Marvel Comics is hyping up this summer’s Avengers and Allies versus Vampires event, Blood Hunt, as the “bloodiest” in the publisher’s history. They’ve even gone as far as releasing a second poly-bagged version of the main limited series with added blood and gore.
But beyond the sheer gore, it appears to be one of Marvel’s largest events in recent memory, with the publisher hinting at more than 20 Blood Hunt tie-ins across limited series, one-shots, and ongoing series, according to a teaser image unveiled gradually through Marvel’s announcements.
This scope is undeniably immense. Priced at an average of $3.99 each, committing to the event can amount to a substantial investment for readers – potentially reaching $80 or more in a single month. Spanning from May through July, some tie-ins will extend to three or four issues, while the main event will consist of five.
In total, that’s 59 issues (and over $200 of investment) for those aiming to collect the entirety of Blood Hunt – or 54 issues if you opt out of the Red Band version of the central limited series. This surpasses the scale of Gang War, Marvel’s recent crossover event, by nearly double, which will include around 30 issues with tie-ins.
Marvel has been openly highlighting its creative commitment to Blood Hunt, giving the event top billing for May’s upcoming Free Comic Book Day. The number of tie-ins promised – a full two dozen, including both editions of the main Blood Hunt title and the FCBD one-shot – is quite staggering, especially considering the intense violence Marvel is promising in the event.
Even the teaser image, revealing the number of anticipated tie-ins, poses the question, “Who will bite it?” Blood Hunt writer Jed MacKay told Newsarama in an interview, “When vampires are on the rampage, there’s going to be plenty of claret spilled, both on the sides of the heroes and the villains!”
The enormity of the event raises the question: does Marvel anticipate its average reader to invest in more than $200 worth of Avengers vs. Vampires comics? Or is Blood Hunt designed to be more of a customized event, allowing readers to pick and choose the parts they’re most interested in? Asking fans to commit to collecting all of Blood Hunt, considering it amounts to around 60 comics, seems like a significant demand.
Marvel has now unveiled the details of its array of Blood Hunt limited series as well as all tie-in issues from ongoing series. There are still six more one-shots left to announce, so fans should stay tuned for further updates.
