From Claremont to Claremont, Episode 2h - Marvel Comics Presents #88-89 (1991)

From Claremont to Claremont: An X-Men Podcast

Episode 2H

Marvel Comics Presents #88-89 (November, 1991)

"Blood Hungry, Part 4: Four Scents Worth"

"Blood Hungry, Part 5: Five Scents Worth"

"Just Friends, Part 4: Fool for Love"

"Just Friends, Part 5: My Pal Mugsy"

"Hero of the People"

"Shopping"

"Youngblood"

"What's Wrong With this Picture?!"

Writers - Peter David, Scott Lobdell, Eric Fein, James Brock, & Dan Slott

Pencils - Sam Kieth, Jae Lee, Mark Runyan, James Brock, Rita Fagiani, & Joe Madureira

Inks - Sam Kieth, Tim Dzon, Don Hudson, Bob Wiacek, Jim Starlin, & Christopher Ivy

Colors - Pat Garrahy, Mike Thomas, Fred Mendez, Kevin Tinsley, & Dan Slott

Letters - Dave Sharpe, Diana Albers, Todd Klein, & Steve Dutro

Edits - Terry Kavanagh

Cover Price: $1.25/per

It's anthology day at #FCTCXMen - and so, Walt (@waltkneeland) and me are going to take a look at two issues of Marvel Comics Presents!

The Cyber storyline rolls on in Wolverine... the Beast is still looking for love... and we get to discuss the first Marvel work of eventual Uncanny X-Men artist, Joe Madureira!

All that, plus Walt answers the dreaded Pod-File questionnaire! 

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From Claremont to Claremont, Episode 1h - Marvel Comics Presents #85-87 (1991)

From Claremont to Claremont: An X-Men Podcast

Episode 1H

Marvel Comics Presents #85-87 (October, 1991)

"Blood Hungry, Part 1: First Scent"

"Blood Hungry, Part 2: Two Scents"

"Blood Hungry, Part 3: Three Scents"

"Life During Wartime, Part 4: Fire in the Hole"

"Life During Wartime, Part 5: True Colors"

"Life During Wartime, Part 6: Sacrifice"

"Just Friends, Part 1: Professor!"

"Just Friends, Part 2"

"Just Friends, Part 3: If This is Tuesday, it Must be Belgium"

"... The Dude in the Really Rad Armor!"

"Take Me Out to the Bomb Game"

"To Touch the Darkness"

Writers - Peter David, Marcus McLaurin, Marie Javins, Scott Lobdell, & Eric Fein

Pencils - Sam Kieth, Dwayne Turner, Rob Liefeld, Jae Lee, Ron Wilson, J. Adam Walters, & Ron Wilson

Inks - Sam Kieth, Christopher Ivy, Jose Marzan Jr., Tim Dzon, Sam de la Rosa, & Harry Candelario

Colors - Glynis Oliver, Marcus McLaurin, Mike Thomas, Mike Rockwitz, Fernando Mendez, & Kevin Tinsley

Letters - Clem Robins, Rick Parker, Todd Klein, Dave Sharpe, & Diana Albers

Edits - Mark Powers, Terry Kavanagh, & DeFalco

Cover Price: $1.25

No matter what the year is, Wolverine's adventures could never be kept to the handful of titles he was being featured in... and so, Walt Kneeland (@waltkneeland) and I are including his Marvel Comics Present exploits as part of this project!

This time out, we're featuring all three MCP issues cover-dated October, 1991 - which see Wolverine's first tangles with Cyber and also features adventures from other X-Men (and X-Adjacents) Beast and Firestar!

--

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Marvel Comics Presents #4 (1988)

Marvel Comics Presents #4 (Early October, 1988)
Wolverine: "Save the Tiger, Part 4 of 10: The Ordeal"
Man-Thing: "Elements of Terror, Part 4 of 12: Rage and Design"
Master of Kung Fu: "Crossing Lines, Part 4 of 8: Water"
Thor: "Silent Thunder"
Writers - Chris Claremont, Steve Gerber, Doug Moench, & Al Milgrom
Pencils - John Buscema, Tom Sutton, Tom Grindberg, & Al Milgrom
Inks - Klaus Janson, Tom Sutton, Dave Cockrum, & Al Milgrom
Letters - Tom Orzechowski, Bill Oakley, Michael Heisler, & Jim Novak
Colors - Glynis Oliver, Petra Scotese, & Greg Wright
Assistant Edits - Michael Rockwitz
Edits - Terry Kavanagh
Chief - Tom DeFalco
Cover Price: $1.25

Welcome to the fourth compilation post for Marvel Comics Christents... where I bring to you, well... unfortunately, four rather uninspired li'l chapters of our ongoing features.  Not a whole heckuva lot going on here... so, let's just get down to it!

Not going to bother with a poll this week... it just wasn't getting enough engagement to justify my spending the time putting it together.  Feel free to share your favorite story from this week in the comments below, though!

Let's peep across the street at DC and see what was going on in their anthology when this issue hit the shelves!

If you have the time or interest in checking out the Action Comics Weekly bits, lemme know if you think Marvel or DC had a stronger outing this time out!  That Catwoman feature does start out pretty strong over in ACW!

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We open with Wolverine waking up... chained and bound.  He is soon joined by Sapphire Styx, that woman who wouldn't stop introducing herself back at the Princess Bar... and who, kinda sucked out his soul with a kiss last chapter.  She's here... well... to pretty much do the same thing again.  It would appear that she's some sort of energy-vampire or something.  She plants one on him, which envelops him in darkness... and leaves him as gentle as a pup.

Enter: Mr. Roche, Razorfist, and some dude whose just really happy to be there.  Roche introduces himself as the "Crimelord" of Madripoor... which is kind of adorable, and he plans to do whatever it takes to pry some information out of our hero.  He wants information on "The Tiger"... and they're going to get it, one way... or another.  He motions to the fella who's just really happy to be there... and it looks like it's about to be torture time!

Back at the Princess Bar, Jess and O'Donnell chat a bit about the curious hairy stranger that popped by earlier.  Jessan doesn't remember him, but notes that he said he knew her in the "old days".  O'Donnell reminds her that she's a different person now.  She acknowledges this fact, and comments that she doesn't even miss the woman she used to be.

From here, we get a page and a half of Wolverine being tortured.  The tormentors finally decide to throw it in for the day, and leave our hero to his lonesome.  It's here that Chris Claremont dutifully reminds us that our main man is packin'... both razor-sharp Adamantium claws... and a Mutant healing factor.  For those keeping score, I think we're now four-for-four on those reminders!  He cuts himself free of his shackles, and after a time, stumbles his way out of wherever the hell he's being held.  Unfortunately for him, he stumbles right into the path of... Razorfist!

Ol' Fist... well, he kicks the weakened Wolvie's ass... stabbing him in the throat... and tossing him into the drink, which rushes right into a waterfall.  Hmm... Roche ain't gonna find out what he wants to know this way, will he?  Whatever the case, Razorfist salutes the assumed dead Wolverine, and laments that they could've been great enemies.  Well, maybe don't flatter yourself too much there, Fist...

--

While I enjoyed this, for what it was... I gotta say that this was probably the weakest chapter of the Wolverine story up to this point.  Doesn't make it bad... just makes it "not as good" as they had been.

It's mostly an expositional episode... but, it's done quite well.  It never feels like we're being lectured... or just having information "dumped" on us.  Right now, as a sister-project here at the site, I'm going through the recent House of X/Powers of X event... and, I wish there were more of this in that... than what we're getting there.  Claremont was able to "show don't tell", or perhaps more accurately "show and tell", whereas today... we're just dolloped scoop after scoop of info-dump.

Even though all we're getting here was information... about Roche, about Jessan... it doesn't ever feel like we're reading a page in a textbook... and for that, I can't not like this for what it is.  That said, there also isn't all that much for me to expound on here... it really is a case of "it is what it is".  A foundational chapter, from which we'll hopefully build on in future installments.

Good... not great.

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We open with a bit of a reminder of what we've read up to this point... and it's all horribly purple.  When we finally get with the "now", we see that our investigative reporter, Mr. Ditillio has been picked up upon arrival in Florida... by those two goofballs from the first chapter of this feature.  They push him into a car, and take him far away to "deal with him".  When we rejoin them, they're way out in the swamp... where this whole story began.  Looks like that house they were hangin' out in has been burned down.  They baddies assume that the "Demon" had something to do with it.  Just as they're about to "off" Mr. Ditillio, our mild-mannered reporter socks 'em in the face and runs away.  Our "heroes" ain't too frazzled, however, as they're sure if the gators don't get the guy... the Swamp Devil will.

We shift scenes to Maryland, and the home of our "Freedom, Rah Rah" strawman, Mr. Jody Choate.  He's meeting with a fella named Bressack... and he's got a plan.  It's a plan that might get him in trouble... ya know, if he wasn't working in the name of FREEDOM.  That's about all we get.

From here, we visit the Freedom Science Studies Institute.  Hrmm, I wonder if that's the "freedom" Choate keeps talking about.  Anyhoo, they're still experimenting on our sweaty Senatuh friend from Chapter Two... and, they've evidently transformed him into a super soldier.  That is, until he pops.

We now rejoin Dumb and Dumber, as they're trying to track down the Devil Woman who they believe burned down their shack.  They head into a... I dunno, dilapidated mansion or something... and are told that she's there... but, she's not looking to be bothered.

Our men ain't about to take no for an answer... which prompts Voodoo Mama Juju to show her face and tell them herself that she wants to be left alone.  When our heroes try to press the issue... we come to learn that she actually isn't alone... there's a (Giant-Size?) Man-Thing in the house.

--

Welp, if you ever told me I'd be pining for another story featuring the Feral Man, I'd have laughed in your face.  And yet, here we are!

This is... kind of a bore.  A pretty weak outing, perhaps compounded by the knowledge that we know what Gerber is capable of with this character.  Well, I don't personally... but, I have heard good things.  Lots of good things, in fact!

I always worry when I start seeing writers rely on strawmen... though, I am hopeful that the "freedom" that big-bad Jody Choate is talking about is that Freedom Science joint... and not just the good ol' American jingoism that writers seem especially keen on deconstructing time and again.

The art, I will say, is still top-notch!  Tom Sutton is doing all of the heavy-lifting here... and is really pulling out all the stops when it comes to the gore.  Not my cuppa tea to look at, but I can't deny that it looks pretty much exactly like it ought to.  Disturbing, dark, gross... just perfect.  If only he were drawing a better story...

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We open with Shang-Chi, Reston, and Black Jack Tarr conferring to plan how they may go about rescuing the kidnapped (or, as they put it in this story "kidnaped") and newly one-handed, Leiku Wu.  They're assuming she was napped/naped by a one-handed fella called Argus.  It's a pretty contentious chat... with neither Chi nor Tarr really seeing eye-to-eye as to how they go about it.  Ya see, Chi wants to leave Tarr and Reston behind... which, causes Jack to flip out... it's really quite an annoying little scene that kills a few too many panels in my opinion.

Shang-Chi assures the fellas that, while he doesn't want them to accompany him, that doesn't mean he's going alone.  He's got frenemies (oof, I can't believe I actually used that word.  Stop me if I do so again) in low places... and so, we are introduced to Shen Kuei... the Cat.  I've never seen this dude before, but it seems as though he and Chi have had a tussle or two in their time... even had a few women come between them, one of them Leiko Wu herself!  Upon learning that she is in trouble, the Cat agrees to help out.

Speaking of Ms. Wu, we join her as she's been tied to a chair by... none other than Argus.  During her... uh, interrogation (?), she manages to break free... but is quickly kayoed with a (literal) right-hook to the mush.

We shift scenes to a boat (called The Junk), where Tarr is giving Chi and the Cat the quick and dirty on their mission.  He tries making it far more complex than it needs to be, but what it all boils down to is... Chi and Kuei are both Asian... and they're going to replace some Yakuza weapon-buyers in order to get in close to Argus.  Once they're inside, they'll assume the roles of "Red Wolves", whoever they are.

Chi and Kuei think the first part of the plan is solid... but, that second-half... they're not so sure.  They all board a little rowboat to head back to the docks from The Junk.  Just as they arrive on dry land, however, The Junk is blown sky-high.  Game on.

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I have this little... hmm... problem with "Part 4's".  If you've listened to any of my audio exploits, I'm sure you've heard me mention it a time or two.  In today's decompressed comics landscape, "Part 4 of 6" pretty much means you're in for a garbage issue... full of poorly-told recaps, with the teensiest bit of momentum toward the climax.

Now, this chapter wasn't recappy in the slightest... but, it felt like quite the time-killer.  Which is kind of a shame, as I've been kinda digging on this story up to this point.  Hopefully this was just a lull... and next time out, we'll be back to business as usual.  I don't wanna be too hard on it, going by the "three chapters = one issue" model we've been using... I suppose this was decent enough "first third" of an issue.

Perhaps if I had any familiarity or attachment to Shang-Chi and his crew, I'd be a bit more excited seeing folks like The Cat.

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We open with Thor fighting off some robot exoskeleton things... which, is pretty much all I picture when Thor has a "Midgardian" adventure.  Then... the sensational character find of 1988 shows his pervy face... why, it's the Fear Bug!!!  After giving us a page recapping his prior attempts to "feed", he sets his sights on Thor.  After a scan, he learns that this is no ordinary man... and it doesn't look like he has any fear.

So, what is a pervy fear bug to do?  Hey, I know... let's make Thor think he's participating in Ragnarok.  That doesn't happen like every fourth issue featuring the guy!  Okay, okay, I'm exaggerating... but, it sure feels that way, dunnit?  When our man refuses to go down, the Fear-Eater does... something... inside him to cause him to be kayoed.  What was it... and why didn't he just do it to the Surfer, The Captain, and The Thing?  Well, your guess is as good as mine.

Thor lays there a bit, dealing with his current situation... before, you guessed it, ultimately overcoming his fear... driving the Fear-Eater away to seek out another host.  When Thor comes to, he realizes he's still on Earth.

We wrap up with the Fear-Eater spotting his next victim... and, it's Daredevil!  Get this, though... whatta they call Daredevil?  Oh yeah, The Man Without Fear.  Wonk, wonk, wonkkkkk... R.I.P. in Pieces, Fear-Bug... we hardly knew ye!

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Welp, I'll hand it to Milgrom, the Daredevil twist at the end was pretty clever... and it did elicit a chuckle.  Daredevil, if I'm not mistaken, will be our "anchor" story next issue... so, this is a neat way to build a bit more cohesion in the anthology.

The rest of the story?  Weak-city.  I don't necessarily feel like the Fear-Eater is "played out", in fact, I think I'd have enjoyed seeing a few more stories with him goofing around the Marvel Universe.  Heck, for all I know, he'll show up in next issue's DD feature!  Thor... I'm sorry, gang... I'm never going to be able to summon up enough interest to fully invest in a Thor story.  That ain't the fault of Milgrom... or the story, just my own personal tastes.

Overall... this is probably the weakest "Fear-Eater" feature.  I wonder if we'll ever see the li'l bugger again.

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Credits: 

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Back Cover:

Marvel Comics Presents #3 (1988)

Marvel Comics Presents #3 (Late-September, 1988)
Wolverine: "Save the Tiger, Part 3 of 10: The Gals"
Man-Thing: "Elements of Terror, Part 3 of 12: Ritual and Belief"
Master of Kung Fu: "Crossing Lines, Part 3 of 8: Fish"
The Thing: "The Measure of a Man!"
Writers - Chris Claremont, Steve Gerber, Doug Moench, & Al Milgrom
Pencils - John Buscema, Tom Sutton, Tom Grindberg, & Al Milgrom
Inks - Klaus Janson, Tom Sutton, Dave Cockrum, & Al Milgrom
Letters - Tom Orzechowski, Agustin Mas, & Jim Novak
Colors - Glynis Oliver, Petra Scotese, & Greg Wright
Assistant Edits - Michael Rockwitz
Edits - Terry Kavanagh
Chief - Tom DeFalco
Cover Price: $1.25

Going to open with a little bit of Podcast-Housekeeping this week.  Yesterday I released the 38th episode of Chris is on Infinite Earths... and for the first time yet, the subject of the show was a Marvel Comic (Uncanny X-Men #308).  Normally, that would've been a book I'd save for the ReMarvel program.

Well, ReMarvel was a show whose purpose was to sorta-kinda force me to revisit some Marvel books.  Considering that this blog is now like 80% Marvel-centric, I've come to the conclusion that ReMarvel is no longer necessary.  As such, I decided to take a page out of Marvel's own "voodoo math" playbook, and shifted the six episodes of ReMarvel into the Chris is on Infinite Earths "volume"!  Axel Alonso couldn't be prouder if I were replaced by a squirrel!



So, yesterday was Episode 38... and, after merging the playlists, the next episode will be #45!  Woohoo... lookit me gettin' close to a milestone installment without doing any of the work... just like Marvel!

I share all of this knowing full-well that I'm the only living, breathing human that this affects... but, whattayagonnado?

Let's get to the MCP polls!

Not such a hot turn out... guess that novelty wore out quickly.  We wound up with a tie.  I voted for Wolverine, personally.

Let's give this poll gimmick one more try, shall we?

Best Story in Marvel Comics Presents #3?

Wolverine Man-Thing

Master of Kung Fu The Thing

Across the street at DC Comics, their anthology series released these two issues:

Hal on Oprah and Dinah burning her flame-retardant duds!  If anyone's still out there, lemme know is Marvel or DC won the week back in ye old 1988!

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We pick up right where we left off... with Wolverine surprised that he'd run into Jessan Hoan.  Whodat?  Well, let's find out.  She is a financial whiz-kid from Singapore, who got caught up with the X-Men during a Reavers attack in the Australian Outback days of the team.  We jump ahead to Roma offering the X-Men the opportunity to pass through the Siege Perilous... which is a pretty big (and nebulous) subject unto itself.  Jessan refused to pass through... and so, Roma offered to just send her back to the moment before she got all entangled with the merry Mutants.  So... while Logan recognizes her... she hasn't the foggiest idea who the weird hairy creep she just met in the street is.  Man, an editorial footnote here might've been of assistance.

Wolverine and Jessan start to rumble... she ain't takin' kindly to him pawing all over her, and so... she takes a page out of the Mr. Fuji playbook, and blinds him with some powder before hip-tossing him into the street, right into the path of an oncoming truck.  This allows Claremont to drop a reference to Wolverine's mutant healing ability... which makes us three-for-three!  The fight s'more, with Jessan giving our hero the slip... and then running him over with a stolen motorcycle!

While our man licks his wounds, he is approached by sweet, sweet Sapphire from the Princess Bar.  Whatta thirsty broad!  She attempts to sweet-talk him, however that doesn't work all that well.  So, instead... she just plants a kiss on him.  This is one whopper of a kiss, from Sapphire "Styx"... as Wolverine is suddenly "consumed... by a sea of shadows".

Logan pushes Sapphire away, and attempts to flee the scene.  Unfortunately for him, he stumbles right into the waiting spikes of... Razorfist!  Wolvie's kayoed... and Sapphire (who is in cahoots with Roche... and prob'ly ol' Fist) looks about ready to strike.

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Another solid chapter!

I tell ya what... I was not expecting any references to The Siege Perilous.  That seems like one of the more esoteric bits of Claremont's X-Men run... and, it's kind of weird seeing a nod to it here.  I know a lot of folks feel like the X-Men line of books (even back in the late-80's), were daunting to downright overwhelming.  I couldn't imagine what those on the outside might've thought upon seeing the team pass through a giant brooch to begin their new lives!

As a fan of the X-Fam, I loved seeing this reference... though, as mentioned during the synopsis, I feel as though an editorial footnote (or five) might've come in handy for the uninitiated.

Outside of the callback, this is basically a big fight scene.  Wolverine underestimates Jessan, and gets thrown in front of a truck... and run over by a motorcycle for his troubles.  Thankfully he's got that (oft-mentioned) Mutant healing ability!  We also get the "swerve" on sweet, sweet Sapphire.  She of the soul-sucking kiss... or something.  I thought it was weird that Claremont kept making sure to give her a little bit of panel-time over the last couple of chapters... so, it was neat to see it pay off here.

Razorfist... the character we spent half of last chapter building up, gets a panel and a half of play-time... but, I don't really have a problem with that.  I'm sure we'll see plenty more of him during the remaining five chapters.

Overall, I really dug this... and I'm looking forward to more!

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We open with a small plane arriving at the Freedom Science Studies Institute that we learned a little bit about last chapter.  A gurney is rushed off the rig and rolled into a waiting ambulance.  On the gurney?  Well, it's our believed-to-be-dead Senatuh Wycombe... and he don't look all'at hot.  In fact, he's about to be injected with a shot of whatever the hell "Project: Glamour" is all about.  Meanwhile, in the swamp... Man-Thing is absolutely smothered in precious narration panels.  Woof.  He's trying to cope with his new lot in life.  If you recall (though, I might not be the best "tour-guide" for this story), our hero "merged" with one'a dem crispy critters... and was left looking much worse (and weaker) for wear.

Now comes... well, a lot of exposition... not all of it interesting.  First, we meet a reporter named Mick Ditillio who is interviewing another Senator about Wycombe's "murder" and the nebulous "Project: Glamour".  This new Senator (Miller) doesn't have much of a comment... but hopes Mick uses a bit of discretion when it comes to putting together tomorrow's newspaper headline.  We follow Mick home, where he's trying to connect the dots... while his very, uh, "perky" girlfriend tries to entice him into maybe putting work aside for a bit.  They must keep the apartment pretty chilly, I tell ya what.

Next, we meet Colonel Jody Choate, who is on the phone being sinister as all get-out... talking about a Demon (that he's totally not scared of!) and everything.  His wife pops her head in to check on him... and we learn that he's doing... whatever it is he's doing... for "freedom".  So yeah, it looks like we might be getting one'a those stories.

Back to Man-Thing.  He shambles through the swamp, before coming upon a... I dunno, witch's house?  Whatever the case, she's just about to sacrifice a puppy dog when our Muck Monster bursts in the place.

The art doesn't really convey this... nor, unfortunately, does the story (unless I'm just completely dense), but I believe this scene wraps up with Man-Thing and Voodoo Mama Juju making a "deal".  She'll fix him up in exchange for a "path to Hades".  Alrighty then.

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Y'all remember that little run on Swamp Thing that Alan Moore had back in the long ago?  Ehh, probably not... it's kind of obscure and nobody ever talks about it.  It certainly didn't inspire a whole crop of writers to explore deconstructing superheroes or anything.  Of course, I'm being facetious... 

I remember the first time I read that stuff.  Sure, there's a whole lot of "heady" concepts in it... but, it never felt (to me) like it was trying to be smarter than I was.  It was just a well-told story, that felt accessible and inviting, regardless of how "heady" the concepts became.

Gerber's Man-Thing?  Not so much.  This is a story that is begging you to tap out.  It wants you to know that it is so much smarter than you (or at least, me).  The storytelling is really weird... and, at the risk of sounding like a complete jackass, "insists upon itself".  The precious and few scenes where our titular hero actually shows up are the worst of all!  I think I'd have gotten more out of his scenes if they were completely "silent"!

As for the rest... ehh, government conspiracies... some "good ol' boy" doing what he's doing in the name of "freedom".  A reporter hot on the trail of the hoo-doo.  Nothing we haven't seen before, and presented here with the subtlety of a sledge hammer.

The art still continues to impress!  Really excellent stuff here... even if, in more esoteric scenes, it's really hard to follow.

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We pick up three days after the attack on Xiao's home and the abduction of Leiko.  Our man, Shang-Chi is pounding the pavement looking for answers... but ain't getting none.  He doesn't seem overly trusting of the Hong Kong citizens... nor should he, the answers he gets seem dodgy at best here.  He next heads up a hill to Xiao's final resting place.  Black Jack Tarr is there paying his respects... and openly questions whether or not he's got it in him to be a leader of this little group of anti-radicals, or whatever.  Shang-Chi takes a seat and they begin a weird, and somewhat contentious chat.  Tarr takes this odd tack of trying to get Shang-Chi to work for him... by more or less blaming him for everything that's gone down during the past couple of chapters.

Our hero doesn't really initially address the accusation... he's still lost in thoughts of Leiko.  Here, Tarr, finally gives us the meat-and-potatoes of this whole deal.  Ya see, Hong Kong will soon no longer be under British Protectorate... and, as such, rival terrorist organizations have combined forces to kind of stake their claim(s) on the place.  We also learn that Tarr n' the Gang are doing this job gratis.  Xiao came to them with a story... but no shekels.  Since these mercs really believed in this endeavor, they took the gig for free.

Shang-Chi doesn't agree to help just yet... but, they head back home anyway.  There, Reston... that geek who started smoking to look Hong Kong Cool last chapter, is a few bottles deep... and is wielding a pistol.  After nearly shooting Tarr and Chi, he reveals that someone dropped off a package for the latter.

In it... well, some fish.  Also... a hand.  Leiko's hand!  With Xiao's ring still on its finger!  Our hero is unphased, and rather than freaking out at the sight of the woman he loves' severed mitt, he just asks Tarr if Leiko and Xiao were lovers!  Dude's got tunnel-vision... though, I guess I "get it".

We wrap up with our hero finally deciding to at least hear out Tarr's plan.  He isn't "all in" with the mission... but, if their gig intertwines with his hunt for Leiko... they may as well have each others' backs.

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A very "tawky" third chapter... but, I tell ya what... this story needed exactly this!

I remember early on in our Action Comics Daily coverage... when a given eight-pager didn't make much sense, I would try and wait until we got three-chapters in before making any sort of of sweeping quality-leveling judgment.  Way I looked at it, three anthology chapters were akin to a single issue's worth of a story.  24 pages, give or take.

Here we are, 24 pages (or one single issue) in on our Master of Kung Fu serial... and, ya know... this is pretty good stuff!  These three chapters would fit nicely into a single issue... get us through all the preliminary exposition... address the threat... give us some tension... set us a goal.  These together would make a fine first issue!  Unlike Man-Thing which sorta leaves us with more questions (and less interest in finding answers), Master of Kung Fu lays a firm foundation to build upon.

Shang-Chi's obsession with Leiko is interesting... and really helps to depict him as conflicted in his mission.  Really, as we open this chapter, he doesn't even have a mission, per say.  He's just looking for Leiko... and screw Black Jack's gig.  His inability to purge feelings of worry and jealousy aside to focus was really well done as well.  Feeling bad that Xiao was murdered... before remembering that he died at Leiko's bedside.  Seeing Leiko's severed hand... and only really being able to see Xiao's ring upon its finger.  Really good stuff here.

Overall... I'd be more than happy if the subsequent chapters of this feature took a similar "tawky" and "internalized" tone.  This was a pleasure to read... and I'm happy we finally got a little backstory to our setting.

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We open with Ben Grimm walkin' down the street... freakin' everybody out.  Ya see, this is following his second run-in with cosmic rays (editor's note missing) that left him far more "spiky" than his initial dose.  So, what we're getting at here is, he's even uglier to the folks about town.  He tires of the gawking and decides to give the normies an eyeful.  He tears his trenchcoat off and shows off his new lumpy bod in all its glory!  It's at this point that our new-ish friend, the Fear Bug, has spied his next target.  Just like with the prior two chapters, we get the "scanning" bit... and the quick 'n dirty on the character in question.

Ben is suddenly overcome with weird feelings... likely predicated in, ya know, fear.  People run from him, though... honestly, I can't really blame them.  Dude did just tear off his clothes while shouting in their direction.  Ben collapses by some water, and notes that his reflection has changed a bit.  His spikyness has dulled down to his "normal" Thing look... but, much to his disappointment, that's where the transformation stops.

He suddenly sees himself surrounded by generic monsters... they all tell him how great it is to be a monster... how he can be the King of Monsters (sorry, Godzilla).  Ben flips out... declaring that he is not an animal monster, he's a man.  To this, the Fear Eater makes a bit of a pervy face, and changes the monsters to beautiful people.

These beautiful people proceed to pounce on Ben, and beat the hell out of him.  This actually manages to snap our hero back to reality.  He comes to the realization that while he may look like a monster... underneath it all, he's still a man.

Welp, that's all the Fear Bug needed to hear before he skidoo's outta Ben's craggy hide.  If he doesn't find some fear to eat soon, poor little bugger's gonna starve!

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Much as I love the Thing (who doesn't?), this was a pretty flat story.  Then again, "Milgrom Corner" has been pretty flat overall, hasn't it?

I mean, what is there to say here?  Ben Grimm learns, for the million-and-oneth time, that he's still a man underneath his rocky shell.  Um... that's really all we got.  Nothin' new, nothin' novel... at least it looked nice.  Would'a been great if they included a footnote to exactly when Ben got that second dose of cosmic rays though.

Sorry gang, this one was just sorta "there".
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