It's almost like somebody at Marvel wanted to do a story based on the Ollie North/Reagan Administration scandal and got the okay to do it. But in order to do it (and not get hit with a lawsuit), the creative team were told to add a Marvel character to the story. Man-Thing got selected. But in order to keep the nature of the story as in tact as possible, Man-Thing's presence is minimal. Ultra minimal!
The Master of Kung-Fu story also has an Iran Contra type scandal in the mix. But it's the reverse of the Man-Thing story as the political espionage is minuscule and Shang Chi's presence is rather large. Yet, this tale is rather lame. The Master of Kung-Fu was a great series during the 1970s, when it reflected the hugely popular trend of kung-fu movies. Now in the late 80s, with the trend being ninjas and karate, this story just doesn't resonate so very well.
The Wolverine story is okay. But I'm not really big on the whole 'I'm the best there is at what I do and what I do isn't very nice' 80s mentality of Wolverine. I'm more of a Hugh Jackman Wolverine era fan. But that one-and-done Sub-Mariner story involving Prince Namor and a submarine was rather fun. It reflected that classic 40s and 60s Atlantean anti-hero vibe. Too bad that wasn't a multi-parter...
Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.
