Marvel Comics Presents #26
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeMarvel Comics Presents #26 is the debut issue of Coldblood-7 (Eric Savin), a cybernetically enhanced military officer created by writer Doug Moench and artist Paul Gulacy — a character whose name and alter ego would later be adapted for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Iron Man 3 (2013). The issue also carries a chapter of Don McGregor and Gene Colan's 'Panther's Quest,' a 25-part serial that placed Black Panther squarely in apartheid South Africa, representing one of the most politically direct long-form stories Marvel published in the Copper Age, and one that helped reestablish T'Challa as a character worth telling solo stories about. As the launchpad for two concurrent serialized arcs — Coldblood's 'Rise and Shine' and Havok's 'Pharaoh's Legacy' — alongside Peter David's gray-Hulk 'Splashdown' chapter (a prelude to the Atlantis Attacks crossover event), the issue exemplifies the dense, multi-layered ambition of the MCP anthology format at its most productive.
In "Pharaoh's Legacy Part III: A Heart on Fire," T'Challa races to save Miyo Moshigo from the Comrads, facing brutal violence as they overwhelm him and douse him in gasoline—pushing the Black Panther to his breaking point. Written by Don McGregor and brought to life with moody precision by Gene Colan, Tom Palmer, and Mike Rockwitz, this gripping chapter delivers intense drama and high stakes, with Paul Gulacy’s striking cover capturing the moment’s fiery tension.
In "Panther's Quest Part XIV: Somebody's Going to Pay," T'Challa races to rescue Miyo Moshigo from the Comrads, who are determined to torture and kill her. As the Comrads overwhelm him, they douse T'Challa in gasoline, setting the stage for a desperate confrontation.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Marvel Comics Presents was conceived as a bi-weekly anthology series, launched in 1988 by editor Terry Kavanagh under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco, with each issue delivering four eight-page serialized or standalone stories. Issue #26 sits at the intersection of three simultaneous ongoing serials, each of which would run for many more chapters: Howard Mackie and Rich Buckler's Havok arc (part 3 of 'Pharaoh's Legacy'), McGregor and Colan's Black Panther arc (part 14 of 25), and the inaugural chapter of Moench and Gulacy's Coldblood serial, with Paul Gulacy also providing the wraparound cover that headlined Coldblood's debut. The anthology format was deliberately designed to spotlight lesser-used Marvel characters alongside X-Men members, and Coldblood — a bleak, RoboCop-era cyborg thriller protagonist — was exactly the kind of new creation the series was built to incubate.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Coldblood (Eric Savin / Coldblood-7), created by writer Doug Moench and artist Paul Gulacy; the character is a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel transformed into a cybernetic super-soldier after being fatally injured by a landmine during Project: Ultra-Tech.
- The Coldblood story, titled 'Rise and Shine, Part 1: New York,' is the opening chapter of a 10-part serial that ran through Marvel Comics Presents #26–35 (1989), with Moench and Gulacy on every chapter.
- First appearance of Walter Olebogeng, a supporting character in the 'Panther's Quest' storyline, per the Grand Comics Database index.
- The issue contains chapter 14 of Don McGregor and Gene Colan's 25-part 'Panther's Quest' serial, which ran in Marvel Comics Presents #13–37 and was set in apartheid South Africa — one of the few mainstream superhero stories of the era to directly engage with that political reality.
- Howard Mackie (writer) and Rich Buckler (penciler) contribute 'Pharaoh's Legacy, Part 3: A Heart on Fire' starring Havok (Alex Summers), set during the X-Men's 'dead and hiding in the Australian Outback' period, between Uncanny X-Men #227 and #250.
- Peter David's Mr. Fixit / Joe Fixit (Bruce Banner as the gray Hulk) story, 'Splashdown,' serves as a prelude chapter to the Atlantis Attacks crossover event; it was later reprinted in the Spanish collection Marvel Héroes #108.
- Material from this issue was selected for reprinting in Marvel Firsts: The 1980s (Marvel, 2013 series) #3 (2014), confirming its recognized status as a key issue of the decade.
- Eric Savin's name — 'Savin' — is the phonetic basis for the '7' in 'Coldblood-7,' a wordplay noted in multiple Marvel reference sources. The MCU adaptation of the character in Iron Man 3 (2013) was portrayed by James Badge Dale, though that version was reimagined with the Extremis treatment rather than the comic's cybernetic origin.
Cast · 12 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Silver Surfer #8 (1990), Un Récit Complet Marvel #32 (1991), Hulk Visionaries: Peter David #4 (2007), Atlantis Attacks Omnibus #[nn] (2011), Marvel Firsts: The 1980s #3 (2014), Black Panther: Panther's Quest #[nn] (2017), Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus #1 (2019), Black Panther : L'intégrale #1989 (2021), Black Panther Epic Collection #3 (2021), Marvel Masterworks: The Black Panther #3 (2021), Atlantis Attacks: The Original Epic #[nn] (2021), Marvel Héroes #108 (2022), Ataques Atlantes Omnibus #[nn] (2024), X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda Omnibus #[nn] (2024), Black Panther: Panther's Prey Omnibus #[nn] (2025), Der unglaubliche Hulk #28
Key issues in Marvel Comics Presents
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