During Marvels, “Next Big Thing” panel today at New York Comic Con, the publisher announced the upcoming Blood Hunt crossover event written by Jed MacKay and illustrated by Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia launching in Spring of 2024. Today the publisher revealed new details as well as interior art for the series.
Official press release below:
Announced in October at New York Comic Con, Marvel’s next crossover event, BLOOD HUNT, launches this May. Written by current Avengers and Moon Knight scribe Jed MacKay and drawn by superstar X-Men artist Pepe Larraz, the monumental story begs the question, “WHO WILL BITE IT?” as vampires emerge from the shadows like never before.
Across the main limited series, tie-in issues, and spinoff limited series, readers will experience their favorite heroes fall helpless to the dark ways of the creatures of the night and bravely overcome their tempting ways. United with a single vision for the first time in millennia, the overwhelming army of bloodsucking terrors will transform the world in their image by turning the lights off across the Marvel Universe. In order to turn them back on, a new world order may need to be put in place…
Today, fans can check out the first issue cover along with a glimpse at the Avengers’ opening battle with the vampire nation’s forces. Plus, get new insights into the event in an exclusive interview with Jed MacKay!
The skies have gone dark, the sun hiding its face from the carnage to come. The children of the night, the vampires, have risen from the dark and hidden places of the world as one to drown the Marvel Universe in blood. Earth’s final night has fallen – can even the heroes of this doomed world stem the tide of blood that is to come? Join the Avengers, Blade, Bloodline, Spider-Man, Hunter’s Moon, Tigra, Doctor Strange and Clea as the dance of death begins.
“I think vampires are a very fun part of the Marvel Universe,” MacKay told Marvel.com. “You can enjoy them on a surface level as adding a little spookiness to a book, or you can get as deep as you like into the long-running Marvel history of vampires, which is as elaborate as any other part of it (and the fact that Dracula is there is a source of endless delight)! BLOOD HUNT is just the latest chapter in the long-running vampire mythos of Marvel vampires—and they’re stepping out of the darkness in a big way.”
“Much like Civil War and Secret Invasion, BLOOD HUNT is a story that has been naturally building across Marvel’s comics over the last few years (and some even older stories), and it all comes to a head this May as Jed connects all the dots,” Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski said. “As the series unfolds, readers will be able to uncover clues and go back and put the pieces together to see just how high the stakes are for our beloved characters. Pun intended.”
Check out the preview art below and look for Blood Hunt #1 (of 5) to arrive in stores on Wednesday May 1st, 2024.
Let me preface this by saying: This looks really good! McKay is one of the best and these two artists are at the top of their game. I really can’t wait for it. But here’s the thing, (and I could be wrong – just basing this on the images and Marvel’s own statements) – it looks largely limited to McKay’s characters. Avengers, Moon Knight, Dr. Strange, Clea and Tigra. I truly believe that if they had just cut him loose and said “hey if the world is going dark – it’s all hands on deck. In the main book you get…EVERYONE. Avengers, FF, X-Men, Spiderman, Luke Cage, Reunite the Defenders!, throw in Morbius, Werewolf by Night, Elsa Bloodstone, Man Thing, Ghost Rider, She-Hulk, Runaways. Even in cameos. Like the old crossovers. It makes the stakes seem higher. It makes the universe feel connected. And it makes the event feel more important and less of a self contained thing that is more of a sales event than a story event. To sum up: when I was a kid I thought it was so cool when things like Quicksilver and Dani Moonstar and Invisible Woman had a moment. That was part of the magic and I think it could draw in kids today too.
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