“When Mahershala calls, you answer,” is what Marvel Creative Officer, Kevin Feige revealed when he cast Mahershala Ali as  Blade for the upcoming solo movie in phase 5. The character was previously portrayed by Wesley Snipes as he starred in a movie trilogy that completed in the early 2000s. Blade is a half-human and half-vampire super-hero that Marvel deems as an important character moving into the next phase of the MCU. Here are pertinent key issues you should keep your eye on.

 

 

Tomb of Dracula #10 (TOD #10):

This issue depicts the first appearance of Blade the Vampire Hunter. It is the most coveted key book for the character. The book soared to epic heights in prices when the movie announcement was made in San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. The book should continue to rise as the movie will not be coming to theatres for a couple of years. There is still room for growth for this book and the time to pick it up is now before any trailer or casting news will be revealed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomb of Dracula #12:

This issue reveals the second appearance of Blade and a cheap alternative to TOD #10. If TOD #10 reaches a price that is too high, this issue will be greatly in demand. One example of this is the first appearance of the new X-men team. The first appearance of the new X-men was revealed in Giant-Size X-men #1 (GSX #1). The price of this issue soared greatly in the last couple of years. Now, X-men #94 has shown great demand lately, due to it being the second appearance of the new X-men team. The issue is a cheap alternative to GSX #1 and prices should continue to grow due to the X-men coming to the MCU.  Lastly, collectors are seeing GSX #1 starting to reach unobtainable prices.

 

 

 

 

 

Fear (Adventure Into) #24:

This issue details the first appearance of Blade outside the Tomb of Dracula series. More importantly, it also depicts the first meeting between Blade and Morbius. This is such an undervalued issue as it is only a matter of time when Blade and Morbius will cross paths in the MCU. Since Blade hunts vampires and Morbius is a Vampire, the likelihood of an encounter between them is bound to happen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vampire Tales #8:

I have discussed the importance of this issue in my last blog, Vampire Tales: A key series to consider grabbing. An important issue that details Blade's first solo story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvel Preview #3:

The issue depicts the first appearance of Jamal Afari. In every story, the hero has a partner or mentor in conquering the evil bad guys. Well, in the comics, Afari is considered a mentor to Blade. He trained Blade on how to fight and kill vampires. He is known as a father figure to Blade. If there is a confirmed casting for this character, this will be the book that will go up in value.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ghost Rider #28:

This issue contains the first cameo appearance of the Midnight Sons team. The team consists of Blade, Ghost Rider, Morbius, Hannibal King, Frank Drake, Sam Buchanan, Victoria Montesi, and Louise Hastings. Speculators believe this team-up of heroes could be coming our way as Marvel enters its super-natural phase. The belief is that the team will consist of core members of Blade and Ghost Rider but could be more flexible in changing up the ancillary team members. The issue is very affordable right now and should be found in many comic book shops.

 

 

 

 

 

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