Issue(s): Marvel Comics Presents #74 (Constrictor story only)
Cover Date: 1991
Title: "The freebie"
Credits:
Scott Lobdell - Writer
Scott McDaniel - Penciler
Randy Emberlin - Inker
Kelly Corvese - Assistant Editor
Terry Kavanagh - Editor

Review/plot:
A Constrictor solo story is, in theory, a very good use of Marvel Comics Presents. This one jumps all the way back to when the Constrictor was a kid. His mother and sister were killed by the mother's "common law" husband. Not sure if it was the Constrictor's biological father.

That's Gwen Stacy's father hugging young Constrictor there.

Young Frankie was too afraid to testify against his father, so the guy went free.

In the present, Constrictor learns that his father has returned to New York, so he hunts him down and terrifies him, but doesn't kill him.

There's nothing really here, but it's a good little bit of background. The Constrictor is a mercenary as opposed to an outright villain, and he has a bit of depth already (e.g. his friendship with Sabretooth and his refusal to join the Serpent Society). So this feels less like the usual "he's an insane villain because he had a rough childhood" than usual. Scott Lobdell will use the Cosntrictor in his Beast storyline in Marvel Comics Presents #85-92 and in his Nick Fury run, so it's interesting to see him filling out some background for the character here.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: There's nothing that says that this story has to take place before the Constrictor's appearance in Scott Lobdell's Beast story in Marvel Comics Presents #85-92, but it just feels like it ought to. And since that story takes place while X-Factor's ship is still around, this story would have to get pushed back in time to go before it.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A