Marvel Comics Presents #23 (July 1989) (Wheels' Story)

When the Wolfpack are not fighting the likes of drug dealers, criminals, or the Nine, they are regular New York City teenagers of the late-1980s. Sure, they have skills and talents most teenagers don't, but that doesn't mean they don't also have to deal with regular teenage issues. One example is Nico "Wheels" Wolinski. The young man has a brilliant mind, and he's regarded as a master planner and strategist. But he's still human. And like most humans, he's not immune to being hit by the arrow of Cupid. This little story shows Wheels encountering his first taste of true love. This is Wheels's tale in Marvel Comics Presents #23!

The cover is a Bret Blevins piece. It's a wraparound cover. My favorite bit of it is showing Cyclops fighting some kind of yellow cousins of the famous grey aliens. You know, the ones with the big black eyes? The back cover shows the other characters who have stories here. Not really in any action poses. But our man Wheels is there giving a thumbs up, the cover promising that he's in a love story in the mighty Marvel tradition. I do like the cover, but I wish there was another way to show the other characters previewing their adventures. 

"Lady Jane"
Writer: John Figueroa
Penciler: Ron Wilson
Inker: Tex Blaisdell
Colorist: Evelyn Stein
Letterer: Diana Albers
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins in a baseball diamond in the South Bronx. Wheels is playing a bit of the sport considered one of the Great American Pastimes with some local kids. Our man is shown to be talented player, good at hitting the ball and sending it flying. He calculates that he has about 15 seconds to get to third base. Showing how fast he can be, he manages to make the base with time to spare. It allows him to test the newest modification to his wheelchair: Power brakes. 

"And NASCAR laughed at me!"

Much to his joy, they worked perfectly, allowing him to stop on a dime.

Wheels then spots a pretty girl standing on the sideline.

Right now, Cutting Crew is playing in Wheels' head...

Meet Jane. Everything about this young lady gets our man all flustered and love-struck. She's the girl of his dreams. He wants to talk to her, but he can't seem to muster up the courage. He sees himself as a coward. He's able to face drug dealers and the Nine, but he can't talk to a pretty girl. Poor Wheels. 

Another boy, Benny by name, yells at her to stop talking to Wheels, seeing the Wolfpack member as unworthy of attention. He wants to know why she hasn't spoken to him in a week. Thing is, Jane wanting nothing more to do with Benny, as he's become a drug dealer. Benny, though, is a man who does not take "no" for an answer. He grabs at Jane's arm, prompting Wheels to step in.

Benny wants Wheels to butt out, and he is willing to try and stomp our man to make his point. However, Wheels has martial arts training, and a wheelchair filled with tricks, as he demonstrates.

Benny managed to cover the entire baseball diamond in vomit.

Benny is furious at the Wolfpack member, and vows to meet him after school. Later that day, Jane and Wheels are walking down a street. Benny and a compatriot of his drive up, and they got a gun. Yup, they plan to add some hot lead to Wheels' diet. However, the Pack's resident master planner has, you guessed it, a plan for that. 

"I found some bulletproof glass in shop. I didn't ask any questions."

Not only does his wheelchair have bulletproof shielding, it is also equipped with a powerful engine, powerful enough to race with a car, if need be. Benny and his bud continue shooting at Wheels and Jane, but the redheaded genius built his shields tough, easily able to withstand the assault. Jane screams for Wheels to do something. 

After all, they can't stay on the defensive forever. But again, Wheels has a plan. He made another new modification to his chair: the ability to create slippery oil slicks behind him.

Cliche, but it works.

Evidently, Wheels is a fan of Spy Hunter. The oil slick causes the car to hit a police cruiser.

Nobody is hurt, but this causes the cops to catch Benny and his friend with their gun. They also discover that the trunk has enough drugs to get half the city high. With the danger passed, Wheels takes Jane home. He offers to walk her home every day if she wishes it. Jane finds that idea very nice. And she gives him a little reward for being her knight in shining armor.

💖

She heads to her home, saying that she'll see Wheels tomorrow. A happy Wheels, well...wheels away, vowing to be a hero to his beloved Lady Jane...

This was a cute little story. Wheels gets to save the day and get the girl. I think any real issues I have is mainly due to the length. The story has only so many pages to work with, and as such, the story didn't have a lot of room to really explore Jane as a character. It's a shame, because the Wolfpack's stories hardly ever gave much focus to any of the group's supporting cast.

I do think that Wilson's pencils are a bit stronger here than in the main Wolfpack series, mainly because there's less pages for him to work on? Evelyn Stein's colors and Tex Blaisdell's inks go very well with the art. I found myself wishing they were on the maxiseries. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2018 trade paperback Wolfpack: The Complete Collection. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off1 Take care of yourselves, and each other! See you next time!