Halloween Spooklight 2017, Day 10: Elsa Bloodstone

Every day this month, a new supernatural character or story from the Marvel Universe gets a spooky spotlight leading up to Halloween!

In 2001, Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Michael Lopez introduced the world to a young woman—mysteriously linked to monsters—who found herself embroiled in a war between creatures and humans. And they called that young woman Elsa Bloodstone!

The character, who has since starred in NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E. and MONSTERS UNLEASHED, first appeared in BLOODSTONE #1. The story began as Elsa and her recently widowed mother moved into her dad’s former home. Unbeknownst to Elsa, her father, Ulysses, lead a life of adventure as a globetrotting monster hunter. Living in his residence, she learned details about him, his life, and the supernatural gem that she shares a name with.

She met a couple of new friends along this path of discovery, including Adam, A.K.A. Frankenstein’s Monster, and Charles Barnabus, the pureblood vampire lawyer. After coming into possession of a mystical Bloodgem, Elsa teleported across locations, encountered Dracula, and went on a mission to help a mummy create a zombie army.

These adventures proved to just be warm-ups for the real adventure, however, when the vampire Nosferatu sought to concoct a super blood by sourcing the goods from pureblood vampires like Dracula and Barnabus. Luckily for them, Elsa took to the whole monster-hunting gig pretty quickly and, with some help from her friends, took Nosferatu on head-to-head. Utilizing the Bloodgem, she cured Nosferatu of vampirism, which left the centuries-old being a quivering pile of dust.

Since her initial limited series, Elsa has continued to leave her mark on the supernatural landscape of the Marvel Universe. She even joined the 50 State Initiative in the wake of Civil War.  Later, she appeared in the pages of AVENGERS UNDERCOVER.

Fright Fact

For a concise history of Ulysses, Elsa, and the Bloodgem they’ve both worn, check out MARVEL ASSISTANT-SIZED SPECTACULAR #2. Set 10,000 years in the past, a “rock possessed by a planet-conquering god” crashed into Earth before being discovered by a young Ulysses. He hunted monsters imbued with fragments of the initial gem, forging his own name that he then passed on to his daughter.

Tomorrow, remember the bloodcurdling tale of Sam Wilson as Cap-Wolf!