We’re certainly not a comic book blog, but I thought this was worthy of mention – especially as the intermingling of both the comic book and cinema universes continues; meaning, in short, given the ongoing discussion of the possible return of Blade to film or TV, there’s always a chance that this new change makes the leap.
Marvel Comics has unveiled a new upcoming Blade comic book series that will focus on the daughter of the original Blade – a sixteen-year-old girl named Fallon Grey.
Here’s how she’s described: "She’s lean, she’s mean and she has no idea she’s the daughter of a monster killing machine! This October, it’s the Marvel Universe’s resident vampire hunter like you’ve never seen before in BLADE #1 – a brand new ongoing series from writer Tim Seeley (Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy) and artist Logan Faerber (Secret Wars: Battleworld)! Meet Fallon Grey. A normal sixteen year old girl from rural Oregon. Nominated for Prom Queen, Captain of the Debate Team, most popular girl in her class. But there is another side to Fallon. A feeling like there’s something else going on inside. When terror strikes her small town, she’ll find out just how right she was. As fearsome supernatural forces invade her town, hunting her down – she’ll come face to face with something even more shocking than the monsters on her tail. Eric Brooks…Blade…her father?!"
So why the Fallon Grey intro?
New series writer Tim Seeley says: “[Editor Katie Kubert] and I decided Blade needed something to care about, and that his previously simple mission is the very reason he realizes he needs more to his life. He can’t go on just to stab vampires in their heads anymore. It’s not fulfilling. His rage and hate is subsiding as he gets older. And that’s when Fallon Grey comes along!"
He adds: “Blade’s daughter is 16-year-old Fallon Grey… She’s a sort of ‘anti-Peter Parker.’ She’s popular, she’s well-liked and it seems like the world is her oyster. But, the expectations that come with being so damn perfect are starting to break her down, and that’s before she learns she’s the heir to a Daywalking-Monster-Stabbing-Empire… It’s always a dream come true to bring some of your own particular brand of comic to Marvel… And since some of my major influences are 70’s Marvel horror comics, it’s also a way for me to complete the bloody circle. I think readers of [my other work] – Hack/Slash and Revival – will find things to like about our take on Blade, and I think we’re creating a cool fusion of modern horror comic, 70’s monster comic, John Carpenter movie, and John Hughes movie."
That’s quite a mixture there!
In the press release, Seeley also mentions a brand new villain named Black Genus, suggesting that the character will be unlike anything Blade fans are accustomed to, introducing a new level of scares… and fun. But he doesn’t go into details.
"Blade #1" will debut in October.
Again, with the timing of this announcement, coinciding with Wesley Snipes’ revelation at Comic-Con over the weekend that he’d spoken to Marvel about how they might bring back Blade, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Fallon Grey figures into the "how" in some way. There’s also the Netflix/Marvel relationship, which could prove to be a suitable testing ground for, let’s say, a Fallon Grey animated or live-action series, entirely her own.
Stay tuned…
Check out some concept art above and below:
