First Stake – Blade Appears
The late 1960s concluded with the debut of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Though not a vampire film, this zombie movie made a staggering $30 million from a budget of just over $100k, signaling to entertainment creators that there was a strong demand for monster movies. In 1971, the Comics Code Authority finally permitted classic monsters like vampires to appear in comic books, and with Bram Stoker’s version of Dracula and related figures entering the public domain, Marvel Comics saw an opportunity to launch a Dracula-focused series.
The Tomb of Dracula #1, published in April 1972, initially seemed like an unremarkable series. While it focused on Frank Drake and others who fought against Dracula, its most significant contribution would prove to be the introduction of Eric Brooks, better known as Blade.
Created by comic book legends Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, Blade originally debuted in a red jacket and green pants. Years later, Wolfman admitted that he never felt entirely comfortable writing Blade. Besides his concern that Blade might overshadow the other characters in Tomb of Dracula, Wolfman was also dissatisfied with the “Marvel Black” dialogue he initially gave the character.
Over time, Wolfman grew more comfortable writing for Blade, and the character’s popularity gradually increased. Although Blade headlined his first solo story in 1974’s Vampire Tales #8, he wouldn’t get his own comic book series until Blade the Vampire Hunter, which ran for ten issues from July 1994 to April 1995. However, to truly grasp the beginning of Blade’s rise in pop culture, we need to go back to 1992.
Blade in Black and in Cinema
In 1992, Marvel not only released Nightstalkers #1, introducing Blade in the all-black outfit with a long leather jacket that would become his signature look, but also began developing a Blade film. A Variety article from that year mentioned LL Cool J as an initial contender for the role of Blade. Meanwhile, Wesley Snipes was slated to star in a Black Panther film being developed by Columbia Pictures. However, when LL Cool J left the Blade project and the Black Panther movie’s development stalled, it created an opportunity for Snipes to step into the role of Blade.
While Marvel was working on various movie projects in the 1990s, it’s worth noting that Blade was the company’s third feature-length, live-action film, following 1944’s Captain America and 1986’s Howard the Duck. Although Blade wasn’t Marvel’s most popular character at that time, the film Blade was a box-office hit and well-received by fans. Its success led to two sequels, Blade II and Blade: Trinity. The popularity of the Blade films even spurred a short-lived TV show, though it featured Kirk “Sticky” Jones in place of Wesley Snipes as Blade.
Blade’s New Dawn
Though Wesley Snipes showed interest in reprising his role as Blade, it never materialized. At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Mahershala Ali would be stepping into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Blade.
So far, only limited information about the Ali’s Blade movie has been released. Stacy Amma Osei-Kuffour is set to write the script, and there are rumors that Bassam Tariq will be directing. Filming was expected to start in July 2022.
Given Blade’s enduring popularity and the MCU’s history of hit movies, it’s almost a sure bet that the next Blade film will be a success. As with most cinematic pop culture hits, related collectibles are likely to increase in value. Therefore, now is the perfect time to invest in Tomb of Dracula #10.
