Comic Review: Marvel Comics Presents (2019-) #1

Marvel Comics Presents (2019-) #1

Marvel Comics

Writers: Ann Nocenti, Greg Pak, Charles Soule

Artists: Various

Who doesn’t love anthology stories?

In this one, we’re given a look into the lives of three major Marvel heroes: Wolverine, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Captain America. Since different creative teams were responsible for all three, I’ll analyze them separately.

In the first story, “Wolverine: The Vigil Pt 1”, we’re given a glimpse into Wolverine’s time in the army during World War II, where he and his team spy on a clandestine meeting between Nazi officers and a mysterious sorceress. It’s serviceable. There are always going to be obvious logistical constraints when it comes to anthology stories (being given a third of an issue to establish a narrative likely isn’t a walk in the park), but Soule makes it work well enough. We’re given the setup, we get a neat action scene, and a tease for the next chapter. The art is its strongest point. Everything is rendered in crisp detail, and the panels flow in a way that’s easy to follow (even if the fight scene is a little weaker in that regard).

The second story, “War’s End”, is a Namor outing. This one also takes place during World War II, albeit the final days of fighting. Here, Namor is approached by his old US military contact to deal with one last Nazi excursion in South America, while something dark and historically tragic falls in Japan—twice. The art by Tomm Coker, with colors by Michael Garland, are again this story’s strongest point. The conflicted Namor, the landscapes torn by the weapons of war, even the pulpy Nazi super-machine, are all captured in gritty and realistic detail. The story itself, by Greg Pak, isn’t bad by any means. It’s a great look into a piece of Namor’s history that tends to be glossed over nowadays while adding some more historical relevance in reference to America’s atomic strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (with an additional Namor twist that I won’t spoil here). The only real “problem” is that there isn’t much else, storywise; but perhaps that’s just how Pak wanted it.

The last one, “First Ride”, is my personal favorite of the three. Steve Rogers has just finished a mission with the Avengers and has opted to ride his busted motorcycle home rather than hitch a ride with Iron Man. He meets a young daredevil (and superhero fan) who offers to help fix his bike in exchange for a personal favor. We have Greg Land on art duties, and it’s . . . okay. Land’s machines and equipment are fine enough, but his faces and personal expressions never really do it for me. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s overusing references, but they always look just a little bit off; never in any huge or overtly noticeable ways, but they’re there. Nevertheless, veteran Ann Nocenti’s story makes up for it, and it’s fantastic to have her back for this one. As great as it is to see Captain America beat up henchmen and foil plots for world domination, it’s always especially a delight to see him interacting with his fellow Americans. Not as a soldier, not as a superhero, but as just another person with maybe a little more advice to give. It immediately sets him apart from heroes like Iron Man at the beginning of the story, as Cap prefers to travel “the same way and same roads [his] fellow countrymen do”. Love it.

Overall, though, there was one thing that had been bugging me, and after a while, I realized what it was. Two out of three (Wolvie and Namor) take place in the same time period, while Cap’s segment takes place in the modern day. This isn’t really a dealbreaker, but it created a sort of thematic disconnect that might not have been present if each segment had been more different.

Anyhow, next issue we got Wolverine for The Vigil Part 2, Reed Richards, and, uh . . . Gorilla-Man? Alright. I’m down.