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: 1991 | Cover Price: $1.25 | Cover Artist: Barry Windsor-Smith (front); Mark Chiarello (back)

Wolverine in “Weapon X” part 9 written by Barry Windsor-Smith art by Barry Windsor-Smith A squad of armed men manage to remove the Professor from his lab before he’s mauled to death by Weapon X. However, he doesn’t escape unscathed – his hand has been sliced off! He’s intercepted by Doctor Abraham Cornelius, and they run off to hide in the Adamantium Reactor Hold along with Hines. The Professor commands Cornelius to shoot Weapon X’s power supply, which would shut him down. He reveals that Weapon X is currently in the control of someone else – but he won’t reveal who. Meanwhile, Weapon X has decimated the squad of men and cut the power to the Adamantium Reactor’s turbines. As the Reactor begins to overheat, Weapon X breaks through and comes face to face with the Professor.

Captain America in “Wargod” conclusion written by Steve Ditko art by Steve Ditko Captain America comes to (after his gassing last issue by Mora) and takes on Wargod’s men. After he gets through them, he comes face to face with Wargod but, he’s got Senator Weason and General Hager at his mercy – trapped within a glass case hooked to lethal gas. It’s up to Cap to defeat Wargod before the villain can kill the captives. And, as the battle draws to a close, the villain’s helmet is knocked off … revealing Mora, the General’s daughter.

Ant-Man in “Time Bomb“ written by Dana Moreshead art by James Fry Ant-Man‘s been called in to defuse a bomb planted by terrorists. Shrinking down to ant-size, he’s able to get inside the bomb to disconnect the wires. Unfortunately, he steps on a floor failsafe and, if he shifts his weight off, it’ll trigger the bomb! So, he enlists the aid of some local ants to get out of the jam.

Daredevil in “the Call“ written by Robert Denatale art by Marshall Rogers Tony and Bruno have been hired to intimidate Audrey and her Gra’ma to leave their home. They’re the only two remaining in a tenant building that the owner wants to demolish. Gra’ma believes herself to be a powerful witch – so, later that night she casts a spell to summon a demon to protect her and her granddaughter from the enforcers. When Daredevil shows up to save the day, she’s still convinced that her magic worked and that DD is the demon she summoned to protect her.

The mystery of who the Professor is working with continues as the Weapon X action heats up. Ditko’s Cap tale concluded and I’m still quite confused by the motivation of all these characters. Too much exposition and too many new characters … only 16 pages. It just didn’t work for me. Although, I must point out that Ditko’s artwork actually looks decent here, enhanced by Terry Austin’s inking. It was nice to see the spotlight shine on Ant-Man II (Scott Lang) – a character who doesn’t get much solo limelight. It was a fun, small-scale adventure with wonderful artwork. The Daredevil story had a fun hook … but, at the same time, it kind of makes you feel bad for the senile old woman. It’s kind of cool when a story can inspired two conflicting emotions like that.

On Ebay: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Captain America | Ant-Man | Daredevil
On AtomicAvenue: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Captain America | Ant-Man | Daredevil

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: 1991 | Cover Price: $1.25 | Cover Artist: Barry Windsor-Smith (front); Rodney Ramos (back)

Wolverine in “Weapon X” part 8 written by Barry Windsor-Smith art by Barry Windsor-Smith Weapon X is on the loose and neither Doctor Abraham Cornelius nor the Professor can get him back under control. As the situation spirals out of control, it appears the Professor is reporting the trouble to some unknown person. Meanwhile, Weapon X continues to make his way toward the Professor’s lab – it appears that he knows exactly where his target is. By the end of the issue, the Professor is savagely attacked by Weapon X.

Captain America in “Wargod” part 1 written by Steve Ditko art by Steve Ditko Captain America answers an urgent call from Jake Bage, semi-retired FBI officer. When he gets to Jake’s apartment, he discovers the agent’s dead body and is attacked by the killer, Wargod. The villain overpowers Cap and tosses him out a window. By the time our hero can make his way back to the apartment, Wargod has made his escape – but not before he destroyed some mysterious files. At the apartment, Cap discovers a recording by Jake that explains some leads about Wargod. It leads him to seek out Agent X-4, who is timely attacked by a squad of masked goons. Later, Captain America follows up on a lead that X-4 discovered, and meets up with the now-resigned General Hager. After the meeting, the General’s daughter, Mora, renders Cap unconscious with a dose of gas! It appears that she’s one of Wargod’s aides.

Daughters of the Dragon in “Child’s Play“ written by Jo Duffy art by Chris Tsuda Mr. and Mrs. Peters have hired the Daughters of the Dragon to find their missing daughter, Shana. A little girl calling herself Tok leads them to where the kidnappers are. After some daring maneuvers, the girls manage to incapacitate all four goons … but the missing girl is nowhere to be found. Nowhere, that is, until her parents show up and we find out that “Tok” is just Shana’s nickname! Somehow, the little girl managed to break free and then lead the Daughters of the Dragon to the kidnappers (without revealing that she was, indeed, the kidnapped child).

Mr. Fantastic in “Fantastic Foray“ written by Danny Fingeroth art by Dennis Jensen Mr. Fantastic is trying to analyze the Thing’s hide in order to get a fix on its DNA structure. After days of laboring on it with no results, he decides to take a walk in hopes of clearing his thoughts. He decides to wander into an arcade where he ends up playing Flight to the Stars and racks up the high score with ease. But, the locals don’t take kindly to an outsider coming in and breaking their record, so the gang jumps him! In the ensuing battle, an arcade machine is busted up and a supply of cocaine, that was hiding inside, is revealed! Mr. Fantastic subdues all of the drug-dealing villains and, in the end, befriends the neighborhood boy whose record he just beat. The two of them strike up a friendship and head to another arcade to battle it out over high scores.

This chapter reveals a new thread to the Weapon X storyline: just who is the Professor working with … or for? Ditko’s Captain America story seems somewhat political … but I’m not really sure what he’s driving at yet. The Daughters of the Dragon tale was a bit of a stretch – just how could that girl break free from four armed thugs? Finally, the Mr. Fantastic story was nothing special until the last page where he has a bonding moment with a talented youth who has given up on school.

On Ebay: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Captain America | Daughters of the Dragon | Fantastic Four
On AtomicAvenue: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Captain America | Daughters of the Dragon | Fantastic Four