Marvel Halloween Special Features First Appearance of MCU Original Character

The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Comics Universe are having a monster crossover. Marvel announced this year's Halloween special -- Crypt of Shadows #1, the annual anthology one-shot featuring Marvel's "mystical, monstrous, and downright terrifying characters" -- will spotlight supernatural-themed characters from the creepier corners of the MCU, including Agatha Harkness (as seen in Agatha All Along ), Scarlet Witch ( Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ), Blade ( Deadpool & Wolverine ), and Werewolf and Man-Thing (the Marvel Studios Special Presentation Werewolf by Night ).

Marvel's black-and-white TV special introduced seasoned monster hunter Joshua Jovan (played by Kirk R. Thatcher), who boasted of 57 confirmed kills during a gathering of the cabal at the funeral of Ulysses Bloodstone (Richard Dixon). Though Jovan didn't survive the ceremonial hunt that decided who would wield a powerful supernatural relic known as the Bloodstone, the original character will be making his Marvel Comics debut when Crypt of Shadows #1 (2024) goes on sale October 16th.

Joshua Jovan's comic book counterpart appears on the Crypt of Shadows #1 variant cover by Juan Ferreyra ( Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance ), which you can see above along with the regular cover (below) by Leinil Francis Yu ( Avengers Assemble ) featuring Agatha, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Man-Thing , Werewolf by Night, Blade, Namor, and Kraven.

The anthology comic is in the vein of Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow , with the witch Agatha Harkness presenting the tales in a new framing story by Steve Orlando ( Scarlet Witch ) and artist Claire Roe ( Fearless ).

Former Wolverine writer Benjamin Percy and Darth Vader artist Rafael Ienco pit the monstrous Man-Thing against Namor the Sub-Mariner; Kraven the Hunter becomes Kraven the Monster Hunter as he pursues Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night, and battles Blade the vampire slayer in a story by Dazzler writer Jason Loo and CapWolf artist Carlos Magno; and in a story written by Christopher Condon ( Venom War: Daredevil ) and Djibril Morissette-Phan ( Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood ), Jovan appears in a Marvel comic for the first time when he falls through the Last Door and finds himself face-to-face with his greatest prey yet: the Scarlet Witch.

Crypt of Shadows #1 goes on sale Oct. 16th from Marvel Comics.