Nightstalkers (comics)

Nightstalkers
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
In-story information
Base(s)	Manhattan
Member(s)	Blade Frank Drake Hannibal King

The Nightstalkers is a fictional trio of preexisting characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A team of occult experts, they reluctantly banded together to fight supernatural threats.

It was composed of the vampire-hunters Blade and Frank Drake (who had fought Count Dracula in the 1970s series Tomb of Dracula); and, also from that series, private detective Hannibal King, a "neo-vampire" with vampiric abilities but only a craving, not a need, for drinking blood. They were gathered by Doctor Strange in Nightstalkers #1 (Nov. 1992) to battle an immediate threat, but under his larger, hidden agenda.

Publication history

Nightstalkers ran 18 issues (cover-dated Nov. 1992 - April 1994). It incorporated story threads from previous Marvel Comics supernatural series, primarily Tomb of Dracula (April 1972 - Aug. 1979) where the three protagonists had first appeared.

The series' initial creative team was writer D. G. Chichester, penciller Ron Garney and inker Tom Palmer, reprising his role from Tomb of Dracula. After 11 issues, Steven Grant took over scripting, with Frank Lovece in the final three wrapping up the fates of some of the 1970s series' characters. Artists included Mark Pacella, Kirk Van Wormer and Andrew Wildman.

Fictional team history

Before being formally gathered by Doctor Strange to fight supernatural threats, Hannibal King, Frank Drake, and Blade had founded the detective agency King, Drake, and Blade, later renamed Borderline Investigations.

After Strange manipulated the trio into forming the Nightstalkers, the team fought the many supernatural enemies that were emerging, including the Lilin; Meatmarket; HYDRA's Department of Occult Armaments (DOA) and its renegade Dracula clone, Bloodstorm, who slaughtered that division, including its chief, Lt. Belial; and, ultimately, the one-time Lord of Vampires, Varnae.

Tomb of Dracula threads

Nightstalkers #16 (Feb. 1994): Cover art by Bill Wylie and Frank Turner.

In the final arc (#16-18, Feb.-April 1994), King's house, including Borderline's office, was destroyed in a fire begun by a HYDRA Dreadnought (see cover at right) stealing Drake's anti-occult nanotech gun, the Exorcist. The team disbanded, and at a brief regathering at Blade's home at Strange's urging, was contacted by Domini, Dracula's "widow", who needed their help finding her and Dracula's kidnapped son, Janus (retrieving threads from Tomb of Dracula).

Strange finally revealed that the "Montesi Formula", which had eradicated and prevented further vampires in the Marvel universe, was weakening. In response, he had gathered the three most experienced vampire-hunters so that they could hone their skills and teamwork before Dracula, the lord of vampires, might return. Since all three Nightstalkers had been highly traumatized by their early vampiric battles, Strange held off informing them of vampires' possible return until necessary.

In a final battle, Varnae — a previous lord of vampires who had already returned — took psychic control of King and directed him to kill his comrades. King sacrificed himself instead. Drake, deep in anger and depression, then attempted to sacrifice his own life to kill Varnae, engineering an Exorcist-powered explosion. Blade in self-defense already had staked his old comrade Taj Nital, from Tomb of Dracula, who between these two series had been turned vampiric.

An anguished Blade survived, and with Domini — whose son remained missing — attended his teammates' funeral. He noted "all they found was a charred body that crumbled when they touched it, and Frank's hand, still clutchin' the Exorcist's trigger". Blade would, however, encounter King again in New Orleans, in the subsequent series Blade; there he learned that King's plunge into a metal pole (rather than silver or wood) had fortuitously not killed him, and that he had escaped the explosion. King also informed Blade that Drake was left scarred and crippled in both body and mind. Whether Varnae or Bloodstorm had survived, and whose charred body had remained, was left uncertain.

In other media

A revised version of the Nightstalkers was depicted in the 2004 movie Blade: Trinity starring Wesley Snipes as Blade, Jessica Biel as Abigail Whistler and Ryan Reynolds as Hannibal King. In the movie, Blade was not a Nightstalker himself but allied with them, albeit reluctantly, as they were younger and in his eyes less experienced. In contrast to the more mature and reserved Hannibal King depicted in the comics, Reynolds revision of the character was in keeping with his history of humorous, extroverted characters. Abigail Whistler was the leader of the group. Unlike the comic, there were several lesser members who, being unsuited for physical action, stayed at headquarters in supporting roles.

References

• The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
• The Grand Comics Database