In anticipation of the new movie, Marvel has thrown together some of the earliest appearances of Morbius the Living Vampire from the 1960s and '70s, along with a more recent take on his origin story.

The comics from Amazing Spider-Man #101-102 by Roy Thomas are purely dreadful, overwritten swill that has Spider-Man and Morbius spewing monologues to themselves panel after panel after panel before getting involved in a very dumb three-way battle with the Lizard. The Marvel Team-Up issues are a direct sequel and slightly less awful, but nothing for anyone involved to brag about. The single chapter from Fear #20 is the start of a longer story and ends on a cliffhanger, so there is no satisfaction to be had there.

The final selection from Amazing Spider-Man #699.1 (I HATE that sort of stunt numbering!) looks better at least with modern coloring and a more open page layout, but the writing is still overwrought, though now the stuff that used to go in word balloons is now contained in caption boxes. But it still shows the main problem: Morbius is a unsympathetic drag. All he does is lust for blood and whine about how he is lusting for blood before killing someone while in the midst of his bloodlust. Being a "living" vampire seems to mean nothing; he's just another sulky and amoral bloodsucker.

I can't imagine the movie will use much of this material if it wants to be successful. ( )