When Marvel Comics' Blood Hunt kicks off this May, vampires will emerge from the shadows to stake their claim on Earth. However, around every corner of the Marvel Universe is a super hero ready to fight back the hordes and the fate of the UK will be placed in the hands of their flag-bearing hero, Union Jack.
In the pages of Union Jack The Ripper: Blood Hunt, we'll see the fan-favourite hero upgrade himself into a one-man vampire slaying army. The story will play out in a three-issue event tie-in series written by New York Times bestselling author Cavan Scott (Star Wars: The High Republic) and illustrated by acclaimed artist Kev Walker (Guardians of the Galaxy).
It's said we'll see him armour up, grab his trusty Webley pistol, liberate a medieval longsword, strap on some grenades, and head out to slaughter the blood-sucking masses in a way that would make even The Punisher envious. Union Jack's solo mission will place him at war with a specific brood of vampires targeting his homeland, all led by a mysterious villain known as the Hunger.
"It's going to be more brutal than anything we've seen from Union Jack as his methods shift to match the ferocity of an empowered enemy," Scott teases. "Working with Kev Walker on this book is a dream, as we both embrace our love of horror in every panel. But it's not going to just be a gorefest for all involved."
"The miniseries will be asking some big, heartfelt questions appropriate for a character who wears his country's flag on his chest," he continues. "What does that mean when everything you believe in is turned on its head, when everything you've always taken for granted shifts beneath your feet?"
Walker adds, "There’s a couple of firsts here for me. I haven’t done anything this dark, either emotionally or figuratively, before. Most of the horror I’ve done before (Marvel Zombies 3 and Marvel Zombies 4) has come with large doses of humour in the mix. Any humour here is definitely black."
"It’s also the first time I’ve actually had the chance to draw something set in my part of the world. Since I live in the North of England (the opposite side of the Pennines, but near enough), it actually feels more personal," the artist explains. "This story is also pretty blunt and brutal, like something I might have drawn at the beginning of my career in comics, so it’ll be interesting to see if I’ve mellowed over the last 35 years."
Vampires have inherited the Earth, and one lone man has made it his mission to protect it. But what does Joey Chapman, have up his sleeves? And will it be enough? And who will Union Jack have to face to keep London from falling?
We'll find out this May, but for now, you can check out Ryan Brown's gorgeous cover for Union Jack The Ripper: Blood Hunt #1 below.
UNION JACK THE RIPPER: BLOOD HUNT #1 (OF 3)
Written by CAVAN SCOTT
Art by KEV WALKER
Cover by RYAN BROWN
On Sale 5/15