With last month’s issue I thought that maybe Bad Blood was headed down a slippery slope but holy shit, issue #4 has made a comeback. Everything has been leading up to the mind fuck that is issue 4. I just imagine Jonathan Maberry sitting in front of his computer with a smug grin on his face after writing the ending for this issue. Throughout this series there has been continuous suspense. Maberry’s storytelling perfectly encapsulates horror mixed with everyday monotony and he doesn’t falter this month. Lolly and Trick have been training with the feared Jonas Vale to prepare for an all-out war against the putrid creatures of the night. Trick’s narration becomes this really humanizing confession about what it feels like to be strong and being strong doesn’t necessarily mean facing vampires. I think for them strength stands for so much more. While the three are vampire proofing houses and preparing for an attack, the vampires try to sustain themselves in a 21^st century riddled with polluted blood.

Vale gives a kind of vampire 101 in this issue as all vampire renditions has its own take on the lore. There are four vampire clans and the ones in this story belong to the house of swords. I’ve mentioned before that I like that the vampires aren’t this alluring mysterious immortals that pop culture has constructed. They actually look as repulsive as their deeds; when they die all that is left of them is the pests that feed off their bodies.

[Spoiler] So here’s where shit hits the fan. Vale assists Lolly and Trick in a vampire stake out. Finally, it feels like they have the upper hand and they are ready for it to be all over. But we all know that’s not how things turn out so instead Vale lead them directly to the master and has sold them out. So the issue ends with Lolly and Trick pretty much S.O.L.

Part of me is stilling rooting for Vale; maybe it’s a part of a larger scheme to destroy the clan. This issue reignited my excitement for the series and hoping for the next one to continue with the momentum.

I could never complain about Tyler Crook’s illustrations in Bad Blood. The best way I can describe his style is the feeling you would get if you touched blood stained iron. Which is a compliment, I promise. Crook does horror fantasy well.

Score: 5/5

Writer: Jonathan Maberry Artist: Tyler Crook Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 4/2/14 Format: Mini-Series - Print/Digital