Marvel Comics Presents (1988) Marvel

Marvel Comics Presents was an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1988 to 1995. It returned for a second volume in 2007–2008, and a third volume that started in 2019. The first volume was released on a bi-weekly basis and lasted for 175 issues. Each issue had four eight-page stories, of which generally two were episodes in ongoing serials and two were one-part stories. The one-part stories generally featured obscure or little-seen characters from the Marvel Universe, and often featured work by creators previously unpublished in the comics field, including Scott Lobdell (a later X-Men writer), who started work under the editorship of Tom DeFalco. The original plan was for the lead story to feature different members of the X-Men in solo adventures lasting between eight and 10 episodes. The first 10 issues featured Wolverine; others featured were Colossus, Cyclops, Havok, and Excalibur. From issue #39 onwards, Wolverine was featured in the series until issue #142, when the character was phased out of the series. Particularly notable was "Weapon X" in issues #72–84, which revealed Wolverine's origin, with story and art by Barry Windsor-Smith. Later, the Ghost Rider was added to the series as a "co-lead" feature, and the book adopted a "flip-book" format, thereby allowing each of the two characters cover billing. Eventually other characters, such as the Man-Thing and Lunatik, got cover billing. Several of the Wolverine storylines have since been collected and reprinted in trade paperback format. The first volume features Wolverine's first adventures in Madripoor, a fictional island that became Wolverine's second home during the late 1980s, as well as the "introduction" of Tyger Tiger. Other notable highlights include the first appearance of Damage Control (issue #19), the first appearance of Nth Man the Ultimate Ninja (issue #25), a Looney Tunes parody featuring Excalibur (issues #31- 38), a wrestling match between the Hulk and a Hulk Hogan facsimile (issue #45), and the first appearance of Cyber (issue #85, by Peter David and Sam Kieth).