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SYFY WIRE Comics

First Look: The Living Vampire's bloodlust begins in Marvel's Morbius: Bond of Blood #1

By Jeff Spry
morbius hero

One of Marvel Comics' most notorious bloodsuckers is set to appear in Morbius, a big-budget feature film premiering Mar. 19, 2021, directed by Daniel Espinosa (Life) and starring Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, and Tyrese Gibson. But before his big screen debut, he's making a comic book return.

Morbius, the Living Vampire was originally created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane and was first seen in The Amazing Spider-Man #101 back in 1971, where he quickly became a charismatic antihero appearing in multiple horror anthologies during the decade and making occasional guest appearances until getting his own deserved solo series starting in 1992.

morbius cover

To refresh fans' recollections of Morbius in advance of his Hollywood debut next year, Marvel is releasing a new horror one-shot next February delving into the character's origins starting with Morbius: Bond of Blood #1 — and SYFY WIRE has staked out an exclusive first look at the premiere issue's cover alongside two pages of interior art.

Written by comics veteran and former Marvel Executive Editor Ralph Macchio (Master of Kung Fu, Micronauts) and injected with haunting artwork from Tom Reilly (The Immortal Hulk), the title fleshes out details of the brilliant biochemist whose unfortunate accident leaves him cursed with pseudo-vampiric abilities.

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The plotline revisits his first kill, sets up his future, and provides the perfect leaping on point prior to Sony Pictures' upcoming movie. It presents the tragic tale of Emil Nikos, who was Dr. Michael Morbius’ research partner until fate transformed Emil into the first victim of Morbius’ bloodlust. Now, Emil’s son is dying from a strange blood disease and only Morbius can save him. 

“For those looking to sink their teeth into who Morbius, the Living Vampire is, Ralph and Tom are truly embodying the energies from his origin to bring you a tale of intrigue and despair!," Editor Danny Khazem tells SYFY WIRE. "This team is going to show why Morbius is such a unique and horrifying character in the Mighty Marvel Manner!”

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With a main cover courtesy of Giuseppe Camuncoli, Marvel Comics' Morbius: Bond of Blood #1 arrives in February of 2021.