5 Comics to Read Now That You're Done Watching Luke Cage
To paraphrase a certain movie title, we know what you did last weekend. You watched Luke Cage, the new Marvel/Netflix co-production that moves the beloved Jessica Jones character from Hell's Kitchen to Harlem to face a whole new group of villians. The latest series is arguably the best one yet, offering a whole new side to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that feels fresher and more interesting than anything that's appeared on the big screen in some time. If you're wondering just where to get more Luke now that the show's finished, don't worry. We’ve got some suggestions.
Luke Cage, Hero For Hire #1-16
Luke's comic book origins are as sensationalistic and unsubtle as you'd expect from a 1970s comic book attempt at blaxploitation—"Look out, world—I’m busting' out!" reads Cage's dialogue from one cover, while the tagline exclaims "Cage Goes Wild!"—but there's an energy, comedy, and sincerity on display that keeps it from feeling entirely offensive. This run also features the iconic storyline where Cage flies to the fictional country of Latveria to claim fees owed from Doctor Doom himself, demanding "Where's my money, honey?"
How to read it: Available digitally.
MarvelPower Man and Iron Fist #56-75
For this run Cage was paired up with kung-fu hero Iron Fist (another character about to get his own Netflix show) for a long-running buddy comedy that saw the two attempt to do good for profit as Heroes for Hire. The highlight of the series, which lasted until #150, was this 20-issue run by writer Mary Jo Duffy, which makes the most of the pair's mismatched nature while delving into their pulpy roots.
How to read it: Available digitally and in the Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection: Heroes for Hire and Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection: Revenge! print collections.
Marvel
New Avengers Vol. 1 #1-62
For most modern readers, Luke Cage is the character who held the Avengers together when everything else was falling apart. The hero went from obscurity to the focal point of Brian Michael Bendis' best-selling turn on Marvel's top superhero team, acting as the center of two separate New Avengers runs while Captain America died, Iron Man turned fascist, and everyone else wasn't able to keep it together. The key issue in the first run is #22, a spotlight on Cage as he stands apart from the rest of the superhero civil war that's going on—but New Avengers Annual #1, which features the marriage of Luke and Jessica Jones, might be worth a lot of attention, as well.
How to read it: Available digitally and in print collections.
MarvelLuke Cage Noir #1-4
An alternate universe take on Luke Cage that feels as if it informs the TV show, Noir sees screenwriter Mike Benson and artist Shawn Martinbrough strip away the Marvel Universe tropes and tell a hardboiled crime story about one good man in Harlem, who just happens might be bulletproof, trying to do the right thing.
How to read it: Available digitally and in the Marvel Noir: Daredevil/Cage/Iron Man print collection.
Marvel
Thunderbolts #144-168
An underrated piece of modern Luke Cage, Thunderbolts puts the character in charge of rehabilitating supervillains as part of a Suicide Squad-esque program, which feels especially charged given Cage's own past. With art by Kev Walker and Declan Shalvey and fast-moving, hilarious, and subtle writing from Jeff Parker, there's a lot revealed about the man behind the bravado in this run—and there's also all kinds of adventures into weirdness, danger, and supervillains gone even more bad along the way, too.
How to read it: Available digitally and in print collections.
Marvel
