Cover: Alex Saviuk & Klaus Janson

Marvel Comics Presents #2

Sep 1988 · Marvel · 1.25 USD; 1.75 CAD; 0.50 GBP

📊 ~26,545 copies sold its debut month

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★ 1st appearance — Roche

About this Issue

Marvel Comics Presents #2 is the second chapter of Chris Claremont and John Buscema's 'Save the Tiger' — the storyline that planted Wolverine's flag in Madripoor and gave that fictional island its enduring place in Marvel geography. Crucially, it delivers the first appearance of Jessán Hoan operating as Tyger Tiger, the morally ambiguous crimelord who would remain part of Wolverine's supporting cast for decades. Alongside that debut, the issue simultaneously advances Doug Moench's revival of Shang-Chi (dormant for roughly five years after his solo title ended) and offers Al Milgrom's standalone featuring Steve Rogers in his transitional 'The Captain' guise — a snapshot of three major Marvel characters navigating identity and consequence at the same moment in 1988.

Contains 4 stories

Save the Tiger Part 2: The Bad Guy!

8 pp · Superhero

In "Save the Tiger Part 2: The Bad Guy!", Roche sets his sights on Razorfist, intent on eliminating Wolverine. As the fight unfolds, Wolverine catches a familiar scent—one that leads him to realize it belongs to Jessan Hoan.

Elements of Terror Part 2: First Witness

8 pp · Horror-Suspense

Skinny

Crossing Lines Part 2: Bait

8 pp · Martial Arts

Xiao (death)

Cold War

8 pp · Superhero

Cold War (villain, introduction)

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $5

CGC 9.8 · 88 in census $73

CGC 9.6 · 60 in census $41

CGC 9.4 · 38 in census $26

CGC 9.2 · 24 in census $21*

CGC 9.0 · 27 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 15 in census $20

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CGC 8.0 · 8 in census $20

CGC 7.5 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 5 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 4 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

Variant · 2nd print $1.49 FN/VF · Newsstand $3 VF $3 VF $3.25 VF/NM $3.99 Newsstand $4.99 NM- $4.99 NM · Direct $5

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 29 total · seen 25 days ago

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History

The series launched on a bi-weekly schedule under editors Terry Kavanagh and Michael Higgins, with Mike Rockwitz as assistant editor and Tom DeFalco as editor-in-chief, consciously reviving Marvel's anthology tradition. The original editorial plan called for rotating X-Men members as the lead feature, but Wolverine anchored the first ten issues; the format paired those serial chapters with three other eight-page stories, giving creators room for characters who couldn't sustain their own ongoing titles. Issue #2 went on sale May 17, 1988, carrying a September 1988 cover date, and used one of the series' wraparound covers — a format maintained through issue #89 — with front and back art by Alex Saviuk and Klaus Janson.

Trivia · 8 facts

Contains four complete eight-page stories: 'Save the Tiger Part 2: The Bad Guy' (Wolverine), 'Elements of Terror Part 2: First Witness' (Man-Thing), 'Crossing Lines Part 2: Bait' (Master of Kung Fu / Shang-Chi), and 'Cold War' (The Captain / Steve Rogers).
First appearance of Jessán Hoan as Tyger Tiger: she had appeared as a civilian banker in Uncanny X-Men #229, but this issue marks her debut in her Madripoor crimelord identity, a role that would define her for decades.
Wolverine serial written by Chris Claremont, penciled by John Buscema, and inked by Klaus Janson — Madripoor crimelord Roche hires Razor-Fist (Douglas Scott) to eliminate Wolverine, escalating the 'Save the Tiger' arc.
Shang-Chi serial written by Doug Moench with pencils by Tom Grindberg and inks by Dave Cockrum, reviving the Master of Kung Fu roughly five years after his solo title ended; this chapter depicts Leiko Wu's abduction, raising the serial's stakes immediately.
Man-Thing story written by Steve Gerber (the character's original creator) with art by Tom Sutton, marking Gerber's return to Ted Sallis and tying the swamp creature into a political conspiracy subplot.
Standalone 'Cold War' story written and drawn by Al Milgrom features Steve Rogers operating as 'The Captain' — the identity Rogers assumed after ceding the Captain America name to John Walker during Mark Gruenwald's concurrent run on the main title; the villain Cold War makes his only notable appearance here.
Wraparound cover art by Alex Saviuk and Klaus Janson; the series used this format for its first 89 issues.
The Wolverine chapter has been reprinted multiple times: in the Wolverine: Save the Tiger! trade paperback, the Marvel Comics Presents: Wolverine Vol. 1 trade paperback, the Wolverine Omnibus (2009), and the Wolverine Epic Collection: Madripoor Nights (2014); the Man-Thing chapter was collected in Man-Thing by Steve Gerber: The Complete Collection Vol. 3 (2021).