10 Best Blade Comics, Ranked

Since his debut over 50 years ago, Blade has firmlystaked his claim as one of Marvel Comics’ most iconic characters. Relegated mostly to supporting roles in his initial years, the Vampire Hunter was always a stand-out wherever he appeared. However, his big break would not come in comics but in his eponymous 1998 film. The movie captured the cultural zeitgeist of the time, launching the superhero movie boom.

Marvel would adopt the film’s depiction of the character for the comics, effectively creating two main eras in the character’s publication history. However, fans should not discount one era for another. Many of Blade’s stories before the film were of considerable quality, paving the way for the Daywalker’s rise to pop-culture icon status.

10 Blade Joined The Vampire-Hunting Nightstalkers

Nightstalkers #1-18, 1992-1994

Though preferring to work alone, Blade’s relentless pursuit of the Vampire Lord in the pages of Tomb of Dracula paired him with several equally driven characters. He would work particularly well with the vampiric but heroic Hannibal King and Frank Drake, a mortal descendant of Dracula. Forming a detective agency after Dracula’s defeat, the trio would be pulled back into the supernatural world during the “Rise of the Midnight Sons” event.

The trio expanded their vampire-hunting repertoire to include all kinds of supernatural threats. For Blade and company, however, it all comes back to vampires. A battle with Varnae (Marvel’s first vampire in-lore) would put King and Drake out of commission, making Blade a lone operative again. Still, Blade’s time in Nightstalkers remains a standout in his publication history, as it cemented him as an equal to the likes of Ghost Rider and Dr. Strange.

Marvel Team-Up (Vol. 3) #8, 2005

Like Blade, Frank Castle/The Punisher is a man of uncompromising conviction. As two of Marvel’s most popular anti-heroes, the lethal methods of Blade and the Punisher often alienate them from the greater heroic community. Though their respective vendettas often kept them apart, a fateful arms deal between a gang of vampires and mobsters would lead to their worlds colliding.

Initially distrustful of one another, Blade and Punisher reluctantly lay down their arms to prevent alerting their quarry. What follows is an insightful conversation between the two. While Punisher is incredulous about the existence of vampires, Blade finds Punisher’s war against all organized crime to be nebulous and futile. The story ends with each man understanding the other better. Being that it’s still a Blade story, it also ends with considerable vampire bloodshed.

8 Blade Became Sheriff of a New Vampire Nation

Avengers (Vol. 8) #45, 2021

Though Jason Aaron’s run on Avengers was sometimes polarizing, fans largely agree that the writer did wonders with Blade. With a vampire conflict being one of many global threats on their agenda, Black Panther nominates the Daywalker for membership on Marvel’s A-list team. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Captain America and Thor, this series would reaffirm Blade’s status as an elite Marvel hero for years.

Blade’s most notable role in this run was Sheriff of the new vampire nation. Initially balking at the idea, Blade accepts this newfound role after Black Panther appeals to his sense of duty. Notably, this would force him into a tenuous working relationship with Dracula, a status quo for the two that had yet to be explored. Though Blade did not hold the mantle for long, this period in the character’s history was well-received by fans.

7 Blade’s Past Is Teased In His Second Appearance

Tomb of Dracula #13, 1973

Having gone toe-to-toe with Dracula in his first appearance, Blade showed no signs of slowing down in his second. Forming a tentative alliance with Quincy Harker and his team, Blade and company manage to track the Lord of Vampires down. Landing the killing blow on the final page, Blade scores his first major victory over Dracula. However, the eponymous villain didn’t stay down for long, returning in the next issue of Tomb of Dracula.

If that wasn’t enough, readers were also given their first glimpse into Blade’s origin here. Blade reveals to Harker and company that his ultimate target is Deacon Frost, the vampire that bit Blade’s mother while she was pregnant. Though Frost is only seen in flashback here, he would properly re-surface to torment Blade in future issues of Tomb of Dracula.

6 Blade Starred in His First Ongoing Series

Blade: The Vampire Hunter #1-10, 1994-1995

Blade received his first-ever ongoing series following the conclusion of Nightstalkers. During its 10-issue run, Blade: The Vampire Hunter explored a retired Blade’s attempt at living a normal life. Fortunately for fans, no such luck exists for the vampire hunter. Hesitant to work with others after the dissolution of the Nightstalkers, Blade is forced to forge alliances with new friends and old enemies to deal with the escalating vampire threat.

The series would prove to be an excellent character study for the Daywalker, unearthing more details about his past and reaffirming his place in the present. Despite ending on a cliffhanger, Blade: The Vampire Hunter cemented the eponymous hero as a leading man for the ’90s. This is the series that bridged the gap between the character’s two major eras.

5 Blade Made His Comics’ Debut

Tomb of Dracula #10, 1973

The story that started it all. Frustrated by the lack of prominent Black stars in comics, Marv Wolfman conceived of Blade early after being assigned Tomb of Dracula. With a striking design by legendary artist Gene Colan, Blade was ready to take the Marvel Universe by storm. The two creators wasted no time with their new creation, having Blade hold his own in combat with Marvel’s vampiric apex predator.

Blade made a huge impression on readers right away. In fact, he was almost too cool. Fearing that he would eclipse the existing leads of Tomb of Dracula, Wolfman limited the appearances of the character in hopes of cooling him off. Blade couldn’t be kept down though, with subsequent appearances cementing him as a breakout solo star. Vampires everywhere have slept poorly ever since.

4 Crescent City Blues Marked The End of An Era

Blade: Crescent City Blues, 1998

There is always a risk in making a major overhaul to an existing character. With his popularity at an all-time high, Marvel Comics decided to adopt the Blade film’s portrayal of the character. Though hindsight would prove this to be a wise decision, it risked alienating Blade’s existing fans. Fortunately, the release of Blade: Crescent City Blues would give fans of Blade’s first era the send-off they deserved.

Learning that his nemesis, Deacon Frost, has risen from the grave, the Vampire Hunter dons his trademark green shades and teakwood-stake bandolier to finish him off. Blade finds some useful allies in Brother Voodoo and a returning Hannibal King, revealed to have survived the end of Nightstalkers. Add in returning love interest Safron Caulder, and this story becomes a virtual smorgasbord for Tomb of Dracula fans. After thwarting Frost’s sinister scheme, the story ends with Blade and King contemplating their respective futures.

3 Blade Finally Thwarted His Mother’s Killer

Tomb of Dracula #53, 1977

Throughout the pages of Tomb of Dracula, Blade’s central motivation was gaining retribution against Deacon Frost. Incidentally, this was also the motivation of Hannibal King, who had been bitten and turned by Frost years prior. Having both come up short several times against the vampire mastermind, it would take both heroes working together to put Frost away for good.

Tracking Frost down to his underground lair, Blade and King are horrified to discover dozens of doppelgängers of themselves. Triumphing over these ersatz copies, the heroes corner Frost in his underground lab. Staking him and destroying his lab, Blade and King finally gain peace. Though Frost would go on to return several times, Blade’s first victory against him remains as one of the Daywalker’s most cathartic wins to date.

2 Blade’s Full Origin Was Finally Revealed

Marvel Preview #3, 1975

Though readers knew how Blade got his powers, a nagging mystery remained around the character: Just how did he get so good at fighting? Months before he would begin his defining run on the X-Men, novice writer Chris Claremont would pen the definitive version of Blade’s origin. In the aftermath of Marvel Preview #3’s grandiose main plot, Blade would recount the days of his youth to ally Kate Fraser.

In this recounting of Blade’s past, readers learn of Jamal Afari, a jazz trumpeter who moonlighted as a vampire hunter. Afari rescued the young Blade as a child, making him his protégé in the art of vampire hunting. When Dracula bites Afari, Blade is tragically forced to kill his mentor. Permanently hardened by this, Blade assumes his mentor’s crusade against the Lord of Vampires, a crusade he has maintained ever since.

1 Blade’s Revealed Background Carried His Best Solo Series

Blade (Vol. 4) #1-12, 2006-2007

Years before adapting DC’s Green Arrow for television, writer Marc Guggenheim delivered Blade’s best solo run to date. Alongside the legendary Howard Chaykin, Guggenheim understood a key aspect of the character that others missed: At their heart, the Blade films are kind of campy, and this is key to their appeal. To this end, the creative team deftly blended the overkill levity of the movies with high-concept spectacle, having Blade encounter several Marvel heroes and villains that he never had before.

As with other great Blade stories, parentage and the weight of one’s past are core themes of this run. Each issue contains an interstitial flashback scene that mirrors the modern plot, giving readers the most comprehensive background on Blade ever seen. Should Blade’s long-awaited MCU film ever see the light of day,this is the run that it should take notes from.