Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #4 Review

Written by: Danny Lore
Art by: Karen S. Darboe
Colors by: Cris Peter
Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover art by: Karen S. Darboe, Cris Peter
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: May 17, 2023

Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #4 learns the painful reason why having a secret identity is important when Decon Frost and his minions kidnap Brielle’s mother.

Is It Good?

Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #4 is an average comic book with an average plot, an average protagonist, below-average art (for a Marvel comic), and generally terrible dialog. Honestly, this issue is as good as this mini-series is going to get, so choose wisely.

When last we left Brielle and Blade, they bonded over training and life lessons. Now, the father/daughter team returns home to find Safron, Brielle’s mother, missing. Through painfully awkward school scenes, including a fight with Whitney, we learn Safron was kidnapped by a clone of Deacon Frost as bait to lure the Daywalker into a trap.

For the most part, everything about this comic sits squarely on the average line. The plot is fine, but nothing special or particularly noteworthy happens, so there’s not much to get you excited or surprise you. It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer without the charm or wit.

However, the issue falls short in other areas. The dialog is painfully stiff, further complicated by Danny Lore using acronyms and shorthand inside word balloons. The art is sub-par by Marvel standards. And the toughest part of this issue is Brielle’s lack of effectiveness. The only time Brielle steps up to do something is in the halls of her classroom, leaving the bigger actions to Blade. In effect, Briells is a sidekick in her own story.

If you like the over-simplified YA approach to a thinly veiled Buffy story, you’re in luck. However, if you were hoping to get excited about a new addition to the vampire mythos of Marvel, there’s nothing to see here.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #4 is a mediocre comic with sub-par art, a predictable plot, and a main character trying too hard to be a third-rate Buffy knockoff. Marvel missed the mark on this one.