American Update: The Many Faces of Luke Cage – Hero For Hire, Power Man, and Iron Fist’s co-star
*Marvel: Introduced in 1972 as a rather cheeky cash-in on the then-popular ‘Blaxploitation’ fad, Luke Cage turned out to have a surprising longevity and adaptability, moving from outcast street-level mercenary to mainstream super-hero, to co-star of a ‘buddy movie’ series with Iron Fist – and by whatever subtitle, Luke remains one of Marvel’s more popular characters, as evidenced by his recent Netflix TV series. This update, we have around forty issues newly listed, ranging from #2 to #87, with highlights including the debuts of his TV nemeses Black Mariah (#5) and Cottonmouth (#19), his transition from Hero For Hire to Power Man (#17), the debut of Black Goliath (#24), his first meeting with Iron Fist (#48), and the second ever appearance of Sabretooth (#66). Depicted is #19 (NM £57), an outstanding ND copy of a villainous debut.