Marvel’s New Blade Series Comes With a Parental Advisory

Blade’s journey from vampire hunter to vampire leader will continue in a new series featuring a parental advisory. Blade has been a Midnight Son, Avenger, and vigilante anti-hero, but his latest evolution turns him to the dark side in the Blood Hunt event series. Readers haven’t been given the fully story as to why Blade has turned his back on humanity, but his vampire invasion has already turned Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and Miles Morales into creatures of the night. Marvel is already working on more stories with Blade post-Blood Hunt, and they’re going to be of the graphic nature.

Blade: Red Band is a five-issue miniseries by Bryan Edward Hill (Ultimate Black Panther) and Marvel’s Stormbreaker artist C.F. Villa (Avengers). The series marks Hill’s return to the Daywalker after penning Blade’s most recent solo series. What makes Blade: Red Band unique is it’s labeled with a “Parental Advisory and polybagged to keep those weak of heart from experiencing its intensity,” according to Marvel. Each issue of Blood Hunt has also published a red band edition with added graphic content like blood and severed bodies. As the cover of Blade: Red Band #1 by C.F. Villa below demonstrates, it won’t hold back from displaying blood and gore.

Why did Blade turn on the Avengers in Blood Hunt?

We’re three issues into Blood Hunt, but we’ll have to wait and see what caused Blade to join with the vampires in their plot to take over the Earth. Marvel’s Blade ongoing series had the vampire hunter fighting a new supernatural threat called the Adana. Blade also mentioned in Blood Hunt #1 that Moon Knight killed The Structure’s former leader in Moon Knight #18, and that they are a vampire cult that was spreading worldwide. 

Blade has several agendas taking place at the same time, from sending Black Panther to Wakanda to find something vital for him, to turning Miles Morales into a vampire for unknown reasons. The Avengers have rallied back against Blade, provoking him into a confrontation that will take place in Blood Hunt #4.

What is Blade: Red Band about?

For years, BLADE has been the deadliest vampire hunter in the Marvel Universe. With an arsenal of wooden stakes, silver bullets and razor bats at his command, few have known the taste of vengeance of blood like BLADE! But after the harrowing events of Blood Hunt, what’s left of Marvel’s most infamous vampire? Did any of the vampire within Blade survive? Did any of the man? Find out here, at the skin-searing dawn of a bloody new Blade saga!

Blade: Red Band #1 goes on sale October 9th.