Marvel Comics Presents #40

There's a fan-favorite issue of The Avengers that guest-stars David Letterman. From 1983, Wonder Man is invited to the NBC late night talk show to discuss his latest flick. 

Jump ahead to 1990 and Simon Williams is back on the talk show circuit hawking the new movie he's making while under the enthrall of The Enchantress. Instead of Dave and company, Wonder Man is in Burbank to meet with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon! There's also The Beast, Hank McCoy, on site hoping to break the hold Asgardian goddess has on the acting Avenger. We've also got Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy who calls for the government to stop the terror that is Wonder Man. 

I liked the Reagan cameos. But I'm not sure why they're here because by 1990, George H.W. Bush was president. Bush 41 and VP Dan Quayle are mentioned in this chapter. But why aren't they involved? That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. 

Again, only 1 out of 4 stories were enjoyable. The Wolverine story is typical Logan fodder. Gritty. Corny. Overblown. The Hercules story just doesn't connect with me. Maybe it's because I've not read the miniseries that sets up just where the Roman Hero is at this moment in the Marvel Universe. 

And I'm not familiar at all with the character known as Overlord. I think he's an Eternal. Not sure. Of all the Jack Kirby properties, The Eternals is probably my least favorite. Just as I've been nonplussed to see Eternals on screen, I have very little enthusiasm with this 8-pager.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #39

 An overall forgettable issue of the anthology series. 

The only thing that sets this issue truly apart is that finally after 39 issues, Spider-Man appears! It's regrettable that Spidey's story is a one-and-done tale of only 8 pages. I guess the wall-crawler wasn't as big as a draw in the late 80s as opposed to the plethora of mutants that have starred in this series. 

The story is simple. Peter Parker is struggling to balance his personal life, marriage and career as a superhero. Trouble arises thanks to a warning from the Spidey-sense. It's not a super villain this time but a bunch of eco-terrorists with good intentions. They want to save a bunch of lab animals being mistreated. 

Being devoted to truth and justice, Spider-Man has to apprehend them since these animal lovers are breaking the law despite the goodness in their hearts. How can Spider-Man be true to himself while in the middle of a crime scene that is very much a gray area ethically?

One oh too short, heartwarming tale. 3 forgettable fillers.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #50

This is it! The final issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up!

Naturally, Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela have selected Batman and Robin to pair with Mystery Inc. for this series' swan song. 

The story starts off with the teen detectives arriving in Gotham to answer a call for help. Only Batman and Robin didn't ask for help. But that doesn't mean that weird things hasn't been occurring around the Dynamic Duo.

All day, Batman and Robin have been approached by various incarnations of the Dark Knight. There's the Pirate Batman. The 1920s Mobster Batman. The Vampire Batman! It seems like the multiverse has gone Batman crazy all of a sudden. But when variants of a certain Great Dane start showing up, all of a sudden it's a CRISIS ON INFINITE SCOOBYS!

The cover spoils just who is behind the identity crisis. It's Bat-Mite and his 5th Dimension counter-part Scooby-Mite (last seen in SDTU #3). I think it's fitting to use the impish imp for this finale in many ways. For one, Bat-Mite is able to bring in characters from throughout the multiverse without destroying it. For another, Bat-Mite was the character who ushered in the end of Cartoon Network's amazing Dark Knight team-up series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold. 

This was a double anniversary issue. It celebrated Batman's 80th birthday as well as Scooby's 50th. The two franchises have come a long way since their first meeting on the small screen back in 1972. I loved seeing all of the incarnations of the Mystery gang including the live-action movie cast and my personal favs- A Pup Named Scooby-Doo! 

This issue should also be considered an Elseworlds tie-in!

If you are a fan of just one of these franchises, you will love this book. If you are a mega-fan of both like me, this issue was a dream come true. I hate that this series ended. But I am glad that DC brought the magic back with the 12-issue maxi-series Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries; which is still in it's current run.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9.999 out of 10 stars, because I'm still upset this series ended!

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #34

While working a case with the fellas of Mystery Inc., Velma and Daphne are called to Gotham City. Taking Scooby with them, the girls have been summoned by Batgirl, Black Canary and Huntress- the Birds of Prey. A gigantic bird known as a Roc, a mythical creature of Middle Eastern origin, has been attacking the city. 

Since Velma and Daphne have a background in dealing with monsters, they've been approached to act as interim members of the Birds of Prey. It's a good thing, now that a thunderbird and a phoenix have begun attacking Gotham as well!

A really great issue. Another masterpiece by Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela! Fisch adds those little Easter eggs of DC nostalgia; like with the mystery villain that Mystery Inc. is originally on the search for before the girls go to Gotham City. Dario Brizuela just has an art-style that echoes the original Scooby-Doo cartoon as well as Alex Toth's take on Super Friends. They're like an all-ages duo for the ages!

The inclusion of Huntress was the only down-side of the story. I've never really been a fan of her. She never felt like an appropriate heir to Batman and/or Catwoman. And then Post-CRISIS, I never really got into her crime-family Catholic heritage background. She always felt like a vigilante nun to me. And in this issue, she's like a grumpy Debbie Downer. If we could have replaced Huntress with a different Bird of Prey like Katana or Hawkgirl, that would have been great!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.  

Marvel Comics Presents #38

The 25-chapter long Black Panther story 'Panther's Quest' is finally over. And T'Challa's replacement in Marvel Comics Presents is.... drum roll... Wolverine!

Big surprise.

Really, Wolverine. Again?

The story is interesting however. In the middle of Hong Kong, an entire city block has just disappeared. Something so big and sweeping doesn't seem to be Wolverine material. So I am intrigued to know where this one is gonna go. 

Wonder Man, Simon Williams, is the star of another multi-parter. The Avenger actor has been hired to portray the original android Human Torch in a major blockbuster. This is rather ironic since Wonder Man has a connection with the World War II era character in the creation of another Avenger, The Vision. 

Lastly, the Excalibur adventure comes to a close. The 80s Excalibur series was an wild ride and this conclusion is no different. Especially when the heroes create further Warner Bros. inspired android opponents to battle the Loonies. Too bad they didn't create Disney inspired characters. But I am sure such a thing would have been a lawsuit waiting to happen. 

With a Mr. Fixit one-shot rounding out the line-up, this was a pretty good issue. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #37

I liked how this chapter of the Excalibur story pays attention to Kitty Pryde's dragon Lockheed and the inter-dimensional gatekeeping bot Widget. People tend to overlook these but Lockheed and Widget are important members of the Excalibur team too!

The one-and-done story involves a character I've yet to ever encounter. Called Devil-Slayer. He's a cape with a cape that houses a vast repertoire of weapons and other tools of defense against the dark arts. It was originally the property of a demon or wizard and the minions of the villain will do anything to get it back. Like set a trap inside a crowded airport lounge filled with demons disguised as humans.

Lastly, The Black Panther story finally comes to a close. Very satisfying. In fact, it was so good I read this chapter twice. 

I wonder two things about this story. 1. Why was is so gosh darn long? Was in supposed to be a mini-series or graphic novel that got scraped? And 2. Was this story ever collected as a trade paperback? Being so huge, I'd be surprised if it was never collected.

Answer to question 2 upon further research- it was- in 2018! Now I wonder why it took nearly 30 years to get collected!

Another good issue. Can't wait to see who will be taking Black Panther's lengthy residency in the pages of MCP new...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #36

Rachel Summers comes face-to-face with her Phoenix persona when the Loonies put the mutant in a scenario straight out of the future! Her future! Days of Future Past, that is! Mutants are hunted indiscriminately. Kitty Pryde is now in her mid-40s. Going by Katherine Pryde and accusing this future Phoenix of her murder, can Rachel survive in a future that is not her own?

The one-shot story has Hellcat Patsy Walker taking on a drug ring after failing to save an undercover cop dressed as a bag woman from murder. Good action. A little convoluted plot involving making the homeless become drug manufacturers under duress. 

The remaining half of this issue is devoted to Black Panther. That's right! This issue of MCP only has 3 story segments! They doubled up the pages meaning they actually doubled the action for once. Will 16 pages finally be enough to get us through 24-parts to finally see T'Challa in a mother and child reunion? God, I hope so. This story has dragged on forever!

Not a bad issue of the anthology. Having 16 pages of the Black Panther story instead of the usual 8 just through off the pace of this very formulaic series. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.