Blade #7 Review

Written by: Bryan Edward Hill
Art by: Valentina Pinti
Colors by: KJ Díaz
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Elena Casagrande, Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: January 10, 2024

Blade #7 sends Blade out into the wild after he receives a call from Bruce Banner to deal with a pesky demon problem.

Is Blade #7 Good?

What do you do when a self-replicating demon possesses a son, and how do you use that scenario to further Blade’s journey to stop Adana? Well, Bryan Hill answers that very question in Blade #7 with a Blade/Hulk crossover that pits the monstrous heroes against inner and outer demons.

When last we left Blade, his failures to stop Adana led him to seek out the help of the one man who understands how to maximize vampiric power – Dracula. Short on action or plot movement but long on vampire lore, Blade eventually drank Dracula’s blood to get a vampire-powered upgrade.

Now, Blade heeds a call from Dr. Bruce Banner to help rid a town of demons terrorizing the town’s residents. Banner and Blade figure out the demons spawn from the guts of a possessed young man, and Blade sets out to stop the spawning… at any price. Eventually, Blade offers himself to be the demons’ host, giving the young man his freedom, giving Hulk a chance to do some demon smashing, and giving Blade a convenient opportunity to learn where Adana is hiding.

What’s great about Blade #7? Bryan Hill wastes no time after issue #6 setting up a scenario where Blade can put his new vampire powers to the test. The results are effective, which puts Hulk in a position to do more than a little demon-smashing. Plus, Blade’s contact with the demons presents a lead to Adana’s whereabouts, which is useful even if it is a little too convenient.

What’s not so great about Blade #7? The entire issue feels very paint-by-numbers and lacking in dramatic tension. You never once get the impression Blade or Hulk are in any real danger, so the issue comes off as an excuse to have a Hulk cameo and invent a way to point Blade in Adana’s direction. If you skipped this issue, you don’t miss much.

How’s the art? Valentina Pinti continues as a guest artist until Casagrande returns next month, and she’ll be missed. Pinti’s demon designs look great, the smashing and slashing choreography is excellent, and the overall presentation of Hulk as a raging brute is on point.

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

Blade #7 pairs the Daywalker with Hulk for a perfunctory team-up issue to save a town and give Blade a lead on his quest to stop Adana. Hill’s script gets the job done with a minimum of effort or excitement, so the outcome sends Blade where he needs to go, but you won’t remember much about this issue except that it happened.