“Bloodlines: Fireworks on the Green”
Creative Staff:
Story: Fred Van Lente
Art: Vincenzo Frederici
Colors: Dearbhla Kelly
Letterer: Simon Bowland
What They Say:
There’s a new sheriff in the criminal-run town of Bountiful, and it’s Giulietta Romeo, Europe’s top hitwoman!
Giulietta’s hot on the trail of Jennifer Blood, and needs to get her hands on the legendary vigilante’s “war journal” to help her–but the crooked judge who has it wants to strike a deadly bargain for it!
It’s the annual Fourth of July celebration in Bountiful, and you can bet Jennifer Blood is bringing the fireworks!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With the first issue getting things going for this new series with a pretty interesting setup that reminded me a lot of a number of 80s indie comics I used to read, Jennifer Blood got rolling in a fun way. Fred Van Lente has long done well with these kinds of stories and working with a town full of criminals that are playing with the veneer of respectability but being the scum they are definitely makes for a good launching point. Vincenzo Frederici definitely does a great job of capturing small-town America through the particular lens here while also leaning into the kind of leatherbound sexuality that comes from a character like Blood, as well as our sheriff, Giulietta.
Giulietta continues to be the main focus here as she’s getting a handle on things and what’s going on with this copycat Jennifer Blood. It focuses on her more than anything else really as she works with the judge to set up a sting to try and catch the copycat. Giulietta knows exactly what kind of scum this guy is so she completely believes that the copycat would be coming for him. His plan to be a trap to draw out the copycat makes sense as he takes a drug to put him into a deep sleep for a while like he’s dead, so we get the body moved out and waiting for the copycat to come and confirm the death, all while Giulietta stalks for her prey. She’s definitely intent on getting her prey here and even though we get the awful accent presentation, it’s fun to watch her having to suffer reading Jennifer’s old journal with all of its mundane elements.
Things go pretty wrong as the fourth of July event plays out under which all of this is happening. The facade of the town is highlighted well but there’s that undercurrent of social status in the mix as well with those having more power over others engaging in shenanigans as they do. When Giulietta discovers that the body she’s watching has been swapped out, that’s what really sets her off and makes this whole thing a lot more personal in solving it and eliminating the copycat, though she knows there’s a chance that it could be the real thing too. Seeing her work through these frustrations at the same time definitely works well all while seeing how the judge, now captured by Jennifer, exacts her latest round of vengeance for others. The town offers an array of delights for her goal.
In Summary:
The series has the right idea behind it and a lot of what Fred Van Lente is doing feels like it’s a modern incarnation of a Steven Grant book. There’s a good coldblooded aspect to all of this but it also has that clear yet comical view of the bad guys in America and how cartoonish they can be while thinking they’re the hot shit. I like what this one gives us in terms of the plan to capture Jennifer after drawing her out even if it goes as badly as it does. Frederici definitely captures the right outlook and feel for this, especially with all the dialogue and narration, which makes it a lot of fun to just sink your teeth into as a whole.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: November 3rd, 2021
MSRP: $3.99
