the cover of this issue). I highly recommend this series for its personal story of growth and its refreshing take on the entire vampire genre.
Release Date: 5/7/14
Writer: Jonathan Maberry
Artist: Tyler Crook
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