Earlier today, retailers were invited to a virtual Blood Hunt Retailer Conference to learn more about the upcoming crossover event straight from the source. “Blood Hunt” writer and event architect Jed MacKay and Marvel Comics VP Executive Editor Tom Brevoort laid out the full scope of the saga, teased its biggest mysteries, hyped up the lasting impact it will have on the Marvel Universe, and answered retailer questions.
Hosted by Ryan Penagos (VP & Creative Executive at Marvel), attendees also got an exclusive look at the blood and gore that awaits readers in Blood Hunt’s special parental advisory Red Band editions along with cover debuts of upcoming “Blood Hunt” tie-in issues. Right now, fans are welcome to check out some of what was unveiled in anticipation of “Blood Hunt” #1 hitting stands on May 1.
The event kicks off when various vampire factions, united for the first time in millennia, engineer a global attack using Darkforce energy to block out the sun. Having lurked in the shadows of the Marvel Universe since its very beginning, vampires are now unleashed on humanity as heroes and villains alike fall prey to their overwhelming bloodlust. Who will bite it?
“Blood Hunt” is an epic saga that’s been seeded in Marvel stories for decades. Recent buildup includes MacKay’s current hit run of MOON KNIGHT, recent issues of MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN, last year’s BLOODLINE: THE DAUGHTER OF BLADE limited series, and more. In the grand tradition of beloved events like Civil War and Secret Invasion, BLOOD HUNT will be rewarding to longtime Marvel readers while also serving as a thrilling entry point into Marvel Comics for newer fans.
“As we’ve seen in Moon Knight, I keep chucking vampires in!” MacKay told retailers. “And [Blood Hunt] is a logical extension of that. I started gathering ideas and figuring out what we want to do from there, and a lot is keyed in from the work we’re doing on Moon Knight, and Doctor Strange is a natural vector into that. If there’s an Earth-shaking event, the Avengers will be the first on the scene.”
“This just seemed like a natural rise of all of these vampire threads that we could pull together and weave into an interesting tapestry. This would cover the full spectrum of the Marvel Universe in a justifiable event that doesn’t come out of nowhere,” Brevoort said.
On the Red Band Editions, MacKay said “[The Red Band scenes] aren’t just happening to background characters. We’re also seeing our heroes being impacted in a much more violent way.”
“The best page for the Red Band edition in issue #1 is the last page of the book,” Brevoort added. “We can’t reveal it since it gives away too much of the plot, but you’ll know it when you get there.”
