Marvel’s Luke Cage got a whole new look and a whole new mission with his latest costume change – and he’s going to need it. The streets of NYC have become a warzone thanks to the underworld power struggle that began in Amazing Spider-Man Gang War: First Strike #1.
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(SPOILERS) Madame Masque had been hiding in plain sight as Hammerhead’s latest main squeeze, but she betrayed the ruthless mobster and used his vast web of intel to provoke all the gangs of New York into battling it out to fill the vacuum of power.
Luke Cage: Gang War #1 sees “Mayor” Luke Cage trapped in the conundrum of having to manage the political toll of the gang war and its effect on crime statistics; however, Wilson Fisk’s Anti-Vigilante Act prevents Cage from using his superpowers to actually stop the war.
Luke’s frustrations mount to a boiling point after he meets old pal Danny Rand and tries to help the NYPD against a squad of bank robbers wielding hi-tech weapons. The cops take Cage’s protection, but when he tries to go on the offensive against the crooks, a cop turns his gun on the mayor/superhero, as a potential violator of the Anti-Vigilante Act.
Further investigation of the weapons being used reveals that mad scientist Alistaire Smythe is supplying the gangs with tech – and Cage locates the warehouse where Smythe is running his operations. In order to bring down the bad guy and maintain his public persona, Cage goes to see “Miss Estelle,” an elderly neighborhood woman who designs a new costume for Luke – one better than “that yellow-and-blu getup you was rocking back in the day.” Cage’s new costume has a much darker design to it: gray, black, and silver color scheme with an armored-looking chest plate and half-mask to keep his identity a secret.
The issue ends with Cage taking his new vigilante persona in the field, tracking down Smythe’s gang and taking them down. Cage figures out that the “gang” are really just Smythe’s androids disguised as human beings – intel he shares with Cloak and Dagger, along with his true identity. In the end, Cloak and Dagger join Luke Cage in his mission to reclaim the streets – while somehow also maintaining his cover as the mayor. No pressure.
Luke Cage: Gang War #1 is now on sale at Marvel Comics.
Writer: Rodney Barnes
Artist: Ramón Bachs
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
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Image Credit: Marvel Comics -
Image Credit: Marvel Comics
