MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY- Morbius: Bond of Blood #1 Review

As a young boy growing up on superhero cartoons, Morbius was always an iconic character for me, thanks to the 90s animated Spider-Man series. It still marvels me how we are getting a live-action Morbius movie soon, starring Jared Leto. I am so happy for the character, who was once closely tied to Peter Parker, but now has become his own man. And with this growing attention for everybody’s favorite vampire, it only made sense that Marvel would create a new series that will both retell the origin of Morbius, but also pave a new path for the anti-hero.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

Morbius: Bond of Blood #1

STORY BY: Ralph Macchio

ART BY: Tom Reilly

COVER BY: Giuseppe Camuncoli

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?

THIS SUCKS… BLOOD!

PROS:

• As somebody who got most of his Morbius fix from the 90s cartoon, and casually revisited the character when Spider-Man would run into him, I was a bit hesitant to pick up this book because I was worried it would jump in media res. But thankfully, my knowledge coming from the animated series was amplified by the very helpful flashbacks that detailed the origin of the lovable vampire. I believe other readers will also be very thankful for this narration, providing us a new perspective of Morbius’ birth as a creature of the night.
• Tragedy is never a good thing for the characters within the story, but for the readers, we need that sense of humanity so that we can relate to what would otherwise be thought of as a monster. While Morbius may seem ghastly to a few, the pain really resides within, where he struggles to balance his hate for his vampiric nature, partnered with his will to live and help those in need. Case in point is Morbius trying his best to find a cure for the son of his scientific partner.
• I was terribly moved when Morbius had to reveal to Emil’s son that he was in fact responsible for the father’s death. When they were trying to find a cure for Morbius’ condition, the vampire unfortunately lost control and ended up causing his partner’s death in a wild rage. But all was resolved when the son forgave Morbius with his last, dying words. The beauty of a child’s innocence resonates with readers, and inspires us to all keep that childlike nature even when we grow old.
• The Spider-Man side-characters are on the right track. I want Marvel to keep their momentum strong, as they are rebuilding their collection of monsters, starting with Morbius and continuing with Mister Hyde. Hyde promised Morbius a cure for the son of Emil, and the vampire had to push the boundaries of his morals and break into Ravencroft, in order to get the secret to Hyde’s return to his villainous form. In the end, it turned out that Hyde had lied and betrayed Morbius, and the cure for the child did not work after all. But Hyde got his wish, and was able to mutate into the more powerful version of himself. It was a grueling battle between Morbius and Hyde, which ended with the vampire’s powerful bite.

CONS:

• The whole time I was waiting for a cameo or guest appearance by the friendly neighborhood web-crawler, but missed out on any surprise pop-up. It might leave some Spider-Man fans feeling like they are missing out, but it is only a matter of time when Morbius runs into the wise-crackin’ superhero. But Morbius is a big boy now, and he represents the Spider-Man cast of characters very well. The family is growing, and the Spider-Verse is pulsing, beating loud. It is a great time to be alive!

FINAL SCORE: B

The creative team knew what they were doing with this inaugural issue, by showing the history of the character, while also giving us a glimpse of the upcoming horrors of the night. Morbius is still angsty as ever, with deep-seeded personal issues… the struggle between the inner monster and human will never die down. The struggle is real. But all things considered, things are looking up for Morbius, and Jared Leto is the perfect pick to bring this character to life… or death. Or something in between.