Marvel Comics Presents launched in 1988 as an ad-free anthology showcasing four eight-page features, stuffed inside a wrap-around cover. This guide will tell you everything you wanted to know about the series – and more!
Cover Date: Early December 1988 | Cover Price: $1.25 | Cover Artist: Charles Vess
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Wolverine in “Save the Tiger” part 8 written by Chris Claremont art by John Buscema with Klaus Janson Wolverine and the Tyger invade Roche’s stronghold to rescue O’Donnell. The Tiger takes on Sapphire Styx while Wolverine comes face to face with Razorfist! |
Man-Thing in “Elements of Terror” part 8 written by Steve Gerber art by Tom Sutton As the assault on Marea’s den continues, the Man-Thing lunges into action, destroying the attacking commando unit. And, over in California, the mutated experiment formerly known as Senator Wycombe rages against the metal prison he’s locked within. |
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Master of Kung Fu in “Crossing Lines” conclusion written by Doug Moench art by Tom Grindberg with Dave Cockrum In this concluding chapter, Shang-Chi has his final showdown against Argus, the terrorist leader who claims to have killed Leiko Wu. Our hero comes out the victor but, not before Argus infects him with a chemical agent that will eventually kill him. With the villain beaten, Shang-Chi discovers that Leiko Wu is still alive – the story of her death was no doubt intended to throw off Shang-Chi’s mental state. |
Iron Man in “One Day At A Time” written by Sholly Fisch art by Javier Saltares and Chris Ivy Tony Stark explains to his AA meeting how he’s used the principles he’s learned. He tells them that he created a problem and then used his AA lessons and support to devise a way to solve it, instead of just giving up. Now, what the other AA members don’t realize is that Tony Stark is actually Iron Man. The problem he created was accidentally summoning Zzzax but, he didn’t give in to the energy-based villain. Instead, he devised a way to short circuit the electrical monster. |
This issue marks the first conclusion of one of MCP’s multiple part storylines. The Shang-Chi story provided a powerful impetus for bringing the Master of Kung Fu out of retirement. Not only did he save his former flame’s life but, he took down a terrorist organization (with the help of the Cat and other friends). It also established a new (although, mostly familiar) status quo for our hero – the “new” part is that he’s now infected with a chemical agent that will supposedly kill him within a year. Fortunately, his next appearance in Master of Kung Fu: Bleeding Black, addressed the issue of the slow-acting poison.
As for the Iron Man story, I’ve got to say that I’m typically fond of stories like this – where the narration is similar to what’s actually going on but, still vastly different (or at least, not fully developed, intentionally). And, from a Marvel history point of view, this story is quite important as it establishes the separation of General “Thunderbolt” Ross from Zzzax (which was initiated in Incredible Hulk #327).
On Ebay: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Man-Thing | Shang-Chi | Iron Man
On AtomicAvenue: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Man-Thing | Master of Kung Fu | Iron Man