Chasing the almighty Vampire Dollar Marvel looked towards their resident Living Vampire to make a nice crimson splash.
Michael Morbius has always been a problematic character.
Every generation seems to get their crack at Morbius.
KeatingesGloryfrom Image was the most eminently readable comic of 2012.
Marvel was betting Keatinge could do the same for Morbius.
What could go wrong?
Then things fall apart a bit.
Morbius is high concept.
He is a science vampire in a world where actual vampires exist.
Morbius has an undeniable hunger (see bloodlust), but the will to fight it.
Morbius has hubris in that he thinks he is intellectually superior to most.
Yet Morbius resists his urges so you can protect those he honestly thinks are beneath him.
But these compelling aspects are glossed over to establish the setting of Brownsville.
Brownsville is an ungentrified place where poor cast off punks rule the streets with an iron hand.
It all seems a bit mundane and forced.
Where the antagonist fails, the narrative of Morbius past succeeds.
The flashbacks utilized by Keatinge give the reader an idea of the contradictions that lie within the title character.
The idea that Morbius suffered from a debilitating disease as a child lends the character a vulnerability and nobility.
The potential is there but the book just seems mopey.
Morbius shuffles around Brownsville in a hoodie, being bullied.
So sometimes conflict is forced.
Elsons art is clean and he deftly handles flashbacks and emotions.
Morbius motivations are spot on, he just needs to be seen doing things other than being booted around.
