We all know about Blades's first appearance in Tomb of Dracula #10 (1973,) which is one of the most important key issues of the Bronze Age. Ever since Marvel confirmed that Mahershala Ali will portray the famous vampire hunter in an upcoming MCU film, this book's value has jumped in value. For instance, during the past two years, sellers on eBay and Heritage have sold 42 CGC 8.5 copies of this issue; the value of this book rose by over 20% during that same period of time. If Blade succeeds at the box office, this book could climb a bit more, but it's already one of the most expensive books of the Bronze Age; it's worth nearly as much as The Amazing Spider-Man #129.

Fortunately, there are many lesser-known Blade keys out there that have room to grow. We'll discuss a few of these issues below.

Tomb of Dracula #13: Blade's Origin Story

If you can't afford Blade's first appearance, his origin story in Tomb of Dracula #13 is a great alternative. Like many superheroes, Blade has a tragic origin story. When Blade's mother was pregnant with Blade, she experienced severe labor complications. A doctor arrived to treat her; unfortunately, he turned out to be a vampire who killed Blade's mother. The vampire, however, passed along vampire enzymes to Blade just before he was born. These enzymes prevented Blade from being affected by a vampire's bite.

Unlike Tomb of Dracula #10, this book remains highly affordable; you can buy raw, high-grade copies of Blade's origin story for around $60 to $70.

Adventure Into Fear #24: Blade's First Crossover Event

Roughly a year after his first appearance, in Fear #24, Blade meets another Marvel character outside of the Tomb of Dracula for the first time: Morbius. Morbius plays an important role in Blade's story; in fact, Blade receives some of his superpowers after Morbius bites him in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #8.

The fact that Morbius will star in his own film in early 2022 makes this crossover especially appealing. Although Sony owns the rights to Morbius, Sony and Disney have already partnered with Spider-Man, making it a possibility that they could do with Morbius and Blade.

According to the CGC Census, few graded copies of this book exist. It's still affordable, however; you can purchase a raw, mid-to high-grade copy of this book for under $100. If Blade and Morbius do appear together on the big screen, the value of this book will likely pop.

Blade the Vampire Hunter #1: Blade's First Solo Story

It took 21 years, but Blade finally received his first solo series in Blade the Vampire Hunter #1. In this issue, Blade returns to his pursuit of Dracula. This book is also highly affordable; you can buy raw, high-grade copies of this book for $30 or less on eBay.

It could also be a good time to buy the dip before we see a Blade trailer. This book has actually dropped in value in certain grades. For instance, during the past two years, sellers on eBay have sold eight CGC 9.6 copies of this issue; the value of that comic dropped by over 25% during that same period of time.

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