It's not really a random MCP issue if it's the next MCP issue, is it.

I mentioned picking this one up the last time we flipped through an MCP, and figured we'd get to it in 2027. So, we're ahead of schedule, anyway! From 1994, Marvel Comics Presents #157, cover by Colin MacNeil.

I also thought the front cover had the bar code? Maybe not, judging from the text on the letters column on the inside cover, since a letter is continued on the other side; so maybe the Fury side is the front? "Jury of Your Peers" is an eight-pager, with Fury infiltrating a HYDRA base, to rescue agents captured by the sadistic "Number 16." With the Helicarrier bombing the base, it looks like Fury is trapped in the bad guy's dungeon...all according to plan? (Written by Mariano Nicieza, pencils by Kris Renkewitz, inks by Brad Vancata.)

The Namorita Kymaera serial continues with "Mother May I." Dehydrated and weakened, Kymaera has at least figured out she's on a sub, so hasn't given up yet; despite being grabbed by a guy in a powered armor with really weird tentacles. Seriously, like two launching from the nipple area and one from the gut; it's weird placement. (Story and pencils by Ed Lazellari, inks by Joe Rosas.) The Vengeance serial "Altered Spirits" also continues, as Michael Badilino wakes up in a homeless shelter, which comes as a relief: maybe all that stuff about being Bizarro-Ghost Rider was just a dream? Yeah, no such luck; and he realizes he's going to have to take his power back from Phantome, who's on a rampage, and memorably melts a guy's face off his skull, for holding her up in traffic. I feel like they were trying to work the formula to maybe add a female Ghost Rider-type, but she wouldn't stick. Also, Badilino helps restrain a homeless guy screaming "I am Kirok!" Hey, who among us... (Written by Chris Cooper, breakdowns by Reggie Jones, finishes by Fred Harper.)

Finally, the Shang-Chi serial also continues; as Shang discovers the "Midnight Slasher" that kidnapped his girl Leiko, was an old foe, Lazarus. It must suck in the MCU to meet and/or fight somebody named "Lazarus" because it all but guarantees they're going to come back after their "death," doesn't it? (Written by Karl Bollers, pencils by Cary Nord, inks by Bambos Georgio.)

Man, I wish I could find my Vengeance Marvel Legend figure: he's one of the very few from the Toy Biz days to not have gotten a re-do since! Read more!

It's been months since I blogged a random issue of Marvel Comics Presents, and I feel like we've seen some of the other serials in this one; but at least one story got my attention--achtung, you might say! From 1994, Marvel Comics Presents #156, cover by Colin MacNeil.

We checked out MCP #158 some time back; which had later chapters from this one: here, we've got the first part of a Vengeance serial (as he gets his powers stolen by Phantome) and a Shang-Chi one with so many caption boxes; as well as the second part of a Namorita/Kymaera New Warriors story. (It gets labelled a New Warriors story on the cover, since Kymaera probably didn't have the name recognition at that point.) (Vengeance page from "Altered Spirits, part 1" Written by Chris Cooper, breakdowns by Reggie Jones, inks by Fred Harper.)

But, the standalone fourth story is the good one, featuring the Destroyer! Or, in German, der Zerstörer; as most of this one is auf Deutsch. And, it's from Dan Slott and James Fry, who also did the Destroyer in Midnight Sons Unlimited #9, this time with Mark Badger inks. There's some English from a bomber crew with impeccable taste, with "Union Jacquie" Spitfire on the nose of their plane!

Not a character that shows up a ton, but it feels like he has some creators as fans. Good for him! Also, I'm pretty sure I've picked up the next issue; which means we'll probably look at the Nick Fury story from it in 2027... Read more!

"The End" Week: Web of Spider-Man #129!

I'm 60% sure I bought this new, for the Overpower card. I didn't play it, but sure. Aw, no card in today's copy: from 1995, Web of Spider-Man #129, "Time Bomb, part 2: By My Hand, Mary Jane Must Die!" Plot by Tom DeFalco, script by Todd Dezago, breakdowns by Steven Butler, finishes by Randy Emberlin.

This last issue snuck up on me, since it doesn't have "collector's item last issue" all over the cover: instead, along with the Overpower corner tag, there's a logo for "Marvel Spider-Man Group," as this was when the Marvel universe was basically broken out into editorial fiefdoms. The New Warriors had been a de facto Spidey book since adding Scarlet Spider as a member, and they guest-star here; as a post-hypnotic command from the Jackal has turned Peter Parker to kill the person he loves most: Mary Jane. Spidey is more than a match for the short Warriors roster of Firestar, Justice, Speedball, Turbo, and Alex Power; but Mary Jane eventually escapes to the then-deceased Aunt May's house. Surrounded by memories of their loved ones, Mary Jane has faith that Peter can beat "the Jackal's ghost," and he does. Of course, she also had Scarlet Spider in reserve: he held back for her to try and reach Peter.

Next month would be the start of four issues as Web of Scarlet Spider, although Ben appeared to have his Sensational Spider-Man costume before that ended. Man, this comic is packed with tie-in ads for the Fox SPIDER-MAN cartoon, from Fruit Roll-Ups, Eskimo Pie and Welch's; yet in-continuity both the traditional Spidey suit and the Scarlet Spider sweatshirt were about to be hung up for a stretch. Read more!

"Brutal."

I barely had enough New Warriors material for a single strip, sorry. Conversely, I feel like I could write Jimmy Woo all day! He's a weirdly upbeat by-the-book type with a can-do attitude that borders on psychosis. As we'll see next time, Everett is less so. Read more!

"Young."

I know I read New Warriors when they debuted in Thor, then like the first year or so of their book...and then never again? I mean, not even a lot of random pickups later, although I know we've seen a couple here. Certainly none of the later incarnations, which means I didn't actually read any issues where Darkhawk was a member, so I don't know if I'm anywhere near their team dynamic. Then again, that means I also 'missed' a storyline where Namorita has a drunken hookup with a gang member who steals Warrior data, which leads to the death of Rage's grandma...! Ugh. Some aspects of that book, in retrospect, are very much of their time, and also kinda gross. For example, Nova was written a lot like Wally West was for a while: a lecherous horndog, with no other personality traits.

I say that, and yet it doesn't stop me from a joke at their expense, to explain away the missing Warriors Namorita and (young) Vance Astro, who of course have not received figures yet! And poor Namorita remains dead following Civil War, but they picked up a spare of her somewhere in the timestream or something. That seems like a raw deal, but she didn't have to do a stint as Penance or anything, so maybe she did get off easy.

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"The End" Week: Night Thrasher #21!

I'm trying to recollect how long I read New Warriors; since I remember their debut in Thor, and I think I read it for at least two years? Long enough for Bagley to leave, anyway. I didn't get far enough for today's solo book: from 1995, Night Thrasher #21, "Role Models" Written by Kurt Busiek and Steve Mattsson, pencils by David Carrasco Jr, inks by Hector Collazo and Tim Tuohy.

This didn't read like it was intended to be the last issue: distraught over the recent murder of his grandmother (Sigh, because of course she was...) Rage has gone a bit berserk. He's imitating a B-movie vigilante, and out to kill "the Grind." Not a skater, but a local small-time crime boss, "a modern day Fagin and drug dealer," who had control over a ton of street kids. Unfortunately, you could throw an army of seven-year-olds at the superstrong Rage, they aren't going to stop him; so it comes down to Night Thrasher; who was basically raising his teammate. Thrasher couldn't have been older than 23 on the outside, but Rage was only 14. (Still, since that reveal back in or around 1991's Avengers #328.) Still, Thrasher had a bit of guilt, over not being a better foster dad, for letting him watch a movie he wasn't ready for, and that in his secret identity of Dwayne Taylor, he actually owned the company that produced the film! (A financier/investor type, he does lament having not done more research before buying it.)

Rage and Grind are separated, but neither one stopped; so the next day Dwayne confronts the producers, suggesting it would be a moral choice to not make a sequel. The producer, somewhat correctly, notes movies aren't usually the problem, it's usually at home; which Dwayne gets a little defensive over. Later, Thrasher has a conversation with his pilot, who points out if Rage was looking for a violent and obsessive role model, he wouldn't have had to look very far. (Then, a one page ad for a super-fun Sega game, Road Rash 3; but the ad follows the unfortunate trend of game ads of the time. Not even a screenshot!) While the Grind had time to set up defenses, Thrasher is easily able to disable them, then uses a lifesize inflatable dummy of himself as a decoy! Grind's men shoot the decoy, to his dismay: he was counting on Thrasher to save him from Rage, who shows up mad. Grind had a bunch of kids with grenades, but catches Thrasher's billy club-thing to the head, knocking him out and freeing his slaves. Thrasher then talks Rage down, by admitting he had done a far better job of dealing with his grief than he ever had. (Thrasher's origin was pretty Batman, and he had swallowed a lot of his feelings.)

Ooh, looking it up on Mike's, this came out the same month as the last issue of Morbius. But, I know Night Thrasher and Rage would probably return in New Warriors before that title wrapped. Read more!

I think I always start with the back cover.

The front cover has the bar code, right? Ah, let's just do this: from 1994, Marvel Comics Presents #158, opening with the ClanDestine preview "Scare Tactics" Written and penciled by Alan Davis, inks by Mark Farmer. Fighting an array of robots, youngsters Rory and Pandora are gung-ho, until they're crushed! The Hulk-ish Walter is furious with Woody Allen-lookalike Newton; since this was supposed to be a Danger Room-style training session to scare the kids out of superheroing, but they survive and thrive...which makes the rest of the family concerned they would be discovered. This issue might've been discovered by scalpers, after the ClanDestine's somewhat baffling appearance on Disney's Ms. Marvel show, but I wrote the rest of this post before that!

Next, Kymaera...you know, Kymaera? OK, Namorita, from when she was blue! She wasn't thrilled about it either, and was trying to get to geneticist Matrix to maybe get changed back. I'm not sure how exactly that was going to happen, or how she was going to convince Matrix to do that, since the cape-wearing drama queen scuttles her sub and abandons her crew to get away. Kymaera saves the crew and turns them over to the Coast Guard, but laments she may never be what she was...Of course she'd get changed back at some point there. ("Reversal of Fortune, part 4 of 4" Story and art by Ed Lazellari, inks by Joe Rosas.)

Under the other cover, we find yet another middle chapter of a Vengeance serial--good grief, I'll see how one ends someday. Michael Badilino has fallen prey to the old "give up my powers, oh wait, now they're being misused and I have to take them back" plot. Phantome is now rampaging through the city as a knockoff of Vengeance, which makes her a knockoff of a knockoff of Ghost Rider; while her old thug Gargantua tries to get Michael to save his boss and change her back. After she melts a homeless guy's face (!) and tries the same on Michael, he realizes he still has her powers; Phantome just manifested her own somehow. With multiple deaths (including Gargantua, apparently) she realizes she'd lost it, but with her and Vengeance surrounded by fuel cannisters on a burning pier, it may be too little, too late! ("Altered Spirits, part 3 of 4, Fire and Blood" Written by Chris Cooper, pencils by Reggie Jones, inks by Fred Harper.)

Lastly, the conclusion of a Shang-Chi three-parter, "The Gauntlet" Written by Karl Bollers, pencils by Cary Nord, inks by Bambos Gorgio. Shang manages to rescue Leiko, but is then drugged by Lazarus, then has a flashback to his childhood and another ordeal at the hands of Fu Manchu nope, he's just referred to as "my father" here, multiple times! Shang's dad tries to force him to kill and fails, but that doesn't save the victim. Shang comes back to end the gauntlet with the "silent shout," which doesn't seem to be one he uses often? Ever?

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By a very quick count, we've blogged 16 of 175 issues for Marvel Comics Presents: I don't have all of them, I don't want all of them, yet here we are. From 1994, Marvel Comics Presents #162. 

The Tigra cover probably sold this one for me, as she begins a four-parter: "Slave of Passion" Written by David DeVreis, pencils by John Czop, inks by Pablo Marcos. (Czop also did the Tigra cover, Mark Pacella and Rey Garcia the Vengeance one.) A very 80's looking Tigra has been getting her head together in Australia, which involves riding a boar, as you do. But a creepy fat sultan sends his Reaver-knockoff looking men in search of "exotic" types for his harem, and they gun down a number of the Aboriginal Australians Tigra had been staying with. A good enough start, although I'm not sure if this is even close to what Australia should look like.

Next, and apparently flipped on the contents pages, the New Warriors in...ugh..."Smells Like Teen Spirit, part 4 of 5: If you can run out of time, can you walk out on the check?" Written by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Robert Walker, inks by Scott Koblish. I really hate the title structures for this book: Main name, part whatever, chapter name. The chapter names aren't necessary, are they? Dr. Yesterday has brought soldiers from across time to New York City; although the Warriors don't seem to know why yet. Just like the last Warriors book we saw, Turbo and Mike Jeffries are front and center, along with Slapstick and special guest-star the Impossible Man, who seems to be smitten with Turbo. Yesterday reveals himself as a somewhat schlubby looking "chronal research specialist" who was dying of cancer, and decided to take the universe with him. Does that happen in other fields? Literary agent gets terminal disease, they don't try to implode the universe, is all I'm saying.

On the flipside, it's Vengeance vs. a giant spider in the subways, in "Diabolique, part 3 of 4, the Sorceress's Apprentice" Written by Chris Cooper, pencils by Reggie Jones, inks by Fred Harper. The spider is Zoraster, the pet of Diabolique, who doesn't look the part; she looks like a little French girl. But she's got creepy powers and wanted to be the apprentice of the current Sorceress Supreme, Salome! (Which puts this...maybe around Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #61? Looks like they didn't change the title for that stretch.) Not being the trusting sort, Salome doesn't want an apprentice: either she's too weak to bother with, or strong enough to be a threat later. But, perhaps a test of worthiness: kill Vengeance, since he followed Diabolique there.

Next, the penultimate chapter of Mace, "Origins" Written by Carl Potts, pencils by Barry Crain, inks by Hilary Barta and Philip Moy. There's ninjas, clones, healing factors, the Shadowmasters from that Punisher War Journal spinoff. It's like part 3 of 4 and I have no goddamn idea what's happening.

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Again, like oh-so-many superhero suits; it just looks better on a woman.

Especially since our other choices were 90's slacker, burly jock, or...from 1996, New Warriors #73, "Damn the Torpedoes" Written by Evan Skolnick, with a plot assist from Dwight Coye, pencils by Patrick Zircher, inks by Andrew Pepoy. 

Young New Warrior Turbo, Michiko "Mickey" Musashi, was about to leave the team; and to suggest her partner Mike Jeffries be the new Turbo--although she had proven to be the better pilot, all the powers were in the suit, after all. But that's put on hold when Mike gets a surprise visitor: his second cousin, Dan Jones, son of Brock, the previous owner of the Torpedo suit. Whatever happened to him...ooh, right.
(From Rom #50, "The Extraterrestrials!" Written by Bill Mantlo, art by Sal Buscema, inks by Akins and Garvey.)

Dan seems a bit intense, and tries to intimidate the armor, or Turbo's whereabouts, out of Mike. Mickey calls in the rest of the New Warriors, currently under the somewhat tentative leadership of Justice. (Night Thrasher and Rage had been "booted" from the team for not being there to help Namorita, and were now intent on rescuing her, at least partially to redeem themselves.) To help with the decision, Justice and Hindsight Lad do their research into the Torpedo suit, and Mike reluctantly tells the story of how he got the suit: he found it in his attic, while trying to piece together Halloween costumes for himself and Mickey. Thinking the suit was a bit "goofy-looking," he passed it off to Mickey; but nearly died of envy when the Rocketeers (No relation!) attack while trying to get it and the suit's powers were revealed. 

Mike realizes he may have to continue sharing the suit, this time with Dan; and asks to be allowed to wear it to fly over to his hotel and get him. Except "Dan Jones" was already there: he had killed Mike already, and taken his place, since he was a Dire Wraith! And the Torpedo suit appears far more powerful with him in it...to be continued! 

Despite seemingly being headed out the door this issue, Turbo would go on with the Warriors and other teams later. Mickey also seemed willing to share the suit more than once, but seemingly never does; and Dan Jones doesn't seem to have turned up again, either, alive or dead. The letters page this issue is a retrospective from writer Evan Skolnick, who may have created Turbo with Coye as part of a long-running proposal that was never greenlit; but Fabian Nicieza and Darick Robertson may get credit for her creation since they rolled her into New Warriors! Skolnick also explains the Warriors were nearly selling well enough to warrant a spin-off title: it would fall through, but that's why the team's membership swelled to 14 at one point.

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I paid two bucks, cover price, for this in 1991; and fifty cents for it last week: what's that saying, "Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice I have no idea what this crossover was about." Pretty sure that's the saying. From 1991, (Uncanny) X-Men Annual #15, "Kings of Pain, part 3: Queens of Sacrifice" Written by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Tom Raney, inks by Joe Rubinstein and Art Nichols. Cover by Mike Mignola! Not his best, but still!

You know what's a great plan for an X-Men annual? There's maybe 19 heroes in this one, and no X-Men except maybe Polaris, and that's barely at that point! The New Warriors and X-Force have got their fights out the previous two annuals in the "Kings of Pain" crossover, and now race to Muir Island to warn Moira Macaggert that A.I.M. is plotting to somehow resurrect her son, Proteus. In Claremont's main book, the Shadow King had control of Moira and the others there, but lets them react normally to New Force there. Which means a three-page fight, before Moira is like, oh yeah, hi Cable. (Had we seen them meet before? It's more likely she would've known Cannonball.)

The bad guy in this crossover was Harness, who actually had kind of a cool armor design. She had "harnessed" young mutant Piecemeal, and was forcing him to absorb loose, dead mutant energy. At least that's what they're doing with Proteus here; I don't think I've read the prior two issues in like 25 years. Piecemeal is getting progressively more Blob-like as he takes in more energy than he can comfortably hold. Excalibur's Brigadier Alysande Stuart makes a rare appearance here, to warn of super-human activity in Edinburgh, where Proteus fell; then a brief visit with the instigators of the crossover, Toad and Gideon, playing chess. (Which may or may not supposed to be a surprise at this point. I feel like you can tell?)

X-Factor and the Warriors split up to take down Harness, while some try to drain some of Piecemeal's energy and save him. Warpath manages to shatter Harness's helmet, revealing--gasp! A woman! Look, Metroid was five years prior, it's not that surprising. She is Piecemeal's mother, which is mildly surprising, since he called her Harness previously. (I could definitely see her being an abusive hardass and demanding to be called that, but also Piecemeal would accidently call her mommy if he so much as stubbed his toe.) Piecemeal explodes, into a new merged Piecemeal and Proteus, then explodes some more. To be continued...?

There are a lot of gratuitious butt shots in that one, and slightly less in the back-up features: a Freedom Force story, featuring Blob, Avalance, and Pyro versus Iraqi super-team Desert Sword! Oh, I bet this aged just as well as everything else Desert Storm-related. Long-time recurring C-lister Arabian Knight has somehow been forced to serve on the team, since his wives and kids were being held hostage, which I'm not sure would ever be followed up on again. Crimson Commando, a WWII hero still active into the 90's despite first appearing in 1987, gets cut up some more and loses another of his teammates; while Blob and Pyro complete their mission by killing the hostage they were there to rescue. In their defense, they didn't go to that first, for a change. ("The Killing Stroke, part 2: the Razor's Edge" Written by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Jerry DeCaire, inks by Joe Rubinstein.)

Next, a brief recap of the X-Men's origin, for Mojo, who isn't having any of it; and five pages of Wolverine, because fans would've rioted if there hadn't been any Wolverine in this one. ("The Enemy Within" Written by Len Kaminski, pencils by Kirk Jarvinen, inks by Brad Vancata.) 

Of course, later that week I went out to the garage, looking for something else, and found this one and the next chapter, which we'll get to at some future date. Can you stand the suspense...

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