Alternative takes on superheroes can be fun.
(Hint: the answer involvesa cape made of tiger.
Wear that with theFantastic Mr. Foxtie, and youll be the most popular boy in school.)
ButLuke Cage Noiris more than just a nifty narrative remix.
Next to those iconic characters, Luke Cage might look like the odd man out.
A Harlemite ex-con with super-strength, Cage was one of the first African-American superheroes with his own monthly comic.
The characters had a far-reaching influence, but hes felt archaic for decades.
Luke Cage Noirchanges all that in fact, its practically a complete artistic revival for the character.
He soon falls into a mystery.
A wealthy white woman has been found dead in Harlem.
Her husband, the impeccable-named Randall Banticoff, hires Cage to track down the murderer.
The ensuing plot has its fair share of detective-novel twists.
There are empty coffins, untrustworthy friends, and soliloquizing criminals.
There are generous heaps of overripe tough dialogue (I got a buzz of your moll in the cooler.
John Law and him were both dirtier than a pig after a mud bath.
My favorite: I see some chippies that need some watering.)
But there is also a definite feeling for Prohibition-era Harlem.
Writers Mike Benson and Adam Glass create a fascinating atmosphere of repressed racial tension.
Meanwhile, Artist Shawn Martinbroughs drawings manage to suggest straightforward grit and a more world of shadow-drenched melodrama.
An entertaining, surprising read.B+
