New Avengers: Luke Cage: Town Without Pity #1

Luke Cage travels to Philadelphia to help out an old friend who's in a rough situation. 

This trade is a collection of a three issue mini-series, a one-shot issue called Daredevil: Cage Match and Hero For Hire #1 which came out back in 1972. The main mini-series is written by John Arcudi. It wasn't that bad of a story. Luke Cage is known as a street level hero who is currently a member of the Avengers who handle bigger situations. This brings Luke Cage back to his roots by having him tackle street level scenarios. He has a run in with Hammerhead and gives him a beat down. There was definitely a lot of action that displays Luke Cage's abilities rather nicely. A villain by the name of Lionfang who apparently had ties to Luke's past and was confined to a wheelchair by Luke returns here. I had never heard of him prior to this but I liked the fact the writer brought an old villain back. It rounded out the story better. The art style changed a couple times through the three issues. It was unique style that I wasn't exactly crazy about, but didn't mind it for this short story.

The one-shot issue about Luke Cage and Daredevil turned out to be mildly enjoyable. It was a nice plot for a one-shot that pitted Luke Cage and Daredevil against each other in a friendly matchup to test each others strength and endurance. It's supposably set in the early years of their careers. 

This trade really isn't essential to keep up with continuity in the Marvel universe. Nothing of any pivotal significance occurs here. It's targeted more as a fun read offering a change of pace and a break from all the events Marvel publishes. Is it worth buying? I wouldn't pay full price for it. I purchased it because I got 40% off of it. In all honestly I probably won't ever read it again. The only purpose it will serve me now is making my collection one trade bigger.