Blade has always ranked high when it comes to the coolest heroes in the Marvel universe. The duster, body armor, bandolier full of stakes, and trademark shades blend together to create a look that positively screams mid-90’s bad boy. But his 1972 debut in the pages of The Tomb of Dracula features a vampire hunter that looks quite different from the stylishly foreboding figure we all know and love. In fact, back in the day, Blade was kind of a dork.
In the opening pages of The Tomb of Dracula #10, written by the legendary Marv Wolfman and illustrated by Gene Colan, we see a young couple walking down an empty alleyway at night. Perhaps unexpectedly (seriously, it’s like they’re asking to encounter the undead) they’re attacked by a group of vampires. Things are looking bleak when suddenly a hero leaps from the shadows and begins to off the bloodsuckers. This dynamic do-gooder is Blade, the vampire hunter, and it's in his debut act of heroics that we get our first glimpse of his strange getup.
Where to begin? We’ve seen some interesting choices in the eye-wear department in the past when it comes to superhero costumes, but Blade’s sunglasses(?) might take the cake. Those definitely appear to be yellow squash goggles he’s rocking, and while there’s no denying the amount of retinal protection they must be lending him is high, it also makes it look like Blade just left the local YMCA after playing a few rounds. But hey, maybe that’s how he stays active in between vampire slayings?
Now for the jacket. With a coat like that, you half expect Blade to greet you with a hearty “ahoy matey” before dancing a jaunty jig. There’s nothing wrong with the pirate look, lots of heroes and villains have made it work, but it’s a strange choice when coupled with the goggles. To be fair, it probably does have lots of pockets on the inside for storage and looks to be a pretty warm coat. When you’re up to your eyeballs in vampires, you don’t want to also be worrying about catching a chill. Finally, there are the riding boots. These are actually kind of excusable, many superheroes rock the high-cut boot look, but should still be addressed when considering their impracticality. They can’t be comfortable. Like, when you’re chasing after the undead down dank misty alleyways, you’re going to want footwear with more traction, right?
It’s interesting to note the aspects of this first design that would be used in later iterations of Blade’s costume, like the stake bandolier and the holster strapped to his upper thigh. Maybe the more questionable fashion decisions should be chalked up to some early 70’s post-hippie vibes that we’re too disconnected from to dig. It’s definitely one of the stranger outfits seen on a debuting hero, but certainly not the only one (we’re looking at YOU first-appearance Daredevil).