The majority of encounters between Wolverine and Blade end in violence. They rarely hold back, and they regularly leave a fight drenched in blood, usually the victim’s own. The Creed, a group of vampire thugs that cause trouble, are attracted to a mysterious temple in Belize where they will fight.
What connection do they have to the Creed and its odd ruler, the Varkis? Who will make it out of this temple? Artist Dave Wilkins has a distinctive visual storytelling approach that is ideal for action scenes and blockbuster visuals. It is stunning to see Wolverine and Blade chopping through a pack of vampires in the opening pages. These are some of the most creative killing techniques you are ever likely to see in a comic book.
A magnificent double-page spread by Wilkins is divided into smaller panels, each of which focuses on a deadly blow. When it comes to vampire flesh, Wolverine’s claws are like a hot knife cutting through butter. The vampires have enormous teeth that their mouths can not contain, giving them a horrifying appearance.
Their skin has irregular veins and appears bloated and ill. They resemble a contemporary Nosferatu. They die in a carnage before exploding in flames and leaving nothing but ash behind, giving us the best of both worlds. With this specific graphic novel, Wilkins feels at home.
Blade vs Wolverine: A battle to spawn legends
Years ago, in Madripoor, two powerful men, who are the greatest at what they do, stood side by side. Blade says it’s nice to see Wolverine and that it has been a while, though Wolverine feels it has not been long enough. Blade asks Wolverine whether he is still upset over the hypodermic needle that was inserted in his neck. Wolverine becomes enraged, shouts, and informs him that it was actually a hypodermic filled with vampire blood. Blade informs him that he didn’t think of him as the type of person who would hold a grudge, but it’s amusing that Wolverine mentioned vampires. Wolverine, however, feels his comment isn’t humorous.
He swipes his sharp claws, effortlessly severing a vampire’s head in three, and admits that he may have lied and that this was amusing. Blade slashes through yet another vampire and wonders what a decent guy like Wolverine was doing inside an evil temple in the first place, and Wolverine starts to explain that he’s retaliating. He alleges that the vampires murdered and sacrificed a friend’s daughter in some sicko ceremony. But soon as he is done speaking, one of the monsters swings his blade, severing a portion of Wolverine’s shoulder. Blade cuts up another head and informs Wolverine that this particular vampire sect is known as ‘The Creed.’ Wolverine tells Blade that it does not matter and that they all cut up the same, while his shoulder recovers.
Wolverine then starts to brutally make his way through the thick swarm of vampires by punching, slicing and ripping apart each of them until finally, none of them remain. Blade asks him if he is done. As Wolverine steps out dripping with the blood of the vampires he just slaughtered, he tells Blade “yeah, just about” and so, that was the end of the vampire cult, or at least, that was what the two of them thought. Six months later, in New York City, Wolverine finds himself fighting against a mutant calling herself the Dragoness. X-force gives him details about her, and it seems that she has been killing mutants and humans alike. It’s anyone’s guess why she is at a construction site.
Wolverine does not really have an explanation for what goes down next, except that that isn’t very promising. He kills Dragoness with a wooden stake, and she crumbles into a heap of dust and smoldering ash, which can only mean one thing. Dragoness had been transformed into a vampire. There is something stashed here once more, a chest with recognizable insignia. What did Blade name the cult in the temple a few months ago? What exactly is the Creed? Meanwhile, Blade is carrying out what he does best: slaying vampires in Germany. However, Count Von Stadt is not like the rest. He has the ability to fire laser beams from his eyeballs, which is unusual in the vampire world.
But, powerful explosives have never disappointed Blade before, so why should they now? As Blade hits the trigger, the Count’s castle collapses on top of them, and Von Stadt attempts to extract himself from beneath a heap of rubble, all the while screaming that he would bathe in Blade’s blood. Blade dons his coat and informs the Count that it doesn’t look promising. He also asks the Count if he wants to talk about why he can shoot freaking lasers out of his eyes, and the Count responds with a few choice comments. Blade didn’t expect much from him in the first place, but the ink on the Count’s cheek appears to be the Creed emblem.
Six months ago, the Creed was meant to be eradicated. The Count mocks Blade and tells him that he wiped out nothing since the cult knew he was coming and that it was prophesied. Blade smiles as he walks away. He enjoys the morning light as the sun rises and the dawn burns. Back in New York, Wolverine gave the chest he found to Dr. Strange, the only guy who knows about the strange. Dr. Strange examines the box and informs Wolverine that the magics blocking it are of vampiric origin, and the marks on the box belong to The Creed. The Creed worships a figure known as Varkis, who is similar to a messiah.
According to prophecy, he will one day unify all of the vampire houses under his banner. Wolverine feels it sounds like something they would want to avoid. Strange believes that the Dragoness was attempting to conceal the box since it may be the vessel used to execute Khandra. When Wolverine wonders what it is, Strange opens the box and reveals to him that the Khandra is the only way to kill Varkis. Varkis, according to The Creed’s scriptures, may only be killed in the way represented in the Khandra. Strange asks Wolverine if he recognizes anything as the scroll unfolds into a picture.
Wolverine nods, then realizes it’s an image of him battling Blade. Later in Belize, Wolverine hacks his way through the jungle in search of another Creed temple. He actually never really liked Blade, so learning that he is in better condition is a bit upsetting. As Wolverine steps in, Blade looks down and tells him that it’s a bit disheartening that his contact told him that The Creed’s messiah was a mutant vampire. He assumed it would be someone like Beast or Nightcrawler. He leaps from the shadows, and Wolverine twists back, lunging. Wolverine swings his arms carelessly, leaving himself exposed for Blade to drive his sword clean through his chest.
Wolverine hunches over, but suddenly leans back, pulling the sword from his chest, prompting Blade to shout, well damn! Wolverine slashes violently, tearing Blade’s face and pushing him back, but as Wolverine advances, Blade tosses forth two special blades.
The blades pierce Wolverine’s chest, causing him to stagger. He pulls them out and inquires of Blade whether they are anti-vampire weapons. He also questions Blade’s decision to toss them at him rather than the vampires. Blade informs Wolverine that he is now a vampire, and Wolverine informs him that Blade is also a vampire. Wolverine asks Blade whether he is Varkis, and Blade is startled that Wolverine is aware about Varkis’ existence.
Wolverine examines the scroll and declares that the picture on the scroll depicts how the messiah’s final struggle was intended to go down. Blade takes a look at it and says neither one of them are Varkis and that it does not make sense. A voice then declares that everything makes perfect sense. It all depends on how they look at it. Both guys turn to see a man dressed in armor who looks precisely like Wolverine, and Wolverine explains that it’s strange sometimes in his line of work. Blade informs him that he is truly intrigued about Wolverine’s twin. Wolverine pops his claws and says that he is as well, and that they should go ask him.
Wolverine charges at Varkis, and Varkis bursts his bone claws while telling Wolverine that his claws don’t seem familiar. Varkis then asks Wolverine if he recalls the enormous piece that was taken out of his shoulder all those months ago. Wolverine stabs him and says that he doesn’t understand, since he has left pieces of his body all over the world, but none of them have regrouped into another version of him. Varkis confirms that however, in his instance, vampire magic was utilized. Hoards of vampires begin to flood out and taunt Blade, but with a single twirl of his blade, he easily silences them all.
Wolverine then loudly calls out and says that he has an idea and that he needs Blade to take over. Blade turns back and cuts off Varkis’ claws and slams a stake into his chest. Varkis’ body bursts into flames but after a very short period, he returns smiling and tells them that he has a healing factor. Varkis swings and slices into Wolverine’s face, and Blade tells Wolverine that the drawing was supposed to tell them how to kill Varkis, it isn’t a depiction as much as it is an instruction manual. The two position themselves exactly the way they see themselves in the scroll and they strike down all at the same time.
Wolverine rips into Varkis’ stomach while Blade cuts off his head, and the evil Vampire’s body turns into ash, and this time, it doesn’t regenerate. Blade remarks that the prophecy was good for something, and Wolverine looks up at the temple and asks Blade if he always carries explosives around. Blade says that he likes to be prepared and presses a button. Seconds later, the entire temple blows up and crumbles to the ground. Wolverine looks at the fire and asks Blade if he brought any marshmallows, but Blade laughs and says he forgot, and Wolverine scoffs and calls him an amateur.
Wolverine vs. Blade is an entertaining one-shot that features an unusual team-up in an unusual circumstance. Because these two are located in the more perilous sections of the Marvel Universe, they make for an intriguing pairing. With Blade now guest-starring on the Avengers, we expect to see more of him and the other otherworldly aspects he encounters. Essentially, Wolverine vs.
Blade can be called a familiar, yet thrilling, insanely violent action adventure starring two of Marvel’s most ruthless heroes. Dave Wilkins’ artwork is attractive and detailed, but not for children… He also gets additional points for drawing some of the weirdest Wolverine hair we’ve seen in a long time. Although the price tag causes worry, if you’ve got some spare cash and a taste for violent graphic entertainment, this might be the perfect solution.