Luke CageArchie Goodwin/Steve Englehart/George Tuska/Billy Graham
16 stories in
LUKE CAGE, HERO FOR HIRE 1-16 (
1972-
1973).
Writers:
Archie Goodwin (4),
Steve Englehart (11), Gerry Conway,
Billy Graham (2).
Artists:
George Tuska (10),
Billy Graham (6).
Inkers:
Billy Graham (13), Syd Shores, Paul Reinman, Frank McLaughlin.
- Out of Hell – A Hero! - AG/GT - 6/10
- Vengeance is Mine! - AG/GT - 5/10
- Mark of the Mace! - AG/GT - 7/10
- Cry Fear… Cry Phantom! - AG/BG - 7/10
- Don’t Mess with Black Mariah! - SE/GT - 6/10
- Knights and White Satin! - SE/GC/BG - 6/10
- Jingle Bombs! - SE/GT - 3/10
- Crescendo! - SE/GT - 6/10
- Where Angels Fear to Tread! - SE/GT - 10/10
- The Lucky… and the Dead! - SE/GT - 10/10
- Where There’s Life…! - SE/GT - 9/10
- Chemistro! - SE/GT - 9/10
- The Claws of Lionfang - SE/BG - 6/10
- Retribution! - SE/BG - 9/10
- Retribution: Part II - SE/TI/BG - 9/10
- Shake Hands With Stiletto! - TI/BG - 6/10
Average: 7.1/10 Out of Hell – A Hero!Not bad, as origins go. It moves fast and introduces a likable new character. There’s also a (revenge-based) story arc.
All told, it’s entertaining and when it’s over you want to see what happens in the next episode.
First of 20 penciller credits for George Tuska on the series (spread out over the first 47 issues).
6/10
Vengeance is Mine!So, the doctor that made Cage a super-hero is his first client, huh? After they accidentally meet in New York City. That’s a crazy coincidence, and it bugs me…
But it’s the only thing I didn’t like in this issue.
It moves fast, sets up Luke Cage, Hero For Hire, with an office and gives him a chance to get revenge on the man who framed him all those years ago.
5/10
Mark of the Mace!Better than it has any right to be.
It opens slow, with far too much talking and far too much continuity with previous issues.
Once the talking is out of the way, the story begins properly. It’s the “hours before dawn” and a desperate man stumbles into Luke Cage’s office with a tale to tell. Before long assassins are on his tale and Cage is fighting them and - eventually - setting out to avenge his (now) dead client.
Cue more violence.
Sure: it’s dumb, but Cage is a likable hero, the art is good and - except for a talky start - the pace is fast.
Better than it has any right to be.
7/10
Cry Fear… Cry Phantom!More fun than it should be.
The ending is kinda naff and ordinary, but it doesn’t spoil an issue that fairly zips along and is a lot of fun to read. Sure, it’s a bit weak that Cage’s office is the location for the story (I prefer when characters like Cage actually have clients, rather than stuff just happening to them.) but the story is interesting and moves at a fast pace.
I really like the art and the fact that everything happens late at night. It’s not the greatest story every told, but it’s fun.
This is the last of 4 writing credits for Archie Goodwin on the series.
7/10
Don’t Mess with Black Mariah!This issue has a quirky, interesting crime as Luke Cage tracks the missing body of a murder victim.
And a refreshingly un-PC tale it is. Very 1972.
The Frank Jenks murder is never really explained, however. I know Cage caught the killers early on, and the issue was mostly about the fake ambulance crew, but I was left wondering why exactly Jenks was murdered and what he wanted to talk to Cage about. Guess we will never know.
This is the first of 11 writing credits for Steve Englehart on the series.
6/10
Knights and White Satin!Enjoyed this.
It’s a change-of-pace tale that takes the Hero For Hire away from hoodlums/street crime and into the drawing room.
Which, in an odd way, allows the reader to get a better insight into Luke Cage’s character.
And it’s a good story. Like the setting a lot. Wish it had been a two-parter.
6/10
Jingle Bombs!Oh dear. An awful Luke Cage Christmas Story.
Bending logic to parallel the ghosts of past, present & future. Not worth it
First duff issue in an otherwise very enjoyable run.
3/10
Crescendo!Love the continuity as Luke Cage starts to piece together some events from issues 5 and 6.
Plus I love the art!
The case-of-the-week is pretty good, too. And it hints at continuation in the next issue, which works for me.
6/10
Where Angels Fear to Tread!Rare/Wonderful to find a comic that puts a genuinely fresh spin on the ol’ Hero Vs. Villain yarn. This is such a comic.
Luke Cage wants to be paid his $200 fee for the job he did in Issue 8.
And he’s willing to travel around the world, and get into a fist-fight with Doctor Doom to accomplish that end.
And everything about it is kinda awesome.
This isn’t just a superhero tale, this is a story about knowing what’s important to you and standing up for it.
10/10
The Lucky… and the Dead!A great private eye-type yarn, with Luke puzzling over a murder and stumbling into a bank robbery.
The bad guy of the piece is terrific.
I have great fondness for this comic, it was one of the very first Marvel Comics that I ever read.
10/10
Where There’s Life…!This story finds Luke Cage up against a genuinely fascinating villain.
Also: Cage’s extremely well written here. Much of the story finds him contemplating his own death, in a very real way, which makes a refreshing change.
His attempts to escape (which dominate the first half of the tale) are thrilling.
Great stuff.
9/10
Chemistro!A good case-of-the-week story, with an interesting baddie, and a nice ongoing subplot bubbling beneath the surface.
Great ending, too.
9/10
The Claws of LionfangPerfect mix of the superhero and private eye genres.
Quirky villain, great action scenes.
And simmering sub-plot in the background.
Nice.
6/10
Retribution!Much to enjoy here as a plot that’s been simmering in the background takes center-stage with surprising results.
I particularly love the fact that this chapter takes place late on Saturday night, and early on Sunday morning, in the hours around dawn. Perfect for a New York-based private eye-type series.
9/10
Retribution: Part IIGreat private eye-style tale, with super-heroics firmly rooted in the real world. A great read.
And, as with part one, I really love the fact that all events are taking place in the early hours of Sunday morning. There’s even a constant reminder of the exact time.
9/10
Shake Hands With Stiletto!The final chapter is a bad place to introduce a (lame) new character. Distracts from the death and mayhem a bit.
This is not up the quality of the previous parts, but it does provide a satisfactory ending to the Rackham/Fox storyline.
Shame about Stiletto… Even if the character had been any good (which he’s not) it’s a strange point in the story to bring him in.
6/10
Black Widow -
Friedrich/
Thomas/
Colan/
Heck (70-1)
4.3/10Captain Marvel -
Thomas/
Colan (67-8)
5.5/10 -
Deathlok -
Moench/
Mantlo/
Buckler (74-6)
8.8/10 Ghost Rider -
Friedrich (72-3)
2.6/10 -
Isabella (74-6)
5.4/10 -
Shooter/
Heck (77)
6.7/10 -
McKenzie/
Perlin (78)
8.9/10 -
Living Mummy -
Isabella/Mayerik (73-5)
7.6/10 Luke Cage -
Goodwin/Englehart/Tuska/Graham (72-3)
7.1/10 -
Tales of the Zombie -
Gerber/
Marcos (73-4)
6.5/10
