BLADE #5: "Vendetta's Echo" by Marc Guggenheim, art by Howard Chaykin [Marvel; $2.99].

Before we begin, a caveat:

I have not read previous issues of Blade - my knowledge of the character is mainly from the Wesley Snipes movies. Nor I have read any of the "Casualties of War" tie-ins or miniseries. I am approaching this comic tabula rasa, and my review will be the same.

First, the cover. It took a moment for me to realize that it wasn't just Wolverine's fist underneath Blade's head threatening to pop his claws; he actually did it, and they're sticking out of the top of his head. I would say the dark and muted colors toned down the impact of this cover. I hope this is a better defense than the one given by Bill Gaines when he testified before a Senate subcommittee on the severed head held by an axe wielder on the cover of Crime SuspenStories #22.

It begins "three weeks ago" with Wolverine captured by SHIELD, and Director Maria Hill offering him a deal to cooperate with the Superhuman Registration Act. Logan points out that the nullifier they put on him was based on a mistake many people make -- thinking his claws are a super power -- and he escapes. (Oddly enough, the folks behind X-Men 3: The Last Stand made the same mistake with Juggernaut.) We cut to the present day with Blade fighting Morbius, and "the Living Vampire" springing a trap on our hero with SHIELD agents. Some may be surprised that the authorities welcomed Morbius with open arms just for registering, but older readers of this site may recall the U.S. recruiting German rocket scientists from the Nazis after World War II, as well as the country's policy to support anyone opposed to communism, no matter how dictatorial. We then have a flashback of an individual swearing his beating was done by a vampire, described in a way longtime comic readers would recognize as Wolverine and not a vampire.

Meanwhile, in the present day, Hill offers Blade a deal: bring in Wolverine dead or alive, and he will be allowed to continue his vampire hunting with the support and blessing of SHIELD. The rest of the issue is a good scrap between the two, with the flashback showing a younger Blade fighting a vampiric version of the Yellow Kid. What does the flashback have to do with the story? That would be telling.

To bring in the movie fans, Blade looks and dresses more like Wesley Snipes than the character designed by co-creator Gene Colan. Much as I love Colan and his work, the yellow and green monstrosity Blade wore in his Tomb of Dracula debut was a bit loud.

Although the art is by Howard Chaykin, his star power isn't distracting. The art services the story. It's a good "done-in-one" comic book with no noticeable exposition or obvious tricks by Marc Guggenheim to bring new readers up to speed. The storytelling is solid and it overcomes the "tie-in" stigma that is plastered over the cover.

I would give this comic 3 Guest Tonys out of 5.