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: Paul Ryan
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Wolverine in “Sign of the Beast” part 1 written by Dwight Zimmerman art by Paul Ryan In the wilds of Madripoor, Wolverine challenges a pack of dogs hunting a deer. In the skies above, a low-flying airplane zooms by. Logan recognizes the plane – it’s owned by his friend Archie Corrigan. Inside, Archie and Tyger Tiger are being held prisoner by Sheik and his crew (Stump, Rhys, Barrett, Dumas and Scarface). The prisoners are going to be brought to Sheik’s master – Abdul Alhazred. A scuffle breaks out and the airplane is brought crashing down but, everyone survives. Lost in his bloodlust, Wolverine makes his way to the crash sight, grabs Archie and flees into the jungle. Is he in control of himself? Has he rescued his friend or taken him away to be the latest victim of his animal nature? |
Poison in “Vandals of the Heart” part 3 written by Steve Gerber art by Cindy Martin At the Slug‘s behest, a gunman is sent to threaten Trinity Joe into leaving Sally alone. Poison happens upon the scene and takes the merc down. With his trust earned, she gets to hear Trinity Joe’s story. About how he was offered a great banking job. How he was fired when he couldn’t, in good conscience, continue working on one of the bank’s biggest accounts for it belonged to Ulysses X. Luggman and the money coming in seemed suspicious (to say the least). About how his wife Sally left him when his financial surety took a dive. And, how his assistant, Dallas Kerr, took his job … and his girl. |
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Scarlet Witch in “Separate Lives” part 3 written by Richard Howell art by Richard Howell Red Lucy seeks out Valmoora the Seeress to free her of the Scarlet Witch’s inhabiting spirit. After collecting her payment (a handful of jeweles), Valmoora offer her assistance but first, Red Lucy will need the Stones of Merlin to complete the spell that will return Wanda’s spirit. Soon after, Red Lucy and her crew lead a raid on the Earl of Darwell‘s castle – for that is where the Stones are held. Within the castle, she is separated from her men from a fiery blaze summoned by the Earl’s demon protector. Harnessing Wanda’s mutant hex power, Lucy is able to defeat the demon. He stands revealed as a charlatan – not a demon at all but, rather, the Earl of Darnell, himself! Lucy grabs the Stones of Merlin and returns to Valmoora, who aids in sending Wanda’s spirit back to her proper time period. The knowledge of her future descendants inspires Lucy to call an end to her pirating ways … and her crew seeks out a new captain (the editor’s note implies that these are the same pirates seen in Fantastic Four #5 – that makes their soon-to-be-new captain Blackbeard [Ben Grimm – it’s another time-travel story]). |
Deathlok in “Test Run“ written by Dwayne McDuffie with Gregory Wright art by Jackson Guice At Cybertek Weapons, Harlan Ryker introduces Mr. Burr to Deathlok – a super-soldier cyborg piloted by one of the country’s greatest fighting men, Colonel John Kelly. In his latest test, Deathlok is armed with a paintgun and set against twelve top mercenaries brandishing real guns. An internal struggle between Kelly’s brain and the computer causes the programming to fry the brain. And, when Deathlok runs out of paint ammo, his computer switches over to a lethal weapon. It seems that Cybertek has a few “kinks” to iron out with their Deathlok program as they begin to discuss finding a new brain for the cyborg. |
This Wolverine story already seems better than the previous one – will he win out over his animal instincts? In the Poison feature, the Slugg gets a bit of a spotlight – showcasing his vile nature. It’s also rewarding to learn of Trinity Joe’s back story. Tying the Scarlet Witch feature into a classic silver age Fantastic Four issue was an easy way to get me more interested in the story. And, finally, this issue’s main importance comes from its final feature: the first appearance of Deathlok (the John Kelly version who later becomes Siege). Months later, the same writing team started up the Deathlok ongoing series and debuted another version of Deathlok (manned by Michael Collins’ brain). This story serves as a neat prelude to that series (which I’d recommend giving a read).
On Ebay: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Scarlet Witch | Deathlok
On AtomicAvenue: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Scarlet Witch | Deathlok