Issue(s): Marvel Comics Presents #64 (Blade story only))
Cover Date: 1990
Title: "Vampires!"
Credits:
Marc McLaurin - Writer
Malcom Davis - Penciler
Joseph Adiletta - Inker
Kelly Corvese - Assistant Editor
Terry Kavanagh - Editor

Review/plot:
Frank Drake and Hannibal King have convinced Blade to do a television appearance to garner some attention while they are searching for Darkholders cultists. Blade is having second thoughts about that, and is also having a little strife with his girlfriend, Safron.

The television host is "Tony Hubris Jr.", a Morton Downey, Jr. stand-in. While Blade is on the show, Safron is kidnapped.

And it turns out that Hubris was involved.

Blade catches up with the Darkholders as they are about to make Safron a vampire.

But it turns out this is all a scam.

At the time that this was published, vampires were already back in the world. Knowing that the leadtime on Marvel Comics Presents stories was apparently enormous, it's likely that this story was meant to take place prior to Doctor Strange #14-18, given the fact that the resolution hinges on the idea that the Darkholders aren't really trying to create a vampire and that there's no mention of vampires being reborn (in fact, the opposite is stated). But the appearance of what seems to be an actual vampire in man-bat form lingering outside the window at the tv studio makes me question that, as does the fact that the leader, "Reaver" is able to disappear without a trace. You'd think that this story would at least have merited an editorial footnote telling us when it was meant to take place. It's kind of confusing.

It's nice to see Blade again for the first time in many years, but that doesn't make up for a dud of a story or the continuity questions.

Quality Rating: D+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: There's nothing saying that this story couldn't take place after vampires are restored, with Blade, Drake, King, and the Darkholders just not knowing about it yet. So to hedge my bets about that man-bat, i am placing this at publication date, this after Doctor Strange #14-18.

References:

• Blade was there when all vampires were destroyed in Doctor Strange #62.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Fnord, I don't think that the vampires were supposed to have been reborn in this story. I think the bat in the studio was supposed to be a normal bat. If the Darkholders had access to vampires, then why didn't they have one transform in front of Blade to make the illusion of Safron's transformation more believable? Besides, the next time we see Varnae (after Victor Strange's death) he talks like at that point he's the only vampire alive. As for how Reaver vanished, he probably used the same teleportation spell that the Darkholders used to transport Dracula to safety in Thor 333 and Doctor Strange 60.
In fact, I think that was written prior to Agamatto giving Strange the Darkhold back, since Blade, Drake and King seem to think the Darkholders might have the Darkhold.
Blade was also almost tricked into killing a "vampirized" Safron during the Legion of the Damned story. And he IS tricked into killing an innocent woman with a similar trick during the Blade MAX series. He's almost as bad with this as Charlie Brown is with Lucy and the football.

That's a normal bat?!

Well, like i said, i think it's still fine to place this at publication date as long as we don't know that Dr. Strange told Blade (et al.) that he got the Darkhold back.