Cyberspace Comics market report, reviews and more

April 6, 2012

Guide To Marvel Comics Presents #56

Filed under: Guide to Marvel Comics Presents — Doorman @ 7:55 am

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!


Marvel Comics Presents #56
Cover Date: 1990 | Cover Price: $1.25 | Cover Artist: Steve Lightle


Wolverine in “On The Road” part 3
written by Michael Higgins
art by Dave Ross

Logan wakes to find himself imprisoned but, he quickly busts out. His body is in immense pain and he tracks down large amounts of pain killers to stop it. Meanwhile, Bruce Banner has been picked up by four teenagers in a red convertible. When they get caught speeding, Bruce tries to flee the scene but he’s picked up by the local police. On their way back to base, they’re called to another scene by the dispatcher. When they arrive, they discover Logan has been surrounded by police – they think he’s wanted for murder. And, as the sun sets, Banner turns into the Hulk, who rushes to Wolverine‘s side.

Werewolf in “Children of the Beast” part 3
written by Len Kaminski
art by Jim Fry

As the Silver Dagger lunges in for the kill, Jack Russell transforms into the Werewolf By Night. Sensing the potential killer’s outfit covered in actual silver, the Werewolf runs off into the woods with Silver Dagger chasing behind. Wounded and exhausted, the Werewolf passes out but not before his eyes are met by a large pack of werewolves with the female in front referring to him as … her father?!

Stingray in “Family Matters” conclusion
written by Len Wein
art by Jim Fern

Stingray attempts to dig his wife out from the collapsed cavern but his suit doesn’t have the strength left to do it alone. His only hope is to convince Tiger Shark to help by reaching the human side of the villain that he has been trying so hard to suppress.

Speedball in “Any Number Can Play
written by Steve Ditko with Jo Duffy
art by Steve Ditko

Springdale has an ordinance against costumed heroes and villains but, Speedball doesn’t seem to give it much credit. Nor do the masked men he’s just discovered each with unique mask displaying different die configuration (one, two, three, four, etc). They also appear to be double-crossing each other – Trio is killed first! Can the Masked Marvel defeat the others and leave the scene before the police show up? You betcha!

I’m still not convinced that this Wolverine/Hulk story will be all that interesting, let alone coherent. Werewolf by Night got kicked up another notch – I’m really interested to see if this is an actual daughter or “figurative” offspring. After Stingray’s less-than-appealing story last issue, this one really makes up for it and shows a side of Tiger Shark that we don’t often see. And, finally, Speedball was pretty terrible. After suffering through all ten issues of the Masked Marvel’s ongoing series, I thought I’d never have the displeasure of reading another Ditko-Speedball story. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

On Ebay: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Werewolf | Stingray | Speedball
On AtomicAvenue: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Werewolf | Speedball

No Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment

Powered by WordPress