Blade comic books basically have horror themes. Even though Marvel is known for superhero comics, Blade is a horror character. He is half vampire, half human, and must control his thirst for human blood. Meanwhile, he is on a quest to rid the world of vampires to save humanity. He is a conflicted character, and the best Blade stories are found in the comic books, since we may not get a Blade MCU film anytime soon.
Blade’s origin is a horror film script. Blade was born Eric Brooks in London in 1929. His mother was an heiress fleeing a conspiracy and hiding in a brothel. Blade’s mother, a Black woman, was bitten by a white vampire, Deacon Frost, the moment Blade was born. So, Blade was born a human/vampire hybrid, or a dhampir, who is able to walk in sunlight and is immune to vampire bites.
Blade grew up with a hatred of vampires and pledged to rid the world of them. The character made his debut in 1973 in The Tomb of Dracula #10. The character was a cult favorite and did not gain wider appeal until the early 1990s and the 1998 Blade film.
Here is a list of seven of the best Blade comic books for you to check out now.
1. “Mother of Evil”
Blade is paid to protect a woman known as Dana from occultist assassins. Once Blade dispatches all the assassins, Dana attacks Blade and knocks him out. Upon awakening, Blade learns that an ancient evil has taken possession of Dana. Furthermore, Blade learns that he was set up to eliminate the only threat that could defeat this ancient evil: the occultists he had just killed.
Blade finds himself in the middle of an ancient and global conspiracy of evil. Now, he has to stop a threat he may have unwittingly unleashed.
Blade Vol. 1: Mother Of Evil is a 128-page paperback that collects the first five issues of the 2023 series. Written by Bryan Hill, it also features the incredible art of Elena Casagrande. Buy it now for $15.30 at Amazon.
2. “Evil Against Evil”
This storyline is the continuation of “Mother of Evil,” from the same creative team. Blade learns that his new nemesis is an ancient evil known as Adana. Blade is not ready to confront Adana. So, Blade must take advice from his deadliest foe, Dracula, on how to confront this new threat. Blade also confers with Bruce Banner.
Blade Vol. 2: Evil Against Evil is a 112-page paperback. Get it now for $10.60 at Amazon.
3. Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt
Blood Hunt is a 2024 Marvel Comics event. It was a worldwide event where the entire world is engulfed in a vampire crisis. The Midnight Sons is a team of dark anti-heroes who unite to fight a threat that one cannot deal with. Blade, joined by two Ghost Riders, a new Werewolf By Night, and other allies, unite to find a way to stop this new global vampire threat.
Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt collects all three issues of the 2024 miniseries and some tie-in issues. Buy the 112-page paperback for $15.99 at Amazon now.
4. Blade: The Early Years Omnibus
We only have the Blade comic books of today due to the cultural influences of the horror and blaxploitation films of the 1970s. In a way, the creators of Blade found their inspiration in Blaxploitation film characters like Shaft and the vampire horror films of the 1970s.
The 1970s Blade wore an overcoat and used an array of wooden blades to fight vampires. The Blade of the 1970s was a human who was also immune to vampire bites. It was not until much later that the character was written to become a dhampir.
The Blade of the 1970s is very different from the contemporary character, but still no less interesting. Blade: The Early Years Omnibus is a 720-page paperback that chronicles the 1970s comics featuring the first appearances of Blade. This omnibus features Tomb of Dracula #10, the first comic book appearance of Blade.
Buy it now for $58.10 at Amazon. Or, get the Kindle version for $39.99.
5. Blade Epic Collection: Nightstalkers
Blade comic books were not as appreciated in the 1990s as they are today.
The character barely made over 100 appearances in the comic books before his 1998 film debut starring Wesley Snipes. The truth is that Marvel did not know what to do with Blade in the early 1990s. So, the publisher created the Midnight Sons initiative, where supernatural and occult characters would band together in street-level stories with occult plots.
Blade Epic Collection: Nightstalkers is a 432-page paperback that features the seminal Marvel horror comics that helped to mold the current iteration of Blade.
Buy it now for $29.70 at Amazon.
6. Blade: Red Band – Prodigal Son
Red Band is a new Marvel Comics imprint for horror stories and comics with mature themes. The next generation of Blade comic books will probably surface at Red Band. The recent Blood Hunt storyline was about Blade facing off with the first, ancient vampire of the world.
Blade barely stops the threat but loses everything in the battle, including his connection to his daughter, Brielle. Brielle is now a rising vampire slayer in her own right in the comic books.
Blade is now in exile from humanity when a new threat requires his attention and vampire-killing skills. Blade: Red Band – Prodigal Son is currently an ongoing series, but you can pre-order the paperback that collects the first issues now. Get it for only $17.99 at Amazon now.
7. Bloodline: Daughter of Blade
Brielle Brooks is the daughter of Blade. She is a new character and may become a major player in the Blade comic books in the future. To ensure that she had a normal life, Blade asks Dr. Strange to cast a spell that would make Brielle invisible to his enemies. The spell gave Brielle constant protection until Strange died recently in the comic books.
Now, Brielle can be seen via magic and the senses of the occult enemies that Blade has made over the years. Also, since Brielle is one-quarter dhampir, her latent powers, similar to Blade’s, start awakening.
Bloodline: Daughter of Blade is a 128-page paperback that collects all five issues of the series. Buy it now at Amazon for $17.99.
Blade Comic Books
Blade is not a new character. He has been around since 1973. However, the character has not been used enough in the comic books until recently. The line between horror and superheroics in comic books is razor thin; that is why Marvel crafts the best characterizations of Blade in the comics.
There is no telling when a new Blade movie will appear in the MCU. But there are plenty of Blade comic books and stories that you can enjoy now in the meantime.
This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase anything through these affiliated links, the author/website may earn a commission.
Read More
7 More Underrated Black Female Superheroes
8 Greatest Black Widow Comic Books
The post 7 All-Time Best Blade Comic Books appeared first on Personal Finance Advice.
