Comic Vine Review

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Bloodlines #1 - Hostile Takeover

4

The New Bloods are back in this six-issue mini-series!

It's a blast from the past! The New Bloods are back, and there's an alien parasite attacking the wildlife outside of Pine Ridge, which in turn, is attacking a group of partying teens.

Having barely any recollection of the New Bloods, which were part of a larger story that took place in a series of 1993 annuals, I don't remember much about the team, aside that they were totally '90s (tons of muscles, weird powers, and extreme attitudes). What writer J.T. Krul does well is deliver a fun story that gives the group a bit of an update for the 21st century.

The opening issue delivers what will eventually be the New Bloods team: Eddie, Haley, and Stu. The issue primarily follows Eddie, a young man with a physical disability that needs crutches to get around. By the end of the issue, without being around sunlight for quite some time, he changes into Loose Cannon, a super-strong, blue-skinned monster. The downside to the opening offering of this issue is that the reader isn't offered a whole lot in the way of what's going on with these powers or the fact that we don't see Haley or Stu with powers either. This first issue could have really benefited from a double-sized issue for a concept that isn't new, per se, but will feel foreign to a lot of new readers.

The downside to the opening offering of this issue is that the reader isn't offered a whole lot in the way of what's going on with these powers or the fact that we don't see Haley or Stu with powers either. This first issue could have really benefited from a double-sized issue for a concept that isn't new, per se, but will feel foreign to a lot of new readers.

On the artistic side of things, the team of V. Ken Marion on pencils, Sean Parsons on inks, and Andrew Dalhouse on colors works well for the revamp of these characters.The art has a very '90s feel, with a contemporary update, resulting in highly-detailed and flashy pages, with some interesting panel layouts. The action sequence at the end of the issue has a lot of great movement to it, and the reader will feel right in the moment here.

As someone who vaguely remembers the New Bloods, there weren't a lot of high hopes for this issue. However, BLOODLINES plays well to the reader's sense of nostalgia all while delivering a fun opening issue that revamps this team. It's lot a flat book, completely relying on people who liked this team over 20 years ago to buy it. The biggest downside is that it could have used some extra pages to really deliver the full story in one punch. It's big, bold, and will put a smile on older reader's faces. If you got some extra cash this week, give this book a shot.