Dracula vs the Marvel Universe! Blood Hunt – Making Comics Simple

It’s chaos on the streets of New York, and every other city in the Marvel Universe, as Dracula descends in bloody violence.

That’s right, the Blood Hunt is upon us!

What is Marvel’s Blood Hunt all about?

Unveiled at Marvel’s Next Big Thing panel way back at NYCC 2023, Blood Hunt is the publisher’s 2024 summer blockbuster event.

Written by the illustrious Jed Mackay (Avengers, Doctor Strange, Moon Knight) and drawn by masterful artist Pepe Larraz (Big Game, House of X, X-Men), the event is helmed by two of Marvel’s brightest stars over the last few years.

In terms of the narrative itself, Blood Hunt kicks off with Dracula, leader of the Vampire Nation, finally saying enough is enough and launching a full scale assault on the human population of Earth. Marvel’s official announcement described it as such:

‘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?

‘Blood Hunt’ Drags the Marvel Universe into Darkness

Mackay and Larraz’s epic main event is 5 issues long, and pits the Avengers, the Midnight Mission, the Midnight Suns and more against vampiric foes old and new. Designed by Larraz himself, a cabal of all-new undead villains will be debuting during the pages of this series (a preview of which you can see in Kael Ngu’s variant cover for #2 below).

So, is Blood Hunt an Avengers story?

Not quite. The Avengers certainly feature prominently, and Mackay is writing the current ongoing Avengers series so expect some overlap (and a tie-in or too) there. However, this is very much a Marvel Universe event in the way that Civil War or Secret Invasion were.

As you’ll see on various covers, other non-Avenger characters are front and centre too. Miles Morales Spider-Man is present (and interestingly there’s no sign of Peter Parker so far). Tigra and Hunter’s Moon from Mackay’s Moon Knight are also set to be major players, as is Blade.

Do I need to read anything before Blood Hunt?

As with any big event, or even most regular comics these days, there’s often the assumption that there’s a daunting amount of required reading to get through before you can read the story you actually came for.

In Blood Hunt’s case, that’s far from the truth. Yes, there are storylines that build up to the series, but the event itself is remarkably self-contained by design. Dracula and his Vampire Nation have been busy over the last few years, but they’ve been busy in such a way that writer Jed Mackay has likely acknowledged that even the most diligent Marvel reader won’t have caught all their appearances.

So no, you don’t have to read anything before you read Blood Hunt.

However, if you don’t want some background context (and to dive in to some stellar stories in the process) then these are the books that are most directly related to the series:

Jed Mackay’s Avengers, Moon Knight and Doctor Strange

In what could be referred to as the Mackay-verse, these three titles are all penned by the writer of Blood Hunt himself and lead in, to various degrees, to the event.

The strongest bit of background you’ll find is in Moon Knight. For one, it’ll provide important context on why Marc Spector is currently off the table and why Hunters Moon and Tigra are filling in for him in the meantime. Additionally though, Marc and his friends at the Midnight Mission have been having run-ins with infestations of vampires all throughout the series’ 30-issue run.

Avengers will provide some context on the current formation of the team, helmed by Captain Marvel. And similar to Moon Knight, Doctor Strange and its preceding series Strange (starring Stephen’s wife and Sorceror Supreme of the Dark Dimension, Clea) will illuminate what’s been going on in the magical corners and darkened alleys of New York City of late, some elements of which relate closer to Blood Hunt than others.

The Vampire Nation: Wolverine and Avengers (2018)

In terms of the wider build-up that’s been occuring throughout Marvel, the two biggest examples can be found in the pages of Jason Aaron’s Avengers and Benjamin Percy’s Wolverine.

The former sees the previous incarnation of the super-team taking the fight to Dracula in his newly formed Vampire Nation in Chernobyl, while the later actually sets up a key plot point that will undoubtedly feature in this year’s event.

Specifically, in Wolverine (2020) Vol. 1, Logan is abducted (via Omega Red) and brought to a coven of vampires, who syphon off some of his blood. This has dire consequences, as Dracula uses that blood and its in-built healing factor in a blood transfusion that ultimately allows him to walk in the daylight.

No longer tethered to the shadows, and with a bone to pick with the Avengers, it’s easy to see how Marvel have been laying the groundwork for this conflict for years now.

Vampire Hunters: Blade and Bloodline

Finally, we have a couple of characters that longterm Marvel fans have likely been curious about. That being resident daywalker, Blade, and his daughter, Bloodline.

Renowned writer Bryan Edward Hill recently kicked off a new run with the legendary vampire hunter in a ten-issue long series. Similarly, Blade’s daughter, Bloodline, was recently introduced to Marvel Comics canon by Danny Lore and Karen S. Darboe within the last few years.

There was also a one-shot called Blade: Vampire Nation #1 from Mark Russell and Dave Watcher that spun out of Aaron’s Avengers storyline.

Collected in the Unforgiven trade paperback, Blade: Vampire Nation #1 chronicles Blade’s time as sheriff of the Vampire Nation, and the inevitable trouble he encouters as part of it. Not essential reading, but great for added texture and background to the action-packed events to come.

The Complete List of Main Issues, Tie-Ins and One-Shots

In total, Blood Hunt spans 59 separate issues. That’s not the largest event Marvel has ever published, but it’s not small by any means.

As a result, it’s helpful to breakdown how all these different issues figure in to the overall picture. And, as always, it’s worth repeating that if all you want is the core story then the five issues of Blood Hunt will be designed to be read on their own, without any supplementary material.

While the title hasn’t released yet, Mackay has proven repeatedly that he knows how to handle the interconnected nature of a shared universe. His stories manage to maintain a sense of individual identity while also building on and adding to the wider Marvel canon. Because of that, I’m confident that Blood Hunt #1-5 will be a comprehensive experience to read on its own.

Blood Hunt #1-5 – The Main Event

As mentioned above, if all you want is the core story, then Blood Hunt #1-5 will be perfectably serviceable.

There is also a lead-in story in the Free Comic Book Day 2024: Blood Hunt/X-men #1 issue that releases just prior, which should be collected alongside the main series in the inevitable trade paperback collection.

Given Mackay’s authorship of Avengers, Doctor Strange and Vengeance of the Moon Knight, reading their tie-in issues will also give a fuller picture of Mackay’s wider vision. While not necessary for the event itself, they will undoubtedly provide some of the most relevant bits of context and character development.

Relevant Tie-Ins

Of the tie-ins on offer, there are certain entries that seem likely to add more to the central narrative than the rest. For those looking to get a more fleshed out, if not entirely comprehensive, Blood Hunt experience then the following issues seem earmarked as important.

First, the largest tie-in mini-series Blood Hunters appears set to be the closest thing the event has to a companion series outside of things like the Avengers.

This is significant, as unlike all the other tie-ins, Blood Hunters is an anthology mini-series. Each issue presents readers with 3 new stories, each from different creative teams. This book will chart how different corners of the Marvel Universe responds to the vampiric threat, beginning with check-ins with Hawkeye, Man-Wolf and Cloak & Dagger.

Secondly, if you want to follow the adventures of Blade and his daughter Bloodline in greater detail, the Dracula: Blood Hunt and Midnight Suns: Blood Hunt three-part mini-series are equally important. Given how closely tied into Marvel’s vampire lore these characters are, and how connected Blade has been to the build-up to this event over the last few years, these series feel like the closest thing to required reading that you can get in a side story.

Finally, Black Panther: Blood Hunt is another three-issue mini-series that ended up being surprisingly important to the overall plot of Blood Hunt. For reasons that are clear to anyone whose read Blood Hunt #1, T’Challa becomes a remarkably important player in the central conflict of the event – and his struggles, as well as some vampiric history, is expounded on here.

X-Shaped Bite Marks

Even as the Krakoan Age comes to a fierry close, the X-Men still dominate a large portion of Marvel’s publishing line.

Most significant within the 5 different x-related tie-ins is Wolverine: Blood Hunt from Tom Waltz and Juan Jose Ryp. Remember who I mentioned a confrontation between Logan and the Vampire Nation above? Yeah, this series promises to pay off that build up, and finally draw that plotline to a bloody close.

If, like me, you’ve been waiting for the delayed gratification of that plotline to resolve for close to 4 years now, you’ll be ecstactic.

In addition to that, there are also 4 different one-shots dedicated to four different x-women also emboldening the Blood Hunt.

These series include: Magik, Jubilee, Psylock and Laura Kinney: The Wolverine. While it’s unlikely any of them will be required reading, given their short nature and the fact that none of them are set to feature in the main series, they will help convey what the best of the mutant population is up to during the event through their patchwork storytelling.

Of note, Steve Foxe (current writer of Dead X-Men in the Fall of X era) will be penning Psylocke: Blood Hunt #1 – perhaps, if there’s any issue that might hold more narrative significance, it will be this one?

Tangentially Related Series

Finally, as with any event, there will be some books that are tied in less closely than others. Books like Hulk: Blood Hunt #1 and Strange Academy: Blood Hunt will, despite their inevitably high levels of craft and entertainment, be rather ancilliary to the overall narrative.

Similarly, the tie-in issues of Amazing Spider-Man along with the complimentary Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt mini-series add to the central focus only in so much as they pin down what’s going on with Morbius.

Then you have issues like Venom #33-34, where Al Ewing will be working his usual magic to take an event tie-in, loosely connect his issues to its events and yet ultimately use it to facilitate greater impact on his own ongoing series. If you read the Dark Web tie-ins to the same series, then you know just how adept he is at using these otherwise distracting side quests to propel his stories with new momentum.

While none of these types of issues feel particularly necessary to the event as a whole, there is a lot of variety to them. The creative teams assembled for these issues are also generally stacked with talent, and for what it’s worth, it feels like its been a long time since Marvel’s given creators the chance to just run wild and have fun creating some solid, entertainment-focused tie-ins to big events.

So, the whole menu for Blood Hunt feels very exciting!

Blood Hunt Reading Order

For what sounds like a relatively straightforward event, especially in the world of comics, Blood Hunt’s storyline winds up being a surprisingly interconnected web of events, told across multiple books. What initially seemed like a boon to the event – having its writer, Jed Mackay, also helming three of the biggest books that tie in with it – actually ended up adding to the complexity.

For example, there’s a significant reveal that happens in Blood Hunt #4, that then spills out into two other issues, which must then be read before Blood Hunt #5 in order to understand how the tides of hunt turn. Similarly, Doctor Strange’s subplot both requires the hypothetical audience to pay close attention to which issues of Doctor Strange (2023) need to be read, and when, while also being oddly divorced from what’s actually in the pages of those issues until their conclusion.

As a result, here’s the reading order needed to ensure that no reveals or plot twists are spoiled from an out-of-sequence reading. As always, issues in bold are considered “core” issues. Those in italics are important and additive, while all others listed here are more superfluous to the core experience (though that is not necessarily an indicator of quality, good or bad):

Prelude

1. Vengeance of the Moon Knight #5

Not much in the way of prelude here – once you’re in, you’re in. However, for those reading Vengeance of the Moon Knight, be aware that issue #5’s ending dovetails directly into the opening of Blood Hunt. Is it needed to understand the event? No, but if you’re otherwise unfamiliar with what’s been going on with the Midnight Mission, Hunter’s Moon and Tigra, then this issue (and the whole first arc) is great crash course in the lunar-affiliated side of Marvel’s street-level heroes.

Main Event – Act 1

1. Blood Hunt #1
2. Amazing Spider-Man #49
   – This technically sets up the 3-part Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt tie-in. Technically. If, however, you just want to read the adventures of Spidey, the Daughters of the Dragon, the Lizard and Morbius, skip straight to that book. There is little done here, outside of seeing John Romita JR. draw Spider-Man beating up vampires, that is in any way necessary to understand this event.
3. The Avengers #14
4. Blood Hunters #1
5. Doctor Strange #15
6. Dracula: Blood Hunt #1
   – This might be titled “Dracula”, but it is absolutely a Bloodline book. While Vlad does play a large role in events, this tie-in should be read only if you’re interested in the moral quandries that fall upon Brielle Brooks as the series unfolds – otherwise, it’s safe to skip this.
7. Strange Academy: Blood Hunt #1
   – The heroes need the Darkhold. It’s currently held within Wanda Maximoff’s soul. After Blood Hunt #1, Wanda is indisposed. The backup plan? Find the Living Darkhold, currently under the protection of Agatha Harkness (see: Contest of Chaos). It’s up to the students of Strange Academy to find it.
8. Venom #33
9. The Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #1
10. Union Jack the Ripper: Blood Hunt #1

Main Event – Act 2

1. Blood Hunt #2
2. Black Panther: Blood Hunt #1
   – This issue provides some key information regarding Black Panther’s allegiances throughout this event, as well as some background on the villain of the whole piece. It’s also some of the best Black Panther storytelling we’ve had in a long time. Don’t miss it!
3. Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #1
4. Blood Hunters #2
5. Venom #34
6. Wolverine: Blood Hunt #1
   – While this is one of the better Blood Hunt tie-ins, it’s also largely disconnected from the overarching narrative of the event. Outside of the vampire apocalypse that serves as backdrop to these issues, Wolverine: Blood Hunt is concerned far more with tying up loose ends from the Krakoan era – specifically: Nightguard, the Vampire Nation, and Logan’s tumultuous relationship with Maverick. I’d consider this a key element of the epilogue to Percy’s run on Wolverine.
7. Blood Hunt #3
8. The Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #2
9. The Avengers #15
10. Fantastic Four #21
11. Miles Morales: Spider-Man #21
    – This must be read after Blood Hunt #3.
12. Strange Academy: Blood Hunt #2
13. X-Men: Blood Hunt – Jubilee #1
14. Black Panther: Blood Hunt #2
15. Doctor Strange #16
16. Dracula: Blood Hunt #2
17. Wolverine: Blood Hunt #2

Main Event – Act 3

1. Blood Hunt #4
2. Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #2
   – This was released prior to Blood Hunt #4, but should absolutely be read after it. The contents of its issue are, for the most part, nothing that would spoil the main series, but the preview page for Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #3 directly spoils a big reveal in the main series. If you’re reading via trade paperback, this won’t be a problem, but single-issue readers beware.
3. Union Jack the Ripper: Blood Hunt #2
4. Vengeance of the Moon Knight #6
5. Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #0
   – This was a surprise release, and doesn’t technically wear the Blood Hunt branding. However, it occurs during the series, is directly caused by events that happen within it, and helps explain one of the big reveals in Blood Hunt #4.
6. X-Men: Blood Hunt – Magik #1
7. Black Panther: Blood Hunt #3
8. Blood Hunters #3
9. Doctor Strange #17
10. Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22
11. Werewolf by Night: Blood Hunt #1
12. X-Men: Blood Hunt – Psylocke #1
13. The Avengers #16
14. Hulk: Blood Hunt #1
15. Union Jack the Ripper: Blood Hunt #3
16. Wolverine: Blood Hunt #3
17. The Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #3
18. Blood Hunters #4
19. Dracula: Blood Hunt #3
20. X-Men: Blood Hunt – Laura Kinney: The Wolverine #1
21. Fantastic Four #22
22. Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #3
23. Strange Academy #3
24. Vengeance of the Moon Knight #7
25. Blood Hunt #5

What Comes After Blood Hunt?

In the wake of Blood Hunt, a few things are changed.

Doctor Strange is left in an interesting place, the ramifications of which can be found in Doctor Strange #18. A new team of Avengers have also been assembled by Steve Rogers, a concept that will be carried forward in September 2024 by Steve Orlando. Plus, the world of Moon Knight sees another huge development, spinning out of Blood Hunt #4.

New Series – Sequels

There are two new mini-series launching off the back of this event that directly sequalise books within the reading order.

The first is a second Blood Hunters title, helmed by Erica Schultz, who penned the throughline story in the previous four issues of the anthology series. Her new run picks up with the team of femme fatales assembled during the night of eternal darkness – Elsa Bloodstone, Dagger, White Widow – and sends them hurtling after the remnants of the malevolent Bloodcoven. This quest also brings them into conflict with one of the victims of the series, Miles Morales, who remains decidedly vampiric even as the dust settles (and Elsa Bloodstone has a problem with that).

Second, Steve Orlando pens a new Avengers series, Avengers Assemble, that takes the emergency response squad that Steve forged during this event and expands it. A spiritual successor to Orlando’s Marauders and X-Men: Before the Fall – Mutant First Strike #1, this series prefigures the Avengers as the emergency services of the Marvel universe. Mutliple members, allowing for multiple team combinations, each built to respond to a specific crisis. It’s an incredibly exciting, and quite novel premise, that will allow for some fan favourite (and under-represented) characters to take the spotlight.

New Series – Red Bands

In addition to the titles above, Marvel will also be launching two more series in the wake of Blood Hunt #5 – though these will sport the same Red Band content that the main event did too.

Unsurprisingly, with his prominence in the event and an (eventual) upcoming film, Blade is getting some time in the sun. Written by previous Blade scribe Bryan Edward Hill, this will likely function as a third volume to the Ultimate Black Panther writer’s ongoing epic with the Daywalker. Joining him is Avengers alumni C.F. Villa, also hot off chewing up vampires during this very event!

Finally, the Werewolf by Night: Blood Hunt #1 is also getting a follow up with a Red Band sequel of its own. One-shot writer Jason Loo is continuing on, with Sergio Davila joining him for the ride, as Jack Russell is thrust into his latest, bloody adventure.

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