Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Marvel Comics Presents #160

Where to start with this issue?

The cover feature is a cloned ninja assassin who goes by the moniker of Mace. He's the product of a secret society to be it's ultimate killing machine. With DNA from some of the Japanese based Sunrise Society, Mace is nearly unstoppable. But Dr. Ito, Mace's creator, has developed a fatherly bond with the assassin and hopes to help Mace escape the warrior sect he was designed to serve. 

This issue is technically Mace's first appearance. Maybe a week prior, the character debuted in a Symbiote heavy miniseries titled Venom: Mace. Though the 3-parter came out first, this story occurs chronologically first. The premise is interesting but with elements from TMNT, Species, Remo Williams, and countless other 90s action franchises, I feel that the originality factor is servely lacking.

Vengeance returns in another multi-parter that chills me to my core. The antagonist is a scary-ass witch-child called Diabolique. The little blonde haired demon has a special friend named Playmate. Playmate is a real killer. But it's Diabolique who gives not just me, but Michael Badilino nightmares. So much to the point, Vengeance is refusing to come forth to smite this duo of evil.

The Hawkeye segment opens in a way that reminds me of a scene from the first Lord of the Rings film. There's a scene where the dwarf Gimli is terrified of being in the forest realm of elves. At one point, an elf sneaks up on Gimli and tells him that he's so loud that the elf could've killed him in the dark. Well, that's basically how this segment starts when U.S. Agent thinks he's got the advantage on Hawkeye. But the archer is the one in the catbird seat. 

I still don't have a clue as to why Hawkeye is playing the fugitive here. But I love this cloak and dagger type story. It's clever and kinda mysterious.

Our last segment continues with the New Warriors and their very special guest star, Slapstick. The young heroes are visiting the American Museum of Natural History when a time-traveling villain named Dr. Yesterday runs amok. History is literally repeating itself as the exhibits come alive. But unlike A Night at the Museum, when these exhibits become animated, it's because Dr. Yesterday has figured out a way for the past to come alive; not because a wax dummy of Teddy Roosevelt came to life. It's a tool many a history teacher probably wishes they could utilize and with the inclusion of the Living Cartoon, Slapstick, this has been a fantastic story thus far.

Scary. Thrilling. Funny. And maybe a bit cliched. But this was another solid issue of MCP.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.





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