I must admit, that I had low expectations going into this three issue mini-series. Most of Marvel’s mini-series of late have been...less than satisfying. Ultimately though, I had to give it a day in court. I am a huge New Avengers fan and a huge Luke Cage fan, so it would be remiss of me not to.
Once all was said and done, believe it or not, I was pleasantly surprised. The book had a nice old school feel to it, which suits Luke Cage just fine. John Arcudi seems to be able to relate well with the main character, which comes across as the authentic characterization of a character that must be easy to fumble based on stereotypes and the pre-determined history of Cage.
In this story, Cage travels to Philli to help an old acquaintance who has gotten himself in deep with the locals. It turns out that this hood is being run by more than hoods, as one of Cage’s oldest enemies turns up.
Eric Canete is the artist on the book, and he is no stranger to drawing superheroes. His stylized panels and exaggerated proportions during action scenes fit the tone and setting of the book well.
I hope that Ronin and Spider-Man (who appear in the early stages of the book) join up with Cage in Philli. Together they made a really interesting team. This was a good start to a new mini-series. I am looking forward to issue number two.