Hot off his standout run on Blade, writer Bryan Hill is launching a Blood Hunt tie-in that reunites Blade with the Midnight Sons in this May’s Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt, and CBR had a chance to talk to the writer about the project, as well as share an exclusive first look at some pages from Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #1

Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #1 is from Hill and artist Germán Peralta, with covers by Ken Lashley, and it brings together Blade, Johhny Blaze, Danny Ketch, Victoria Montesi, and more surprises for a new story tied into the overall major Marvel crossover event, Blood Hunt.

BRYAN HILL (W) • GERMÁN PERALTA (A) • KEN LASHLEY (C) VARIANT COVER BY DECLAN SHALVEY • VARIANT COVER BY DAVE WACHTER BLOOD RED VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE THE RETURN OF THE MIDNIGHT SONS! The original Midnight Sons reunite to deal with the vampire threat unleashed in BLOOD HUNT! But first they must defeat one of their own: Blade! 40 PGS./Parental Advisory …$4.99

CBR: Your use of Satana in Blade was great, and it really highlights the joy of the Marvel Universe, that there are all of these awesome characters that aren’t being used that much (heck, when the original Midnight Sons launched, most of the characters had been in comic book limbo for YEARS), and thus you aren’t tied to as much continuity for them as you would, say, Captain America. So you can pretty much do any take on the Satanas of the world that you’d like (while honoring the basic concept of the character, of course). Does that sort of thing appeal to you with characters on the more obscure side, like Victoria Montesi?

I’m generally more interested in the characters that haven’t gotten as much spotlight, because there’s a lot of room to explore them. Writing the characters at the center of culture is a lot like working with a major celebrity on a film or show, there’s an inherent level of interest there and that’s fun to have, for sure…but working with a character that hasn’t gotten as much attention and creative exploration has the unique excitement of discovery. That’s like working with a great character actor, putting them in a lead role, and exploring the colors in their rainbow, things that are all new frontiers. As long as I can have an emotional way into a character’s personal conflict, what forces exist in them that are pulling them in different directions, I can find something to write that excites me.

Blood Hunt is launching right as your epic Blade run wraps up. Is there any specific plot carryover from your Blade run to this new Midnight Sons series?

Not so much plot specifics, while it is built on top of the same continuity as my Blade run. I think the tonal experience is what really carries over. This is a true horror mini-series, influenced by everything from John Carpenter to Junji Ito. Expect the same full embrace of the genre.

I would think that putting together a cast for a Midnight Sons book during a horror-centric crossover would be a bit trickier, since there are so many other tie-ins using major characters (like, for instance, Dracula and Bloodline are both starring in Dracula: Blood Hunt). Did you first figure out what your cast was before you came up with a plot for the series, or did you just adapt the plot to who was available for you to use?

As soon as they said I could use Ghost Rider I was all the way in, hahahahaha.

When the series was announced, you mentioned that you were glad that people were recognizing you as a “horror” guy, but I noticed that you also made a point to specify that the book is going to be involve TERROR. Can you explain a bit about the subtle differences between “horror” and “terror” and how that plays into what you’re doing with Midnight Sons (I think your Blade run split the difference between horror and terror really well).

Sure. “Terror” is more psychological. It’s a fear based on what is implied by a narrative moment and filled in by our imaginations. If I told you that someone watches you while you sleep, that’s terrifying.

“Horror” is revulsion. The monstrous. The gory. What activates our survival instincts on a visceral, sensory level. You know that thing watching you while you sleep? It’s made of a hive mind of a thousand quivering cockroaches and it scatters itself under your bed before you wake up. That’s horrifying.

Writing a series with Blade during a vampire crossover series is a bit like writing a Wonder Woman series during an Amazon crossover series, so was there more coordination required for Blade’s plot in this Midnight Sons series than you would normally have in one of your series?

Not particularly because I’m with another group of characters that are familiar with Blade, but not close to those events. There is more sentient, objective evil working in the world both from my Blade series and Blood Hunt, so there’s plenty to task and explore. I didn’t need to sync up to every individual event in the crossover. The way I look at “satellite books” they don’t drive the plot events of the crossover’s main title, but they can explore the consequence of those events and add resonance to what’s happening in the larger comic book universe.

Something that you’ve always done so well in your comic book work is that they tend to feel like sort of mini-action movies. Does the miniseries format help with that approach? Your Blade run felt like each issue was almost its own action blockbuster, all connected to an overall arc, but is it freer as a writer not having to connect to a larger arc?

Well, I’m a writer-director in my other life, so I guess that carries over, hahahaha. It’s not something I’m actively doing. I guess they just come out that way because I think in cinematic terms, the rising and falling action, suspense, revelation, all of that. So much of writing a comic book is just following your instinct on how to tell the story. What FEELS right. My love of cinema carries through, I guess. I hope it makes a good read!

Germán Peralta has been busy at Marvel with a variety of very different types of stories, from Maestro to Black Panther to Loki to Thanos. How has his ability to work in so many different styles helped the mixture of action and terror that you’re going for in Midnight Sons?

It’s a demanding thing, because you need someone that can draw human moments as well as monsters and demons. Peralta does that incredibly well. Most of the experience of a comic book lies in the visual storytelling. Sure I plot it. Write dialogue. Indicate panels. But the heavy lift is in the actual illustration. And Peralta’s done a fantastic job here. It’s kind of amazing how we have these brilliant visual artists contributing amazing imagery to pop culture on a regular basis. I’m never not amazed by what they do on the page. Always a joy and a privilege.

Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt is on sale May 29.

Source: Marvel