Cover: Marshall Rogers & Terry Austin

Marvel Comics Presents #22

Jun 1989 · Marvel · 1.25 USD; 1.75 CAD; 0.50 GBP

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★ 1st appearance — Aalbort

About this Issue

Marvel Comics Presents #22 is a solid mid-run chapter of one of the most politically ambitious serials Marvel published in the late 1980s. Its Black Panther installment — the tenth chapter of Don McGregor and Gene Colan's 'Panther's Quest' — forms part of a 25-chapter serial that confronted apartheid South Africa head-on at a time when the system was still in force, making it one of the more culturally engaged superhero narratives of its era. The issue also delivers the first comic-book appearances of the alien characters Aalbort and Azunbulxibar in its Starfox feature, and advances the Cyclops 'Retribution Affair' serial toward its climax, showcasing the anthology format's ability to develop multiple ongoing threads simultaneously. All told, the issue is a representative example of how Marvel Comics Presents used its bi-weekly, multi-story structure to give underserved characters — Black Panther, Cyclops, Starfox, and the New Mutants — room to breathe in socially and narratively ambitious directions.

In "The Retribution Affair - Part VI: Alliance of Convenience," Starfox and Heater uncover a derelict spaceship adrift in the void, only to stumble upon a hidden alien invasion force using a dimensional rift to breach our reality. Written by Peter B. Gillis and brought to life by Dave Cockrum’s dynamic art, with inks by Jim Sanders III and colors by Evelyn Stein, this issue pushes the stakes higher as unlikely allies face an unseen threat. The cover by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin captures the tension perfectly.

Contains 4 stories

The Retribution Affair - Part VI: Alliance of Convenience

8 pp · Superhero

Servitors

In "The Retribution Affair - Part VI: Alliance of Convenience," Cyclops races against time to stop Master Mold from activating a devastating virus designed to wipe out not only mutants but ninety percent of humanity. With stakes higher than ever, he must navigate a fragile, uneasy alliance to prevent a catastrophe that could reshape the world.

Panther's Quest Part X: Personal Risk

8 pp · Superhero

South African Security Forces [Sergeant Crowder] (villain)

Suffer a Wolf to Live

8 pp · Superhero

GwydionMeghann

New Worlds to Conquer!

8 pp · Superhero

Azunbulxibar

Starfox and Heater drift through the void when they stumble upon a wrecked ship—its hull torn open, its systems failing. Inside, they uncover a hidden rift pulsing with alien energy, and a swarm of invaders ready to pour through.

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FN $1.5 VF $2 VF $2.2 FN/VF $2.35 VF/NM $2.99 VF $2.99 MINT $2.99 FN $3.8

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History

Marvel Comics Presents launched in September 1988 as a bi-weekly anthology, originally conceived with the plan that its lead feature would rotate among X-Men characters in solo adventures. By issue #22 (on sale February 21, 1989), it was running three serialized stories simultaneously alongside a rotating standalone slot. 'Panther's Quest' had been conceived as a return engagement for writer Don McGregor — who had defined Black Panther's solo voice in Jungle Action in the 1970s — pairing him with veteran artist Gene Colan for a serial grounded in then-current political reality; according to McGregor's own foreword to the collected edition, the creative team deliberately dated the story to align with their South Africa research as laws there were changing. The Cyclops serial 'The Retribution Affair' was written by Bob Harras and drawn by Ron Lim and Rodney Ramos, while the Starfox feature was scripted by Peter B. Gillis with Dave Cockrum on pencils, all overseen by editor Terry Kavanagh and editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco.

Trivia · 8 facts

Released February 21, 1989 (cover date: June 1989); edited by Terry Kavanagh, with Tom DeFalco as editor-in-chief.
Cover art by Marshall Rogers (pencils) and Terry Austin (inks).
Contains four stories: 'The Retribution Affair' Part 6 (Cyclops serial, written by Bob Harras, art by Ron Lim/Rodney Ramos); 'Panther's Quest' Part 10: 'Personal Risk' (Black Panther, written by Don McGregor, art by Gene Colan/Tom Palmer); a New Mutants-adjacent story featuring Dani Moonstar, Rahne Sinclair, Sean Cassidy, and Moira MacTaggert on Muir Isle; and a Starfox/Eros feature written by Peter B. Gillis with art by Dave Cockrum.
First appearances of Aalbort (an Aakon alien crew member) and Azunbulxibar (an alien warlord) in the Starfox story.
The Cyclops chapter has Conscience freeing Cyclops, Callisto, and Moira MacTaggert to oppose Master Mold's plan to release mutant-killing virus death spores.
The Black Panther chapter — Part 10 of the 'Panther's Quest' serial — depicts T'Challa evading South African security forces; 'Panther's Quest' ran for 25 chapters across Marvel Comics Presents #13–37 and stands as one of mainstream comics' most direct engagements with the apartheid era.
The Black Panther story from this issue was reprinted in Black Panther: Panther's Quest (Marvel, 2018 trade paperback) and Marvel Masterworks: The Black Panther vol. 3 (2021).
The Cyclops serial 'The Retribution Affair' ran across Marvel Comics Presents #17–24; this issue is Part 6 of that 8-part arc.