Marvel, via CBR, has ”announced” a new “Luke Cage” series by “Power Man & Iron First” writer David Walker and “The Magdalena” artist Nelson Blake II. This comes hot on the heels of Cage’s first live action appearance in Netflix’s Luke Cage and just prior to his starring role in Netflix’s The Defenders. When asked how much influence the show and Mike Colter’s take will have on the character, Walker said, “You don’t want to be exactly like the show or movie, though, because there’s a reason why there’s a movie or TV show, and there’s a reason why there’s a comic. I firmly believe that neither should be exactly the same otherwise it gets boring.” That said, Walker also mentioned, “it [the show] did show me a lot of ideas and ways Luke could be handled.”
The series first arc will feature Cage traveling to New Orleans for the funeral of a man who was like a second father to him, Dr. Noah Burstein. It will in part act as an investigation of Burstein, an exploration of his relationship with Cage, and a confrontation with a brand new villain in the Marvel universe. When asked how Cage feels about Burstein when the story begins, Walker said, “Luke has a very high and strong opinion of him.”
The book is described as a street-level book inspired by noir movies from the 40’s and 50’s and detective books Walker has been reading. “Luke is essentially a private detective” in this book. Walker also says that he’s been reading “a ton of ‘Luke Cage’ comics” in preparation for this book, though, he expresses a desire to see his run differ from some of the former runs on the character. In the past Cage has solved many cases by simply beating people up and Walker wants him to use his brain a little bit more, as well as operate in a more, morally grey zone.
This will be one of three ongoing series featuring Cage when it launches, alongside “The Defenders” by Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez, as well as “Black Panther and The Crew” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Yona Harvey, and Butch Guice. Walker, in the CBR interview, confirms that “Power Man and Iron Fist” will end sometime early this year. The first issue of “Luke Cage” will drop in May.
