Fear the Day walker. Blade Appreciation 2021

[Tracks]

with vampires gathering/gathered in the Chernobyl district, what are their rules on, well, feeding? harvesting animals only? synthetic blood producing devices?

... if there was a safe way to detonate nuclear bombs in that area (or even a not-so-safe way), Blade would be crazy enough to do it, lol..

Looks like Wakanda is producing synthetic blood for them. And it looks like Aaron tried to shift Blades mentality from solely wanting to kill all the vampires to also wanting to demonstrate that vampires don't have to all follow Dracula. It makes a bit of sense considering all of Blades appearances that he'd eventually recognize that some vampires can be rescued, but im not sure Aaron really showed that character growth.

[Jabare]

I don't like how Vampires have evolved in pop culture thanks to all the Twilight, True Blood, and Vampire Diaries shows.

I much prefer where Vampires were more akin to Zombies or this unholy transformation and affliction. If you have them: retain their soul and their morals while removing their craving for blood and their other weaknesses then they're just like any other super-powered individual and Blade isn't that unique.


But if you go back to the more original interpretations of vampires, Blade's existence and modus operandi truly stand out. When someone becomes a vampire they should be fundamentally different than they were as a human otherwise vampirism would be great and everyone would want it.

I hope that this will be addressed. Vampires aren't akin to mutants or another minority group. They are a virus. That's just what I find to be more appealing. Marvel will do whatever it wants, but if they just become another group like Mutants or Inhumans or Atlantians I feel they lose all their charm.

[The One and Only]

The "Exploring Blade " video from Good Bad Flicks detailing the production history of the original BLADE.

[Tracks]

One thing that's getting a little tired for me is Aaron always reminding people Blade's a dhampir. Heroes Reborn was full of "i'm losing my vampire mind" "I can smell with my vamp nose". Other than that the first issue was cool. More evidence that Blade might have connected with Thor the most of all the Avengers.

[Jabare]

Movie produciton has reportedly been pushed back to Jully 2022

also looks like Blade is featured in another cool Marvel videogame (likely not for release in North America)

One thing that's getting a little tired for me is Aaron always reminding people Blade's a dhampir. Heroes Reborn was full of "i'm losing my vampire mind" "I can smell with my vamp nose". Other than that the first issue was cool. More evidence that Blade might have connected with Thor the most of all the Avengers.

lol, I hear ya. Maybe it's because Aaron's writing such accesible new reader-friendly stories. Surprisingly, I've gotten used to it, but it took me a while to get there. Since Aaron's been writing Blade he's been slapping us in the face with this.

I don't know where this story ultimately goes, but I'm predicting this will be one of Blade's more iconic Marvel stories. This is the type of event that Blade is rarely a part of and it will further marry him to the Avengers if he's the one that ultimately helps revert reality to normal.

[Tracks]

Movie produciton has reportedly been pushed back to Jully 2022

also looks like Blade is featured in another cool Marvel videogame (likely not for release in North America)




lol, I hear ya. Maybe it's because Aaron's writing such accesible new reader-friendly stories. Surprisingly, I've gotten used to it, but it took me a while to get there. Since Aaron's been writing Blade he's been slapping us in the face with this.

I don't know where this story ultimately goes, but I'm predicting this will be one of Blade's more iconic Marvel stories. This is the type of event that Blade is rarely a part of and it will further marry him to the Avengers if he's the one that ultimately helps revert reality to normal.

Yup. Aaron his his fair share of haters because of his Avengers run, but on the internet honest criticism turns irrational pretty quickly. It seems like a lot of people that hadn't read Aaron's other stuff enjoyed the first issue, and people who hate his Avengers are also already hating this.

And I think you're right, I also love that we get the new issue every single week.

[Jabare]

yeah, I saw the discussion in the other thread. I thought you summed up what Aaron was doing pretty succinctly.

that's the thing about Avengers runs they may have their vocal detractors but that's not necessarily a reliable indicator of a book's overall reception. Every Avengers author has had their detractors for one reason or another, especially among longtime comic readers.

I've come across readers on Twitter and YouTube who seem to be enjoying his run. The most common complaint I've seen from detractors is they dislike Aaron's She-Hulk or Thor.

I thought Heroes Reborn was kind of straightforward, but also somewhat nostalgic and refreshing.

[BlackWind]

I don't like how Vampires have evolved in pop culture thanks to all the Twilight, True Blood, and Vampire Diaries shows.

I much prefer where Vampires were more akin to Zombies or this unholy transformation and affliction. If you have them: retain their soul and their morals while removing their craving for blood and their other weaknesses then they're just like any other super-powered individual and Blade isn't that unique.


But if you go back to the more original interpretations of vampires, Blade's existence and modus operandi truly stand out. When someone becomes a vampire they should be fundamentally different than they were as a human otherwise vampirism would be great and everyone would want it.

I hope that this will be addressed. Vampires aren't akin to mutants or another minority group. They are a virus. That's just what I find to be more appealing. Marvel will do whatever it wants, but if they just become another group like Mutants or Inhumans or Atlantians I feel they lose all their charm.

Exactly. When yu go to these lengths to try and humanize monsters...then they kinda stop being monsters.

At this point in his life, Blade can get along with some vampires/demons/ghosts/etc. His friendship with Hannibal and relationship with Spitfire are proof of it. However, I don't think Blade should be, for example, on a mission to save monsters. That's just not what he does.

The reason Blade hates the dark side of the supernatural so much is because it turns people into something unnatural and speads like a virus until nothing resembling the original person is left. He's past the point where he throws all occult beings into one box like in his Nightstalker days. But I think it's important to remember that like, 85% of the junk Blade deals with is a byproduct of the Darkhold book. Which is indeed why the monsters he fights shouldn't be treated like something that needs to be understood, reasoned with, or saved.

[dkrook]

I don't like how Vampires have evolved in pop culture thanks to all the Twilight, True Blood, and Vampire Diaries shows.

I much prefer where Vampires were more akin to Zombies or this unholy transformation and affliction. If you have them: retain their soul and their morals while removing their craving for blood and their other weaknesses then they're just like any other super-powered individual and Blade isn't that unique.


But if you go back to the more original interpretations of vampires, Blade's existence and modus operandi truly stand out. When someone becomes a vampire they should be fundamentally different than they were as a human otherwise vampirism would be great and everyone would want it.

I hope that this will be addressed. Vampires aren't akin to mutants or another minority group. They are a virus. That's just what I find to be more appealing. Marvel will do whatever it wants, but if they just become another group like Mutants or Inhumans or Atlantians I feel they lose all their charm.

Interesting, I could see where the natural progression of this idea would eventually paint Blade as a heartless monster which would be quite ironic! I can agree with you though. Marvel would be good to slowly push Vampires firmly into true horror gene. Mixing super mutations and hi tech really gets away from the primal savagery and evil that goes with the undead predators. I would add that Vampires are being made into $2 whores, everyone is getting a ride on their mythos! Keep them away from mainstream heroes, mutants... personally I don't think Spiderman, Moon Knight, the Hulk, and the rest shouldn't have so much interaction, this is really Blades wheel house. If they chose to, then Blade should expand to all supernatural.

[Tracks]

I hear the preference, but I think the stories become more captivating when the vampires have more character. Look at the success of Castlevania for instance. Vampires can still be the bad guys, but they need to have substance or the stories become repetitive. That's one of the reasons I've hated Blade more recently in vampire centric stories because basically all it means is we're going to see him cut up fodder with little resistance, then struggle with the only character with any depth. I liked that some writers have really tried to add depth to vamprie stories. Aaron's done it decently well, but I think Paul Cornell has done it the best with MI:13. I like them going the Mutant route because it means we can get more complex storylines with their culture and everything.

Goign back to Castlevania, I like that the stronger vampires aren't just normal vampires but a bit faster, they also use their age to learn technology/magic/whatever to elevate their status. Not just an extend hack and slash fest, but a vampire fight can look like this:



I also think I disagree with keeping them away from the rest of Marvel. That's just not how Marvel works anymore. There are other vampire comic books out untouched by the rest of Marvel, but in order for Blade and all of that to make sense, the vampires have to make sense from a Marvel-logic. It doesn't make sense for them to live thousands of years and not know the kind of magic that humans are picking up in a few decades, or that none of the vampires are smart enough to create the kind of technology that Wakanda, Krakoa, Latveria, etc. are full of. To make the stories compelling, they have to be formidable on a Marvel-level scale otherwise Blade's role doesn't make sense. I like that Aaron and Cates have just done that with how they've situated the current Vampire state.

[Tracks]

Have a feeling Jabare is going to be frustrated with this depiction of Blade today, but I thought it was cool. No spoilers though, you'll see what I mean.

[Jabare]

I hear the preference, but I think the stories become more captivating when the vampires have more character. Look at the success of Castlevania for instance. Vampires can still be the bad guys, but they need to have substance or the stories become repetitive. That's one of the reasons I've hated Blade more recently in vampire centric stories because basically all it means is we're going to see him cut up fodder with little resistance, then struggle with the only character with any depth. I liked that some writers have really tried to add depth to vamprie stories. Aaron's done it decently well, but I think Paul Cornell has done it the best with MI:13. I like them going the Mutant route because it means we can get more complex storylines with their culture and everything.

Goign back to Castlevania, I like that the stronger vampires aren't just normal vampires but a bit faster, they also use their age to learn technology/magic/whatever to elevate their status. Not just an extend hack and slash fest, but a vampire fight can look like this:


I also think I disagree with keeping them away from the rest of Marvel. That's just not how Marvel works anymore. There are other vampire comic books out untouched by the rest of Marvel, but in order for Blade and all of that to make sense, the vampires have to make sense from a Marvel-logic. It doesn't make sense for them to live thousands of years and not know the kind of magic that humans are picking up in a few decades, or that none of the vampires are smart enough to create the kind of technology that Wakanda, Krakoa, Latveria, etc. are full of. To make the stories compelling, they have to be formidable on a Marvel-level scale otherwise Blade's role doesn't make sense. I like that Aaron and Cates have just done that with how they've situated the current Vampire state.

No that's not what I'm saying at all. Check out Vampire Hunter D, Vampire Hunter D Blood Lust, or Castlevania I love those vampires.

There are some outliers like Meier Link or Vlad, who are still great characters, but most of the other characters are ruthless and compelling.

Look what the Castlevania anime has done with Carmilla, Lenore, Morana, Godbrand, and Cho

Those vampires are not humanized. They are twisted and sadistic. You can think Dracula is humanized but the dude committed genocide. Not on the people responsible but the entire world. Thee vampires tortued Hector like crazy then broke him and turned him into a pupply in season 3. This is exactly what I want and falls in line with what I was saying. These vampires wouldn't go to the UN and ask for their rights. They are above that. They'd take what they want by force. These are brutal cunning characters. Have you watched the original Vampire Hunter movie? Have you read the books? Those are vampires done right

I would love Marvel to handle vampires this way. I don't want Vampire Diaries vampires. If the vampires Aaron introduced got more depth maybe they could fully live up to those anime vampires..

I could write essays on everything the Vampire Hunter D movies and Castlevania does right.


Still one of my favorite scenes from Bloodlust. It's such a short film but packs so much depth in it.

[Tracks]

No that's not what I'm saying at all. Check out Vampire Hunter D, Vampire Hunter D Blood Lust, or Castlevania I love those vampires.

There are some outliers like Meier Link or Vlad, who are still great characters, but most of the other characters are ruthless and compelling.

Look what the Castlevania anime has done with Carmilla, Lenore, Morana, Godbrand, and Cho

Those vampires are not humanized. They are twisted and sadistic. You can think Dracula is humanized but the dude committed genocide. Not on the people responsible but the entire world. Thee vampires tortued Hector like crazy then broke him and turned him into a pupply in season 3. This is exactly what I want and falls in line with what I was saying. These vampires wouldn't go to the UN and ask for their rights. They are above that. They'd take what they want by force. These are brutal cunning characters. Have you watched the original Vampire Hunter movie? Have you read the books? Those are vampires done right

I would love Marvel to handle vampires this way. I don't want Vampire Diaries vampires. If the vampires Aaron introduced got more depth maybe they could fully live up to those anime vampires..

I could write essays on everything the Vampire Hunter D movies and Castlevania does right.


Still one of my favorite scenes from Bloodlust. It's such a short film but packs so much depth in it.

I see what you're saying now. I was thinking that when someone said zombies, they meant they purely wanted them to be like the mindless fodder that we often see in stories. You're specifically talking about those twilight types, which are definitely different. Do you think Marvel has tried to go in that direction?

Also how'd you feel about Blade showing off another more vampiric power?

[Jabare]

I see what you're saying now. I was thinking that when someone said zombies, they meant they purely wanted them to be like the mindless fodder that we often see in stories. You're specifically talking about those twilight types, which are definitely different. Do you think Marvel has tried to go in that direction?

Also how'd you feel about Blade showing off another more vampiric power?

Some Marvel stories have done a good job with characterizing vampires.....not too many but a few. Do I think Marvel has tried to go that direction as a company? I don't know. I think some writers have at times. I have hope that they are trying to do so recently, but I'm going to wait and see how their current vampire storylines culminate.


I have mixed feelings about Blade exhibiting new vampire abilities.

From one standpoint Blade is more humanistic than other dhampirs (half vampires). Whereas dhampirs like Alucard or D tend to be more vampire in nature and exhibit all their dark abilities. From a character standpoint, I prefer Blade as he's normally been portrayed over the years. Meaning enhanced: speed, strength, healing, senses, and of course the ability to drink blood. I'm okay with hypnotism as well, but only if utilized simply. Think more Jedi mind trick. I wouldn't want it to turn into some huge ability like telekinesis. I'm against powers like mist, turning into animals, telekinesis, etc., etc. No. A thousand times no.

Secondly, if you give Blade too many abilities it's going to lead to bad writing down the road. Blade's going to be put in a tight spot by a writer, and we're going to ask why he didn't just use his OP ability to deal with that situation. I don't want that for Blade. Let vampires he fights have those powers, so it's more of a challenge for him.

So to answer your question I was not thrilled about it, but I'm going to ignore it because it was brief lol. I'm somewhat concerned the new movie might give him new supernatural powers like Morbius and I hope they come to their sense and don't.

[Jabare]

I finished Castlevania season 4 and now I can't slep.

OMG that season was wild