Episode #089: Blood Syndicate
Milestone Media reimagined the superhero team as a street gang, mutated as a result of secret human experimentation during a riot. But where so many media narratives in the 1990s painted gang members either as vicious criminals or as victims with no agency, Blood Syndicate gave its protagonists a complex combination of attitudes and motivations and allowed them to be capable of compassion and callousness in equal measure. Novice writer Ivan Velez Jr. expanded on and diversified Dwayne McDuffie’s initial concept so that the team reflected a unique range of ethnicities, cultures, sexualities, and gender expressions. But it’s also a real fun comic book with magical demons and talking rats! We make the case that Blood Syndicate, illustrated by the highly expressive ChrisCross, was the 1990s’ real successor to Chris Claremont’s approach to characterization on the X-Men titles. We also discuss team books in general and what makes them work!
Discussed in this episode: Blood Syndicate #1-12
Amazon/Audible
