A "monster mash"? More like a dead man's party, from 1970's Fear #30, reprinted in 1993's Morbius Revisited #4, "The Vampires of Mason Manor!" Written by Bill Mantlo, pencils by George Evans, inks by Frank Springer.
After facing the bizarre dimensions of the monstrous Helleyes, living vampire Michael Morbius and former C.I.A. man turned vampire hunter Simon Stroud find themselves attacked by real vampires! Which neither really believed in up to that point, even though there had been plenty of evidence: Morbius's victims, while traumatized and drained of a bit of blood, wouldn't turn into vampires themselves, yet there were several apparently tearing up Boston. Morbius is actually convinced he's hallucinating this fight, even as Stroud tries to convince him otherwise and the slain vampires turn to dust.
While back at the police station, Morbius's girlfriend Martine is unable to convince the cops of the dangers of a vampire, until the vampire breaks loose. Morbius and Stroud have their own problems, with Morbius going crazy with bloodlust right before they crash into a party full of vampires! So intent on blood, Morbius bites a vampire's neck, then helps Stroud capture one, who doesn't seem especially curious about how he came to be a vampire: he had been bitten, woke up a vampire three days later, and was drawn to that mysterious house. Morbius and Stroud take their prisoner back to the cops, to find Martine had herself been turned to a vampire!
Ah, I need to find that next issue or the reprint: I suspect Martine was cured, but I'm not sure it took; she may have been an actual undead vampire later on! I'm watching old vampire movies as I type this (the Vampire Lovers and the Return of Count Yorga) and I still think Morbius deserves a shot at B-movie fame.
Now can someone explain to me how Morbius doesn't become a real real Vampire since he bit real vampires?
ReplyDeleteJust seems like something that would likely happen, as books and movies have led us to believe. Unless Morbius' unique condition and radiated blood negates the effects of a Vampire's bite. Or duh! Comic Book Science bitch.
Take your pick I guess;)
I don't know if I thought about it before, but I guess Morbius is super-irradiated, and that turns out to be the cause of like 90% of the problems in these issues.
ReplyDeleteWait. If you bit a vampire, would you become one? I don't think it would become you...hmm.