Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz to launch Marvel's big vampire event
Who will bite it?
Marvel's spring 2024 crossover asks readers "Who will bite it?" as Blood Hunt begins. Current Avengers writer Jed MacKay will spearhead the event, with the triumphant return of Pepe Larraz (House of X, X-Men) and colorist Marte Gracia on art for what promises to be a visual spectacle.
Given Jed MacKay's writing Avengers, Doctor Strange and Moon Knight, it seems most likely Blood Hunt will spiral from his own personal, darker corner of the Marvel Universe. MacKay's run with Alessandro Cappuccio on Moon Knight will come to a "Knight's End" in December 2023, and their work on Moon Knight has included plenty of Vampire hunting. Combine that with the Death of Doctor Strange's referencing when Doctor Strange once wiped out all vampires (including Dracula!), and the use of "blood" and "bite" in teaser information, and it's clear we're heading for an all-out Marvel Universe vampire war.
Said MacKay, "We've got the Avengers obviously... Doctor Strange, Miles Morales, and of course where there's vampires, you're going to find Blade," MacKay says. "You're going to see a lot of vampires." Both MacKay and Marvel editor-in-chief tease this event will lead to significant change in the Marvel Universe, with MacKay calling Blood Hunt one of the biggest things he's done.
Larraz and Gracia astounded readers in collaboration with Jonathan Hickan in 2019's House of X, and their presence on the event signals tremondous importance for Marvel Comics. It's hard to imagine Marvel calling on the artistic powerhouse for anything less than one of their most promising event ideas of recent years. There's no confirmation yet, but given Dracula's various machinations over the past few years in the pages of Avengers and Wolverine, it would be a surprise not to see the lord of the vampires with a central role as well.
Spider-Man's Gang War crossover will carry Marvel through the end of 2023, and there's an as-yet unscheduled upcoming X-Men: Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X. Otherwise, Blood Hunt appears to be the next big Marvel Universe event on the calendar, hopefully setting the stage for a rejuvenated 2024.
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