We just can’t let it die

Long time Spider-Man fans know Doctor Michael Morbius very well indeed, as the scientist who turned himself into a hideous “Living Vampire”. Not turned by normal (read: supernatural) means, Morbius is nonetheless infected with many of the powers and failings of hie partial namesake. And that’s a fact that’s set to lead into his role in Blood Hunt.

A big time crossover event from Marvel, Blood Hunt sees the various vampire tribes of the Marvel U uniting with a common goal. Naturally, that’s the usher in eternal night, and rid the Earth of the living. So, bringing it back around then, where does a character who walks that line find himself?

The answer, according to Marvel Comics, is right in the middle of it.

Spider-Man will be tasked to find his iconic vampiric villain in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: BLOOD HUNT, a new tie-in series spinning out of Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz’s Blood Hunt crossover event. Written by Justina Ireland (Deadpool: Seven Slaughters) and drawn by artist Marcelo Ferreira (Moon Knight: City of the Dead), SPIDER-MAN: BLOOD HUNT will see Spidey team up with Misty Knight and the Lizard to rescue Morbius—who has already fallen into the vampire overlord’s clutches!

“Getting to write Morbius, The Living Vampire, has been a lot of fun,” Ireland shared. “He’s always been a delightful foil to Spider-Man and other heroes of the Marvel Universe, and I hope I can capture the determination to change one’s fate that I’ve always loved about the character. Well, that and the brooding.”

“I was really excited when my editor invited me to be a part of the Blood Hunt crossover by means of penciling the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN tie-in limited series!” Ferreira added. “It is double special for me, because it is a return to two characters that I’ve drawn before and that have a special place in my heart: Spidey and MORBIUS! Or maybe I can say triple special, because it also involves vampires. I think my art perfectly matches these darker themes.”

Spidey’s mission in Blood Hunt has become clear and, of course, it involves his old friend Michael Morbius. After he discovers the importance of his fanged foe to the vampire’s overall plans, Peter will have to decide if he needs to take him out or save him!

Marvel Comics press release

Expect to see a ton more on Blood Hunt as we get into the thick of the event here in 2024, and that includes more about Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #1 (of 3) that you see here. You’ll be able to find this specific issue on the racks this coming May the 15th.

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The horror… the horror

If you don’t know what I’m talking about here, it’s a little complicated. Archie is still the same old comic that you know from decades past, but it’s now had a few alternate reality series’ that significantly darken the tone.

It all started with a story that saw Jughead become a zombie, and begin spreading the undead plague. From there, we’ve had stories that’ve involved a way more horror-based Sabrina the Teenage Witch, werewolves, and vampires.

There has, however, been no merchandise playing off of these cult hit comics until now. It’s the last two listed above that will become the first two of collectible maker Icon Heroes’ initial assortment of statues.

• Jughead the Hunger
  • Icon Heroes presents Jughead the Hunger from the Archie Horror comic books!  Based on the issue #2 cover, Jughead stands 10.5 inches tall on top of a rock base.  Each polystone statue is hand painted, individually numbered, and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
  • SRP: $125UPC: 8-06810-25117-1
  • Material: Polystone
  • Dimension: 10.5″H
  • Approx. Weight: 2 lb
• Vampironica
  • Icon Heroes presents Vampironica from the Archie Horror comic books!  Based on the issue #1 cover, Vampironica stands 9.9 inches tall on top of a Riverdale football field base.  Each polystone statue is hand painted, individually numbered, and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
  • SRP: $90UPC: 8-06810-25119-5
  • Material: Polystone
  • Dimension: 9.9″H
  • Approx. Weight: 1.5 lb

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Biggest Ben

A few years ago, you might not have had a clue who Bigben was. That’s certainly changed though, as the independent video game publisher has seriously upped its game.

The Sinking City alone is a title that we’re pretty pumped for here at BG, which presents the Cthulhu mythos as an action-oriented, detective affair. We’ve been following it for a while and will have more for you on it closer to release next month.

Add to that Warhammer: Chaosbane, which we previewed here, and you have some intriguing games coming up in short order. Those titles aren’t the only things that Bigben has on tap though. As this week’s sizzle reel reveals, there’s quite a bit to get pumped for.

That includes a little something from almost every genre, the highly anticipated Vampire: The Masquerade, and Blood Bowl III. Vampire is set to have a fuller reveal this coming August at Gamescom, but Blood Bowl III is a little more of a mystery.

All we know right now is that the game will be timed to coincide with the newly reinvented tabletop version from Games Workshop. Both will see release some time in 2020. Bigben says that there will be more to come in the months ahead on it, so stay tuned.

The company also adds that they’re looking to turn themselves into the top AA publisher in the next “3 to 5 years”, so it’s probably smart to expect to hear quite a bit more from them sooner than later.

Here’s that look at what’s to come:

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The Streets Of London Are Full Of Vampyrs

Set against the backdrop of World War I, Vampyr takes gamers to the beautiful streets of London during the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918. Jokes aside, the setting for this game is dim and grimy. People are dying in massive numbers and the streets are full of propaganda posters. There is not a vacation site and there won’t be a lot of time for photos. There are no children playing and the people that are around town are full of sickness and problems. These people need help, so it is a good thing that Jonathan Reid is not only a vampire, but a doctor as well.

Hello, The Doctor Is In

Players will experience this story as Doctor Jonathan Reid. The game opens with Dr. Reid waking up on the docks, disoriented and extremely thirsty, thirsty for blood. The hunger is driving Dr. Reid mad and in his lust for blood, he winds up killing someone he loves. Without providing too many spoilers, his choice to kill this character will haunt him throughout the story. Making choices is important in Vampyr and these decisions will all types of different ramifications in this game. As a vampire, Dr. Reid will have the need to feed – it is up to the player if he will drain people of their blood or try to use his experience as a doctor and save them.

The non-playable characters (NPCs) all have a function to serve in this game. This is accurate for most games, but in Vampyr players will have the opportunity to dive in and learn more about the populace of this quarantined area. Each NPC has a story to tell and will get sick at some point during the game. Dr. Reid has the ability to craft items in the game that can help with a character’s sickness. For example, fatigue is an ongoing problem for the people and Dr. Reid can help by giving them a mixture of chemicals. Dr. Reid also has cures for the common cold, bronchitis, migraines and even pneumonia, and can help stabilize a sick district.

To Bite Or Not To Bite – That Is The Question In Vampyr

Aside from being a vampire, the central theme of this game is all about choices. Who will Dr. Reid save? Who will he feed on? Will Dr. Reid help quarantined districts or will he let them fall into a chaotic mess? These are just a small sampling of the all the choices players will face as they work their way through Vampyr’s story line. There are four endings to Vampyr, and one of these endings can be completed by never feeding on a single NPC. This is rather difficult though as players will not earn a ton of experience points by only battling other baddies and feeding on rats.

Not feeding on people will leave Dr. Reid seriously under-powered and will make battling vampire hunters a true test of hacking and slashing his opponents. If players are having trouble getting through a particular point in the game, they can always go find a NPC and mesmerize them and then take a juicy bite and suck their blood. Players will be able to see how much experience points a NPC is worth when talking to them. Each NPC has between three and four hints that Dr. Reid can uncover. These hints unlock new information and in turn, make the NPC’s blood more valuable and increases the amount of experience they will provide. These NPCs all live in four districts and Dr. Reid will do a lot of walking through these districts while unraveling the mysteries of becoming a new vampire.

Oh, To Become A Vampyr…

Dr. Reid is not exactly happy about becoming a vampire. He is going to spend the entire game trying to figure out who turned him into a creature of the night. He will have to lurk his way through dark alleys and across abandoned houses as he searches for answers. He has the determination of a Tom Cruise character in Mission Impossible, meaning nothing is impossible. The story is rather good in Vampyr. DontNod has done a great job of weaving in different aspects of vampire lore into this story. There are vampire hunters and other vampires as well. There is even a club of affluent vampires that recruits the good doctor. There is even a little vampire romance mixed as well.

Final Words

This is a great game and a fun adventure. I do not think there has been a similar game in this vampire setting. On top of that, we get to experience London in 1918 and we get a great experience of this dire time. I like to describe this game as a narrative game with a side of action. There is plenty of combat, but the real star of this game is the NPCs (can’t believe I just wrote that), the branching story line and the choices players must make during game play. There are a few items that I wish were done better, but they do not impede the game. The story is enthralling and I was on the edge of my seat as it unraveled. I would highly recommend picking up and sinking your teeth into Vampyr.

Publisher provided copy to BrutalGamer for review.

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When I first began to read “The Steam Man” from Dark Horse Comics, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Usually, when I get these comics I tend to just go off the name alone and see if it grabs me. I don’t read anything up on the writer nor a preview of the story or any panels. I go into my reviews completely fresh of the material so I can get a really good gauge on what a new reader would appreciate. I was so unbelievably happy that I came into this experience with no knowledge. Being able to read through this adventure and truly experiencing everything for the first time was an amazing reward. Enough of my praising though, let’s get to the goods.

The Story

“The Steam Man” takes place in the year 1899 in the Old West. It doesn’t specify exactly where in the United States we are as the story unfolds, but it has a very Western feel to it. The story elements are a complex concoction to form its wild universe. Iron Giant meets Wild, Wild West meets War of the Worlds meets The Time Machine meets Dracula. While all these elements may not seem to work in tandem, as there is so much material within all, it all actually works fantastically. The world has just been met with creatures who tore through our sky and decided to try and lay waste to all humanity. The Steam Man was built with this attack in mind but our story takes place after the attack and all the alien ships lay where they fell with our protagonists following the trail of a mysterious figure dubbed “The Dark Rider.”

Joe Lansdale and Mark Alan Miller weave an intricate story involving what the future may hold and how one small mistake can drastically change the river of time forever. Aliens, vampire like cannibal creatures, a lone, evil cowboy and a group of friends who drive a 7 story tall, steam powered giant like a ship. All these elements work amazingly well together and will keep you flipping through the pages until its bitter-sweet ending. I was engaged, intrigued and couldn’t stop reading this amazing story. The sci-fi was heavy and the horror gave me buckets of gore. Plenty to enjoy for fans of either genre.

Overall

On the whole, “The Steam Man” yields very little complaints, if any, and even those are too small to even bring up. This story was great from beginning to end and hooked me right off the bat. Clive Barker endorsed this book with “A must read!” and he was absolutely right in that sentiment. If you’re a horror fan, that should be endorsement enough to jump on into the adventure. The characters are well developed though you aren’t given any backstory as to how they all got together, especially the character, Feather. While this would have been welcome, it wasn’t exactly missed as what was happening in the present was exciting enough. Plus… a giant robot fighting a giant creature made of branches driven by psychotic vampire cannibals? Come on… it really doesn’t get better than that. A MUST READ!!!

Released July 6th by Dark Horse Comics

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