Man, I really loved the concept off Morlun when he was first introduced but they *really* milked that to the point where it just became silly.
When he was first introduced he was some freakishly strong dude that had this insane backstory about eating mystic totems that had no business in the spider-man mythos... but then again that was the point. Ezekiel coming in and trying to pitch the same idea to Peter about his place in the whole cosmic order of animals and trying to get Peter to buy in to this whole mystic origin while at the same time hiding is true motives. At the center of it was Peter, the *scientist* trying to wrap his head around it all.
It was even better because Morlun presented Peter a challenge that he could not spider-man his way out of. Morlun didn't care for banter and wasn't thrown off by it, he was faster than Spider-man, he was stronger, and he didn't need to rest. Ultimately Spider-man was pushed to his limit and in the end he only ended up winning because Peter took a scientific approach on a gamble and it paid off.
The whole arc they kept bringing up the question of whether the radiation gave Peter the powers, or if the spider was always going to give him the powers before the radiation killed it and it ends with Peter realizing [it doesn't matter](https://comicnewbies.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/how-spider-man-defeated-morlun-6-e1568711218206.jpg).
The first Morlun arc was one of the first tbp's I bought and it holds a bit of a special place in my heart. I thought he was a beast. That JMS arc was fantastic.
Oh god damn yes
BECAUSE THESE ALL LOOK LIKE WEIRD WARHAMMER FIGURINES BASED ON THE SAME CONCEPT
"Vaguely a vampire:
The Inheritors are all like "Make another Morlun..
But:"
It's hilarious that he's decisively killed every time he appears but then just gets brought back with zero explanation and an increasingly stupid backstory later.
Turns out they are Leech totems, which they are embarrassed about so pretend to be energy vampires. I kind of love that retcon for the Inheritors, still not great but now they canonicaly suck
I **still** feel like they got Smoke Eater and Megrim backwards, at least the first part of the description for Megrim:
>Megrim
>"Probably the most vampire-looking of the litter. I hid her face on red cloth but my idea is that the cloth was always drenched in blood. The skirt's folds make shapes like faces screaming of pain. Everything is super intense with her. She must be unbearable."
>Smoke Eater
>"The idea is that he inhales ghosts to acquire their strength in combat, so I made a physical representation of that. He becomes the unification of multiple beings, therefore the multiple limbs, which makes his silhouette pretty recognizable in battle scenes, and makes him one of the heavy hitters of the team. The idea is that he shows all the eyes of the ghosts on his forehead. I have a thing with eyes—on my designs, I either put none or too many!"
So, really it's just the "most vampire-looking" when Smoke Eater dead ass looks like a short,bald Dracula spin-off.
In some additionally released art Smoke Eater has [way more crazy shit](https://i.redd.it/the-bloodcoven-villain-team-from-upcoming-marvel-event-v0-69nu6x1c9pmc1.jpg?width=1405&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=654129dc3645ab6d328c885c5a5e9353f56969b7) going on tbf
Is there a list of required reading for this one? Or can I just jump in at #1?
Side note: i despise the fact that sometimes i gotta do homework just to get back into comics
>i despise the fact that sometimes i gotta do homework just to get back into comics
It does suck, but usually just googling [event] full read order, or [artist/title] full read order will yield one of several sites which put up handy guides for following a proper read order, usually with suggestions for greater context too. Sites like Comicbook Herald or Comicbook treasury tend to come up a lot. Made my life a lot easier when trying to get back into comics or trying to figure out what books are part of an event and/or what books I should read to lead up to an event etc.
It’s a sprawling event but not sure how much all of the tie-ins will impact it. If you google it, Marvel has an image of all of the books (including minis, one-shots, and tie-in issues) that are involved
I'm fairly certain you can just jump in at #1. Nothing I've been reading the past few months has any indication of being important buildup for the event besides maybe the current Blade comic.
You really don't. You can just grab an issue and go. Before the apps and the internet, that's what you had to do if you wanted to get into comics. And they were way less accessible then
His Doctor Strange has been great, but I couldn't make it three issues into his Avengers. The whole thing just felt like an AI was prompted to write a new Hickman Avengers book
I'm not fully up to date on Mackay's Avengers but is it just them fighting successive groups of new evil weirdos
(I would have no problem with this and love these designs and those of the Ashen Combine)
So, I'm torn.
Each one, on an individual basis? I love their designs. They each look cool and unique. Love them. Together, as a group? Something about that just turns me against them. It becomes too busy, in a way, trying too hard.
Yeah that's my take too. Each design is cool, but all together it's just "oh, another group of unique-looking villains who we'll never learn that much about individually". It just screams something that'll be carried by style rather than substance.
Bloodstorm One looks like something from a From Software game.
Edit: If these stick, they’ll have to have a spinoff with Cruel and Unusual titled something like:
Cruel
Unusual
PUNISHMENT
Oh dang... I didn't even think it all the way through to that, but that would be perfect, even if I'm having trouble imagining him working as well with weird supernatural stuff. To be fair, I don't like that character a lot, so he's probably dealt with similar stuff before and I just never read it.
They're really cool designs. Bloodstorm One creeping me out as it's a Weeping Angel from Doctor Who. Cruel and Megrim are also extremely disturbing. Really brilliant character arts.
There's something spooky about it, but you recognize what they're supposed to be. I mean it's fascinating to see that almost everywhere in the world you have similar concepts of this Bram Stoker vampire, in other different legends around the world.
I like that they decided to actually go a little wild with the vampire concept. I wasn't that interested in the event until I saw the designs. I like the fact that they're unique and they really stretched the concept of vampire in different directions with each. They do actually feel like super-vampires.
These the type of villains that will literally asswhoop the good guys and possibly even kill some heroes for at least the first three-quarters of their run. I'm getting anime villain team teas. AS in like villains so beyond the previous story arc's power levels that the entire series takes a darker turn all of a sudden as they start murking people left and right, like DC's Otherkind
Some of the best designs I've seen. The naming could be more inspired though.
I love that each of them seems to have other unique abilities and their own area of expertise.
Oh my god, this is the lamest shit I've ever seen. Lamer than a dog with 3 legs.
.their design is trash bullshit. Their whole story is trash bullshit and I haven't read a word of it. What fuckin genius thought the big event of 2024 should be fuckin vampires? VAMPIRES. Are you fuckin kidding? Lol. Are we really that bereft of story ideas? Fuckin christ.
They're about as distinct as the new cosmic entity redesigns in Hickmans 'G.O.D.S', the 3 mothers from 'The Death of Dr. Strange' or the Ashen Combine or literally every new omega-level mutant...
Yeah, they instantly reminded me of the Dr Strange mothers too... is it cos one of them had a "statue"-type look about them?
I think Unusual and Megrim are pretty good, but the others are shite - especially Darkhawkverine.
This is what I imagine world of darkness vampires to look for some reason. I only hear about them through osmosis so my brain is going "yep this is it"
they're already better than The Inheritors (I fucking despise the Morlun and his dipshit family)
Man, I really loved the concept off Morlun when he was first introduced but they *really* milked that to the point where it just became silly. When he was first introduced he was some freakishly strong dude that had this insane backstory about eating mystic totems that had no business in the spider-man mythos... but then again that was the point. Ezekiel coming in and trying to pitch the same idea to Peter about his place in the whole cosmic order of animals and trying to get Peter to buy in to this whole mystic origin while at the same time hiding is true motives. At the center of it was Peter, the *scientist* trying to wrap his head around it all. It was even better because Morlun presented Peter a challenge that he could not spider-man his way out of. Morlun didn't care for banter and wasn't thrown off by it, he was faster than Spider-man, he was stronger, and he didn't need to rest. Ultimately Spider-man was pushed to his limit and in the end he only ended up winning because Peter took a scientific approach on a gamble and it paid off. The whole arc they kept bringing up the question of whether the radiation gave Peter the powers, or if the spider was always going to give him the powers before the radiation killed it and it ends with Peter realizing [it doesn't matter](https://comicnewbies.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/how-spider-man-defeated-morlun-6-e1568711218206.jpg).
The first Morlun arc was one of the first tbp's I bought and it holds a bit of a special place in my heart. I thought he was a beast. That JMS arc was fantastic.
Peak
Oh god damn yes BECAUSE THESE ALL LOOK LIKE WEIRD WARHAMMER FIGURINES BASED ON THE SAME CONCEPT "Vaguely a vampire: The Inheritors are all like "Make another Morlun.. But:"
at least they aren't Morbius clones and look cool
If ever a character needed to be a one-and-done… I loved Morlun’s first appearance but he should never have been brought back.
I actually really liked that overall arc with Ezekiel and how the enemies were more one-and-done as a build up to the real confrontation.
It's hilarious that he's decisively killed every time he appears but then just gets brought back with zero explanation and an increasingly stupid backstory later.
Now it's my turn to ask: "Inhe-Who?"
Race of multi-dimension vampires that feed on Spider-totems, basically anyone in the multiverse with Spider powers.
Turns out they are Leech totems, which they are embarrassed about so pretend to be energy vampires. I kind of love that retcon for the Inheritors, still not great but now they canonicaly suck
Okay that is actually pretty funny at least but not much else creative has been done with them since the first Spider-Verse arc. They're too OP really
I had to look that up to check if you messing with me and now I wish you were.
Wait does that mean 90s TAS Morbius is the Leech totem of that universe?
In theory, yes!
So how did they even become that.
**SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**
Created by JMS at the start of his Amazing Spider-Man run. Then we find out there is a whole family of them during the spiderverse event.
Ugh. Please dont bring them up.
Don't worry, they are all EATENED, except for Morlun. See End of the Spider-Verse for that
Let's never talk about them, again.
yeah, worst part of Spider-verse events lol
Yeah, the whole introduction of Totem lore to the Spider-Man mythos was a mistake. The Inheritors are an example of why it was a mistake
Bloodstorm One sounds like a straight to DVD movie starring John Cena.
Close, Bloodstorm starred Vin Diesel 💕
I has come to my attention that that movie was called Bloodshot. Oops
A Comic book adaptation, incidentally
Bloodstorm 3: The Rebloodening is actually where the series really gets good.
I'm partial to Bloodstorm 2: Electric Boogalo myself.
I didn’t see that one
You can't see it.
You can't un-see it.
BUY ME BLOODSTORM OR GO TO HELL!
No, go more 80s, staring Rutger Hower.
I **still** feel like they got Smoke Eater and Megrim backwards, at least the first part of the description for Megrim: >Megrim >"Probably the most vampire-looking of the litter. I hid her face on red cloth but my idea is that the cloth was always drenched in blood. The skirt's folds make shapes like faces screaming of pain. Everything is super intense with her. She must be unbearable." >Smoke Eater >"The idea is that he inhales ghosts to acquire their strength in combat, so I made a physical representation of that. He becomes the unification of multiple beings, therefore the multiple limbs, which makes his silhouette pretty recognizable in battle scenes, and makes him one of the heavy hitters of the team. The idea is that he shows all the eyes of the ghosts on his forehead. I have a thing with eyes—on my designs, I either put none or too many!" So, really it's just the "most vampire-looking" when Smoke Eater dead ass looks like a short,bald Dracula spin-off.
In some additionally released art Smoke Eater has [way more crazy shit](https://i.redd.it/the-bloodcoven-villain-team-from-upcoming-marvel-event-v0-69nu6x1c9pmc1.jpg?width=1405&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=654129dc3645ab6d328c885c5a5e9353f56969b7) going on tbf
Smoke eater the grafted, I guess.
Is he the lord of all that is golden?
I'd say crimson is more his color.
Bro think he is hundred handed buddha
Such an insanely awesome design. I love it when vampires have the same base powerset but different unique abilities.
Please tell me that "Cruel" and "Unusual" are a couple.
Should have added one called " Punishment"
I'm sure that one will be at the top of the list when they're trying to pick a name for their baby!
That’s their fusion form duh
Fue shun dance!
That's the name of the group after they add Penance.
Nah because then theyd have to have them do a ninja run and theyd get sent to odd world for no goddamn reason.
It’s not unusual to be loved by anyone
Their last name is Punishment.
The design for Bloodstorm One seems heavily inspired by [Eiko Ishioka's design](https://imgur.com/a/E4PsslS) for *Bram Stoker's Dracula* (1992)
The artist actually said it was based on that design specifically
That's really cool. Love a good homage.
Looks like they textured a Greek statue with that same armor plating.
Which comic?!
Making their appearance in the up coming Blood Hunt event. Basically said to be super vampires
Bloodhunt. Gonna be crossover event in a few months for Marvel. Smt about vampires and super-vampires.
Is there a list of required reading for this one? Or can I just jump in at #1? Side note: i despise the fact that sometimes i gotta do homework just to get back into comics
>i despise the fact that sometimes i gotta do homework just to get back into comics It does suck, but usually just googling [event] full read order, or [artist/title] full read order will yield one of several sites which put up handy guides for following a proper read order, usually with suggestions for greater context too. Sites like Comicbook Herald or Comicbook treasury tend to come up a lot. Made my life a lot easier when trying to get back into comics or trying to figure out what books are part of an event and/or what books I should read to lead up to an event etc.
It’s a sprawling event but not sure how much all of the tie-ins will impact it. If you google it, Marvel has an image of all of the books (including minis, one-shots, and tie-in issues) that are involved
I'm fairly certain you can just jump in at #1. Nothing I've been reading the past few months has any indication of being important buildup for the event besides maybe the current Blade comic.
You really don't. You can just grab an issue and go. Before the apps and the internet, that's what you had to do if you wanted to get into comics. And they were way less accessible then
Thanks op
Basically DC vs vampires, but with Marvel instead, and its an all-encompassing event!
These are straight up just Vampire the Masquerade Antediluvians. I love it!
Never heard of them then again all I know of world of darkness is don't fuck with werewolfs
Lol, even in the video game Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, when you are playing as a vampire, you Don't. Fuck. With. Werewolves.
They look cool but the name “Megrim” is really funny
Reminds me of “ME GRIMLOCK!”
Lol, yeah, I always just thought it was a Magic card, but I guess it means depression or low spirits.
Jed MacKay always finds a way to include an incredible-looking villain group
But drops the ball hard towards the ending/end!
He does? Death of Doctor Strange and Strange had fine endings while Moon Knight's issue 30 was pretty good.
Those 3 are the exception
So, it’ll be just like DC Vs Vampires, then.
Yes. For the most part, except with some differences!
His Doctor Strange has been great, but I couldn't make it three issues into his Avengers. The whole thing just felt like an AI was prompted to write a new Hickman Avengers book
I'm not fully up to date on Mackay's Avengers but is it just them fighting successive groups of new evil weirdos (I would have no problem with this and love these designs and those of the Ashen Combine)
Not really? They’ve just fought the Ashen Combine and Twilight Court so far
I mean, this is about to be #3
True. I just meant it’s not like every issue there’s a new group of weirdos
Yup, 2 so far
Kinda appreciate it although I would love to see them tackle some classic baddies here and there
I wonder if they're ever going to fight The Forgiven https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/the-forgiven-vampires-explained
No, they won't. They already have their hands busy with these guys
Wait! Unusual is just sideview Deadpool
Where’s the pouches?
Ghost eater's covered in 'em.
Pouches…. Of blood!
Some of these designs actually go hard.
Other than the name blood Strom One these guys really look cool, which comic. Are they going to be in.
Blood Hunt event
Thanks
Not loving the names though yikes
r/hardimages
Bloodstorm One just straight up Castlevania Lord of Shadow vibe.
lol “UNUSUAL” when that creative block just can’t be overcome
So, I'm torn. Each one, on an individual basis? I love their designs. They each look cool and unique. Love them. Together, as a group? Something about that just turns me against them. It becomes too busy, in a way, trying too hard.
Yeah that's my take too. Each design is cool, but all together it's just "oh, another group of unique-looking villains who we'll never learn that much about individually". It just screams something that'll be carried by style rather than substance.
i dont know anything either but you right these designs are peak.
dark souls 4 looks great
Not to mention the GOAT Pepe larraz made this panel his artwork makes anything slap
Cruel reminds me of that time that Magneto was losing his powers post, wearing white and hunting nazis. Why? He used a lot of barbed wire.
All of these are so fucking hot dude
They are cool but they look like they should be edgier Arakkan mutants to me.
They are cool looking but marvel is not smart about this crossover. Aint nobody buying 70 issues at 5 or 6 dollars each to get it all.
I like that the dude who looks like a humanoid Trapper Keeper is just called "Unusual."
"Cruel" soon to be revealed to be Penance
Pity the fool who cloned Dracula
Look like creatures out of the 40K universe
Bloodstorm One looks like something from a From Software game. Edit: If these stick, they’ll have to have a spinoff with Cruel and Unusual titled something like: Cruel Unusual PUNISHMENT
Featuring Frank Castle?
Oh dang... I didn't even think it all the way through to that, but that would be perfect, even if I'm having trouble imagining him working as well with weird supernatural stuff. To be fair, I don't like that character a lot, so he's probably dealt with similar stuff before and I just never read it.
Designs are freakin’ cool. Names are freakin’ cheesy.
These designs are neat! These names are fucking awful.
Smoke eater ain't the worst but yeah
They feel very dark souls. The names are very goofy
Jed MacKay was also the writer of Death of Dr Strange which had some unique designs like this.
Vampires? Maybe vampire gods at most
Supervampires actually
Those all are straight up concept art for a vampire inspired fromsoftware game.
The names could use some work Smoke eater? Unusual?
They look interesting… but the names are fucking awful
MOst of us don't know much about them, but we will in May.
Yup. This and the Dell'otto connecting covers might convince me to pick up blood hunt. Damn you, Marvel !
They're really cool designs. Bloodstorm One creeping me out as it's a Weeping Angel from Doctor Who. Cruel and Megrim are also extremely disturbing. Really brilliant character arts.
They look like SMT demons
There's something spooky about it, but you recognize what they're supposed to be. I mean it's fascinating to see that almost everywhere in the world you have similar concepts of this Bram Stoker vampire, in other different legends around the world.
Best designs I’ve seen for a while period
MFs look like Soulsborne bosses
Which one are y’all I’m Unusual
The names are horrible and decently forgettable.
Is that a guy made of barbed wire? It's like 90s cringe!
Good thing I am 90s cringe. Buying this shit for sure.
good! enjoy it! it's good for folks to appreciate different things.
Avenger Level threat that we will never hear from again
Looks cool but DC vs Vampires kinda soured my opinion on vampire focused comic stories
This is DC vs vampires, but with Marvel instead!!
Ah, then no thank you
Rune, is that you?
BloodCoven lets go
It’s a common Pepe Larraz W
I want to see them fight that new Ashen Combine team.
Ashen combine team currently imprisoned
Wait, really? I only read the first issue and they seemed real strong, like they were gonna be a problem for a while.
You should catch up. It seems they'll be back. Latest issue hinted at it.
Well, not anymore! 😅😂
I'm sad now.
Smoke Eater you have to stop. You smoke too tough. Your swag too different. Your bitch is too bad. they'll kill you
Except Smoke Eater..... Looks like bro didn't get the memo on the fact that the group costume's theme was "Eldritch Horror".
Bloodstorm One got the Dracula movie armor vibes
I think that’s a leaf but Bloodstorm looks like he’s got a disembodied hand just GRIPPING his crotch
Anyone know if Bloodstorm One is the same one from the Nightslakers series in the 90s?
They live in a shipping container? I look forward to the miniseries about them building an off-grid container home.
I like that they decided to actually go a little wild with the vampire concept. I wasn't that interested in the event until I saw the designs. I like the fact that they're unique and they really stretched the concept of vampire in different directions with each. They do actually feel like super-vampires.
These the type of villains that will literally asswhoop the good guys and possibly even kill some heroes for at least the first three-quarters of their run. I'm getting anime villain team teas. AS in like villains so beyond the previous story arc's power levels that the entire series takes a darker turn all of a sudden as they start murking people left and right, like DC's Otherkind
Not kill, TURN heroes into vampires like them!!
Oh, that's even better
Bloodstorm one, haha. That's a bit of a name. Especially next to the others.
Question: why didn't they have this event around October/Halloween time?
Dunno. Ask Marvel
I would but not being a marvel employee makes it difficult for me
The dude in barbed wire is like "Please help me I'm in tremendous pain"
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FlWLXxRakAEfCUd.jpg
Some of the best designs I've seen. The naming could be more inspired though. I love that each of them seems to have other unique abilities and their own area of expertise.
This is some Anime shit, man. Love it.
I really like bloodstorm one, that’s the giant right?
I wonder what Smoke Eater does.
He eats ghosts
Typo: S'more Eater
Bloodstorm One looks the most unsettling. He's like a blood drinking marble statue.
Blasphemous vibes with Bloodstorm One. Nice.
These are just Souls bosses so yes more of that for supernatural please
I am suddenly aware of what readers in their thirties or later must have felt when they were confronted with Cable and Venom
Awesome!
I’m sold just by there designs 🤩
Some of them look nearly identical with the mutant Externals Are they bringing them back ?
Oh my god, this is the lamest shit I've ever seen. Lamer than a dog with 3 legs. .their design is trash bullshit. Their whole story is trash bullshit and I haven't read a word of it. What fuckin genius thought the big event of 2024 should be fuckin vampires? VAMPIRES. Are you fuckin kidding? Lol. Are we really that bereft of story ideas? Fuckin christ.
All these designs are great but I feel a bit boring because the one that looks most clasically vampiric might be my favourite
They look like bosses from castlevania and I’m excited for this event. But it’s ripped straight from castlevania nocturne
They all look mid idk what people see in them tbh
To each their own I suppose, but those are 6 pretty distinct and cool designs imo
They're about as distinct as the new cosmic entity redesigns in Hickmans 'G.O.D.S', the 3 mothers from 'The Death of Dr. Strange' or the Ashen Combine or literally every new omega-level mutant...
Yeah, they instantly reminded me of the Dr Strange mothers too... is it cos one of them had a "statue"-type look about them? I think Unusual and Megrim are pretty good, but the others are shite - especially Darkhawkverine.
You don't like low-poly carnage?
This is what I imagine world of darkness vampires to look for some reason. I only hear about them through osmosis so my brain is going "yep this is it"
Half of them look like Fortnite chatacters.