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Blood Feud #1-5
Blood Feud
"I’ve got a story to tell—a story about how me and a couple of poker buddies squared off against the very legions of Hell … and maybe even saved the world.
"Like all good yarns, this one has its share of action, adventure, mystery, and romance. As for how it ends, though, you’ll have to judge for yourself. Me, I’ve always been partial to happy endings—the singing cowboy riding off into the sunset—but I reckon that just ain’t the way of the world.
"This story’s got vampires, too, loads of them, but not in the beginning.
"It began, for us at least, with spiders."
Imagine the legendary feud between the Hatfields and McCoys ... if the McCoys were a clan of demon-summoning sorcerers who stopped at nothing to destroy their rivals.
The Stubbs and Whatleys have been at each other’s throats for as long as anyone in the town of Spider Creek, Missouri, can remember. A Stubbs baby pops out of his mama hating the Whatleys, and the Whatleys teach their brood from a young age how to fling rocks with cruel accuracy in case a Stubbs wanders too close to their land. The Stubbs are a rowdy, trouble making bunch, but the Whatleys—
Folks speak of the Whatleys in hushed whispers.
According to local legend, the Whatleys run naked in the woods, beating out strange tunes on deerskin drums, making animal sacrifices beneath the Old Gallows Tree on Summit Ridge, and meeting with the devil himself on pitch black nights.
Sometimes, legends are true.
When the Whatleys make a bargain with dark forces to rid them of the meddlesome Stubbs clan, four unlikely heroes form the only line of defense between a ravenous legion of ghoulish, vampiric creatures and the unsuspecting world beyond the boundaries of the sleepy Ozarks community.
BLOOD FEUD is a novella (22,000 words) of horror, humor, and action set in the backwoods of the Missouri Ozarks.
"Like all good yarns, this one has its share of action, adventure, mystery, and romance. As for how it ends, though, you’ll have to judge for yourself. Me, I’ve always been partial to happy endings—the singing cowboy riding off into the sunset—but I reckon that just ain’t the way of the world.
"This story’s got vampires, too, loads of them, but not in the beginning.
"It began, for us at least, with spiders."
Imagine the legendary feud between the Hatfields and McCoys ... if the McCoys were a clan of demon-summoning sorcerers who stopped at nothing to destroy their rivals.
The Stubbs and Whatleys have been at each other’s throats for as long as anyone in the town of Spider Creek, Missouri, can remember. A Stubbs baby pops out of his mama hating the Whatleys, and the Whatleys teach their brood from a young age how to fling rocks with cruel accuracy in case a Stubbs wanders too close to their land. The Stubbs are a rowdy, trouble making bunch, but the Whatleys—
Folks speak of the Whatleys in hushed whispers.
According to local legend, the Whatleys run naked in the woods, beating out strange tunes on deerskin drums, making animal sacrifices beneath the Old Gallows Tree on Summit Ridge, and meeting with the devil himself on pitch black nights.
Sometimes, legends are true.
When the Whatleys make a bargain with dark forces to rid them of the meddlesome Stubbs clan, four unlikely heroes form the only line of defense between a ravenous legion of ghoulish, vampiric creatures and the unsuspecting world beyond the boundaries of the sleepy Ozarks community.
BLOOD FEUD is a novella (22,000 words) of horror, humor, and action set in the backwoods of the Missouri Ozarks.
61 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2016
8 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Cullen Bunn
2,101 books1,057 followersCullen grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books; The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.
And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.
Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 8, 2019
If I didn't know this was published first, I'd say this was a rejected story from American Vampire. The vampires are very similar looking and the story has that same feel. The story's not bad, but it's not that original either. The blood feud has very little to do with the book besides getting the story started. But at its root, this is just a story of vampires taking over a hillbilly town and a couple of rednecks who fight them.
July 1, 2017
Sucks this was my first introduction to Cullen work because this was pretty bad. I heard a lot of his other stuff is great, including even Magneto series. I do want to try out more so this won't be the only thing I judge him on. However, saying that, this is pretty f'ing bad. You have two redneck families going at each other, or least that's what's said, but then you got vampires coming in. Vampires who look like American Vampire rejects. Then you have the ability to control spiders. Then by the end I don't even know what the fuck happened and it ends on a very very depressing note but not in a good way.
What I liked: SOme of the art was solid and the bull part was cool....yeah...hard to pick.
What I didn't like: Everything else.
Skip this one for sure.
What I liked: SOme of the art was solid and the bull part was cool....yeah...hard to pick.
What I didn't like: Everything else.
Skip this one for sure.
May 8, 2021
A rather shaky start for my journey into "Blood Feud." I found this a bit of a drag despite the shortness in length. The illustrations were great, hence 3 stars, but the story wasn't enough to keep me gripped.
October 30, 2022
If you're not familiar with the horror comics of Cullen Bunn and want a reason to begin following him, BLOOD FEUD should not be your starting point. I'm a huge fan of his work, and enjoyed this. It does exhibit some of those Bunn trademarks - - small Southern town, harboring dark secrets - - but doesn't satisfy as much as HARROW COUNTY, BASILISK or other tales.
However, if you're in the mood for a vampire story with a slightly different spin on the genre, then you will probably like this. I can't rate it more than three stars because it just doesn't measure up to Bunn's other work.
Bunn utilizes the classic Hatfields vs McCoys Appalachian family feuds as a means to unleash a horde of vampires upon the small fictional town of Spider Creek, somewhere in the South. In this case the two families are the Stubbs and the Whatleys, two clans that have hated each other for centuries. The Stubbs are rowdy trouble-makers with a streak of ugly running through (perhaps form in-breeding) while the Whatleys are mysterious and equally ugly, rumored to bargain with dark forces. In an effort to rid their land of the Stubbs, the Whatleys make a pact with a demonic presence that goes awry and leads to a vampiric infestation across Spider Creek. There's also a swarm of tarantulas under the control of the king vampire.
The story in BLOOD FEUD doesn't play to the clan conflict as much as it does to the quartet of characters that escape from the vampires and then do their best to end the threat. The vampires look exactly like those in AMERICAN VAMPIRE, more monstrous in appearance and very long-toothed.
The story builds to a partially happy ending and includes many suspenseful moments along the way. If you're a fan of THE WALKING DEAD tv series, you'll appreciate this more. It has a similar flow.
However, if you're in the mood for a vampire story with a slightly different spin on the genre, then you will probably like this. I can't rate it more than three stars because it just doesn't measure up to Bunn's other work.
Bunn utilizes the classic Hatfields vs McCoys Appalachian family feuds as a means to unleash a horde of vampires upon the small fictional town of Spider Creek, somewhere in the South. In this case the two families are the Stubbs and the Whatleys, two clans that have hated each other for centuries. The Stubbs are rowdy trouble-makers with a streak of ugly running through (perhaps form in-breeding) while the Whatleys are mysterious and equally ugly, rumored to bargain with dark forces. In an effort to rid their land of the Stubbs, the Whatleys make a pact with a demonic presence that goes awry and leads to a vampiric infestation across Spider Creek. There's also a swarm of tarantulas under the control of the king vampire.
The story in BLOOD FEUD doesn't play to the clan conflict as much as it does to the quartet of characters that escape from the vampires and then do their best to end the threat. The vampires look exactly like those in AMERICAN VAMPIRE, more monstrous in appearance and very long-toothed.
The story builds to a partially happy ending and includes many suspenseful moments along the way. If you're a fan of THE WALKING DEAD tv series, you'll appreciate this more. It has a similar flow.
October 26, 2017
I have not been impressed with my October reads this year.
Blood Feud certainly didn't do anything to break that streak.
It's an old-fashioned vampires-take-over-hick-town story. The town is called Spider Creek. Spiders are everywhere and happen to respond to the call of these vampires that aren't standard Dracula vampires, despite one character calling them "Draculas," but are, instead, more like ghouls mixed with, I don't know...werewolves? They're all bloaty with faces made of teeth and hands made of claws. They don't just drink blood, they rip and shred bodies...which then turn into bloated tooth-faced monsters with pointy claw hands and feet.
There's a woman, a blonde from a nearby college, in town to study the spiders and she automatically becomes the default love-interest of the main hero. I don't know why. She's hot, I guess.
You can't tell, though, because the art is all angles and weird lines. It's also not consistent. Everyone's faces change throughout the story and you can really only tell who's who by the clothing they wear and their body shapes.
Once the vampires arrive, most of the panels are red-washed in some fashion. Red skies, red light, red. Like blood. Because we wouldn't have known that it was scary out there, otherwise.
There's all sorts of self-sacrifice going on, either accidentally or intentionally. Don't get too attached to anyone in this story, it's kind of a George R.R. Martin tale, just without incest and food. Well, there's plenty of food for the vampires but it's all the same food, not a table laden with a dozen different dishes.
I dunno. Contemporary vampire stories rarely interest me and this was something I'd seen done before in a variety of ways. Perhaps readers new to paranormal fiction in the form of graphic novels will find this more appealing? It was a miss for me, though.
Blood Feud certainly didn't do anything to break that streak.
It's an old-fashioned vampires-take-over-hick-town story. The town is called Spider Creek. Spiders are everywhere and happen to respond to the call of these vampires that aren't standard Dracula vampires, despite one character calling them "Draculas," but are, instead, more like ghouls mixed with, I don't know...werewolves? They're all bloaty with faces made of teeth and hands made of claws. They don't just drink blood, they rip and shred bodies...which then turn into bloated tooth-faced monsters with pointy claw hands and feet.
There's a woman, a blonde from a nearby college, in town to study the spiders and she automatically becomes the default love-interest of the main hero. I don't know why. She's hot, I guess.
You can't tell, though, because the art is all angles and weird lines. It's also not consistent. Everyone's faces change throughout the story and you can really only tell who's who by the clothing they wear and their body shapes.
Once the vampires arrive, most of the panels are red-washed in some fashion. Red skies, red light, red. Like blood. Because we wouldn't have known that it was scary out there, otherwise.
There's all sorts of self-sacrifice going on, either accidentally or intentionally. Don't get too attached to anyone in this story, it's kind of a George R.R. Martin tale, just without incest and food. Well, there's plenty of food for the vampires but it's all the same food, not a table laden with a dozen different dishes.
I dunno. Contemporary vampire stories rarely interest me and this was something I'd seen done before in a variety of ways. Perhaps readers new to paranormal fiction in the form of graphic novels will find this more appealing? It was a miss for me, though.
March 8, 2019
Blood Feud was a typical Cullen Bunn story. A mixture of supernatural forces and the deep South.
The Whatleys and the Stubbs family have themselves a good old fashioned "blood feud" going on. While this feud has been going on for generations, something very strange is happening. Vampires are appearing. Where are they coming from? Does the feud have anything to do with it?
These are questions surrounding Sue Hatchell, Big Jack, R.F. and Cecil as they struggle to survive in a Salem's Lot meets 30 Days of Night scenario. The story is a good one. The artwork, typically, is nothing special but neither is it awful. It does the job, though the vampires do look a bit childish.
Overall? A good little horror story. it won't blow you away or amaze you, but it will entertain.
The Whatleys and the Stubbs family have themselves a good old fashioned "blood feud" going on. While this feud has been going on for generations, something very strange is happening. Vampires are appearing. Where are they coming from? Does the feud have anything to do with it?
These are questions surrounding Sue Hatchell, Big Jack, R.F. and Cecil as they struggle to survive in a Salem's Lot meets 30 Days of Night scenario. The story is a good one. The artwork, typically, is nothing special but neither is it awful. It does the job, though the vampires do look a bit childish.
Overall? A good little horror story. it won't blow you away or amaze you, but it will entertain.
September 3, 2023
I hear tell this is an old old work of Cullen Bunn’s that was reprinted in, like, 2016 so seeing that reaffirms my overall rating. This wasn’t on par with a Harrow County, which makes sense as that was an ongoing series and this is a 5 issue miniseries but was some great, short work for a young new author. It was a perfect mix of fun and spooky. I’m reading some horror comics this Labor Day weekend to kick off the “ber months” and this hit the spot for that horror/fall/spooky season craving I have been having. I loved the narrators voice throughout just adding the the southern fried vibe, I literally found myself reading with a southern accent in my head, so you know it was good.
I honestly might have given this all 5 stars if it weren’t for this sudden dip in the art quality in the middle of the book. Idk how new the artist was as well at this time, was this an early early work for him as well? Did he not know how to budget his time drawing and was forced to provide a faster, choppier and more unpolished look half way though? I guess I’ll never know but this is a large pet peeve of mine I’m comics, especially miniseries. I understand for long runs an artist’s style may evolve over time and if you’re reading the whole long run at once you’ll see that more than someone reading as the singles or as the trades come out but if an artist can’t even been consistent for 5 issues that makes me think they ran out of time. This didn’t ruin the story for me, I had a ton of fun but it maybe could have even been a 5 for me if not for the art.
I honestly might have given this all 5 stars if it weren’t for this sudden dip in the art quality in the middle of the book. Idk how new the artist was as well at this time, was this an early early work for him as well? Did he not know how to budget his time drawing and was forced to provide a faster, choppier and more unpolished look half way though? I guess I’ll never know but this is a large pet peeve of mine I’m comics, especially miniseries. I understand for long runs an artist’s style may evolve over time and if you’re reading the whole long run at once you’ll see that more than someone reading as the singles or as the trades come out but if an artist can’t even been consistent for 5 issues that makes me think they ran out of time. This didn’t ruin the story for me, I had a ton of fun but it maybe could have even been a 5 for me if not for the art.
January 16, 2023
Visually, this was entertaining. However, the story itself never really veered too far from familiar horror troupes to offer anything in the way of supense or surprises. Overall, this was a fun, quick read that failed to add anything new or memorable to the horror genre.
December 20, 2022
I love the dialect in this story. The vampire part is serviceble, but far from innovative. Often the characters ask themselves what vampires are like in the movies. All the regular items are there - afraid on sunlight, killed by spike to the heart, decapitation or head shot, able to infect by biting, fond of blood. Nothing new here. It's the ending of the story that has something worthwhile. And the dialect. I'll say it again, that's the best part.
Spider Creek is a small, quiet town where you hardly expect anything to happen, let alone a supernatural thing. A blood feud between the Stubbs and Whatley families is more than it seems. After Seth Stubbs is found in the woods mutilated almost to death, R. F. Coven and Jack Siever discover that the Stubbs children have mutated into bloodthirsty vampires. Not the pretty kind, either, but the strong, sabertoothed kind. They aim to stop the spread, but they must find the source and, first of all, survive
Spider Creek is a small, quiet town where you hardly expect anything to happen, let alone a supernatural thing. A blood feud between the Stubbs and Whatley families is more than it seems. After Seth Stubbs is found in the woods mutilated almost to death, R. F. Coven and Jack Siever discover that the Stubbs children have mutated into bloodthirsty vampires. Not the pretty kind, either, but the strong, sabertoothed kind. They aim to stop the spread, but they must find the source and, first of all, survive
January 19, 2019
Usually like Cullen Bunn, this one just didn't do it for me though.
Usually, Bunn is in my top list of comic creators. Anytime I see his name of a piece of work I can trust that the experience will be an enjoyable one. Unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me. I wont go into a list of why its not good, it feels kind of harsh to. But overall, it was just boring. The art was fun, the colors were pretty cool, but that's pretty much all I can say, it wasn't even funny. Again, not the worst comic but when you have things like Redneck or Southern Bastards, its really hard to sit through something so short and half heart-ed.
Usually, Bunn is in my top list of comic creators. Anytime I see his name of a piece of work I can trust that the experience will be an enjoyable one. Unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me. I wont go into a list of why its not good, it feels kind of harsh to. But overall, it was just boring. The art was fun, the colors were pretty cool, but that's pretty much all I can say, it wasn't even funny. Again, not the worst comic but when you have things like Redneck or Southern Bastards, its really hard to sit through something so short and half heart-ed.
September 11, 2017
I liked it. Bunn should stick to Southern-gothic type stories.
August 27, 2012
Book Info: Genre: Horror/Dark humor Reading Level: Ddult
Disclosure: I picked up a copy of this book while it was free during an Amazon promotion. I am happy to provide an honest review.
Synopsis: Imagine the legendary feud between the Hatfields and McCoys ... if the McCoys were a clan of demon-summoning sorcerers who stopped at nothing to destroy their rivals.
The Stubbs and Whatleys have been at each other’s throats for as long as anyone in the town of Spider Creek, Missouri, can remember. A Stubbs baby pops out of his mama hating the Whatleys, and the Whatleys teach their brood from a young age how to fling rocks with cruel accuracy in case a Stubbs wanders too close to their land. The Stubbs are a rowdy, trouble making bunch, but the Whatleys—
Folks speak of the Whatleys in hushed whispers.
According to local legend, the Whatleys run naked in the woods, beating out strange tunes on deerskin drums, making animal sacrifices beneath the Old Gallows Tree on Summit Ridge, and meeting with the devil himself on pitch black nights.
Sometimes, legends are true.
When the Whatleys make a bargain with dark forces to rid them of the meddlesome Stubbs clan, four unlikely heroes form the only line of defense between a ravenous legion of ghoulish, vampiric creatures and the unsuspecting world beyond the boundaries of the sleepy Ozarks community.
Excerpt: "I’ve got a story to tell—a story about how me and a couple of poker buddies squared off against the very legions of Hell … and maybe even saved the world.
"Like all good yarns, this one has its share of action, adventure, mystery, and romance. As for how it ends, though, you’ll have to judge for yourself. Me, I’ve always been partial to happy endings—the singing cowboy riding off into the sunset—but I reckon that just ain’t the way of the world.
"This story’s got vampires, too, loads of them, but not in the beginning.
"It began, for us at least, with spiders."
My Thoughts: Short and sweet, horror for true horror lovers. Note: If spiders wig you out, skip this one! I love the “voice” of the narrator: folksy and humorous, but the understatement only underscores the dangerous, serious, and horrific circumstances in which he finds himself.
The story flows smoothly, providing enough information for us to get a peak into the minds of the main characters while at the same time giving us a good idea of the world in which they live, plus moving briskly through the story. I particularly enjoyed R.F.’s granddaddy’s little sayings that are sprinkled through the book.
Fans of old-school King, Koontz, Edward Lee, and Robert McCammon should enjoy this twisted little yarn. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend that if you like horror, you grab this little jewel.
Disclosure: I picked up a copy of this book while it was free during an Amazon promotion. I am happy to provide an honest review.
Synopsis: Imagine the legendary feud between the Hatfields and McCoys ... if the McCoys were a clan of demon-summoning sorcerers who stopped at nothing to destroy their rivals.
The Stubbs and Whatleys have been at each other’s throats for as long as anyone in the town of Spider Creek, Missouri, can remember. A Stubbs baby pops out of his mama hating the Whatleys, and the Whatleys teach their brood from a young age how to fling rocks with cruel accuracy in case a Stubbs wanders too close to their land. The Stubbs are a rowdy, trouble making bunch, but the Whatleys—
Folks speak of the Whatleys in hushed whispers.
According to local legend, the Whatleys run naked in the woods, beating out strange tunes on deerskin drums, making animal sacrifices beneath the Old Gallows Tree on Summit Ridge, and meeting with the devil himself on pitch black nights.
Sometimes, legends are true.
When the Whatleys make a bargain with dark forces to rid them of the meddlesome Stubbs clan, four unlikely heroes form the only line of defense between a ravenous legion of ghoulish, vampiric creatures and the unsuspecting world beyond the boundaries of the sleepy Ozarks community.
Excerpt: "I’ve got a story to tell—a story about how me and a couple of poker buddies squared off against the very legions of Hell … and maybe even saved the world.
"Like all good yarns, this one has its share of action, adventure, mystery, and romance. As for how it ends, though, you’ll have to judge for yourself. Me, I’ve always been partial to happy endings—the singing cowboy riding off into the sunset—but I reckon that just ain’t the way of the world.
"This story’s got vampires, too, loads of them, but not in the beginning.
"It began, for us at least, with spiders."
My Thoughts: Short and sweet, horror for true horror lovers. Note: If spiders wig you out, skip this one! I love the “voice” of the narrator: folksy and humorous, but the understatement only underscores the dangerous, serious, and horrific circumstances in which he finds himself.
The story flows smoothly, providing enough information for us to get a peak into the minds of the main characters while at the same time giving us a good idea of the world in which they live, plus moving briskly through the story. I particularly enjoyed R.F.’s granddaddy’s little sayings that are sprinkled through the book.
Fans of old-school King, Koontz, Edward Lee, and Robert McCammon should enjoy this twisted little yarn. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend that if you like horror, you grab this little jewel.
June 5, 2017
Well, they can't all be winners.
This is the first Cullen Bunn comic that I haven't enjoyed. His brand of southern gothic horror usually hits just the right spot. Blood Feud, however, is a definite miss.
An apparent homage to movies like Evil Dead, this comic doesn't offer any new or interesting takes on the genre. The characters are all bland and forgettable. The story meanders from one grim encounter to the next without any real high points. The setup is Evil Dead meets the Hatfield/McCoy feud, but the characters are seemingly too busy running around the woods to explore this concept in any depth. The ending feels as rushed as it does unsatisfying. This wouldn't be nearly so disappointing if I hadn't seen the kind of depth and atmosphere that Bunn can bring to horror comics. His Harrow County is consistently eerie and impressive, and I highly recommend it to any fan of rural horror stories.
Bunn is in no way assisted by Drew Moss' artwork. The perspective is bad, the backgrounds are dull and all-too-often monochromatic, and the character work often seems rushed and sloppy. In particular I didn't care for his vampires, which look like giant chunky mole rats whose mouths are crammed with stalactite-sized fangs.
Even the best of writers occasionally put out unremarkable work. Blood Feud, in my opinion, falls squarely into this category.
This is the first Cullen Bunn comic that I haven't enjoyed. His brand of southern gothic horror usually hits just the right spot. Blood Feud, however, is a definite miss.
An apparent homage to movies like Evil Dead, this comic doesn't offer any new or interesting takes on the genre. The characters are all bland and forgettable. The story meanders from one grim encounter to the next without any real high points. The setup is Evil Dead meets the Hatfield/McCoy feud, but the characters are seemingly too busy running around the woods to explore this concept in any depth. The ending feels as rushed as it does unsatisfying. This wouldn't be nearly so disappointing if I hadn't seen the kind of depth and atmosphere that Bunn can bring to horror comics. His Harrow County is consistently eerie and impressive, and I highly recommend it to any fan of rural horror stories.
Bunn is in no way assisted by Drew Moss' artwork. The perspective is bad, the backgrounds are dull and all-too-often monochromatic, and the character work often seems rushed and sloppy. In particular I didn't care for his vampires, which look like giant chunky mole rats whose mouths are crammed with stalactite-sized fangs.
Even the best of writers occasionally put out unremarkable work. Blood Feud, in my opinion, falls squarely into this category.
July 15, 2020
I found that this book started with a bang but concluded as a dud.
The volume opens up with griping atmosphere in a southern town. The initial tone is perfect for setting up a southern horror story. I found the setting and environment to be interesting. The narration has a very distinct noir tone. Chapter one delights and intrigues throughout, but than the plot prods on in predictable and uninteresting ways. It loses its heart as it just chases genre tropes. The biggest problem is that I never found a reason to care about the characters. There was nothing that made the protagonists interesting or memorable. Without good characters, plot alone just can't carry a story.
The art is decent, and the coloring is great at selling the environment. I did find the monsters to look as silly as they were scary though, and perhaps this is a reason why the volume failed for me later on. I found the character silhouttes to be diverse and strong, but the monsters all looked the same. Paneling is good and word-to-panel ratio is excellent.
The comic is good, but the story fails to deliver a strong conclusion and memorable characters.
The volume opens up with griping atmosphere in a southern town. The initial tone is perfect for setting up a southern horror story. I found the setting and environment to be interesting. The narration has a very distinct noir tone. Chapter one delights and intrigues throughout, but than the plot prods on in predictable and uninteresting ways. It loses its heart as it just chases genre tropes. The biggest problem is that I never found a reason to care about the characters. There was nothing that made the protagonists interesting or memorable. Without good characters, plot alone just can't carry a story.
The art is decent, and the coloring is great at selling the environment. I did find the monsters to look as silly as they were scary though, and perhaps this is a reason why the volume failed for me later on. I found the character silhouttes to be diverse and strong, but the monsters all looked the same. Paneling is good and word-to-panel ratio is excellent.
The comic is good, but the story fails to deliver a strong conclusion and memorable characters.
June 16, 2017
This is a thoroughly average graphic novel. We've got a secluded Ozark Mountain town, lots of tarantulas, a blood feud between two clans, and vampires. All seen through the eyes of a couple of poker buddies and a female researcher. None of the characters make an impression, and the action isn't bad, but isn't memorable either. It's strictly by the numbers, with the expected casualties and survivors. There are some nice touches; the river of spiders is kind of cool, and I appreciated that Cullen Bunn didn't go full stereotype on the feuding families, and the fact that people are willing to accept vampires but are also reticent to just accept the rules of vampires being accurate, are all nice touches. And the art is pretty good, with the heavily saturated color work being the standout piece. But ultimately, there's nothing here that I will remember in a week, for being especially good or especially bad.
February 19, 2018
Ah man, what a blast. A quartet of Appalachia's finest fight against an unexpected vampire invasion. There's not a whole lot of explanation for why vampires, why spiders, why anything, but it's still a wild ride straight to the finish line.
I see a lot of complaints that the vampires looked like werewolf rejects. Who said vampires had to look like anything? Sure, American Vampire has kinda cornered the market on illustrated vampire sagas, so maybe that's the expectation now. But once the story got rolling, I was fine with the artwork - pleased even! Drew Moss's work is clean and easy to follow - perfect for an action-focused volume such as this. Just check out the bull fight! Good stuff.
I see a lot of complaints that the vampires looked like werewolf rejects. Who said vampires had to look like anything? Sure, American Vampire has kinda cornered the market on illustrated vampire sagas, so maybe that's the expectation now. But once the story got rolling, I was fine with the artwork - pleased even! Drew Moss's work is clean and easy to follow - perfect for an action-focused volume such as this. Just check out the bull fight! Good stuff.
April 4, 2020
I’m a fan of Cullen’s work. This neither delighted, nor disappointed. It’s a bit of a cliched vampire tale with just enough southern fried to it to not fall flat on its face. Maybe I should have read it at night. As it is, having read this midday stuck inside during Coronavirus quarantine it books squarely in the middle.
May 16, 2023
"Blood Feud" Vol. 1 by Cullen Bunn is a gory graphic novel that plunges readers into a world of ancient vampire clans and dark family secrets. I enjoyed the atmospheric artwork but the intense and bloody action got predictable and tiring. Fans of brutal supernatural tales will probably dig it. To me, it lacked nuance and subtlety known from other works by Cullen Bunn.
November 28, 2025
Dialogue couldn’t really bother me and the story and storytelling wasn’t even interesting enough, I almost didn’t finish the book. The boxy art is not my favoriete. Coloring was good tho. Some say this is a weaker edition of Cullens books, and this is not representative. I hope so, because this is my first Cullen
March 6, 2018
Bunn tells another quality Southern gothic story here, about a long-standing blood feud in Spider Creek, Missouri that quickly turns into a tale of vampires in an isolated small town. A strong narrator and fast pacing.
July 5, 2017
Entertaining southern horror with Vampires. All told to you by the main character.
February 13, 2019
Not as good as Harrow County, but still a pretty great read with some awesome monsters. I was scared.
June 1, 2019
This is like a pizza. It hits the spot with its gooey, cheesey goodness.
May 30, 2021
A long set-up for a short payoff, but a good story all in all.
September 13, 2023
Aggressively okay.
Solid, if derivative.
Solid, if derivative.
November 3, 2013
The best hillbilly vampire story. EVER. Blood Feud is an old favorite of mine from the Thicker Than Water collection and, unlike backwoods moonshine, it only gets better with age. Hairy tarantulas, creepy redneck vampire kids, a scary master vamp, even an enraged bull...pretty much everything you need in such a tale.
My second-favorite line in this story -- in any story, actually -- occurs early on, when one of the characters describes a bucketful of big, fat frogs: "He cupped his hands and held them up to illustrate the size, the way a man does only when describing breasts or bullfrogs."
Come on, that's a great freakin' line. And it's not even the best of its ilk in Blood Feud! But I won't give that one away -- you'll have to buy the story and see for yourself. Trust me, this rustic little vampire yarn (with spiders) is worth the asking price, and then some.
My second-favorite line in this story -- in any story, actually -- occurs early on, when one of the characters describes a bucketful of big, fat frogs: "He cupped his hands and held them up to illustrate the size, the way a man does only when describing breasts or bullfrogs."
Come on, that's a great freakin' line. And it's not even the best of its ilk in Blood Feud! But I won't give that one away -- you'll have to buy the story and see for yourself. Trust me, this rustic little vampire yarn (with spiders) is worth the asking price, and then some.
January 31, 2017
It's a legit stand alone mini-series. Don't see those very often anymore. This one is definitely a horror story--vampires--but it is drawn in just cartoony enough a fashion as to be more fun than it might be otherwise. The southern touch is well-handled, we get a bit of teasing mockery of the southern backwoods/redneck cliches, but nothing descends into Ricky Bobby territory. Bunn is creative here, and it has some of the feel of Sixth Gun without feeling like anything more than a distant cousin of that series.
January 31, 2017
I really like Cullen Bunn, I've been reading his stuff for years. When I heard this bit of his early work was getting a reprint, I was interested since I hadn't read it before. Cullen, as much as I like your work, I'm sorry, but this was awful, terrible, horrible. If I had known it was a book about monster spiders, I would never have picked it up. I couldn't even finish it. I tried to stick with it, I really did. I got about half way through the whole book, but I just couldn't take looking at any more pictures of horrible monsters.
January 23, 2017
Not bad, not as good as 'Harrow County,' which builds its world a bit better. Granted, 'Blood Feud' is a realistic, modern world, but the characters weren't as well-developed as HC. But there was some nice grue, I liked Jack, and the Master was sufficiently awesome-looking. I do wish they'd done more with the Master, though.
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