Comic Review: Luke Cage #1 & 2

Luke Cage #1 & 2

Marvel Comics

Writer: Anthony Del col

Artist: Jahnoy Lindsay

I did not know Luke Cage was getting a new series. Marvel’s Fresh Start relaunches, for the most part, have been pretty good. There’s a couple I personally didn’t like, but as a whole, it’s been some quality work. I enjoyed the previous Luke cage series, and even though it ended a few months ago, I think this has the potential to be better than that one.

The “cold open” of these first two issues is a man driving his car and talking to his wife. There’s a note saying he’ll pay for a past crime/misdeed. Cut to Luke Cage, out with his daughter Danielle in Harlem. A man hires him to protect him from the same mystery killer. At a charity event, the man dies, vomiting and falling off the stage. Taking some tests to make sure he doesn’t have the same illness, Luke learns he has CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).

The second issue opens with Luke reading a story to Danielle, but forgetting parts of it. Luke Cage wants to get to the bottom of who’s killing the Harlem businessmen and has a run in with the police and FBI. The main suspect from the first issue, comes to Luke Cage for help, having received a note saying he’ll die for his own past crimes as well. Luke and the FBI attempt to lure out the killer, where Omega Red turns up, yelling about “Everyman”.

I’ll say, the most interesting part about these first two issues to me is Luke Cage possibly having CTE. It’s a real and serious disease, and to bring it into the world of superheroes is a cool idea and concept. They say in the comic that it’s not something that can really be diagnosed until after the person is dead, so there’s the chance that Luke may not have it. Whether he does or doesn’t, it’s still interesting, and I really want to see where they take it.

The rest of the story is pretty on par for a superhero comic. Luke is hired to protect someone, fails, and is determined to bring the perpetrator to justice. Nothing against it, but I was worried that Luke would be changed to be more like his TV show self, but that’s not the case. I haven’t read anything written by Anthony Del Col, but he does Luke Cage justice. He’s written well, and the dialogue flows naturally.

The art is Jahnoy Lindsay is pretty good. I can’t complain about it. Luke Cage is taller and bigger than almost everybody, which is how I think he should be. There’s not too much action, but where there is it flows well. I like Omega Red more in this art style than how he looks in the Weapon X book. The colors, by Ian Herring, look a little muted and not as bright as daytime in the summer in Harlem would be, but it fits well with the art style. All in all, this is a good looking book.

In my opinion, Marvel’s Fresh Start is their best relaunch of the last few years. They’ve put out a couple of home runs, and even more books that hit the mark. I do think some of them were bad, but this isn’t one of them. The art in this is good, it doesn’t stand out to me, but I don’t have any complaints about it. The story is a little standard, but the twist thrown into Luke Cage’s health is enough to keep my interest high. Overall this a very good start for a new Luke cage series, and I can’t wait to read more.