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MORBIUS, THE LIVING VAMPIRE, FACES A GHOST FROM HIS PAST: HIS FIRST KILL!
• Emil Nikos was Morbius' research partner...until the bloodlust made Emil the first victim to Morbius' vampiric urges!
• Now, Emil's son is dying from a new rare blood disease and only Morbius can save him!
• But at what cost?
Rated T+
Morbius: Bond of Blood is the first word on Morbius, rather than the last. An outstanding starting point for newcomers to the character, it puts a full spotlight on the melodramatic self-deprecation that defines Morbius. Although the language grows clunky -- not every character should be as verbose as the protagonist -- it works with simple, strong art to illuminate all the important aspects of its star. Read Full Review
No matter what your connection to Morbius might be, this adventure has a clever concept that reminds readers of how timeless the Living Vampire is and what makes him so appealing. Read Full Review
Undoubtedly the intent of this book was to inspire interest in the upcoming Morbius film. While I'm largely indifferent to seeing Jared Leto mincing his way through another comic book movie after Suicide Squad, I wouldn't mind seeing more of Morbius in the comics if his stories were all this well crafted. Horror fans and anti-hero enthusiasts will really be able to sink their teeth into this book.(I know. I know. At least I didn't say this is a vampire book that doesn't suck.) Read Full Review
Morbius: Bond of Blood is a great primer on Morbius that shows off his powers, details his origin, and captures his unique personality. Anyone familiar with the character might find a chunk of this issue unnecessary and the ending comes as a shock, but all in all it's an entertaining experience with classic Morbius vibes. Read Full Review
But I have to say the real star of this one-shot is Tom Reillys art. Reilly, most recently of Jay Edidins Cyclops-centric X-Men: Marvels Snapshots #1, has a wonderful retro sensibility in the vein of Chris Samnee, Greg Smallwood, and Leonardo Romero that serves and elevates the material well. The truncated method of his visual storytelling, usually employing multiple smaller panels on the page rather than opting for larger splashes or widescreen panels, allows for lots of room to focus on specific moments while also keeping the momentum going. Chris OHallorans colors are also a great asset here, whose bright colors provide some contrast to what would otherwise be a dark and gloomy horror piece. After observing their quality work here, Id very much like to see the two collaborate on another project. Read Full Review
While the artwork is fun in a classic way, there isn't enough in this one-shot to really justify its existence as a truly new plot. On the contrary, readers may be left wondering why they should even care about what they just read. Read Full Review
Morbius is a dynamic character that deserves dynamic plots. This particular issue isn't it. Read Full Review
A faustian team-up with Mr. Hyde leads Morbius to some fresh tragedy that matches his (fully recapped) origin. Faustian bargains and regret thereof are Morbius's jam. This extremely retro-written one-shot will give the reader Morbius 101. But a wikipedia page could do that, too. And since this could be somebody's first comic, it risks giving a terribly mistaken impression -- most modern comics aren't this dull and clichéd. So it's a bad thing that this exists. The clean art is far better than this script deserves.
Marvel always does these one-shot synergy tie-ins to the movies (which I guess are coming out eventually), and they're almost always bad. This one isn't an exception. Ralph Macchio writes in a very dated manner, and it really is a chore TJ read, especially when a character like Morbius is involved.
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