- January 12, 2022
The Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone #1 Review
Written by: Tini Howard
Art by: Ig Guara
Coloring by: Dijjo Lima
Lettering by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Marvel, why the hell doesn’t Elsa Bloodstone have her own ongoing yet? I’ve loved Elsa Bloodstone since I first found her in the Secret Wars: Marvel Zombies book. Yeah, deep cut I know, but she’s just so cool. From her design to her personality, and her place in the paranormal side of the Marvel Universe, she’s awesome. She’s this quick-witted, British monster-hunting badass who shoots monsters with more than two pistols.
She uses a hunting rifle.
In all seriousness, Elsa Bloodstone has a lot going for her that’s on display in this issue. She has a history of hunting monsters that’s made her beyond jaded. She’s at the point where she doesn’t even hate the monsters she fights anymore. Having someone suggest that most monsters aren’t evil doesn’t earn a scoff from her, but honest consideration.
The fact this comes from a newly introduced, long-lost sister only makes it better. This doesn’t feel like a one-shot, so much as a start of a new Bloodstone series, and an interesting family-focused one at that. Having Elsa Bloodstone lead the family as the elder sister, turning the Bloodstones’ sights on the men who make the monsters, sounds like the perfect premises for a monster-hunting book no one is making.
While it’s been easy to give DC more crap about this, Marvel isn’t innocent of not giving deserving characters their due. Elsa Bloodstone isn’t even on a team book right now, and she deserves more than that. This is an awesome issue, that sadly feels like the beginning of a series we’re not going to get.