Spider-Man has never had guest stars like this relaunch. This is kind of nuts. I make lists of who’s in the issues for the drawings I make after each block, and the “heroes” column has never been longer than “villains” before, sheesh. 7 months in and Thor, Iceman, the FF, Marrow, Spider-Woman, Black Cat and now Blade have all guested, and that’s not even counting the cameos in ASM 1. This one’s pretty interesting to me, tho, because it would’ve been made several months after the 1998 Blade movie was a big, surprise hit. A Blade guest spot has a LOT more weight than it did when he was in MTU, Vol. 2 #7. He’s a bigger Hollywood star than Spider-Man in this moment. Wild. We get some surprising new information on page 1…
Our old pal Jimmy Six? Returning to a life of crime? My money’s on the 6 vampires beating the 2 mooks prrrretty handily.
A car comes crashing through the window, and the mooks come out carrying that big trunk. I guess I lost my bet! But the vampires are right behind them, and then the lights go out, and Spider-Man is on the scene. He webs the vamps and then demands the goons tell him what’s going on. He STILL DOESN’T BELIEVE IN VAMPIRES… I’m not even getting into it, at this point… and then they’re besieged. Spidey momentarily teams up with the mobsters against the fangs, but he gets swarmed and is in trouble, and thinks if these are really vampires, he could really use a stake, which leads to hands down the goofiest joke I’ve seen in these titles… in… maybe ever…
I mean… that’s ridiculous. I can’t decide if it’s great or terrible. It could even be both! Spidey worries that he can’t be late for MJ, then takes off after the goon. Mutt tries to shoot him, but that doesn’t go too well, and then it’s time for that sweet, sweet exposition.
Mutt stakes that guy, then says the scary guy in the flashback was named Hunger. Hey, that’s loser again already. Spider-Man webs up the entrance for the other vamps, then Mutt explains that Jimmy said they needed what’s in this crate, and that’s all he knows. And then, rather belatedly, our guest star finally appears on panel.
Ladies & gentlemen, Wesley Snipes! Blade gives Spider-Man a chance to walk away and not disappoint his wife, but he naturally doesn’t take it, and finds himself in a spooky pit with Mutt, Blade and a whole buncha vampires, who Blade mows down with automatic stake guns. Then “Hunger” appears, and blows up Blade & Mutt’s guns with his ill-defined powers.
Mutt is made to stake his newly-vamped buddy, which further weakens Hunger.
Ya know, he really didn’t. He coulda just let the expert handle it. But… that’s the book, I suppose. They say I won’t believe what’s in the trunk, and I won’t! I remember looking up Hunger and finding out his deal after PPSM 4, but I apparently forgot IMMEDIATELY. No idea. That’s kind of embarrassing. The memory isn’t what it once was. But, also, who cares? I guess we find out next time.