Cover: Steve Lightle & Colin MacNeil

Marvel Comics Presents #133

Jul 1993 · Marvel · 1.50 USD; 1.90 CAD; 1.10 GBP

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★ 1st appearance — Tessa★ 1st appearance — Blood Shadow★ 1st appearance — Satyr

About this Issue

Marvel Comics Presents #133 is a dense anthology crossroads of the early 1990s street-level Marvel universe, housing four concurrent serials in a single 36-page package. Its second story launches the 'Depths of Despair' arc — the first appearance of the Red Dragon Clan and its crime lord Lord Shiro — while pairing Iron Fist against a Sabretooth working as Yakuza muscle, a combination that put two martial-arts heavyweights on a collision course across subsequent issues. The lead Wolverine chapter continues the 'Brothers in Arms' story by Dan Slott — one of the writer's earliest Marvel credits — pitting Logan against both Cyber and the supernatural Coven in a pulpy occult thriller that showed the anthology's willingness to blend mutant action with horror tropes. Collectively the issue illustrates how MCP functioned as a proving ground for newer writers and as a home for characters like Cloak, Dagger, Ghost Rider, and Luke Cage who lacked solo titles at the time.

In "Brothers in Arms, Part 2 of 5: Alone Against the Coven," Iron Fist, Misty Knight, and Colleen Wing stand united against a rogue faction of the Red Dragon Clan, racing to protect a vulnerable FBI informant. With the clan’s leader summoning Sabretooth and his own ninjas to eliminate the same target, the stakes rise in a high-stakes clash of martial arts and loyalty. Written by Tony Matias and illustrated by Fred Haynes, with inks by Jeff Albrecht and colors by Glynis Oliver, this 1993 installment delivers tense action and deepening tension, all framed by a striking cover by Steve Lightle and Colin MacNeil.

Contains 4 stories

[Brothers in Arms, Part 2 of 5:] Alone Against the Coven

8 pp · Superhero

In "Brothers in Arms, Part 2 of 5: Alone Against the Coven," Wolverine wakes to find himself chained to Cyber by adamantium, the two of them trapped and separated from the rest of the fight. With Blood Shadow closing in and the Coven's power mounting, their forced alliance becomes the only way to survive what comes next.

Depths of Despair Part One: Opening Gambit

8 pp · Martial Arts, Superhero

In "Depths of Despair Part One: Opening Gambit," Iron Fist, Misty Knight, and Colleen Wing must defend an FBI informant from a rogue faction of the Red Dragon Clan, all while the clan’s leader sends Sabretooth and his ninjas to eliminate the same target—and anyone who stands in their path. The stakes rise fast as old alliances are tested and the fight for survival begins in the shadows.

Nocturnal Cravings

8 pp · Superhero

Tessa Goodwin (introduction, antagonist)

Heart and Soul [Part 3 of 6]: Emotional Rescue

8 pp · Horror-Suspense, Superhero

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History

Marvel Comics Presents Vol. 1 ran biweekly from 1988 to 1995, with each issue packaging four eight-page serials under a single cover; issue #133 (released May 25, 1993, with a July 1993 cover date) appeared under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco and was edited by Michael Higgins with Terry Kavanagh also credited. The lead story was scripted by Dan Slott — before his later fame on She-Hulk and Amazing Spider-Man — with art by Steve Lightle, who also supplied the cover. The anthology format deliberately served as an incubator for newer talent and a showcase for characters without ongoing series, and by mid-1993 it was running no fewer than three simultaneous multi-part serials (Brothers in Arms, Depths of Despair, and Passion Crimes/Heart and Soul) alongside one-shot backups.

Trivia · 8 facts

Published July 1993 (on-sale May 25, 1993); part of Marvel Comics Presents Vol. 1 (1988–1995), a biweekly anthology that ran for 175 issues.
Story 1 — 'Brothers in Arms Part 2: Alone Against the Coven' — written by Dan Slott with art by Steve Lightle; one of Slott's earliest Marvel credits. Wolverine (Logan) faces both Cyber (Silas Burr) and the occult group the Coven (Vex, Fetish, Satyr, Blood Shadow) on the Pacific island of Koma Koi.
The Coven and its individual members (Blood Shadow, Fetish, Satyr, Vex) made their collective first appearance one issue earlier in MCP #132; the Temple of the Sun location makes its first appearance here in #133.
Story 2 — 'Depths of Despair Part 1: Opening Gambit' — written by Tony Matias, penciled by Fred Haynes, inked by Jeff Albrecht; marks the first appearances of the Red Dragon Clan and their leader Lord Shiro. Iron Fist (Danny Rand), Misty Knight, and Colleen Wing battle Yakuza ninjas while Sabretooth (Victor Creed) is separately hired by Shiro to eliminate an FBI informant.
Story 3 — 'Passion Crimes Part 3: Emotional Rescue' — written by Karl Bollers (credited as Freddy Mendez on pencils, inks by Malcolm Jones); continues the Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch) and Luke Cage team-up against Darklove (Oscuram), a Darkhold demon created by Karl Bollers and Freddy Mendez who debuted in MCP #131.
Story 4 — 'Nocturnal Cravings' — written by Chuck Kim, penciled by Walter McDaniels, inked by Greg Adams; a standalone Cloak and Dagger story pitting Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen against a vampire named Tessa in New York City. This story has never been collected in trade paperback.
The Iron Fist stories from this arc (MCP #133–137) were later collected in the trade paperback Iron Fist: The Book of Changes (ISBN 978-1-302-90450-0), alongside earlier MCP Iron Fist installments.
Cover art by Steve Lightle; Tom DeFalco served as editor-in-chief for the issue.