Comic Book Review - Dark Blood #1

Rob reviews Dark Blood #1...

"What if you were given the power to change the course of history?" 

It's the ultimate question that's got so many answers to it. While the subject has been crossed throughout various books, television shows, and video games there's always been both good and bad sides to this coin. On one hand, you could create a utopia, on the other, you could see a literal hellscape. It's a tough one to answer but "what would you do?" 

Unfortunately, Dark Blood doesn't have an answer yet, but this (and I use the term loosely) "time travelling" original six-parter from BOOM! Studios not only tackles a serious subject, but it also leaves you wanting more. 

Dark Blood starts its story in 1955. We're introduced to Avery as he leaves a diner and heads for home. As the young man journeys home he is being followed by a mysterious figure who happens to confront Avery within a dark alleyway. As things transpire Avery recognises this man as "Mr Chase". Chase being a typical 1955 white male soon chastises Avery for his skin colour and soon draws a gun on the veteran soldier. As A.A. (Avery Aldridge) attempts to calm the situation his eyes start to glow and he's suddenly surrounded by a mysterious power. 

In between this confrontation, we're shown A.A. during World War 2 - 10-years before the present day. It's during these scenes that we see Avery attempting to survive as his plane suffers damage during an aerial battle. With things not looking good, Avery decides to ditch his fighter over enemy territory and he parachutes to the "safety" below. 

While we don't exactly know the cause of Avery's powers, writer Latoya Morgan mentions an event known as the 'variance. All we know is that something happened between the events in World War 2 and 1955 to set this variance in motion. We also don't know as of yet if the powers brought on by the event are ultimately beneficial, however, they do give Avery the power to stand up to the bigotry and racism of 1955's America. 

Overall Dark Blood is off to a fantastic start. Both Latoya Morgan's writing and Walt Barna's illustrations bring this story to life. There's also plenty here to grab your attention. Just what are Avery's powers? And what happened once he got shot down? 

Rating - 8/10 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev