As Colombia Pictures’ Morbius is set to release in April, comics featuring the titular supervillain of Spider-Man are selling out. Dr. Michael Morbius AKA Morbius has been around since 1971, but mainstream audiences are just now becoming familiar with the Living Vampire.

Following a myriad of delays due to the pandemic, Morbius will soon have a theatrical release. Jared Leto’s portrayal of the vampire enemy of Spider-Man will stand on his own in his film debut. This isn’t the first time the villain has carried his own story, as he has had his own title in Morbius: The Living Vampire. Ever since he first appeared in comics, writers have given Morbius spin-off stories, removing Spider-Man from the scenario and proving he can work solo.

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Now, Morbius comics are selling out ahead of the film releasing on April 1. With the villain’s exposure to mainstream audiences, he is gaining new fans as displayed by trade collections being sold at a distributor scale. Among the comics that are being purchased are Morbius: Old Wounds, written by Vita Ayala with art by Marcelo Ferraira, Morbius: Preludes and Nightmares which collects issues from the ‘60s to the ‘90s, and Morbius Epic Collection: The End of a Living Vampire, which collects issues from the ‘70s.

Audiences have had similar responses ahead of Disney+ shows, Hawkeye and the upcoming Moon Knight. It had been widely promoted that Matt Fraction and David Aja’s critically acclaimed run of Hawkeye inspired the show, making it necessary reading. However, Morbius appears to be taking some liberties with the character. Although his comic book appearance remains intact, Jared Leto’s portrayal diverges from the villain’s personality, as the film morphs him into an antihero. New fans are bound to notice the differences as they become acquainted with the source material ahead of the film.

Joining Venom as a villain who has gained a following apart from his original nemesis Spider-Man, the Living Vampire has a new lease on life. Previously, Morbius was a somewhat-obscure character in comics, homaging old horror titles that have fluctuated over the years in popularity. Coincidentally, the vampiric villain is getting his cinematic adaptation around the same time that Marvel is set to bring Blade back to live action. Other horror adjacent Marvel properties similar to Morbius have been reported to have live action iterations in coming years. Soon, casual fans will have a newfound awareness of the Marvel Universe, beyond the superheroes they have known.

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