Power Man and Iron Fist #50 (April 1978)

When it comes to partnerships of any kind, the phrase "opposites attract" can apply. That statement is definitely true when it comes to Luke "Power Man" Cage, and Daniel "Iron Fist" Rand. At first glance, you can imagine that these two men would likely never cross paths, much less go into any sort of business together. Luke Cage was a super-strong super-durable Black man from Harlem. Danny Rand was a white kid born into a rich family who was one of the Earth's best martial artists. But in the Marvel Universe, it not only could happen, but they'd also develop an enduring friendship in the process. Luke Cage would even go on to name his daughter after Danny.

In way, the two working together kind of fits. Both of them drew from 1970s fads: Luke Cage was Marvel homaging blaxploitation, and Danny Rand was inspired by the martial-arts craze. They both started out with solo books. Fist's would last 15 issues, but Cage's would be significantly more successful, still ongoing as of the cancellation of Iron Fist's solo book. To rescue him, it was decided that with issue #48 of Power Man's book, it would star both Iron Fist and Luke Cage together, with this comic we're looking at giving the title a new name: Power Man and Iron Fist.

It worked. Having both characters together would help make them more three-dimensional, allowing them to outlast the fads that inspired them. In fact, this series would last all the way to 1986. And even then, the Heroes for Hire would still stick around in some form. Both Luke Cage and Iron Fist would even make their way to being Avengers members. So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at Power Man and Iron Fist #50!

The cover is a Dave Cockrum and Irv Watanabe piece. It is a basic cover, centering on our two heroes. However, I like it because it has that movie poster vibe.

"Freedom!"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: John Byrne
Inkers: Dave Cockrum (Page 1), Dan Green (Pages 2-17)
Colorist: Francoise Mouly
Letterer: Denise Wohl
Editor: Archie Goodwin
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with a party being held for Luke Cage by his friends and allies: lawyer Jeryn Hogarth, fellow hero Danny "Iron Fist" Rand, and private detectives Colleen Wing and Misty Knight.

I love a good party!

So, why are they celebrating? Well, in the last issue, evidence was found that fully exonerated Luke Cage from the false charges that led him to be locked up in Seagate Prison, where he got his superpowers and became the first Power Man. Even Seagate's warden, Tyler Stuart, is there to congratulate him on his exoneration. Knight offers him a job working for her and Colleen at Knightwing Restorations, their PI firm. Luke is reluctant, as he's a loner at heart. She asks him to think it over, as it's a legit job. Iron Fist reveals that Luke Cage had legally changed his name to "Lucas Cage" (His birth name is Carl Lucas). We get a brief recap of his origins, as shown in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (June 1972)

Luke's party is about to get rained on two-fold, sadly. One is a meeting with his then-ladyfriend Dr. Claire Temple. You may know her from the Netflix Luke Cage and Defenders series portrayed by Rosario Dawson. 

She tells Luke that she's tired of being collateral damage thanks to Luke's adventuring. She's been kidnapped, attacked, even framed for murder. It's understandable why she has had her fill of this. Luke offers to give up his adventuring days for her. Claire points out that she knows Luke. He can't give up the Hero for Hire gig any more than she could give up her dedication to medicine. She'll find her own way out. Misty Knight offers Luke a metaphorical shoulder to cry on, but two supervillains decide to bust in.

I can imagine poor Luke just thinking "Why me, man?! Why me?!"

Meet Discus and Stiletto, and they have a mad-on for Luke Cage. Yeah, I can see why Claire Temple has had her fill of this. The two villains attack Cage, not caring about cathing civilians in the crossfire. Iron Fist jumps into help. Misty Knight tries to help as well, but Fist gets her to help the civilians get to safety. 

Discus throws an explosive disc that brings a wall and some of the ceiling down on Cage and a civilian. An enraged Iron Fist beats down Stiletto. Discus tries to take advantage of Iron Fist not noticing him, but the martial arts master has a guardian angel of his own.

As Colleen Wing lends a leg, Luke Cage is able to free himself and the civilian lady. She's not hurt, but she's angry about her nails being ruined.

Iron Fist pursues the two villains to a rooftop. However, he realizes he made a mistake. The wind and snow cut his visibility, he's on a thin roof, and his opponents are packing jetpacks, so they can fly.

Discus uses a pair of explosive discs to knock Iron Fist off the roof. He's able to grab the edge, and Stiletto tries to make him let go by stomping on his hand. Luke Cage tries to come to the rescue, but ends up falling through the roof with Discus. Iron Fist makes an attempt to climb up. However, the ironwork on the roof has been made brittle by the cold (and presumably age), and it shatters. Iron Fist is about to fall to his death...until he spies a dome. He remembers the dome covers a year-round pool, and it's made of a pliable plastic. Taking a gamble that it can take the fall, Iron Fist skydives towards it.

A fun little connection is made to X-Men here. The two women talking in that panel are Betsy Wilford and Amanda Sefton, with the latter discussing a date with Kurt. Back at the penthouse, Luke Cage prepares to beat Discus to a pulp. Stiletto threatens to cut Cage in two. Whether he can is not likely. The police burst in alongside Misty and her former NYPD partner Rafael Scarfe. Stiletto shoots Scarfe in the chest with his metal darts. Enraged, Misty shoots Stiletto in the shoulder and readies to give him another bullet. This one, between his eyes. Luke stops her by blocking the bullet with his hand. He tells her Stiletto is not worth killing. And besides, Rafe is okay. His badge blocked the darts.

Later, we learn that Discus and Stiletto will be locked up. Misty thanks Luke for preventing her from doing something she'd regret. The story ends with Luke telling her that he's changed his mind about the job offer she made. He wants to give working for Knightwing Restorations the old college try after all...

I did enjoy this comic. It was very action-packed, but it managed to fit in some nice character moments. When it comes to the art, I think some of the credit should go to Cockrum and Green's inking when it comes to John Byrne's art. Byrne is a good penciller, but their inks help make his art look much cleaner. 

If you want to read this yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2015 trade paperback Power Man and Iron Fist Epic Collection Vol. 1: Heroes for Hire. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off!