Hmm. I know I read Marvel Comics Presents a fair amount during its seven year, 175 issue run. 90% sure I have the last issue waiting to be blogged during some year's "The End" posts, and I know I read all of "Panther's Quest," which I think was 25 parts! But I don't know if I read all of "Weapon X" as it was serialized; like today's book! From 1991, Marvel Comics Presents #76.
Barry Windsor-Smith's "Weapon X" was the main feature here, taking up the entire front cover: since there were usually four eight-page stories an issue, sometimes another story might be featured or at least mentioned on the cover, but here the only nod was Death's Head in the corner box! This was chapter four, as the Professor, Dr. Cornelius, and Ms. Hines work on conditioning their new weapon; and it gets out of hand as Logan first (to them, anyway) manifests his claws. They can see on their monitors what's in Logan's head, though: namely the Professor, dead as hell.
Next, the penultimate chapter of Shanna the She-Devil's ten-parter, "The Bush of Ghosts," written by Gerald Jones, pencils by Paul Gulacy, inks by Gary Martin. Yeesh, I know Jones was charged with possession of child pornography a couple months back; which means the odds of this one getting reprinted is just about none. Gulacy's art is killer, though.
Then, a Death's Head story! "The Deadliest Game" Written by his creator, Simon Furman, pencils by Bryan Hitch, inks by Mark Farmer. Yay, but it's just a short riff on the old "the Most Dangerous Game," so a little slight. But always nice to see classic DH, yes?
Finally, a Woodgod story...hey, those copyrights don't renew themselves, y'know! "Lonely at the Top," written by Robert Campanella, art by Dave Cockrum! Somewhere in Colorado, Woodgod had genetically engineered other animal-men Changelings like himself; and today we find him breaking up with Dovinia, who is pissed. Still, the snake-in-the-grass lion-man Leoninus sees this as an opportunity--I realize that's a weird metaphor there, but even more oddly, he appears to shop at the same store as Adam Warlock! He's got pretty much the same outfit, except with a little lion instead of the skull! It's kinda cool, actually; I already like Leoninus better than Woodgod, or I would if he wasn't a budding MRA: his whole plot is motivated by striking out with the ladies, so he kidnaps the girls to sell to Roxxon. Dick move, dick; although it does look like maybe Woodgod should have genetically engineered a lion girl, maybe? There's also a creepy scientist digging on Dovinia the deer girl, and now I'm grossed out; even if I want to see our old pal Man-Beast take Leoninus under his wing and teach him proper evil.
Yeah that whole Weapon X saga really was big back then as far as providing much-needed backstory to Logan. A really solid story made even better by the BWS art I feel.
ReplyDeleteNever got Woodgod and from the looks of it neither did Marvel since he's been largely forgotten from the MU for a long time.
You beat me to it, but yes, Leonius looks so much like Adam Warlock it's not funny. It's like Adam cosplaying as the cowardly lion or something.
Don't know how I didn't know about Jones' being busted for kiddie porn. So fucked up beyond words there.