I’m not entirely sure of the tone for Blood Feud. Is it supposed to be cornball/campy horror or is it supposed to be serious? Sadly, even if you were to tell me definitively that it was one or the other it wouldn’t solve the problem I have because the tone should be coming through on its own. I shouldn’t need an outside source to help confirm it which leaves me stuck in a permanent limbo. Part of me really thinks this is trying to be cornball or campy. I think there’s a difference, but maybe that’s the problem. Maybe writer Cullen Bunn doesn’t feel there’s a difference. Things like one of the characters calling the vampire family “Draculas.” It’s a joke that’s been used before and better, but the character is very serious when he says it. It’s acknowledged as serious when he says it, but how can we really take it serious? Especially after he says it over and over.
The bulk of this issue is spent with our two characters from last time fighting the vampire family. It’s a long battle and nothing spectacular happens until the bull shows back up. Which is weird. In the first issue the men were scared by the fact that a bull that big had ran away from something and then here it is… back and pissed off. It’s possible that it’s fear was washed away by the electricity to the nuts, but I don’t know. And again… electrocuting a bull in the testicles is funny, but the book handles it seriously.
The characters are believable. They feel real and fully realized by Bunn. I just wish I knew the tone of the book because it’s clearly failing on some level. If it’s camp, then it’s being too serious the rest of the time. If it’s cornball, then it’s also being too serious, but then not funny enough. And if it’s serious… then why the hell are there moments that feel as if they’re intentionally trying to be funny?
The art is a saving grace for sure. I like the art a lot actually and I enjoyed the vampire’s designs. It was a new take and while I’ve seen plenty of new vampire takes, to the point that it’s not that special anymore, I still enjoyed this one. The bull did feel out of place though. It looks realistic at times and then kind of fake and demonic at other times. Otherwise the art is enjoyable though I wish it would help me understand the tone more. That might be a failing on the art side of things that I’m just not catching. Maybe I’m seeing it as more serious than it is because the art is failing to capture it.
I was really reluctant to check out this issue, but I figured it was worth at least one more read. There really is just more of the same here and that’s not a compliment. The differences between issues one and two are meniscal and so all the problems I had with one are present here in the second issue as well. Maybe the third issue will be different, but I kind of doubt it and likely won’t be around to find out.
Score: 2/5
Blood Feud #2 Writer: Cullen Bunn Artist: Drew Moss Publisher: Oni Press Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/25/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital