Blade #5

Comic Crusaders

This issue flies by with action, intrigue, and amazing dialogue. Last issue was a wild ride and while this one takes it down a notch so Blade can regroup, it quickly ramps things back up and sets up a potentially even more explosive next act. Overall, this has been one of the best Blade runs in a very long time and Blade #5 keeps up the story’s strong momentum.

The Super Powered Fancast

The Story: Hill takes this story in some fascinating and dark directions. The dark tone of the story is perfect and the humbling of the character works because Blade’s personality requires it. There is a great exchange between Blade and Strange and I really loved the scene where he confronts the Adana again and discovers the limits of his own power. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next issue. The Art: Casagrande delivers beautifully detailed and darkly compelling art throughout the issue. The visual style is engaging and delivers on the action and emotion of the story.

AIPT

Blade #5 really was a proper achievement in a book that’s already gotten so much right. (Even if it hasn’t been entirely perfect.) It opened up the door to so many possibilities (from a narrative, visual, and emotional perspective) and yet felt definitive in what it was trying to do to “rebuild” our brooding protagonist. We all sort of figured the Adana-Blade battle might go a few rounds, but after this one, you may feel more spent (and overjoyed) than you ever have before.

ComicBook.com

Fallout from the disastrous mission in Blade #4 is quickly dispatched as Blade rushes headlong into further bad choices and his supporting cast is relegated to the sideline. It's an unfortunate shift in focus as the new supernatural talents and arms dealers surrounding Marvel's best known vampire hunter have been a genuine highlight in this series. Instead, there's a quick reframing of the threat posed by Adana that makes Blade appear unsympathetically foolish and minimizes the value of Doctor Strange as a guest star. There's a lot of spectacle, but much of it seems unearned in an adventure that only spans a few issues and chronological days. While this quick turn of events serves to provide a very enticing cliffhanger, the continually rushed pacing of Blade detracts from the series' obvious potential.

Weird Science Marvel Comics

Blade #5 makes a bizarre time jump to skip the conclusion of the first arc and begins an epilogue to set up the next arc. Truly, you’ll feel like you missed an issue in between, but it’s not you. Whatever strategy Hill was going for, it didn’t pay off.