Best of 2023 Interview: Bryan Edward Hill's Blade

This particular plot for BLADE has quite a few moving parts. Can you set the stage for those readers late to the party?

The stage is simple. Blade has unwittingly set free an entity that embodies the atrophy of the universe, that seeks to usher in a New Age of Occult Darkness into the world, and destroy the civilization of mankind. So now Blade has to put that evil toothpaste back into the tube.

What would you say your approach to the character Blade is? Is it a little bit Wesley Snipes, a little Gene Colan, or something else? 

It's a blend of both, I'd say. I wanted to write a straightforward action-horror story. The kind of thing I grew up on as a kid. Escapism with soul. There's not enough of that in the marketplace. People have hard lives and they come to comics to escape the pressures of life, to get told a story about good and evil -- at least in Superhero comics -- and I felt there was a little bit of a vacuum. BLADE allows me to address that.

I don’t think enough has been said about the artwork on this book. How has it been working with Elena Casagrande on the comic? 

She's brilliant. A joy.

What can readers expect from the series in 2024?

More straightforward action/horror. I seek to be a dependable storyteller to people, whether it's in film, TV or comics. When people see my name on a project I want them to know that it's going to slap a little, have some soul, some ideas, and be a ride worth taking.

We like to shout out unsung heroes here. So, who on the BLADE creative team deserves some recognition? 

I think editors Wil Moss and Michelle Marchese don't get enough credit. I'm terribly busy, and they constantly accommodate my schedule so I can tell this story. That's not easy with all the moving parts of comics.