''Marvel Comics Presents'' was an

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

series published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

originally from 1988 to 1995. It returned for a second volume in 2007–2008, and a third volume that started in 2019.

Volume 1

The first volume was released on a

bi-weekly A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (two weeks). The word derives from the Old English term , meaning "" (or "fourteen days," since the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights). Astronomy and tides In astronomy, a ''lunar fortnight'' is ha ...

basis and lasted for 175 issues. Each issue had four eight-page stories, of which generally two were episodes in ongoing serials and two were one-part stories. The one-part stories generally featured obscure or little-seen characters from the

Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of ...

, and often featured work by creators previously unpublished in the comics field, including

Scott Lobdell Scott Lobdell (; born 1960) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter known for his work on numerous ''X-Men'' series for Marvel Comics in the 1990s, various work for DC Comics in the 2010s, namely ''Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans ...

(a later X-Men writer), who started work under the editorship of

Tom DeFalco Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thor'', and ''Fantastic Four''. Career While in college, DeFalco "wrote fo ...

.Archived a
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The original plan was for the lead story to feature different members of the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

in solo adventures lasting between eight and ten episodes. The first ten issues featured

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...

; others featured were

Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ''Colossus of Barletta'', a bronze statue of an unidentified Roman emperor * ''Col ...

Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

, Havok, and

Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...

. From issues #38 through #142,

was the featured character of the series. Particularly notable during this run was "

Weapon X Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are conducted by Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons, ca ...

" in issues #72–84, which revealed the origin of how Wolverine received his adamantium skeleton, with story and art by

Barry Windsor-Smith Barry Windsor-Smith (born Barry Smith, 25 May 1949) is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has been produced in the United States. He attained note working on Marvel Comics' ''Conan the Barbarian (comics), Conan th ...

. Wolverine returned for one more featured run in the series from issues #150 through #155. Later, the

Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...

was added to the series as a "co-lead" feature, and the book adopted a "flip-book" format, thereby allowing each of the two characters cover billing. Over time, other characters, such as

Man-Thing The Man-Thing (Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in ''S ...

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

Lunatik Lunatik is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Lunatik first appeared in ''Defenders'' #51 (September 1977), though a later retcon identifies him as an incarnation of Arisen T ...

, and the

New Warriors The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...

received cover billing as well. Several of the Wolverine storylines have since been collected and reprinted in trade paperback format. The first volume features Wolverine's first adventures in

Madripoor The Principality of Madripoor or Madripoor is a fictional island located in maritime Southeast Asia appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, mostly associated with stories from the ''X-Men'' series. Based on illustrations, it ...

, a fictional island that became Wolverine's second home during the late 1980s, as well as the "introduction" of Tyger Tiger. Other notable highlights include the first appearance of Ramonda, mother to Shuri and step-mother to T'Challa (issue #14), the first appearance of

Damage Control In navies and the maritime industry, damage control is the emergency control of situations that may cause the sinking of a watercraft. Examples are: * rupture of a pipe or hull especially below the waterline and * damage from grounding (ru ...

(issue #19), a wrestling match between the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

and a

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

facsimile (issue #45), the first appearance of

Siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

(issue #62), the first appearance of

Cyber Cyber may refer to: Computing and the Internet * ''Cyber-'', from cybernetics, a transdisciplinary approach for exploring regulatory and purposive systems Crime and security * Cyber crime, crime that involves computers and networks ** Conventi ...

(issue #85, by Peter David and Sam Kieth), and the first ever meeting of Wolverine and Venom (issue #117).

Stories In Volume 1

Volume 2

In 2007 the anthology series returned, also including work by creators previously unpublished in the comics field. The series' editors were Warren Simons,

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,Andy Schmidt Peter Andrewes "Andy" Schmidt is an American comic book editor and writer. He is best known for his work at Marvel and is now editing and writing at other companies. Career At Marvel Schmidt was an Associate Editor and mainly worked on the "Marv ...

, and John Barber. The series hosted two 12-part stories (The

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

super-team and Weapon Omega) and a host of short one-part to five-part stories involving a variety of characters within the Marvel Universe. The series was cancelled with issue #12.

Stories in Volume 2

Volume 3

In 2019, the anthology series returned.

Stories in Volume 3

Bibliography

*''Marvel Comics Presents'' vol. 1 #1–175 *''Marvel Comics Presents'' vol. 2 #1–12

Collected editions

*''Wolverine: Save the Tiger!''/''Marvel Comics Presents Wolverine Vol. 1'' (vol. 1) #1–10 *''The Man-Thing by

Steve Gerber Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include ''Man-Thing'', ''Omega the Unknown,'' ''Marvel Spotlight:' ...

Vol. 3'' (vol. 1) #1-12 *''Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu Omnibus Vol. 4'' (vol. 1) #1–8 *''Colossus: God's Country'' (vol. 1) #10–17 *''Black Panther: Panther's Quest'' (vol. 1) #13–37 *''Speedball Classic'' (vol. 1) #14, 56 *''Cyclops: Retribution'' (vol. 1) #17–24 *''The Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne'' (vol. 1) #18 *''Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus Vol. 1'' (vol. 1) #26 *''Excalibur Epic Collection: The Sword is Drawn'' (vol. 1) #31–38 *''Marvel Comics Presents Wolverine Vol. 2'' (vol. 1) #39–50 *''Hercules: Full Circle'' (vol. 1) #39-41 *''Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus Vol. 1'' (vol. 1) #45 *''Silver Surfer Epic Collection: Thanos Quest'' (vol. 1) #50 *''Marvel Comics Presents Wolverine Vol. 3'' (vol. 1) #51–61 *''Avengers: Scarlet Witch'' (vol. 1) #60-63, 143-144 *''Marvel Comics Presents Wolverine Vol. 4'' (vol. 1) #62–71 *''Wolverine and Ghost Rider in Acts of Vengeance'' (vol. 1) #64–70 *''Silver Surfer Epic Collection: The Infinity Gauntlet'' (vol. 1) #69, 93–97 *''Wolverine: Weapon X'' (vol. 1) #72–84 *''Excalibur Epic Collection: Girls' School From Heck'' (vol. 1) #75 *''X-Men Origins: Firestar'' (vol. 1) #82-87 *''Wolverine: Blood Hungry'' (vol. 1) #85–92 *''Wolverine: Prehistory'' (vol. 1) #93–98 *''Infinity War'' (vol. 1) #108-111 *''Wolverine: Typhoid's Kiss'' (vol. 1) #109–116 *''Daredevil: Typhoid's Kiss'' (vol. 1) #109–116, 123–130, 150–151 *''Iron Fist: Book of Changes'' (vol. 1) #111, 113–118, 125–137, 140–141 *''Wolverine vs. the Marvel Universe'' (vol. 1) #117–122 *''Avengers: Hawkeye - Earth's Mightiest Marksman'' (vol. 1) #159-161 *''War Machine/The Invincible Iron Man: Hands of the Mandarin'' (vol. 1) #169-172 *''Patsy Walker: Hellcat'' (vol. 2) #1–4 *''Marvel Comics Presents Weapon Omega'' (vol. 2) #1–12

References

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External links

Newsarama article about the return of the anthology seriesMCP vol 1 covers
{{Wolverine 1988 comics debuts 1995 comics endings 2007 comics debuts 2008 comics endings Marvel Comics titles Comics anthologies Comics by Chris Claremont Comics by Don McGregor Comics by Doug Moench Comics by Fabian Nicieza Comics by Gerry Conway Comics by Len Wein Comics by Marv Wolfman Comics by Steve Gerber