Luke Cage. The Power Man and the second Black character to get his own ongoing comic in Marvel history, leaving quite a legacy in his wake that even led to an excellent but sadly short-lived TV series on Netflix. As I've said before, the 1970s were a time for new ideas and exploration and one way to do that was to be as diverse as possible. With blaxploitation rising on the screens, Marvel Entertainment decided to jump on that and give a new Black character his own comic. Thus Luke Cage was born.
It would have been interesting and most certainly better if a Black writer took on the comic but sadly there were apparently no Black writers at the time that Marvel wanted, so the book was written by a bunch of white guys. Still, the stories are good for the most part and help cement Luke Cage's hero in Marvel history. Archie Goodwin was first up, writing a few issues that helped set up Luke Cage, before Steve Englehart took over. It's unfortunate Goodwin had to leave though as he did put a lot of heart and soul into the comic, making it a success from the first issue. Framed for a crime he didn't commit and imprisoned at Seagate, Luke Cage undergoes certain medical and illegal procedures that turn him into a walking tank, his skin now invulnerable. He soon sets up his own business, deciding that he make use of his new powers to make some money, something different from the other heroes out there.
Luke Cage's comic runs in these days were never that much a success but they did last to almost 50 issues before ending, an impressive feat. Luke went on many adventures in that time but unfortunately few stuck, the writing faltering. Englehart was never able to catch the magic that Goodwin claimed early on and he even left after a year, replaced soon by a series of writers from Tony Isabella, Len Wein, and Don McGregor who was clearly chosen for his success writing the Black Panther comic. Still nothing really shown through until it was time to end it. At least, it was supposed to end, until, to save the character as well as other failing comic character Iron Fist, the decision was made to pair the two up in one comic, starting one of the greatest duos in comic history. So without further ado, here are the best Luke Cage comics from 1971-1981.
7. Power Man Vol 1 32: The Fire This Time
After his shortened but celebrated run on Black Panther, Don McGregor is tasked with trying the same with Luke Cage. And while most of his work falls short, this one stands out. Here, bigoted villain Wildfire appears to threaten a recently moved Black family out of the White neighborhood, most of the community backing him. So Luke Cage steps in to try to help. However, things escalate and the family’s son, Auggie, is killed in the fire causing the villain to turn himself in. While McGregor’s writing falters at times, the message still comes through well enough. When it comes to racial injustice, Marvel tends not to pull its punches too much, made clear in this story as the negative and tragic impact of racism are shown and sadly still have a major effect in today’s landscape.
6. Hero for Hire Vol 1 2: Vengeance is Mine
Here, Luke begins to set up his business and make a life for himself after escaping prison, deciding to become a Hero for Hire rather than just a straight-up superhero. This issue also introduces Claire Temple and D.W. Griffith who are main characters in his life as well as in the later TV series. But the main draw here is the conflict between Luke and old friend Willis Stryker, now going by Diamondback. The title says it all as Luke seeks vengeance for everything Stryker did to him, leading to an epic duel on a rooftop. The only real drawback of this issue is that the conflict with Stryker, set up in the last issue, is resolved so quickly. But it is still satisfying to see.
5. Power Man Vol 1 21: The Killer With My Name
When Luke starts using the name Power Man, Avengers villain and previous Power Man comes knocking to take back the name, leading to a no-holds barred fight in a theater, neither man having to hold back. This issue is basically just one long action piece where two men fight for the right to own the name. Luke, fighting for more than just his ego, comes out on top with a satisfying knockout, leaving the previous Power Man in the dirt. Len Wein and Tony Isabella are no strangers to action pieces and manage to make this one a fight to remember, having it stand out among the other issues because of it.
4. Hero for Hire Vol 1 8-9: Where Angels Fear to Tread
If there’s one that can be said about Doctor Doom, it’s that he makes everything better (or worse, if you’re the actual characters in the story). Hired by the Doctor to destroy some rogue robots of his, Luke completes the deed but then learns Doom has returned to Latveria without paying the 200 dollars he promised. Refusing to let this go, Luke takes the jet of the Fantastic Four to Latveria, fighting his way to Doom’s castle and even joining a rebellion all to get the money he’s owed. Englehart crafts an epic tale here that gets to the heart of Cage’s character as he refuses to let someone blow him off like that, even a supervillain like Doctor Doom, and will go to great lengths to get what he’s owed.
3. Hero for Hire Vol 1 14-16: Retribution
In this arc, Tony Isabella completes the storyline he’d been building up with disgraced reported Phil Fox discovering more of Luke Cage’s secrets, Seagate guard Billy Bob Rackham arriving in town, and old Luke Cage enemies Comanche and Shade tracking Rackham down, all colliding in disastrous ways to mess up his and his girlfriend Claire’s lives. Here, all the wounds of Seagate prison come back to haunt Luke in the worst ways with Claire becoming accused for murder, Rackham on the warpath. The noose just keeps tightening around Luke throughout as Isabella weaves a gripping and action-packed story here from beginning to end, even bringing in new villain Stiletto in the last issue to hunt Luke down just to keep the ante raised until the end.
Power Man Vol 1 48-49: Fist of Iron -- Heart of Stone
At this point in the series, Luke Cage was facing cancellation alongside other superhero comic Iron Fist. So, in an effort to save both, editorial decided to pair both together starting with these two issues. And it worked. Here Claremont wraps up the ongoing threads leftover from Iron Fist involving Misty Knight and Bushmaster by bringing them into Cage’s world. Bushmaster threatens Cage to bring Misty to him for betraying him, capturing his friends as insurance leading to an epic fight with Iron Fist and one truly breathtaking panel. Then, the heroes team-up and return to Seagate, the origin of Luke’s powers, to confront Bushmaster who has given himself powers like Cage, leading to one big brawl between the two. And because these two heroes were so popular together, it launched the series Power Man and Iron Fist which led to one of the most iconic duos of Marvel comics. Packed with heart and action, Claremont manages to bring to a close the ongoing stories of two heroes while setting up the future for both of them together.
Hero for Hire Vol 1 1: Out of Hell -- A Hero
The introduction to the first Black superhero to headline his own Marvel comic and writer Archie Goodwin knocks it out of the park here, revealing how Luke Cage was sent to Seagate prison for a crime he didn’t commit and the brutal treatment he experienced there, especially under racist guard Billy Bob Rackham. He decided to undergo experiments in exchange for a reduced sentence that turned him into a man with super strength and invincible skin which he used to escape. Goodwin packs a lot into this issue but never slides away from the mistreatment and injustice Luke underwent there, something too many African Americans have gone through in history. This story was adapted almost entirely in an episode in the later Netflix series and stands as one of the best superhero origin stories. The only thing that could have made it better was if the writer had been Black but Archie Goodwin still does a phenomenal job, showing he did the best he could do with the character.
Not too many here but they each tell their own Luke Cage story that would help him become a major marvel figure. His presence in th 80s was dominated by his companionship with Iron Fist but still, he made his mark.
Comments