Happy 45th Birthday, Luke Cage! That's right, 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of his debut! Created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr., the character was inspired by the popularity of Blaxploitation films at the time. However, when the genre faded, he was paired in a book with Iron Fist. Funny enough, Iron Fist was also created in response to another 1970s film fad: kung-fu flicks. The pairing was genius, allowing the two to become more three-dimensional characters, and allowing their series to survive well into the 1980s.
Since then, Cage has managed to stick around in the Marvel Universe, protecting Chicago in his own series (which I looked at the first issue of right
here), having his own serial in
Marvel Comics Presents, and even being a main cast member in the
Heroes for Hire series.
In recent years, the character has undergone a bit of a renaissance. He's been an Avenger, led the Thunderbolts, and now is in the new
Defenders series. He's also the husband of the super-strong PI Jessica Jones, a father to a daughter named Danielle, who has an alternate future counterpart that became Captain America.
So, with that, let's take a look at where it all started. Here is
Hero for Hire #1!
The cover is pretty nicely drawn. Luke Cage is posing in front of a woman, some playing cards, a woman, some neon signs, and Rackham standing over a beaten-down man, being held back by another guard. I like that the background is in shades of red and pink, allowing Cage himself to stand out and catch the eye. My only real complaint is the masthead logo. It's a little too big, in my opinion. It goes nearly halfway over the cover. Doesn't give a ton of room for the image.
"Out of Hell--A Hero!"
Writers: Roy Thomas, John Romita Sr., and Archie Goodwin
Penciler: George Tuska
Inker: Billy Graham
Letterer: Skip Kohloff
Editor: Stan Lee
The story begins at Seagate Prison, a maximum security facility that claims, like Alcatraz, no one has ever escaped. In fact, it's known as "Little Alcatraz". It's essentially a bit of a Hell on Earth. We look in on a trio of guards, letting a man named Carl Lucas out of solitary confinement. One of the guards, a Mr. Quirt, taunts Lucas, saying that he'll be back, and when he does, Quirt will break him.
Lucas heads to the yard, where he meets another prisoner called Shades. He and some of his fellow prisoners are planning a little bit of a demonstration for the warden, as they are fed up with him being a jerk. Lucas wants nothing to do with it, saying that if he's going to get his head bashed in by batons, he'll do it himself. Another prisoner, named Comanche, threatens him with a knife, but eats Lucas's fist for his trouble. Lucas walks off, saying all he cares about is getting out of Seagate, and if he needs a group, he'll do the organizing.
Quirt and the warden, Captain Rackham, watch this exchange from their office. Quirt is all too eager to throw Lucas back into solitary for this, but Rackham nixes it. He sees other possibilities for the loner, and orders Quirt to
gently bring him to his office.
Rackham makes Cage a bit of an offer.
You see, Markham wants to quell the planned uprising. Quirt and Rackham are heavily hinted that they are a pair of racist punks, but the creative team had to be subtle about it due to the Comics Code at the time. Anyway, Markham wants Cage to be an informer, alerting him to when the planned uprising will occur. It also would help make Markham look good for the new warden coming in. Cage refuses. Markham tells him that a man needs friends in the pen, but Cage isn't
that lonely. Furious with this, Markham orders Quirt to send him back to solitary. On the way, Quirt decides to have his own bit of fun with Mr. Lucas...
The other guards and even other prisoners are outraged by Lucas's treatment. However, the future Luke Cage would get a savior. The new warden, a man named Stuart, has arrived. He hears the commotion and is rather unhappy with what he is seeing. In a bit of poetic justice, he decides to...end Quirt's employment as a Seagate guard, and leaves him alone with Carl Lucas so the two can...discuss their issues. In the warden's office, Captain Rackham is enjoying a drink, and offers one to Quirt, only to see that it's Warden Stuart.
I love that last panel. If that were made into live-action or something, I can imagine Markham accidentally dropping his cigar and spilling his drink on himself. Stuart is unimpressed by Markham and basically tells him that he is demoted. Markham has one week to impress as a regular guard, or he's done. Markham blames Carl Lucas for this.
Some time later, a doctor comes to visit Lucas. He introduces himself as Dr. Noah Burstein. He looks over at Lucas's healing injuries, and explains that he got special permission to visit him. Burstein is working on a certain medical experiment, and he thinks Mr. Lucas fits the bill. Lucas is one of the toughest, fittest, and strongest men in the prison, so he'd be the most likely to survive it. He looks over Lucas's files, and finds that he's not going to be leaving for good behavior anytime soon. You see, Lucas claims he was framed.
Burstein says everyone who goes to the prison says that, but he would still like to hear Lucas's side of the story. Figuring there was no harm in telling him this, Lucas starts to tell his tale. Carl Lucas grew up in the streets of Harlem. Harlem was a tough place, where you had to scrape to survive. However, Lucas didn't have to do it alone. He had a friend named Willis Stryker. Together, the two turned to crime to survive.
Over time, Stryker developed a talent for knife-fighting, while Lucas best one of the best street brawlers in town. Over time, Lucas grew tired of the criminal life. Stryker was just getting started, getting involved in the rackets. But then, something, or more appropriately, some
one had come into the boys' lives.
Her name was Reva. And she has stolen the heart of both Lucas and Stryker. However, Stryker was able to win her over initially because he had the money to get her nice gifts and take her to fancy restaurants. On one of their dates, a man approaches Stryker. He is a representative of the Syndicate, and says they don't like Stryker's business cutting into their territory. Stryker doesn't care. Reva is worried about this whole thing.
Stryker decides to leave out a side door, as the Syndicate man left out the front. The Syndicate had prepared for this, and set up an ambush. Much to Reva's horror, the Syndicate men lay a beating down on Stryker, and she goes for help, finding Carl Lucas playing poker. He and Stryker may had their issues over Reva, but they were still friends. Lucas comes to Stryker's aid, giving the Syndicate men a beating of their own, and getting Stryker to a hospital.
This whole thing has given Reva a bit of a revelation. She realized that Stryker is embracing a dangerous way of life, and she is terrified by it. She tells a healing Stryker this in the hospital, and he takes it well.
Carl and Reva grew close over time, to the point where they were talking marriage. During that time, Stryker was plotting his revenge. And he does with a frame-up.
Burstein questions this, asking how Lucas can be certain it was Stryker that framed him. Lucas says it was obvious. The Syndicate had no idea who he was, and Stryker had a motive. While Lucas was in the clink, Stryker had made false promises to Reva that he'd help Lucas out. The two are driving down a road when their car gets shot up. Stryker survives, Reva is...not so lucky. Ever since then, Lucas has only cared about one thing: Getting out and getting his revenge on Stryker. Burstein believes his story, but reminds him that attitude won't get him out.
Burstein tells Lucas about the medical project he's working on. It's a risky one, but if it succeeds, Lucas could get parole. Lucas is tempted by this, but turns it down, saying that parole will do him no good if he's dead. Later, the demoted Rackham taunts Lucas in his cell, saying he's going to make Lucas's time in Seagate an absolute hell. Rackham has clearly not considered that Warden Stuart may be keeping an eye on him.
Lucas is fed up with it and decides that if he's going to partake in Burstein's experiment...for reasons. The next day, Burstein takes Cage to a lab with equipment provided by Stark Industries as part of his research grant. Heh heh, Iron Man reference. Burstein explains that he's researching human cellular regeneration. He believes that his research could one day allow any disease to be cured, perhaps even...immortality. Hey, anybody can be the Highlander!
Lucas then steps in the chemical bath, and the experiment is underway. Rackham sees an opportunity to get some revenge on Lucas, and messes with the controls.
You'd think that an experiment like this would have some people guarding it, considering it was being done in a prison. I dunno, maybe Rackham bribed them. Burstein tries to stop Rackham, but the damage is done. The chemicals in the bath go crazy, and Lucas bursts out. Rackham tries to shoot him, but Lucas knocks him on his butt. Burstein notes that Lucas's slap knocked him cold, like he put a lot more strength into it than he intended.
Lucas pounds the wall in frustration, but discovers that his punch actually cracked the wall...without even damaging his fists. He realizes the chemical bath must've made him much stronger and more durable than a normal person. Seeing a chance to finally escape, Lucas bursts through the wall like a battering ram.
The guards pursue him, and Lucas finds himself at the edge of a cliff. He grabs a rock to fight back, but gets shot by the guards, and sent careening over the cliff. The guards go down to check for his body, but only find a bullet hole-ridden shirt. As for Lucas himself...
He emerges from the water, discovering that the bullets bruised him, but otherwise didn't harm him. He's essentially become a super-strong walking bulletproof vest. Burstein looks out a window, and mentally apologizes to Lucas for seemingly getting him killed. Lucas hides in the water until dark, then heads into the city. On the way, he struggles with a problem: everyone thinks he's likely dead, and he has no way of making a living. Not to mention his newfound superhuman status.
Once he makes it back to New York City, Lucas has an encounter with a criminal at a diner. His new power allows him to easily take down the thief. The diner's owner is so grateful to Lucas that he gives him some money. The former prisoner is hit with a bit of a flash of inspiration, and he heads to a costume shop.
Later, he visits Reva's grave. He tells her he is back in town, and has taken up a new name: Luke Cage. The newly-renamed Cage swears he will avenge Reva's death. He asks around town for information about what Stryker is up to currently. Next, he heads to his cheap hotel room. His new costume is done, his business cards are printed up. He's ready to begin his new occupation: Luke Cage, the Hero for Hire.
People have poked fun at the costume (heck, comics have shown Luke Cage himself poking fun at it), but let's keep in mind, this was 1972. The costume would end up becoming rather iconic. It was such a part of the character that Cage would regularly use it until the 1990s.
Luke Cage isn't the only one who has embraced the costumed life, though. A messenger reports to a man about Cage's activities. He nearly gets a knife to the face in response. He goes to a rack of various knives and daggers, reminding that he fought his way into getting into the Syndicate and getting some turf of his own. And who was this man?
Yup, it's Luke's former friend Willis Stryker, with a fancy supervillain outfit and
nom-de-guerre of his own: Diamondback. You see, in the Marvel Universe, Willis Stryker was the first character to use the "Diamondback" name. First of five. Stryker wants Cage brought to him. I'm guessing he's unaware Luke Cage was his former friend.
This comic is pretty enjoyable. Luke Cage was inspired by Blaxploitation, and you can see that influence all over it. It's set in an urban neighborhood, deals with crime, and I wanted to listen to some Isaac Hayes when reading this. It goes at a brisk pace, and George Tuska does some good artwork on this. We do see some early establishment of Cage's character, like his principled nature. If you are a fan of the character, or just curious about his origins, I highly recommend getting it.
Next time, we return to Earth-712, and go further into the fall of the Squadron Supreme...
