Ever wondered what might happen if Blade were to duke it out with Wolverine? We need not wonder for much longer, as Marvel Comics is set to answer that question for us this summer. The publisher has officially announced a new special comic, Wolverine Vs. Blade, from writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Dave Wilkins. Will it be the Daywalker or the metal-clawed mutant who emerges victorious? That won't be revealed for a few months, but it should be fun finding out.

Wolverine Vs. Blade is being billed as a one-off special, which is set to hit stands or a digital retailer near you this July. The cover art for the book has been revealed and it looks absolutely wild. Set against a blood-red backdrop, with the moon shining behind them, the two titular characters are going at one another viciously. Blade is dangerously near piercing Wolverine with a stake that looks like it may be made out of Adamantium. Meanwhile, Wolverine, who is decked out in black with bloodshot eyes, has his claws out and looks less than pleased with the situation. Marvel has also released a brief logline for the book that more than gets the point across.

"Two of the deadliest hunters ever to have stalked the night face off! Wolverine vs. Blade, 'nuff said!"

It isn't clear why the two characters are going to be squaring off just yet. Though, Wolverine looks like he may have something going on. Has he perhaps been turned into a vampire of sorts? Marc Guggenheim has written for both characters previously on an individual basis, but never together. He wrote the Wolverine solo series from 2006 to 2008 and Blade from 2006 to 2007. The writer had this to say about the book, which has apparently been in the works for literally a decade.

"This is a book that's been, not kidding, ten years in the making. I couldn't possibly be more excited for it to finally see publication. I think it's worth the wait."

So why did it take so long to get this book published? That's tough to say, though we can take a good guess as to why it's happening now. The Disney / Fox deal recently closed, meaning that Marvel once again has the rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Last year, comic book great and Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld revealed that Marvel Comics has upped the budget on their X-Men books once again, given the Fox deal. That means we can expect more books, such as this, featuring Marvel's mutants in the future.

It's also worth mentioning that there are rumors of a new Blade project in the works with Wesley Snipes. So why not get him back in the comics as much as possible until then? Be sure to check out the cover art from Wolverine Vs. Blade below. This news was previously reported by Monkeys Fighting Robots.