Cover: Alan Davis & Reggie Jones & Mark Farmer

Marvel Comics Presents #158

Jul 1994 · Marvel · 1.75 USD; 2.35 CAD

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★ 1st appearance — Newton Destine

About this Issue

Marvel Comics Presents #158 (cover-dated July 1994) is the debut of the ClanDestine — the Destine family — a team of long-lived, djinn-powered British superhumans created entirely by writer-artist Alan Davis. That premiere chapter, titled 'Scare Tactics,' introduced eight characters in a single installment: the team itself plus Crimson Crusader, Imp, Hex, Wallop, Cuckoo, Argent, and Newton Destine, making it one of the densest first-appearance issues of the decade. Davis conceived the group as a deliberate counter to the team-book status quo, centering on family bonds and on superpowered individuals who had no particular interest in being heroes — a premise that stood apart from the crossover-driven superhero landscape of the early 1990s. The issue's cultural afterlife was extended when an adapted version of the Clandestines appeared as antagonists in the 2022 Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, introducing the family's djinn mythology to a global streaming audience.

In "Scare Tactics," a tense underwater standoff reaches a breaking point when Kymaera breaches the submarine's hatch, flooding the interior—yet chooses to prioritize saving the crew over pursuing Mother Matrix, who escapes in an emergency pod. Written and illustrated by Ed Lazellari, with inks by Joe Rosas and colors by Lazellari himself, this 1994 issue delivers a pulse-pounding moment of moral choice beneath the sea. The cover, a dynamic collaboration by Alan Davis, Reggie Jones, and Mark Farmer, captures the chaos in striking detail.

Contains 4 stories

Scare Tactics

8 pp · Superhero

New Warriors Solo [Part 4 of 4]: Reversal of Fortune

8 pp · Superhero

In "New Warriors Solo [Part 4 of 4]: Reversal of Fortune," Jo faces a desperate choice when Kymaera breaches the submarine's hull to flood the chamber, but instead of pursuing the fleeing Mother Matrix, she turns her focus to saving the crew. With time running out and the ship buckling under pressure, Jo must act fast to prevent disaster—no matter the cost.

The Gauntlet: Act III

8 pp · Martial Arts

Ah Lung (flashback, introduction, death)

[Altered Spirits Part 3 of 4:] Fire and Blood

8 pp · Horror-Suspense, Superhero

Bobby Ray (introduction, death)

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $6

CGC 9.8 · 14 in census $25*

CGC 9.6 · 16 in census $20

CGC 9.4 · 8 in census $20*

CGC 9.2 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 9.0 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 2 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 2 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

More listings for this title

F/VF $2.99 VF/NM $5 VF $6.59 Newsstand $9.95 Newsstand $9.99 VF $10.25 VF $12.99 FN/VF $13.5

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History

ClanDestine was Alan Davis's first creator-driven concept at Marvel, conceived as a group book free of decades of accumulated continuity yet still set within the Marvel Universe so that Davis could draw on familiar characters for guest appearances. Davis stated that he chose a family structure specifically because family membership is not voluntary — a dynamic that distinguishes the Destines from elected teams like the Avengers or the X-Men. The series was originally slated to launch under the Marvel UK imprint, but when that imprint collapsed before the book could go to press, Marvel's main US editorial line absorbed the project and used Marvel Comics Presents #158 as the characters' public introduction, with the self-titled monthly series following a few months later in October 1994.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of the ClanDestine (the Destine family) as a team, in the story 'Scare Tactics' written and penciled by Alan Davis, inked by Mark Farmer.
First individual appearances of Crimson Crusader (Rory Destine), Imp (Pandora Destine), Hex (Dominic Destine), Wallop (Walter Destine), Cuckoo (Kay Cera / inhabiting Pepa Perez's body), Argent (Samantha Hasard), and Newton Destine — all in this single issue.
First appearance of the Human-Djinn Hybrid race in Marvel Comics continuity.
The issue is an anthology with four separate stories: 'Scare Tactics' (Clan Destine, by Alan Davis / Mark Farmer); 'A New Warriors Solo Part 4: Reversal of Fortune' (Kymaera, by Ed Lazellari / Joe Rosas); 'Altered Spirits Part 3: Fire and Blood' (Vengeance, by Chris Cooper / Reggie Jones / Fred Harper); and 'The Gauntlet' (Shang-Chi, by Karl Bollers / Cary Nord / Bambos Georgio).
The issue features a flip-side anterior cover — a secondary cover illustration of Vengeance on the back/interior — in addition to the main Alan Davis / Mark Farmer cover.
Cover date: July 1994; release date: May 10, 1994. A newsstand edition was published alongside the direct-market edition.
ClanDestine was originally developed for the Marvel UK imprint; when that imprint folded before the series launched, the property transferred to Marvel's main US line, with MCP #158 serving as the characters' de facto preview.
The 'Scare Tactics' story was later collected in the Clandestine Classic Premiere hardcover (Marvel, February 2008), which also gathers ClanDestine #1–8 and X-Men & ClanDestine #1–2 — the first time the MCP chapter was formally reprinted in a trade collection.