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: 1990 | Cover Price: $1.25 | Cover Artist: Brad Vancata
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Wolverine in “On The Road” part 6 written by Michael Higgins art by Dave Ross The mysterious Wolverine imposter reveals to the Hulk that he is … Calvin Rankin! That’s the Mimic, for those of you in the dark. He recounts his life as the Mimic – from the development of his powers, to joining the X-Men, to his near-death at the Hulk‘s hands. And, finally, his story leads to his regeneration by absorbing Wolverine’s powers. He surmises that his new, permanent state is a result of absorbing Wolverine’s powers in combination with the Hulk’s gamma radiation. And, as his story concludes, Wolverine finally catches up with them. |
Werewolf in “Children of the Beast” conclusion written by Len Kaminski art by James Fry In the Silver Dagger‘s raid on the Braineaters, his strike force (the Sword of the Lord) destroys the werewolf pack with silver bullets. Enraged by the senseless death of the werewolves, the Werewolf by Night takes on Silver Dagger, himself. Biting him in the neck! Normally, this would infect the victim with lycanthropy but, now that Jack Russell is in control, he can control the passing. And, he decides not to infect Silver Dagger … but, the Sword of the Lord doesn’t realize this. So, assuming Dagger has been infected – they turn on their former leader! Meanwhile, Jack Russell rides off into the night with a new purpose in life: find others who have been touched by the paranormal and help them adjust. |
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Sub-Mariner in “Neptune’s Eye” conclusion written by Robert Denatale art by Mike Collins Namor and Sandra emerge from Neptune’s Eye and return to their base, to discover it has been ravaged! Venturing further, they find Sandra’s comrades have fled into a sub-aquatic rover that is surrounded by creatures from the Eye. It seems that the closer the old man gets to death, the more frenzied the creatures become. They blame humans for his impending death but, their rage is quelled when Namor displays the amulet to them and recites his incantation. The old man’s embrace of his destiny inspires Namor to get over the death of his beloved Marrina. |
Punisher in “the Real Thing“ written by Marcus McLauren art by Dan Reed Mr. Ling sets the Punisher up by having him follow a false trail in order to unleash his men on the elusive vigilante. He even enlists a young boy to enter the scene to distract the Punisher. The Punisher must work through all of Ling’s enforcers and save the boy, before the mobster can kill him (after all, Ling can’t have any loose ends that point back to him, can he?). |
The Wolverine/Hulk story has now revealed the mystery villain: the Mimic. This story marks his return to the Marvel Universe since his supposed death in the Incredible Hulk #161 (cover date: March 1973). As Werewolf By Night’s story concludes, it sets up a new direction for the character. It could have led to a very interesting ongoing series, with Jack Russell helping out other Marvel Monsters – but, alas, it wasn’t to be (although, he’ll return in future issues of MCP). My hopes for the Namor feature to be about exploring an unknown undersea world have been dashed. In the end, it was more about getting over the death of Marrina than finding a new locale. Punisher’s 8-page story was absolutely forgettable but the art was decent for the time.
On Ebay: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Werewolf | Sub-Mariner | Punisher
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