A Strong First Entry
Luke Cage has always struck me as an awesome character. Maybe because we share a name; maybe it's that, despite his powers, he's largely human, both physically and emotionally; maybe it's that he's a character that evolves rather than stagnates. Or maybe it's just that he fills the open void of African American super heroes. But, whatever the reason, I've always found him to be a stand-out figure. So, when I heard that there would be a comic starring him and a large cast of what appeared to be generally unknown African American characters and the freakin' Superior Spider-Man, I was a little pumped. And, having finally gotten around to reading the first issue, I'm glad to say that it was fairly worth the wait. There were some minor things here that could have used a little tweaking, but, overall, this is a great issue to read, cover to cover.
After a brief preview scene, we are quickly introduced to our rag-tag team of heroes, who, ultimately, are forced together (always a good start for team bonding). We meet a lot of people, including, but not exclusively, our cover characters. Luke Cage is really interesting, as usual, and provides a certain family motif that works here (more than it did in the early FF issues anyway). The other characters are fascinating, but we aren't given too much to hold on to for each; however, they all seem strong, both through their powers and their actions, and are distinct in how they sound and act. Admittedly, Doc Ock being a dick doesn't work overly well here, but it's by no means bad, just a little out of place.There are a few comedic moments, but this is generally about setting the scene. The characters get to where they need to be, alliances or animosities are established, and a mysterious costumed figure is introduced (in a somewhat flamboyant fashion). Apparently, this mystery is meant to pursue until the 8th or 9th issue, so get ready sleuths! Though I'm not the biggest fan of that sort of thing, it's a nice touch to get us exploring the background of certain characters to try and determine who this could be.
This is a nice start, but I do hope they kick it up the last notch, as the visual flare and the writing is here. Those first few panels are really stand-out, but the rest of the comic after that begins to slow down so it can catch everyone up to speed. Now that things have gotten rolling, hopefully the next issue won't need to hold our hand as much and let go of the reigns a little.
