Marvel Comics Presents #4
Marvel Comics Presents #4 is the installment of the landmark 'Save the Tiger' arc in which Jessan Hoan makes her first appearance under the name and identity of Tyger Tiger — the Singapore banker-turned-Madripoor crimelord who would become one of Wolverine's most enduring supporting characters across decades of stories. Chris Claremont used the compressed eight-page format to place Wolverine at his most physically vulnerable, captured, tortured by the Inquisitor and Sapphire Styx, then hurled off a waterfall by Razor-Fist — a storytelling escalation that set the stakes for the arc's resolution and established Madripoor as a fully realized, morally ambiguous locale for solo Wolverine adventures. The issue also continued Steve Gerber's 'Elements of Terror' Man-Thing serial, Doug Moench's 'Crossing Lines' Master of Kung Fu arc reuniting the classic Shang-Chi supporting cast, and Al Milgrom's Thor backup 'Silent Thunder,' making it a dense anthology snapshot of late-1980s Marvel at its most experimental.
In "Save the Tiger Part 4: The Ordeal," Wolverine endures brutal interrogation at the hands of Roche before making a desperate escape from the Inquisitor’s clutches. With razor-sharp danger closing in, he faces off against Razorfist in a fierce fight—then leaps over a waterfall to vanish into the wilderness. Written by Chris Claremont and brought to life with dynamic art by John Buscema, inks by Klaus Janson, and colors by Glynis Oliver, this gripping chapter of Wolverine’s early solo saga is a standout in the Marvel Comics Presents series, with a striking cover by Al Milgrom and P. Craig Russell.
In "Save the Tiger Part 4: The Ordeal," Wolverine endures brutal interrogation at the hands of Roche before making a desperate escape from the Inquisitor. Forced to fight his way through relentless pursuit, he confronts Razorfist only to leap over a waterfall, vanishing into the unknown.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Marvel Comics Presents launched in September 1988 as a bi-weekly anthology deliberately structured to give Marvel characters solo showcases without the commitment of an ongoing title; each issue contained four eight-page stories, typically three serial installments and one standalone. The series was edited by Terry Kavanagh, with assistant editors Michael Higgins and Mike Rockwitz, under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco, and was conceived partly as a vehicle for X-Men solos — the first ten issues anchored their lead slot to Wolverine. Issue #4, with its cover dated Early October 1988 and released June 14, 1988, was the fourth chapter of Claremont and John Buscema's ten-part 'Save the Tiger,' the story arc that introduced the fictional island of Madripoor as Wolverine's second home and built the character framework for Tyger Tiger as a major recurring presence in his world.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Contains the first appearance of Jessan Hoan *as* Tyger Tiger, the Madripoor crimelord who becomes a major Wolverine supporting character; she arrives at the Princess Bar in Lowtown to consult with O'Donnell during the chapter subtitled 'The Ordeal' (Part 4 of the 10-part 'Save the Tiger' arc by Chris Claremont and John Buscema, inked by Klaus Janson).
- Also marks the first appearance of the Inquisitor, Roche's torture specialist who interrogates Wolverine alongside Sapphire Styx in this installment.
- The issue carries four distinct stories: 'Save the Tiger Part 4: The Ordeal' (Wolverine, Claremont/Buscema/Janson); 'Elements of Terror Part 4: Rage and Design' (Man-Thing, Steve Gerber/Tom Sutton); 'Crossing Lines Part 4: Water' (Master of Kung Fu, Doug Moench/Tom Grindberg/Dave Cockrum); and 'Silent Thunder!' (Thor, written and drawn by Al Milgrom).
- The cover is by Al Milgrom and P. Craig Russell.
- The 'Save the Tiger' chapter from this issue was later reprinted in the *Wolverine: Save the Tiger!* trade paperback and in the *Marvel Comics Presents: Wolverine* Vol. 1 trade paperback.
- The Wolverine segment from issue #1 of the series was also reprinted in *Marvel Milestones: Wolverine, X-Men, Tuk the Cave Boy* (2005), demonstrating the lasting appetite for the early 'Save the Tiger' arc as a collected unit.
- The 'Crossing Lines' Master of Kung Fu backup reunites classic characters from the original *Master of Kung Fu* series — Shang-Chi, Clive Reston, Black Jack Tarr, and Leiko Wu — who had last appeared in *Master of Kung Fu* #122–125 before this anthology revived them.
- The issue exists in both Direct Edition and Newsstand Edition variants.
Cast · 40 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in I Nuovi Mutanti #4 (1989), Marvel Hit Comic #4 (1990), Un Récit Complet Marvel #28 (1990), Thor #15 (1991), Wolverine: Save the Tiger #1 (1992), Wolverine Collection #1 (2002), Marvel Comics Presents: Wolverine #1 (2005), Wolverine Omnibus #1 (2009), Marvel Série I #9 (2012), Wolverine Epic Collection #1 (2014), Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Omnibus #4 (2017), Doctor Strange: Lords of Fear #[nn] (2017), Man-Thing by Steve Gerber: The Complete Collection #3 (2021)
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