Werewolf By Night – Blood Hunt One Shot 

Writer – Jason Loo 

Artist – Adam Gorham 

“Terror in Dino Park” 

I was back to work in the office the week of July 10^th and I was able to visit Eide’s to grab some comics. They didn’t have a lot of offerings that week. Surprisingly, there were no copies of X-Men #1 left by the time I got there Thursday morning (did they not order enough copies or were they all sold out? Only The Shadow Knows…). I saw the cover to Werewolf by Night – Blood Hunt (by Davide Paratore) and added it to my buy pile. 

This one-shot features Jake Gomez, who was first introduced in Werewolf by Night back in 2020. He visits an abandoned amusement park to hone his skills but his time alone is interrupted by a group of young adults performing a ritual to bring back a long departed relative. It’s a success, until it’s revealed the demon Roulette has returned to Earth. As this evil entity stalks the group and picks them off one by one, their screams are heard by local law enforcement. The calvary rushes to their aid and instead of helping the frightened innocents, they feast on them. The boys in blue are vampires! Jake is caught between a rock and a hard place. He must find a way to survive this paranormal pickle he has found himself in without the use of his lycanthropic powers! 

I have been picky when it comes to the Blood Hunt Tie-Ins. My wallet has been happy with the choices I’ve made recently with comic book purchases in general. My heart sunk a little because the Werewolf by Night featured wasn’t the original one – Jack Russell. As I kept reading, I actually see why they went with Jake Gomez as there is a huge change to his status quo by the end of the issue. I am very excited to see what happens next with Jake. The letters page in the back revealed that there will be an ongoing Werewolf by Night series and it WILL feature Jack Russell! As soon as I saw this bit of news, I pre-ordered a copy online. It is only a matter of time before Jack and Jake cross paths and paws. Prepare yourself for an honest to goodness war of the werewolves. 

I have been keeping tabs on the main Blood Hunt series and when I discuss it with others at the comic book shops around Pittsburgh, my main question I pose is – why wasn’t this series released closer to Halloween? I’m sure sales would have been even higher with it timed so close to the holiday. Try as I might, I will never understand comics book companies and their release schedules. If I try to wrap my head around it, I’ll just give myself a headache. 

Werewolf by Night: Blood Hunt was released on Wednesday, July 10^th, 2024. The new ongoing series is scheduled for release on Wednesday, August 14^th, 2024. It’s being touted as “the FIRST-EVER ongoing RED BAND series in Marvel History!” Editor Devin Lewis says to “get it while you can – if you’ve got the GUTS!”