MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
WRITER: David Walker
ARTIST: Nelson Blake II
COLORS: Marcio Menyz
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
COVER: Rahzzah
VARIANT COVERS: Mike Deodato, Jr. with Frank Martin; Andre Leroy Davis; Tim Bradstreet; Neal Adams with Dave McCaig
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2017)
Rated T+
Luck Cage created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita, Sr.
Luke Cage, also known as “Power Man,” is a Marvel Comics superhero. Cage was created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., and first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (cover dated: June 1972). Cage was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, but he eventually gained superpowers in the form of durability, unbreakable skin, and superhuman strength.
As Power Man, Cage has been most associated with another superhero, his partner, Iron Fist (Daniel “Danny” Rand), and the duo was featured in the long-running Power Man & Iron Fist comic book series in the 1980s (with a new version being launched last year). Cage is now also featured in a new solo comic book, Luke Cage. It is written by David Walker; drawn by Nelson Blake II; colored by Marcio Menyz; and lettered by Joe Sabino.
Luke Cage #1 opens with our titular hero rescuing a very stupid young woman from a really gullible criminal. Then, Luke gets some awful news. Dr. Noah Burnstein, the man responsible for giving Luke his powers, has committed suicide, so he travels to New Orleans for Burnstein's funeral. There, he meets Burnstein's colleague, the sexy Dr. Lenore Mornay, who tells Luke that there is more to Burnstein's death and to his scientific experiments than he may realize.
After the fun of Genndy Tartakovsky's recent four-issue miniseries, Cage!, the darker Luke Cage is a nice follow-up. The mood is sinister in this comic book, and the threats of adversaries seem to surround the narrative. Once again, David Walker shows his chops when it comes to writing dark, moody, but intense comic books featuring African-American characters.
Artist Nelson Blake II and colorist Marcio Menyz produced art that is too clean and brightly colored for what promises to be an edgy series. This is not low quality storytelling by any means, but it does not work for David Walker's storytelling. We'll see what the second issue looks like.
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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