Issue(s): Marvel Comics Presents #122 (Speedball)
Cover Date: Feb 93
Title: "Taped confessions"
Credits:
Fabian Nicieza - Writer
Paris Karounos - Penciler
Ken Branch - Inker
Mark Powers - Assistant Editor
Terry Kavanagh - Editor

Review/plot:
Oh thank god. We haven't had a crappy short Speedball story in a while, and i was beginning to think we'd run out. This one uses a character introduced in Marvel Super Heroes #1, "Pulitzer" Patty O'Donnels, an aspiring reporter that Speedball took an interest in.

Jarring difference in art between her two appearances. Her open mouth here reminds me of Rob Liefeld by way of Herb Trimpe.

Patty is filming a smuggling operation, but she calls attention to herself by dropping her purse. She gets away, but the criminals have her personal information thanks to her purse. So they hire some thugs to find her at school the next day and steal her camera, and Robbie Baldwin changes into Speedball to chase them. Patty and Robbie then find a license plate on the video that Patty took, and Speedball asks Rage to locate the smugglers.

There doesn't seem to be any kind of twist or hook or anything here. I guess Rage, not Speedball, catching the bad guys (without a fight) at the end is the twist. But otherwise this is extremely straightforward, even by the standards of Speedball solo stories.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place after Rage's new costume gets its second color scheme (a green helmet with a red and blue costume, instead of a yellow helmet and green and yellow costume). The new costume debuts without fanfare in New Warriors #29-30, so this can take place any time after New Warriors #27, the last sighting of the old new costume.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A