MI:13 Agent Profile - Blade? Cornell talks "Captain Britain"

[andy khouri]

The cast of Marvel's hit "Captain Britain and MI:13" grows by one in September, when none other than Blade the Vampire Hunter joins the team. Writer Paul Cornell tells CBR about his plans for the character.

http://comicbookresources.com:8080/?page=article&id=17106

[BugsySig]

Awesome...I love that this series is pulling from all corners of the MU, not just Mutants, for a British team. If only we could get a little Union Jack...

[Guest_1001]

Awesome...I love that this series is pulling from all corners of the MU, not just Mutants, for a British team. If only we could get a little Union Jack...

The summary for #5 mentions Union Jack and my guess is that he'll turn up to fight Blade. My idea - Blade about to kill Joey's ex (Spitfire) AND is responsible for bringing every vampire back into existence? UJ's bound to have a problem with the guy. And this also means Baron Blood could turn up . . .

Loved the article. I adored the description of Blade being picked up by the RAF in New York and being attacked and shot at all the way across the pond.

[Blade X]

I'm a HUGE Blade fan, so I'm happy that he will be joining MI-13.

Now if they can only retcon that crap about him being half white, I'll be even more happy. And before someone accuses me of being racist, I want to say that my problems with Blade being revealed as being half white has isn't because I'm racist against white people (I'm not), but has everything to do with me questioning Marvel's reasons for making one of the few black superhero characters (few, in comparison to the many white superhero characters out there) half white. I'm willing to bet that we would MOST LIKELY never see an established white character be revealed to being half black.

[Fatguy]

I'm a HUGE Blade fan, so I'm happy that he will be joining MI-13.

Now if they can only retcon that crap about him being half white, I'll be even more happy. And before someone accuses me of being racist, I want to say that my problems with Blade being revealed as being half white has isn't because I'm racist against white people (I'm not), but has everything to do with me questioning Marvel's reasons for making one of the few black superhero characters (few, in comparison to the many white superhero characters out there) half white. I'm willing to bet that we would MOST LIKELY never see an established white character be revealed to being half black.

Good lord, you're so RACIST!

Kidding, I agree actually.

[princesa]

Love Blade glad to see him but I hoped they flushed that recon

[chastmastr]

Every vampire?

Even Bessie the Hellcow?

:eek:

[Will.S]

Every vampire?

Even Bessie the Hellcow?

:eek:One would only hope.

[HepOne]

I was hoping he would ignore Guggenheim's misguided effort. There was way too much stupidity surrounding the whole thing.

Why has he still got a mechanical hand, I thought regeneration was incorporated into that retcon? Do we really need another black cyborg? (Misty, Cyborg, now War Machine and Blade)

[Blade X]

I was hoping he would ignore Guggenheim's misguided effort. There was way too much stupidity surrounding the whole thing.

Why has he still got a mechanical hand, I thought regeneration was incorporated into that retcon? Do we really need another black cyborg? (Misty, Cyborg, now War Machine and Blade)

I agree.

I also hate the other retcons Marc G made to Blade, like him always being half vampire and aging very slowly. I also hate that he had Blade, as a kid, kill a human he mistook as being a vampire, which was a total retcon of Blade's ability to sense vampires (and other mystical beings/creatures) as well as that solo Blade Story written by Claremont in MARVEL PREVIEW #4. In that story, it was established that Blade NEVER killed an innocent human being.

[Will.S]

I was hoping he would ignore Guggenheim's misguided effort. There was way too much stupidity surrounding the whole thing.

Why has he still got a mechanical hand, I thought regeneration was incorporated into that retcon? Do we really need another black cyborg? (Misty, Cyborg, now War Machine and Blade)
I don't know if I'd lump Misty as a cyborg. All she has is a robotic prosthetic.

[Blade X]

I don't know if I'd lump Misty as a cyborg. All she has is a robotic prosthetic.

Which makes her a cyborg.

[Will.S]

Which makes her a cyborg.
For just an arm?

Deathlok, Victor Mancha, Lady Deathstrike, ROM, The Reavers, Donald Pierce, and Cable I can understand but all Misty has is a bionic arm.

[Ghost Shark]

Every vampire?

Even Bessie the Hellcow?

:eek:

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

http://www.marvel.com/universe3zx/images/thumb/c/cd/Hellcow.jpg/440px-Hellcow.jpg

[Loki]

For just an arm?

Deathlok, Victor Mancha, Lady Deathstrike, ROM, The Reavers, Donald Pierce, and Cable I can understand but all Misty has is a bionic arm.
Doesn't matter. A bionic toe is enough to count. It's not how much of you is replaced by artificial parts, it's that any of you is replaced by artificial parts.

[Will.S]

Doesn't matter. A bionic toe is enough to count. It's not how much of you is replaced by artificial parts, it's that any of you is replaced by artificial parts.
That's a rather strict definition but ok I guess.

[CmX]

I thought Union Jack was going to join the team? Or was it just expected by fans?

I've never read Blade before, I only know him from the movies so eh I'm not too excited about him joining, but I think Cornell will do a pretty good job with him.

[Fatguy]

I thought Union Jack was going to join the team? Or was it just expected by fans?

I've never read Blade before, I only know him from the movies so eh I'm not too excited about him joining, but I think Cornell will do a pretty good job with him.

Fans HOPED and guessed that Jack will be joining, but I don't believe Cornell ever said he WOULD be joining.

[bjtrdff]

Doesn't matter. A bionic toe is enough to count. It's not how much of you is replaced by artificial parts, it's that any of you is replaced by artificial parts.


That's a ridiculously tight and senseless definition of being a cyborg. So a guy with a hook hand is a cyborg. Please. Count them if you want, but Bucky, Misty, et al. aren't cyborgs in the MU.

[StoneGold]

That's a ridiculously tight and senseless definition of being a cyborg. So a guy with a hook hand is a cyborg. Please. Count them if you want, but Bucky, Misty, et al. aren't cyborgs in the MU.

No, because a hook hand is not cybernetic. Hell, it's not even mechanical. That said, you could easily consider a person with a pacemaker a cyborg.

I think the problem with this has always stemmed from the differences between the Six Million Dollar Man and Robocop. Steve Austin was bionic. Robocop was a cyborg. But it's the same thing.

[Flâneur]

I'm a HUGE Blade fan, so I'm happy that he will be joining MI-13.

Now if they can only retcon that crap about him being half white, I'll be even more happy. And before someone accuses me of being racist, I want to say that my problems with Blade being revealed as being half white has isn't because I'm racist against white people (I'm not), but has everything to do with me questioning Marvel's reasons for making one of the few black superhero characters (few, in comparison to the many white superhero characters out there) half white. I'm willing to bet that we would MOST LIKELY never see an established white character be revealed to being half black.
What did the retcon involve? Like, did they change who his parents were?

Sounds kinda shitty.

[Unseen]

Wow, i didnt need another reason to pick up this book every month. This is quickly turning into my favorite comic.

[Doc Goblin]

It's great that Blade's joining up with MI:13, especially since Marvel seems somehow utterly incapable of making a Blade solo title work. It'll be great new exposure for him. It should be interesting to see how he gets along with Spitfire and Union Jack. If he's responsible for some kind of vampire revival, I wonder if that ties into what's happened to Spitfire. He could have some indirect responsibility for her condition.

But then again, I do wish Cornell would just ignore Guggenheim's handling of Blade. I didn't read the whole series and have likewise given up on the Marvel Comics Presents story. But I've heard what's become of him. A cybernetic hand? Making him into a cyborg just doesn't seem like it fits with what the character is about. Maybe Cornell will make it somehow work. But right now I'd prefer that if he's not going to ignore it then do something to fix it and give Blade two real hands again.

Poor Cornell. He just seems to get saddled with this stuff. It's like the Black Panther/Ebony Blade junk he had to comment on in the Black Knight article. I guess I can respect that he's not a guy who'll just flat out ignore other writers' work and will at least pay some lip-service to it. I just hope these things don't end up taking away from his own work.

[Britannic]

Marvel really have junked a lot of their continuity over the past few years. They really need to take a step back and see the destruction it brings over the wider MU. I will wait and see how Blade fits in before I comment but I guess Vampires will play a big part of cB and MI-13 from here on in or his joining would be pointless.

[Guest_1001]

My guess is vampires will play a big part until the end of #8 but it's not like Blade doesn't have other talents. If he can hunt vampires, he can hunt other stuff.

[blehbeh]

Love this book, can't wait for Blade.

This is what Marvel should have done with Blade years ago, after his first post-movie book failed: stick him on a team with other characters, give him some more exposure, a bigger comic fan base, a boost from any popular supporting characters...THEN try again if they think his popularity warrants a new ongoing...

[The Sword Is Drawn]

I will wait and see how Blade fits in before I comment but I guess Vampires will play a big part of cB and MI-13 from here on in or his joining would be pointless.

Vampires have always had a strong role to play in Marvel's Britain. The Falsworths have always had ties to them - through the multiple incarnations of Baron Blood. It would seem daft not to use that.

But Blade isn't purely a one trick pony. MI:13 have a remit which covers ALL weird happenings in the UK. There's no reason why Blade can't branch out a little.

[HeckBoy]

I was hoping he would ignore Guggenheim's misguided effort. There was way too much stupidity surrounding the whole thing.

Why has he still got a mechanical hand, I thought regeneration was incorporated into that retcon? Do we really need another black cyborg? (Misty, Cyborg, now War Machine and Blade)Yeah, that's weird. Truth be told, I don't read Blade and didn't even know he had lost a hand, but I would've thought he'd be able to regenerate it anyway b/c of his vampire powers. I guess not.

As for the cyborg semantics debate, seems like the most basic definition of the word does make Blade one b/c of that mechanical hand.

[Rahul]

Already I'm liking this book, and for the writer to drop Blade into this only makes it more awesome. I especially like his intorduction that has been discussed. And its a good thing his gun hand wont be dropped.

[Rahul]

Which makes her a cyborg.
So a guy with a Jaipur foot is automatically Indian?

[Grapeweasel]

I like Blade.

But teaming him up never seems to be a good idea...

[The Sword Is Drawn]

I like Blade.

But teaming him up never seems to be a good idea...

In what way?

I think that putting him on a team with a remit like MI:13 is the best idea for the character right now. Blade on his own hasn't really worked in quite a while. Better to put him somewhere else, with a purpose for a while.

[BugsySig]

I like Blade.

But teaming him up never seems to be a good idea...

Blade started out as part of a team and spent years as part of the Nightstalkers. Even in the movies they needed to put him on a team in both sequels in order to keep the character from getting stale.

I think MI:13's jurisdiction gives Blade plenty of room to use his strengths and talents and play off other characters, thereby keeping the character interesting.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Absolutely. And by the sound of it he's actually fought bloody hard to get back to the UK to join the war effort. He can do more than ONLY killing vampires. There's plenty other angles that can be explored here.

[Flinkman]

not sure how i feel about this.

on one hand, i LOVE CB&MI:13 so far & i've also enjoyed everything Cornell has written for Marvel so far (especially his Vision story in Young Avengers Present)....so based on that, i want to have faith that this is going to work out too. the odds are certainly in it's favor.

however, i don't just dislike Blade...i LOATHE him for reasons i don't really want to get into here. i was bothered enough by the fact he was going to be making an appearance, but to now get confirmation that he's actually joining up with MI:13...well crap, that's even worse news.

there's not a snowball's chance in hell that i'm going to be dropping this title over his inclusion, i'm just a bit conflicted about it.

[Guest_1001]

however, i don't just dislike Blade...i LOATHE him for reasons i don't really want to get into here.

Feel free to go into them if you want to. I'm no Blade fan but I'd definitely like to hear your reasons.

[blehbeh]

not sure how i feel about this.

on one hand, i LOVE CB&MI:13 so far & i've also enjoyed everything Cornell has written for Marvel so far (especially his Vision story in Young Avengers Present)....so based on that, i want to have faith that this is going to work out too. the odds are certainly in it's favor.

however, i don't just dislike Blade...i LOATHE him for reasons i don't really want to get into here. i was bothered enough by the fact he was going to be making an appearance, but to now get confirmation that he's actually joining up with MI:13...well crap, that's even worse news.

there's not a snowball's chance in hell that i'm going to be dropping this title over his inclusion, i'm just a bit conflicted about it.

I just don't get it. What could possibly cause someone to LOATHE a fictional character so much, that just their inclusion in a book they're enjoying, written by a writer they like...would make them conflicted about continuing to read the book? Did a man that looked like Blade cut you off and give you the finger on the freeway? A character is only what a writer makes them.

[The Cat]

I like Blade!

So I'm looking forward to this... regarding the unnecessary retcons from his last series. Hopefully someone will see sense, and they won't be around for too long. :)

[narm00]

I like Blade!

So I'm looking forward to this... regarding the unnecessary retcons from his last series. Hopefully someone will see sense, and they won't be around for too long. :)

It's not going to be Cornell; he's said that his approach to continuity is that it /all/ happened, though it'll only come up if and when relevant (I suspect this comes from his background in Doctor Who fandom, perhaps one of the few fandoms that can compare with comics for continuity wars. We spend a /lot/ of time trying to retcon things we don't like...).

[Thomas Uk]

Union Jacks gonna be bloody annoyed about all the vamps coming back to life. I hope this doesn't mean we get Dracula showing up again though, the 'Dr Strange: The Montesei Formula' gave him a good send off not too un-faithful to the tomb of dracula series and had a nice sense of finality to it. (I think that was his last appearance anyway).

Can't wait for the rest of this series! Cornells right promising.

[Thomas Uk]

In what way?

I think that putting him on a team with a remit like MI:13 is the best idea for the character right now. Blade on his own hasn't really worked in quite a while. Better to put him somewhere else, with a purpose for a while.

Yeah I reckon he's good on a team sometimes, ie: Tomb of Dracula, but Nightstalkers was a bit hit and miss for me.

Im not sure how besides being English he fits in to the MI:13 remit though, especially when compared to Union Jack. I hope he doesn't stick around just because he's British, but I'm sure theres gotta be more to it than that with Cornell, so Im excited. If it goes well It's going to be good to get some exposure on Englands lovely history of monsters and folklore in comics again!

[Excelsior]

Blade is blank slate. Really, Not too many people are up on his backstory or continuity. Cornell can have a field day with the character. I suspect he will have a different take on him. And I cannot wait to read what he does with the character.

[The Cat]

Yeah I reckon he's good on a team sometimes, ie: Tomb of Dracula, but Nightstalkers was a bit hit and miss for me.

Im not sure how besides being English he fits in to the MI:13 remit though, especially when compared to Union Jack. I hope he doesn't stick around just because he's British, but I'm sure theres gotta be more to it than that with Cornell, so Im excited. If it goes well It's going to be good to get some exposure on Englands lovely history of monsters and folklore in comics again!

Heh, heh!

Come on Thomas, you could apply that logic to any member of this team. In the past CB and PW didn't really like each other; now suddenly PW is saying CB is his hero!!!!

Personally I think there are a lot of directions you could go with this character.
But what I really hope is that they use him correctly - with all of his skill sets (i.e. super strength, healing factor, immortality, sense/see magical beings) and add an ability to use/wield magic!

[TF_loki]

Glad that Cornell is working with the history even if it seems unpopular history. It's too easy to just dump it and both of the majors are doing it. Takes more skill to play the hand you're dealt.

As for the cyborg debate, to me if you can take the metal off and not need a respirator and hospital care you ain't a cyborg.
If you can't, best be changing your name to Mister D. Lok.

[Thomas Uk]

Heh, heh!

Come on Thomas, you could apply that logic to any member of this team. In the past CB and PW didn't really like each other; now suddenly PW is saying CB is his hero!!!!

Personally I think there are a lot of directions you could go with this character.
But what I really hope is that they use him correctly - with all of his skill sets (i.e. super strength, healing factor, immortality, sense/see magical beings) and add an ability to use/wield magic!

Yeah fair call mate with PW and Cap, I just mean that Blade doesn't wear his nationality like some of the MI:13 cast do (literally with cap. heh). Although I havent read the most recent series, does he in that perhaps?

I'm just hoping there'll be other reasons for him sticking around and I'm sure there will be, I expect a very mystical story perhaps! Whats after that though? I'm sure he could fight other things for England but is it in his character? He's always been pre-occupied with the occult before, is his nationality enough to keep him around for non-mystical stuff? Maybe he'll be a temporary cast member.

I'll wait and see how its done. I am very optimistic though!

[Thomas Uk]

Oops! double post sorry.

[Loki]

Union Jacks gonna be bloody annoyed about all the vamps coming back to life. I hope this doesn't mean we get Dracula showing up again though, the 'Dr Strange: The Montesei Formula' gave him a good send off not too un-faithful to the tomb of dracula series and had a nice sense of finality to it. (I think that was his last appearance anyway).

Actually, Dracula's been back a lot since the Montesi formula story. Dozens of appearances since then.

[Thomas Uk]

Actually, Dracula's been back a lot since the Montesi formula story. Dozens of appearances since then.

Ahh thats probably a shame then! Any of them any good?

Wait a sec your username is 'Loki' your not lying are you? lol

[Josef F.]

I'm so ready for this.

I want evil scheming Vampires.
I want coersion.
I want Spitfire.
I want Dracula and his weather powers
I want Baron Blood.
I want Falsworths.
I want occasional Buffy references.

If I can appreciate Cornells Skrulls, I can love his Vampires.

And Blade.
Sounds fun!
I would like it if he could make his hand into weapons.
It'd be very "Death's Head":smile:

[Guest_1001]

I'm so ready for this.

I want evil scheming Vampires.
I want coersion.
I want Spitfire.
I want Dracula and his weather powers
I want Baron Blood.
I want Falsworths.
I want occasional Buffy references.

If I can appreciate Cornells Skrulls, I can love his Vampires.

And Blade.
Sounds fun!
I would like it if he could make his hand into weapons.
It'd be very "Death's Head":smile:

I agree with every word of this. And I so hope we can get Death's Head in CB&MI:13 for real someday . . .

[Britannic]

So have all the falsworths been vamps or just spitfire? I can't remember. If so then they will all be back as well. Also There would be three baron bloods in existence now.

Baron Blood (John Falsworth) first
Baron Blood (Victor Strange) Doctor Strange's brother second
Baron Blood (Kenneth Crichton) third.

That's one hell of a party.

[Loki]

So have all the falsworths been vamps or just spitfire? I can't remember. If so then they will all be back as well. Also There would be three baron bloods in existence now.

Baron Blood (John Falsworth) first
Baron Blood (Victor Strange) Doctor Strange's brother second
Baron Blood (Kenneth Crichton) third.

That's one hell of a party.

Just Spitfire, the first and third Bloods on your list, and Spitfire's infant grandson. As for Vic Strange, his only connection to the others was that he used the name and costume. But there is Baroness Blood to add to the mix.

[Thomas Uk]

Just Spitfire, the first and third Bloods on your list, and Spitfire's infant grandson. As for Vic Strange, his only connection to the others was that he used the name and costume. But there is Baroness Blood to add to the mix.

Was Baroness Blood the one from the Union Jack series a while back where it ended with her being pregnant with some new type of vampire?

[Loki]

Was Baroness Blood the one from the Union Jack series a while back where it ended with her being pregnant with some new type of vampire?

Yes. She turned up again in New Invaders, and had given birth to a son, Spitfire's grandson.

[Blade X]

So a guy with a Jaipur foot is automatically Indian?

No, but a guy with a bionic foot is automatically a cyborg.

[Blade X]

So a guy with a Jaipur foot is automatically Indian?

No, but a guy with a bionic foot is automatically a cyborg.

[Babylon23]

Well, I kind of figured the 'forgotten' British character would be Blade. He certainly isn't high on my list of characters I'd like to see in this book (I'd much prefer to see Union Jack or one of the Marvel UK characters). Hopefully Cornell can make him more interesting than he's been in recent years. I liked the character back in his ToD days, but the movies and subsequent use of the character in comics has turned me off him entirely.

Still, hopefully this should result in the return of Baron Blood, which is never a bad thing.

[Taskmaster]

I agree.

I also hate the other retcons Marc G made to Blade, like him always being half vampire and aging very slowly. I also hate that he had Blade, as a kid, kill a human he mistook as being a vampire, which was a total retcon of Blade's ability to sense vampires (and other mystical beings/creatures) as well as that solo Blade Story written by Claremont in MARVEL PREVIEW #4. In that story, it was established that Blade NEVER killed an innocent human being.

Gotta agree here, just about the only think I liked out of the most recent run was the resurrection of the dead vampires (although all of them may be over kill, shouldn't there be major vampire infestation problems on a level where the Avengers and/or Dr Strange might need to get involved?) and I do like the aging very slowly because that is actually based in an older story where he said he was born in the 1920s, but I agree though about the killing a human (when he's always been able to sense the supernatural WTF?) and some of the other well meaning but bad ideas, the cyborg hand and his new father, plus the way his relationship with Hannibal was shown really rubbed me the wrong way. Here's hoping that we'll get to see more of whats been going on in the vampire world with so many past vamps alive (who's Lord now? Dracula? Varnae? Nimrod? WHO?)

I am confident that with Blade being in Cornell's hands that i'm going to get some great Blade appearances for the first time in a while

[storm_willing_slave]

Well looks like I'll be adding a new title to my pull list.:smile:

[Taskmaster]

Ahh thats probably a shame then! Any of them any good?

Wait a sec your username is 'Loki' your not lying are you? lol

Most of them have actually been sadly bad, that's why i'm hoping Cornell can bring Dracula back as a "Big Bad" of the Marvel Universe, this is f'n Dracula we're talking about.

The appearances you missed were in the most recent Blade series were he got beaten WAY to easily and then returned only to dress in weird leather like some sort of dominantrix, his most recent Tomb of Dracula mini where, on the good side, he introduced other types of vampires in the Marvel Universe, but on the bad side he was portrayed as an Anne Rice type long haired sexy vampire and the story wasn't that great overall, he appeared in Generation X and faced them in a short story and clashed with Blade a few other times, none of which were too memorable. Best of all in recent history was the backup story him and Lilith were featured in during last Halloween in one of the Marvel Monster books (the Morbius one I think, that story wasn't too memorable, but the Dracula part more than made up for it) this back-up set up a new status quo for him and Lilith, restored him to his old look and classic badassness and hopefully this is the Dracula we'll see soon.

Oh yeah, plus there was Apocalypse vs Dracula, which I really liked, but it was set in the past so technically it doesn't count as a post-Montesi Formula story.

Just to give you a long story short, Dracula returned more than once post-Doctor Strange's spell and fully when his soul was merged with a clone of him created by HYDRA (don't ask) , along with Hannibal King and and Frank Drake (a vampire and his ancestor), eventually with Bible John (a great character who I would love to see return) and a future version of himself, Blade restored Hannibal and Drake (although Drake still hasn't fully recovered) and Dracula ended up keeping the merged body regaining all his memories. Wow that sounds really confusing, go to the Marvel Appendix at [URL="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/draculav.htm"] they make it make more sense lol

[mikekerr3]

For just an arm?

Deathlok, Victor Mancha, Lady Deathstrike, ROM, The Reavers, Donald Pierce, and Cable I can understand but all Misty has is a bionic arm.

By the book my wifes pacemaker makes her a cyborg.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Yes. She turned up again in New Invaders, and had given birth to a son, Spitfire's grandson.

This, in particular, is something I'd like to see followed up on.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Double post shenanigans...

[Rahul]

There should be intense rivalry between Union Jack and Blade like in that one issue of Blade....it would add a great deal of tension to the team.....

[The Sword Is Drawn]

There should be intense rivalry between Union Jack and Blade like in that one issue of Blade....it would add a great deal of tension to the team.....

Yes. Although not the fuzzy (mis)understanding of the Knights of Pendragon Mythos. That was an interpretation which could only have been made by scim reading Wikipedia for 5 minutes... :rolleyes:

[Congo Jack]

Was Blade English/half-English as concieved by Wolfman and Colan? I like the character, but MY Blade is pretty much the version that Goyer adapted; so I know little about the comic-book counterpart.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Was Blade English/half-English as concieved by Wolfman and Colan? I like the character, but MY Blade is pretty much the version that Goyer adapted; so I know little about the comic-book counterpart.

Blade was born in a Soho whorehouse, in London, England. His mother was a prostitute, bitten during childbirth by a vampire disguised as a doctor. The result was that Blade was kind of half vampire, because of this event.

It's a really harsh origin, but actually wasn't written by Wolfman and Colan. It appeared two years after his Tomb of Dracula debut, and was told by Chris Claremont, DeZuniga and Rico Rival in a solo story beginning in 1975's Marvel Preview #3.

He was British since that day, even though it has been played down by certain writers since, and pasted over in many people's minds by the movie franchise.

[Blade X]

and I do like the aging very slowly because that is actually based in an older story where he said he was born in the 1920s

I have heard other people mention that story as well. Where did that story appear at?

I should also point out that just because a pass story placed Blade's birth in the 1920's does not necessarily mean that Blade ages slowly. Remember, if that story was published in the early 70's, then Blade could be in his mid 40's to mid 50's. His date of birth, like Tony Stark serving in Korea (which was later updated to Vietnam and then most recently to the Gulf War), might have always been intended to be "moved up" as time passes in the real world. After all, the Marvel (and DC) characters were never meant to age in real time.

[Blade X]

Blade was born in a Soho whorehouse, in London, England. His mother was a prostitute, bitten during childbirth by a vampire disguised as a doctor. The result was that Blade was kind of half vampire, because of this event.

It's a really harsh origin, but actually wasn't written by Wolfman and Colan. It appeared two years after his Tomb of Dracula debut, and was told by Chris Claremont, DeZuniga and Rico Rival in a solo story beginning in 1975's Marvel Preview #3.

He was British since that day, even though it has been played down by certain writers since, and pasted over in many people's minds by the movie franchise.

I learned recently from a poster on the newsarama boards, that there were Blade stories in the VAMPIRE TALES magazine co-written by Wolfman and Claremont that were either published before or shortly after CC's Blade origin story, that pretty much confirmed Blade was British.

As far as him being half vampire, that was something that was hinted at and added on later to character during the first ongoing Blade solo series in the early 90's written by Ian Edington, and later by Terry Kavinish (sp). The 90's Spider-Man cartoon and the movies went full steam into making him half vampire. He basically became an amalgamation of Hannibal King and Vampire Hunter D.

[Thomas Uk]

This, in particular, is something I'd like to see followed up on.
Ahh she appeared in new invaders!? I imagined she'd be a plot line lost and forgotten about seen as her initial appearance probabbly wasn't too memorable or high profile. Good stuff.

The knights of pendragon reference in the blade comics was bloody confusing wasn't it?

[Josef F.]

I agree with every word of this. And I so hope we can get Death's Head in CB&MI:13 for real someday . . .

I'd take Elsa Bloodstone Even More.
Her and Spitfire would clash beautifully.

[fitditz]

OOH, just got through issue #3....the ending is sooooo good. Ya'll are in for a treat :smile:

[Excelsior]

I learned recently from a poster on the newsarama boards, that there were Blade stories in the VAMPIRE TALES magazine co-written by Wolfman and Claremont that were either published before or shortly after CC's Blade origin story, that pretty much confirmed Blade was British.

As far as him being half vampire, that was something that was hinted at and added on later to character during the first ongoing Blade solo series in the early 90's written by Ian Edington, and later by Terry Kavinish (sp). The 90's Spider-Man cartoon and the movies went full steam into making him half vampire. He basically became an amalgamation of Hannibal King and Vampire Hunter D.


great research, Blade X

[Blade X]

great research, Blade X

Thanks, but research had very little to do with it. I'm actually recalling most of that stuff about Blade from memory.

[MakeshiftHero]

OOH, just got through issue #3....the ending is sooooo good. Ya'll are in for a treat :smile:

Yeah my LCS got their shipment in early due to some mix up. [B]Pete Wisdom/B] and MI13 is one of my favorite books. The whole book is great this month. The last page is pretty cool, liked all the flags too, that was cool.

[fitditz]

Yeah my LCS got their shipment in early due to some mix up. [B]Pete Wisdom/B] and MI13 is one of my favorite books. The whole book is great this month. The last page is pretty cool, liked all the flags too, that was cool.
I'm considering changing my avatar with that last page pic...

[Libaax]

I dont know anything about British superheroes in Marvel except that cool mini with Union Jack i read.

Im one of those Blade movie fans that loved Snipes and Goyers version.

I was crushed to see him being ruined by Guggenhiem and Chaykin.

I hope this Cornell guy understand him much better. Plus the art cant be as bad as Chaykins....

I will pick this up just see Blade in comic series again. Hope its a good series too.

[Taskmaster]

I have heard other people mention that story as well. Where did that story appear at?

I should also point out that just because a pass story placed Blade's birth in the 1920's does not necessarily mean that Blade ages slowly. Remember, if that story was published in the early 70's, then Blade could be in his mid 40's to mid 50's. His date of birth, like Tony Stark serving in Korea (which was later updated to Vietnam and then most recently to the Gulf War), might have always been intended to be "moved up" as time passes in the real world. After all, the Marvel (and DC) characters were never meant to age in real time.

I think it was Blade: Crescent City Blues, but I may be wrong, i'll have to check around to be sure

[MakeshiftHero]

I'm considering changing my avatar with that last page pic...

Yeah I really like the look way better than the others.

*Spoiler*
Its funny cause it looks a lot like Captain America's new costume, but with a British theme.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Ahh she appeared in new invaders!? I imagined she'd be a plot line lost and forgotten about seen as her initial appearance probabbly wasn't too memorable or high profile. Good stuff.

Yeah. I know that New Invaders was not to everybody's taste (The artwork seemed to be the main complaint) but there was a lot of stuff in there which had a relevance to Marvel's British characters. Vampires are always welcome, and kind of come part and parcel whenever Spitfire and Union Jack appear.

The knights of pendragon reference in the blade comics was bloody confusing wasn't it?

Indeed. Anybody who'd never seen Union Jack before that issue probably now believes he's some kind of bizarre member of the Knights Templar! Odd issue, with poor research. A great shame, really.

I'd take Elsa Bloodstone Even More.
Her and Spitfire would clash beautifully.

Yeah. But I think that Elsa's going to be off limits for quite some time, along with the rest of the cast of Nextwave. A guest appearance maybe, but the likelihood of her ever being allowed to join another team is pretty slim, sadly. This would have been a good fit for her.

Thanks, but research had very little to do with it. I'm actually recalling most of that stuff about Blade from memory.

It's amazing how much these characters can take up residence inside our brains, isn't it?

Can I assume you'll be on board for as long as Blade is around, Blade X?

[Babylon23]

As far as him being half vampire, that was something that was hinted at and added on later to character during the first ongoing Blade solo series in the early 90's written by Ian Edington, and later by Terry Kavinish (sp). The 90's Spider-Man cartoon and the movies went full steam into making him half vampire. He basically became an amalgamation of Hannibal King and Vampire Hunter D.

This is one of the things that annoys me about modern Blade. In his original appearances, his only power was an immunity to vampire bites. In the 90's, he suddenly became an amalgam of himself and Hannibal King. As a fan of Hannibal King from the old ToD days, I was annoyed to see King dismissed so casually. Then the movies took this on board and now we have a Blade completely different from the one I grew up with.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

This is one of the things that annoys me about modern Blade. In his original appearances, his only power was an immunity to vampire bites. In the 90's, he suddenly became an amalgam of himself and Hannibal King. As a fan of Hannibal King from the old ToD days, I was annoyed to see King dismissed so casually. Then the movies took this on board and now we have a Blade completely different from the one I grew up with.

The effective amalgamation of Hannibal King into Blade does confuse me a little. I'm not sure it's entirely necessary, and also effectively removes any need for King from future stories.

Blade now is a very different character. One which is a bit of a compromise for the comic books. Two distinct audiences now need to be satisfied, when using Blade. Hopefully, though, Cornell will be able to incorporate more of the ToD Blade feel into his use of the character. This, in my opinion, would be very welcome.

[Libaax]

I think its right of marvel. To make the comics version more of the movie version character and powers wise.

Apparently not enough people liked Blade in the last decades in the comics to support him the way he was. Its all right to give the movie fans a chance to become fans of the comics too.


Although i wouldnt care if he was the 70s Blade of the comics or the movie versions as long as they make good comics stories with him. I like Blade no matter which version.

Except i dislike half white thing. Blade is the only cool black superhero like character that i have to like. Why make him white when there are millions of those guys out there in superhero like comics....

[The Cat]

I think its right of marvel. To make the comics version more of the movie version character and powers wise.

Apparently not enough people liked Blade in the last decades in the comics to support him the way he was. Its all right to give the movie fans a chance to become fans of the comics too.


Although i wouldnt care if he was the 70s Blade of the comics or the movie versions as long as they make good comics stories with him. I like Blade no matter which version.

Except i dislike half white thing. Blade is the only cool black superhero like character that i have to like. Why make him white when there are millions of those guys out there in superhero like comics....


I agree... to me it seemed like an attempt to make Blade more appealing to the larger white buying comic demographic (they did the same trick to Nehezno of the X-Men. And don't get me started about Storm!!!).

As I stated earlier, as long as all of his abilities are shown; and a credible reason why his healing factor dosent reject his artficial hand, I'm in... :smile:

[Blade X]

Can I assume you'll be on board for as long as Blade is around, Blade X?

I'll be reading this book regardless if Blade is member of this team or not. Blade being on the team is just icing on the cake.:smile: Now all they have to do is add Micromax,Union Jack,Shamrock,Death's Head,and Windshear to the team and I'll be happy as a fox in a hen house.:smile:

[Fatguy]

I think its right of marvel. To make the comics version more of the movie version character and powers wise.

Apparently not enough people liked Blade in the last decades in the comics to support him the way he was. Its all right to give the movie fans a chance to become fans of the comics too.

Yep, considering the success of the movies and the apathy toward the comic version, it makes sense.

[Blade X]

This is one of the things that annoys me about modern Blade. In his original appearances, his only power was an immunity to vampire bites. In the 90's, he suddenly became an amalgam of himself and Hannibal King. As a fan of Hannibal King from the old ToD days, I was annoyed to see King dismissed so casually. Then the movies took this on board and now we have a Blade completely different from the one I grew up with.

I agree.

IMO, Blade's powers should only be immunity to vampire bites,the ability to sense all manner of supernatural beings and objects,enhanced strength,enhanced speed/reflexes,and enhanced recuperative powers. And when I say "enhance" I DO NOT mean "superhuman", I mean "peek human"/"near superhuman".

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Having seen what other evils have been unleashed in #3 of CB&MI:13 I think that this ithe pefect kind of place for Blade to be.

[Frank]

I think its right of marvel. To make the comics version more of the movie version character and powers wise.

Apparently not enough people liked Blade in the last decades in the comics to support him the way he was. Its all right to give the movie fans a chance to become fans of the comics too.


I disagree.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

I disagree.

As do I. It's practically saying that if nobody makes a fuss you can totally change a character for the sake of making a movie.

[Blade X]

I think its right of marvel. To make the comics version more of the movie version character and powers wise.

Apparently not enough people liked Blade in the last decades in the comics to support him the way he was. Its all right to give the movie fans a chance to become fans of the comics too.



Marvel making Blade resemble the movie version of the character still hasn't helped the character sell well in his own solo comic. Like more popular characters like Nightcrawler,Rogue,and Gambit, Blade is the type of character who CANNOT support/carry his own title no matter how much you make the character resemble the movie version of the character. Blade, like the other characters I just listed, is the type of character that works best as part of a team and/or in a team book.

[Blade X]

I agree... to me it seemed like an attempt to make Blade more appealing to the larger white buying comic demographic (they did the same trick to Nehezno of the X-Men. And don't get me started about Storm!!!).


BINGO

A while ago I said theexact same thing over on the newsarama boards, andmany posters over there said I was either (a) wrong (b) looking for racism and/or conspiracies where there wasn't any or (c) crazy. What most of those guys didn't know it was a common practice to make Asian (not black) characters half white in the hope that this would make these characters more appealing to white readers. I think it is quite possible that this MIGHT be the reason why Blade was allowed to be revealed to being half white. There are many (NOT ALL) white comic creators,editors,and fans who believe that most white readers find it hard to relate to black characters.

I didn't know Nehezno was half white. When was this revealed? I dropped all of the main core X-books after the last crossover, and I am only reading a few of the side X-books like X-FACTOR,NEW EXILES, CB&MI-13,X-Men:FIRST CLASS,WOLVERINE:FIRST CLASS,and GENEXT.

OMT, Storm is not half white. Her mother was from Kenya and her father was an African American. I hope this hasn't been retconned.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Exactly. And on a book where he could be joining with a team going up against some real nasty malevolent mystical entities? Well, I think he'll fit in just fine.

[Teh m0nk3y]

I didn't know Nehezno was half white. When was this revealed? I dropped all of the main core X-books after the last crossover, and I am only reading a few of the side X-books like X-FACTOR,NEW EXILES, CB&MI-13,X-Men:FIRST CLASS,WOLVERINE:FIRST CLASS,and GENEXT.


Nezhno was revealed to have a Russian father in the first part of a two part Divided We Stand anthology released after Messiah Complex.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Nezhno was revealed to have a Russian father in the first part of a two part Divided We Stand anthology released after Messiah Complex.

Yeah. I have to say that I was kinda disappointed with that. I'm also more disappointed that like so many New X-Men characters Nehzno has been limbo'd.

[Libaax]

As do I. It's practically saying that if nobody makes a fuss you can totally change a character for the sake of making a movie.

Thats what not i meant.

As comics fan that would be insulting.

I didnt mean totaly change him as a character. But try to appeal some ways this apparently big fanbase of the movies too. If that created better Blade comics that is perfect. That meant we could read more 12 issues for getting canceled.

Having read the different Blade series of the late 90s and the newest one, he gets lost because them not being sure what they want with Blade.

As i wrote earlier i wouldn't care if he was the 70s version with the huge afro today if they wrote good stories for him. The fact his stories dont appeal to anyone in comics form is disappointing. The movies show how huge potential he has if you write good stories for him.

Im of course not counting the horrible Blade 3.....

[Blade X]

Nezhno was revealed to have a Russian father in the first part of a two part Divided We Stand anthology released after Messiah Complex.

Thanks for the info. I didn't read the two issue DWS mini series.

[Blade X]

Yeah. I have to say that I was kinda disappointed with that.

Yeah, that does suck. Like I said in an earlier post, you would MOST LIKELY never see an established white character (especially a white character that has been adapted to the screen) be revealed to being half white.

And once again, I would like to say that I am NOT against biracial characters. Heck, I want to see Kasper Cole (White Tiger) and Windshrar (both of whom are bi-racial) brought back. My problem is when writers/editors decide to make an establish character of ANY race bi-racial in order to sell a book.

[Excelsior]

Yeah, that does suck. Like I said in an earlier post, you would MOST LIKELY never see an established white character (especially a white character that has been adapted to the screen) be revealed to being half white.

And once again, I would like to say that I am NOT against biracial characters. Heck, I want to see Kasper Cole (White Tiger) and Windshrar (both of whom are bi-racial) brought back. My problem is when writers/editors decide to make an establish character of ANY race bi-racial in order to sell a book.

I feel you, and I agree---retcons sux. I wonder if Marvel has the balls to take a white character and retcon him to half black. Say merging supersoldier testee Bradley into Steve Rodgers father-thus making him half and half: :cool:

Or Keeping Sam Jackson as Nick Fury in the upcoming Marvel movies.:biggrin:

[Josef F.]

I feel you, and I agree---retcons sux. I wonder if Marvel has the balls to take a white character and retcon him to half black. Say merging supersoldier testee Bradley into Steve Rodgers father-thus making him half and half: :cool:

Or Keeping Sam Jackson as Nick Fury in the upcoming Marvel movies.:biggrin:

Lol, the first idea is terrible.
The second idea is awesome.

I don't know why, but this thing made me thing of X-factor.
Monet has a sliding race scale.
And Darwin is grey.

I like Darwin's grey face.
I wish someone would choose for Monet.

[Excelsior]

Lol, the first idea is terrible.
The second idea is awesome.

I don't know why, but this thing made me thing of X-factor.
Monet has a sliding race scale.
And Darwin is grey.

I like Darwin's grey face.
I wish someone would choose for Monet.


I was joking, of course. It is obvious that Galactus is half-black.

[Blade X]

I don't know why, but this thing made me thing of X-factor.
Monet has a sliding race scale.
And Darwin is grey.

I like Darwin's grey face.
I wish someone would choose for Monet.

Monet is supposed to be of Algerian descent. Which means that she is technically NOT of black African descent. Of course, it could be debated that Algerians and other dark skinned middle eastern people are of mixed African and European descent.

IIRC, Darwin's gray/chalk white skin color is a result of his mutation.

[Blade X]

I feel you, and I agree---retcons sux. I wonder if Marvel has the balls to take a white character and retcon him to half black. Say merging supersoldier testee Bradley into Steve Rodgers father-thus making him half and half: :cool:

Or Keeping Sam Jackson as Nick Fury in the upcoming Marvel movies.:biggrin:

LOL

I would love to see what the self proclaimed liberal Marvel creators and editors would say if a creator suggested that they make either Reed Richards or Daredevil's mother or father a very light skinned African American who has been "passing" for white most of their lives. I bet their mouths would hit the ground and MOST (if not ALL) of them would say NO very loudly.