Sweet Christmas! - Luke Cage Appreciation 2022

[SecretWarrior]

[SecretWarrior]

[LukeCagefan]

Often too much talking not enough action. Ignores even HIS OWN continuity. Decompression extreme. Doesn't respect the characters, especially those he doesn't like (and often seems to write quite a lot of these). I doubt he actually likes super-hero comics. Likes to pass other people's ideas as his own, just by tweaking them a little, and quite often the original product is MUCH better ( I could give you a really big list here, especially of his Avengers run). Good at set-ups, terible at pay-offs. Really likes to push his pet characters down the readers throats. Not my least favorite writer, but high up in the list. And I didn't even get to the dialogue.
Is that enough?



Mostly the strength levels of many characters don't match and are way off, with many too high and others too low in the scale, even compared to what we saw at the time it was released.

Peace

He's very much into dialogue; even writing dialogue with characters like Black Panther that flat out sounds nothing like him. Luke Cage was obviously one of his favourites but it didn't seem like he knew anything about his character other than he was a hero for hire and he fought Doctor Doom. I remember just rolling my eyes when I read the issue in the Pulse where he met Jessica Jones. It just seemed a little ooc for Luke at the time. He was pretty angry and had a ton of trust issues so I just didn't see him going to spend the night with her and a bunch of little kids. Nor do I see him just pushing marriage on a woman he didn't know very well just because he got her pregnant.

I definitely agree he has good set ups but poor pay offs. In almost all his Alias stories I found the beginning of each arc interesting but the ending anticlimactic, same with his Daredevil run and Secret Invasion. I really disliked how every character he wrote nearly spoke with an identical dialogue - all chatty and witty with swear words. I'd definitely like more on your take so definitely rant away lol.

Alright, makes sense!

[LukeCagefan]

Bendis took away his leading man looks and aged him, he doesn't have a flashy costume, and he's now more known as being a dad than the Hero for Hire-- Not exactly a recipe for the character to succesfully carry a book again. Just too generic.

Anways, I like how he used to be a sex symbol:

Dude you basically just gave the reasons why Joe Quesada didn't want Spider-Man to be married...but in the same breath he allowed T'Challa to marry Storm and Luke Cage to marry Jessica Jones and have a baby with her. I don't see why people see how that hurt his character.

I loved him being a sex symbol. He's like Samson from the Bible. Or the black Hercules. Haha. That last panel was one of my favorite comics. It was just fun eerie investigation work. It was hilarious when Claire caught them two white girls kissing up on his cheeks. Supposedly, he slept with Spider Woman, Tigra, and She-Hulk (not surprising since we saw them date on panel) according to Carol Danvers.

[LukeCagefan]

Whoa....I don't remember this! Luke on a motorcycle is pretty badass!!

[LukeCagefan]

Who do y'all think are the top three Cage villains - or your favorite top three?

1 Chemistro
2 Diamondback
3 Gideon Mace

[SecretWarrior]

Luke doesn't have the best rogues gallery, but I'd list them as follows:

1. Diamondback (Willis Stryker) - Needs a power upgrade
2. Bushmaster (John McIver)
3. Constrictor (Frank Payne)
4. Chemistro (Curtis Carr) - Might be more interesting with actual powers rather than gadgets
5. Gideon Mace - Needs a tech/weapons upgrade

Honorable Mention: The soda machine in the Gem Theater

I'd like to see him take on other soldiers of fortune, like Crossbones, Abomination, Pyro, Nuke, Cyber, Blizzard, Scorpion (Mac Gargan), Sabretooth, etc. Would also be cool to see him at odds with Mojo, Kingpin, Arcade, Dr. Doom, and AIM/MODOK.

[SecretWarrior]

Luke is easily mid-tier:







I think I read somewhere that while Spider-Man can handle around 25 tons, Power Man can handle 40-50 tons.

[LukeCagefan]

Luke doesn't have the best rogues gallery, but I'd list them as follows:

1. Diamondback (Willis Stryker) - Needs a power upgrade
2. Bushmaster (John McIver)
3. Constrictor (Frank Payne)
4. Chemistro (Curtis Carr) - Might be more interesting with actual powers rather than gadgets
5. Gideon Mace - Needs a tech/weapons upgrade

Honorable Mention: The soda machine in the Gem Theater

I'd like to see him take on other soldiers of fortune, like Crossbones, Abomination, Pyro, Nuke, Cyber, Blizzard, Scorpion (Mac Gargan), Sabretooth, etc. Would also be cool to see him at odds with Mojo, Kingpin, Arcade, Dr. Doom, and AIM/MODOK.

Sometimes I wonder if Luke Cage should just adopt Tombstone to his rogue gallery? We saw him as an antagonist in the 90's series and we saw him as one in Luke Cage Noir, I think it could be interesting. Do you think Willis Should've came back? I thought his ending was pretty solid. And what do you think of Shades being killed off and fathering Victor Alvarez?

I'd also mention Ben Donovan but he got beat so badly he ended up joining him rather quickly lol. Curtis Carr was so underrated. I went in reading 70's Luke Cage expecting it to be absolutely cringe and it turned out to be the most fun experience I had reading Luke Cage. Gideon could definitely use an upgrade and they soda machine gag is pure unadulterated comedy gold. It was so funny. Also thought it was cool Cage is a fan of western films lol. Man, I miss the Gem Theater!

I think he has a very underrated rivalry with Sabertooth and I'd totally like to see more. Scorpion could definitely fun as could Rhyno - though Luke one shot him in a fight. I always thought Cottonmouth should be working for Fisk. Abomination is a bit above his weight class, no? I'd like to see him fight the Absorbing Man more. Dr. Doom would be fun, I really enjoyed the two part issues of his trip to Latveria. I have no idea why people find it ridiculous. I thought it was badass. The man had to pay his rent!

[LukeCagefan]

Luke is easily mid-tier:







I think I read somewhere that while Spider-Man can handle around 25 tons, Power Man can handle 40-50 tons.

I think Luke is actually stronger than that now. I believe Tom Brevort said he was on the 80 ton range now. We saw him easily lift an 18 wheeler with no strain, we saw him fight Proxima Midnight and make earthquakes matching her blow for blow.

[SecretWarrior]

Sometimes I wonder if Luke Cage should just adopt Tombstone to his rogue gallery? We saw him as an antagonist in the 90's series and we saw him as one in Luke Cage Noir, I think it could be interesting. Do you think Willis Should've came back? I thought his ending was pretty solid. And what do you think of Shades being killed off and fathering Victor Alvarez?

Tombstone is an easy and interesting fit for the reasons you mention, and he has an awesome monikor.

Willis should be brought back, and it's comics, so someone can find a way. No other villain has as close a relationship to Luke, which is what makes their conflict compelling.

I never gave much thought to Shades TBH, but I guess it's interesting that Luke is taking the son of one of his former villains under his wing. There has to be some underlying tension there that wasn't explored. What do you think about it?

Speaking of taking people under his wing, I wouldn't be surprised if Luke employed folks like D-Man for his Hero for Hire business, since he can't be everywhere at once. Of course, Luke would have the highest hourly rate.

I'd also mention Ben Donovan but he got beat so badly he ended up joining him rather quickly lol. Curtis Carr was so underrated. I went in reading 70's Luke Cage expecting it to be absolutely cringe and it turned out to be the most fun experience I had reading Luke Cage. Gideon could definitely use an upgrade and they soda machine gag is pure unadulterated comedy gold. It was so funny. Also thought it was cool Cage is a fan of western films lol. Man, I miss the Gem Theater!

A few pages back, I explained how Luke is similar to John McClane. One of the themes of the first Die Hard is how when the chips are down, John is more of a cowboy than a cop. I think the same could be said for Luke. When you peel everything back, he's a free-wheeling rogue bringing justice to lawless areas. The Gem Theater only playing Westerns was probably meant to help illustrate a similar idea. Very Han-Solo-esque.

I think he has a very underrated rivalry with Sabertooth and I'd totally like to see more. Scorpion could definitely fun as could Rhyno - though Luke one shot him in a fight. I always thought Cottonmouth should be working for Fisk. Abomination is a bit above his weight class, no? I'd like to see him fight the Absorbing Man more. Dr. Doom would be fun, I really enjoyed the two part issues of his trip to Latveria. I have no idea why people find it ridiculous. I thought it was badass. The man had to pay his rent!

Abombination is definitely above his weight class, which is why I think it would be a cool way to show how creative Luke can be. I can imagine him using a wrecking ball or steel girders to try to even the odds. Absorbing Man would be pretty cool too.

I think Luke is actually stronger than that now. I believe Tom Brevort said he was on the 80 ton range now. We saw him easily lift an 18 wheeler with no strain, we saw him fight Proxima Midnight and make earthquakes matching her blow for blow.

Makes sense-- And that's awesome.

[SecretWarrior]

[LukeCagefan]

Tombstone is an easy and interesting fit for the reasons you mention, and he has an awesome monikor.

Willis should be brought back, and it's comics, so someone can find a way. No other villain has as close a relationship to Luke, which is what makes their conflict compelling.

I never gave much thought to Shades TBH, but I guess it's interesting that Luke is taking the son of one of his former villains under his wing. There has to be some underlying tension there that wasn't explored. What do you think about it?

Speaking of taking people under his wing, I wouldn't be surprised if Luke employed folks like D-Man for his Hero for Hire business, since he can't be everywhere at once. Of course, Luke would have the highest hourly rate.



A few pages back, I explained how Luke is similar to John McClane. One of the themes of the first Die Hard is how when the chips are down, John is more of a cowboy than a cop. I think the same could be said for Luke. When you peel everything back, he's a free-wheeling rogue bringing justice to lawless areas. The Gem Theater only playing Westerns was probably meant to help illustrate a similar idea. Very Han-Solo-esque.





Abombination is definitely above his weight class, which is why I think it would be a cool way to show how creative Luke can be. I can imagine him using a wrecking ball or steel girders to try to even the odds. Absorbing Man would be pretty cool too.







Makes sense-- And that's awesome.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't like Willis in Defenders lol. His interaction with Black Cat cracked me up but I didn't feel the personal tension between him and Cage that I would've liked to, especially having been so long since they met. I feel Bendis doesn't really know Luke Cage very well rather than him liking the idea of him. But I support Willis being back.

I don't really care for Shades too much in the comics but I enjoyed him in the Netflix series. My issue is I really don't find Vic too likable. He's a bit annoying. I didn't feel he was respectful to Cage and often came across as arrogant with no charm like say Superboy? I also would like Luke to have the Power Man mantle and the costume he has lol.

Don't know much about D-Man other than an appearance he had in Daredevil but he seems alright. I never connected the John MCclane dots but definitely good observation. It makes sense. I just wonder why Marvel feels look is only serviceable on teams?

Ioveeeee those panels!!

[LukeCagefan]

I never knew about this Infinity stuff before you started posting these. I listened to everything lol.

[Phoenixx9]

I love seein' all these old-time Luke Cage Power Man scenes!