“The Darkhold: Alpha” #1 was an enjoyable reading experience. Marvel is capitalizing on the success of their recent magic-based exploration of The Marvel Cinematic Universe via “Wandavision” with an event focusing on The Scarlet Witch and the magic-oriented Marvel machinations. This week we’re taking a look at the spin-off title featuring none other than Blade himself. Will “The Darkhold: Blade” #1 be able to follow the success from the opening one-shot or will it be a subpar event tie-in? Author Daniel Kibblesmith is joining artist Federico Sabbatini for the issue. Without further ado, let’s see if “The Darkhold: Blade” #1 can follow up on the quality we have seen so far from The Darkhold!
Written by Daniel Kibblesmith
Illustrated by Federico Sabbatini
Colored by Rico Renzi
Lettered by VC’s Clayton CowlesTHE KING OF DEATH! Are you fanged, or are you food? The world is divided into humans and vampires – and Blade, the one who walks between them both…and kills with equal impunity. After reading from the cursed Darkhold, Blade and a cadre of other heroes were meant to enter Chthon’s dimension and stop the ancient god from destroying the Multiverse. But reading the book has changed all their lives and histories…and for Blade, the consequences are far-reaching. Vampires rule the world, and he rules over them all. But there are some heroes left-and Blade is not as omniscient as he thinks.
Opening the pages of “The Darkhold: Blade” #1 can be daunting at first. The issue references characters that were not in the previous one-shot like Amadeus Cho. New Marvel readers definitely might feel lost at first. I’m thankful Marvel decided to open the issue with a recap page. The page is packed with a ton of information. Thankfully Kibblesmith’s sense of humor glides readers through what they need to know about this particular comic book to proceed.
Kibblesmith introduces so many concepts in the issue. The script changes focus between a large supporting cast of characters. Kibblesmith manages to hide a couple of identity reveals in the issue that will appeal to huge Marvel fans. Overall, it is still hard to find an aspect of the tie-in that would deem it an essential read. Also, Kibblesmith’s characterization of Blade is a little cliche. Blade mainly serves as a vessel for violence that inches the story forward ever so slightly. The other heroes in the story end up overshadowing Blade from a characterization standpoint. Kibblesmith finds a few great action-based scenes to allow his physicality to shine. My favorite part of the issue had to be the fight at the end. Kibblesmith packs a huge reveal here that almost makes the issue worth reading. The battle between Blade and his mysterious foe is quite menacing. The shift in tone ends up working in favor of the book. The script for “The Darkhold: Blade” #1 has a whimsical beginning with a dark ending.
Sabbatini’s art is fluid and captures a lot of expressions. Sabbatini has a good sense of design in terms of page layouts. The pacing of the panels when Amadeus Cho is running at the beginning of the issue is extremely well-paced. Blade interrupts the scene with an upward sword thrust that adds a visceral element to the page. The way Sabbatini uses effects like the rustles of wind really served to capture my imagination in the issue. While Sabbatini’s art is fluid, I wish there was more detail in his work. Sabbatini doesn’t tend to add many wrinkles to faces or have very detailed backgrounds. If there was a greater sense of realism to the work I think the issue could potentially be more immersive. The art style here really serves Cho as a character who is a major player in this issue. Sabbatini’s art is really impressive during the laser scene where the group is infiltrating Fisk Tower.
“The Darkhold: Blade” #1 also feels like it is really disconnected from the ambitious one-shot that came before. Seeing Blade’s story so disconnected from what Doom and The Scarlet Witch are going through in the main book feels like a wasted opportunity here. Kibblesmith does a great job getting the entire Marvel Universe involved and manages to pull some really obscure players into the story. The issue is so ambitious with the amount of plot the script is trying to fit into one issue alone. Readers don’t quite have the time to get invested in the main plot of the issue when the story abruptly ends right when things get interesting. There’s definitely some great writing and the spark of interesting character relationships here.
There are a few admirable qualities about “The Darkhold: Blade” #1 but it is hard to advocate for the overall structure of the storyline here. Readers are looking for a continuation of “The Darkhold” storyline here and the issue feels like it barely pushes the overall plot forward. This story isn’t the best platform for Blade outside of a couple of intriguing bursts of violence. Kibblesmith saves the best reveals and story elements for the last couple of pages. Sabbatini’s art will glide readers through the dense script quickly. Sabbatini’s creative eye for page design makes the narrative easy to follow here. Sabbatini’s art doesn’t always suit the overall narrative of the issue. Sometimes the faces are too silly or there’s not enough detail on the page. Also, it would be a good idea for Kibblesmith not to take on quite so many characters here so he could make the title more focused. The lack of connectivity to the main event is also a weakness of this tie-in issue.
Final Verdict: 6.0 – “The Darkhold: Blade” #1 is a creative tie-in issue lacking in execution.
