Saturday, September 3, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #152

 

He's Back! 

After an absence of about a dozen issues, Wolverine is back as a featured character in the pages of MCP. Now I know that Wolvie was a part of the massive 150th anniversary spectacular that bled over into issue #151. But lets be honest here, Typhoid Mary was the star of those issues. 

With Logan's return, the mutant is back in Madripoor, trying to spend a quiet evening with Tyger Tiger. As you know, it's an official LAW in the Marvel Universe that such intimate moments must be ruined by something tragic, fantastic or involving interloping villains. In this case- it's baddies making it difficult for Wolverine to get his groove on.

In the other 3 segments, which are all opening chapters of multi-parters, War Machine travels to L.A. to stop a gang war which is being fought using stolen Stark tech. He hopes to teach the youth that violence isn't the answer. But in order to stop this turf war, Rhodey might have to join one of the gangs!

In the Big Apple, a group of thrill seekers are hunting the deadliest game: man. In their latest quest, it's undercover cop Rebecca Taylor. Michael Badilino happens to be an ever so slight acquaintance of Rebecca from his days as a cop. So this attack is personal. It's also a matter for the latest Spirit of Vengeance, Vengeance!

Also in New York, a trial involving some white supremacists is just about to head into jury deliberation. To make sure the verdict goes their way, the racists have abducted the family of one of the jurors. But which one? It's up to Moon Knight to find the family in time to prevent a miscarriage of justice. 

All 4 segments show great promise. To me, Moon Knight was the weakest of the bunch; if only because I'm just not a fan of the character like some are. The War Machine story has a fairly predictable plot for one starring a member of the Iron Man Family. Stolen Stark tech seems to be the basis of every other Iron Man related tale. (In case you are wondering techno-viruses comprise the other 50%.)

I was hoping for it to be the end of Wolverine in the pages of MCP. But I liked that his return story continues from another great Wolverine tale told a while back in the series. If you might remember, there was a very brief story where a head injury during a plane crash caused Logan's berserker side to take completely over. Those antagonists from that adventure are the ones who are back to cause more headaches for the mutant and his lover!

Lastly, I think Vengeance might finally be hitting his stride in this book. Apparently, focusing on Badilino's day job as a NYPD cop is the missing element to this character. Previously, Badilino was just coming across as a horrible impression of an 80s-90s vigilante action hero. But put him behind his badge, and something just gels with the character. I'm looking forward to see what happens next.

A nearly flawless issue!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

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