Cover: Colin MacNeil & Malcolm Davis

Marvel Comics Presents #159

Jul 1994 · Marvel · 1.75 USD; 2.35 CAD

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★ 1st appearance — Doctor Yesterday

About this Issue

Marvel Comics Presents #159 is a compact time-capsule of mid-1994 Marvel, threading together four simultaneous serialized storylines that reflect the publisher's busiest creative currents of that moment. The issue closes out the Vengeance 'Altered Spirits' arc that had run across issues #156–159, wrapping up one of the title's longest-running Midnight Sons–adjacent features after Ghost Rider had been retired as the anthology's regular lead character. Simultaneously, it opens 'Rocky Reunion,' a three-part Hawkeye serial set against the just-launched Force Works team — placing the issue at the precise narrative junction of the West Coast Avengers' dissolution and that team's creation. The New Warriors segment, written by Fabian Nicieza concurrent with his departing run on the main series, gave Turbo, Speedball, Rage, and Slapstick continued page-time during a pivotal transitional year for that franchise.

In "Rocky Reunion [Part 1 of 3]," writer Chris Cooper and artists Reggie Jones, Fred Harper, and colorist Joe Andreani deliver a high-stakes opening to a three-part arc where Vengeance races against time to save the homeless trapped in burning warehouses, while Phantome makes a final, selfless stand to stop a deadly environmental disaster in New York City—her sacrifice marking a pivotal moment in her story. The issue's emotional weight is matched by the dynamic visuals, with cover by Colin MacNeil and Malcolm Davis capturing the intensity of the moment.

Contains 4 stories

Rocky Reunion [Part 1 of 3]

8 pp · Superhero

Duty and Country

8 pp · Spy

Dean Haddad (introduction, death)Ruman Nassar (introduction)General Sabin (introduction, antagonist)

Smells like Teen Spirit Chapter One: History Is What You Make of It

8 pp · Superhero

[Altered Spirits Part 4 of 4:] True Spirit

8 pp · Horror-Suspense, Superhero

In the final chapter of "Altered Spirits," Vengeance races against time to save the homeless trapped in burning warehouses, while Phantome makes a desperate, selfless stand to stop a catastrophic release of toxic waste—her sacrifice sealing her fate in a moment of redemption.

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $3

CGC 9.8 · 1 in census $35*

CGC 9.6 · 3 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

VG $1.39 VF+ $1.43 VERY FINE $2.75 MINT $3 NM $3.79 VF $3.9 VF $4.05 VG $4.2

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History

By mid-1994, Marvel Comics Presents had moved well past its Wolverine-led origins and was operating under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco as a rotating-character biweekly. Per Wikipedia's account of the series, Vengeance had replaced Ghost Rider as the anthology's anchor character starting with issue #147, giving the supernatural anti-hero a sustained showcase. Fabian Nicieza — who was simultaneously wrapping his tenure on the main New Warriors title — contributed the five-part New Warriors/Doctor Yesterday serial that begins here, penciled by Robert Walker and inked by Scott Koblish. The Hawkeye 'Rocky Reunion' installment, bridging Clint Barton's exit from the Avengers into the Force Works era, was later deemed significant enough to collect in multiple trade paperback editions.

Trivia · 8 facts

Published biweekly by Marvel; cover-dated July 1994, released May 24, 1994; each issue contained four eight-page serialized stories.
Story A — 'Rocky Reunion' Part 1 of 3: Stars Hawkeye (Clint Barton) alongside US Agent, with Force Works members Iron Man (Tony Stark), Century, Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), and Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) in supporting roles; later collected in the 2012 hardcover 'Hawkeye – Earth's Mightiest Marksman' and the 2024 Hawkeye Epic Collection Vol. 4: Shafted.
Story B — 'Altered Spirits, Part 4: True Spirit': Concluding chapter of the Vengeance (Michael Badilino) arc that ran across MCP #156–159, featuring Phantome and Gargantua; Vengeance had been the anthology's regular lead character since issue #147, replacing Ghost Rider.
Story C — New Warriors serial (Part 1 of 5, running through #159–163): Written by Fabian Nicieza with pencils by Robert Walker and inks by Scott Koblish; features Rage (Elvin Haliday), Speedball (Robbie Baldwin), Turbo (Michiko Musashi), and Slapstick (Steven Harmon) against the time-manipulating villain Doctor Yesterday.
Michiko Musashi (Turbo) had previously debuted in New Warriors #28 (October 1992); her appearance here is not a first — she was already an established New Warriors associate by this point.
Slapstick (Steven Harmon) had debuted in The Awesome Slapstick #1 (November 1992); his New Warriors team-up arc beginning in MCP #159 is described in reference sources as his most notable appearance between his solo series and his later Civil War-era comeback.
The Hawkeye/Force Works storyline ran in the same cover-month (July 1994) as Force Works #1, making MCP #159 a companion piece to that team's launch rather than an independent adventure.
The issue exists in both a direct-edition and a newsstand edition, consistent with Marvel's standard dual-distribution practice of the era.