Tuesday, February 26, 2019

A black envelope is fine for a wedding invite, but for a comic cover?


I've been scratching my head trying to recall if I read this issue, let alone the rest of the crossover. I know I had been reading Darkhold at least a bit...From 1993, Morbius #12, "The Bait" Written by Gregory Wright, pencils by Ron Wagner, inks by Mike Witherby.

Hmm, I think I had fallen off Darkhold by this point, the "Midnight Massacre" crossover with Nightstalkers, Ghost Rider, and the Ghost Rider spin-off Spirits of Vengeance. The cover gimmick was a black parchment "envelope," like the Darkhold pages were doled out in; since Blade had taken a page from it to become Switchblade. (Ugh...) In a mad crusade against the supernatural, he had killed John Blaze, Hannibal King, and Victoria Montesi (from the Darkhold book) as well as Modred the Mystic and Demogoblin. (The heroes weren't in any particular hurry to avenge those last two.) Switchblade absorbed their respective powers, and became more powerful with each kill.

Morbius gets a phone call warning from the other heroes, but has his own problems. Infected with demonic "Lilin" blood, Morby was in even less control than usual, but still pulls himself together to go to work in the morning. He may have some help, though: guest-star Jack Russell, Werewolf by Night! He had achieved a modicum of control over his dark nature, and wanted to help Morbius with his. They're attacked by Switchblade, who seemingly kills Jack with a pumpkin bomb, then nails Morbius to the wall! Morby being a "living" vampire, he doesn't turn into dust or anything; moreover, with the "human" no more, the Lilin side takes over, oozing like liquid and killing a bum to regain its strength. It attacks Switchblade again, and it goes even worse: Morbius is reduced to a charred skeleton.

In what appears to be the afterlife, Morbius is greeted by his lost love Martine...who welcomes him to the "bowels of the netherworld!" That doesn't sound great...Switchblade's story would be wrapped up in Spirits of Vengeance #13, where I'd guess everyone he killed was brought back. Except maybe Morby, who might've had to fight it out himself, judging by the next cover.

2 comments:

  1. Wait...you can send wedding invitations in black envelopes? Why did I not know this!

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  2. ^Ha!

    I'm curious as to why they made (Switch)Blade so ridiculously over-powered, have him kill all those people only to lessen the impact of their deaths by bringing them back to life.

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