'Blood Hunt' Drags the Marvel Universe into Darkness

The dawn of a new Marvel era begins this spring in BLOOD HUNT, a crossover epic from AVENGERS scribe Jed MacKay and acclaimed X-MEN artists Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia.

Announced in October at New York Comic Con, BLOOD HUNT will command its own main limited series, as well as tie-in issues and spinoff limited series. As eternal night takes hold of the Marvel Universe, an overwhelming army of bloodsucking terrors will emerge, united by a single vision for the first time in millennia. To keep them at bay, a new world order may need to be put in place…  

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. 

"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."

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 below!

BLOOD HUNT #1 (OF 5)
Written by JED MACKAY 
Art and Cover by PEPE LARRAZ
Colors by MARTE GRACIA
On Sale 5/1

MARVEL.COM: How long have you been planning and building towards BLOOD HUNT?

JED MACKAY: It's been a while...I think Tom [Brevoort] emailed me around the end of March to float the idea of a vampire-centered event, as I was working on AVENGERS, DOCTOR STRANGE, and MOON KNIGHT, all of whom would be pretty well situated to tell a story about the vampire apocalypse!

MARVEL.COM: What draws you to vampires, out of all the terrors that lurk in the Marvel Universe?

JED MACKAY: I think vampires are a very fun part of the Marvel Universe. 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.

MARVEL.COM: Over the past year or so, Dracula founded his very own vampire nation in Chernobyl. How does that play into what's to come in BLOOD HUNT?

JED MACKAY: Well, that remains to be seen! Suffice to say, there's no way that something like BLOOD HUNT could kick off without Dracula being involved in some way—and you'll have to wait until FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: BLOOD HUNT to find out how!
 

MARVEL.COM: Who are some of the key players we'll see involved in the main BLOOD HUNT title? How did you arrive at these characters?

JED MACKAY: Well, as I'm writing AVENGERS, DOCTOR STRANGE, and VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT, we'll be centering all of those characters in this story, as well as some others: Blade, Bloodline, Dracula, and Spider-Man, to name a few. 

Some of it was common sense. You're not going to do a vampire event without Blade or Dracula, and others, like Spider-Man, were characters that came up in discussions as we went along putting this event together.

MARVEL.COM: Where there are vampires, you'll find the Daywalker. What intrigued you the most about working with Blade?

JED MACKAY: I think that there's something interesting in the idea that Blade can never win. He's out there every night, going after the vampires, and even when he gets a big win, it never seems to last long. But that doesn't stop him, and he doesn't age, so he'll just keep doing what he does until it kills him. There's a drive to Blade that sets him apart.

MARVEL.COM: Every good event needs a villain! Without giving too much away, what can you tell us about the mastermind behind the events of BLOOD HUNT?

JED MACKAY: Well, someone has organized this global vampire uprising, and even worse, has assembled a cadre of horrific super-vampires known as the Bloodcoven to do their bidding! As to who this mastermind might be, that will be revealed in time.

MARVEL.COM: Tell me a little about working with Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia. What have they brought to the book so far?

JED MACKAY: Pepe and Marte have made magic, as usual. While I have yet to see Marte's colors, the work Pepe has been turning in has been just astounding, allowing him to turn his extraordinary skills in a much more grotesque direction than we usually see in his Marvel work. From character designs to layouts to pages, everything sings.

MARVEL.COM: What are you most excited for readers to see?

JED MACKAY: I think we've got a few surprises up our sleeves that I'm looking forward to people seeing—and, of course, the utterly lovely artwork of the series!

MARVEL.COM: With the whole world shrouded in darkness, the stakes of BLOOD HUNT are massive. What kind of mark will this event leave on the Marvel Universe?

JED MACKAY: BLOOD HUNT is an event, which is something world-shaking and important. But perhaps more important is what the world looks like after it's been shaken about...

MARVEL.COM: What should eagle-eyed fans be looking for in the lead up to BLOOD HUNT?

JED MACKAY: Keep an eye on the shadows!

BLOOD HUNT begins on May 1, 2024!

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