Marvel Comics Presents #164

3 all-new segments either start or appear in this issue. 

The ever-lovin' Blue Eyed Thing, Ben Grimm, gets in an altercation on the streets of the Big Apple. One of the victims is a young boy's rabbit that escapes its cage and flees into the NYC subway system. Leave it to the founding member of the Fantastic Four to begrudgingly track the little fella all the way through many a rat infested tunnel...

Then for the first time since a one-shot appearance in MCP #29 and the first time headlining a multiparter since all the way back in issues 1-12, Man-Thing returns. The first segment isn't really action-packed. It also stars Ted Sallis' former lover Ellen Brandt and is more of a refresher of the Man-Thing's origin story than anything else.

Rounding things out on the debut front is another Vengeance story. This one involves two blasts from Michael Badilino's past. First is the energy-absorbing mutant, Psiphon. Next is the former special forces member and demon hunter/hater, Samson Buchanan who now possesses a more deadlier version of the famed Exorcist gun from some previous MCP story that I can't quite recall. I think it was during the Midnight Sons story line...

The only continuing segment involves the sometime Avenger, Tigra. She's gone on the hunt for some slavers who have captured members of an indigenous Australian tribe that Tigra has taken refuge with. Needless to say, she's pissed.

The Thing's story was sweet and enduring. Another reason to love the members of Marvel's First Family. The Man-Thing story is an origin story. If you kinda know the story, then things are mostly yesterday's news. If anything has been rebooted, I'm not that familiar with the character to have picked through the changes. The Vengeabnce story promises to be another exciting tale that wisely focuses on Badilino's police force career as much as his time as a Ghost Rider. As for the Tigra story, the level of excitement is getting higher as this is the penultimate chapter. But the real winner here again is John Czop's amazing artwork.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.