Hero For Hire

Luke Cage, sometimes known as Power Man, was created by Archie Goodwin, John Romita, Sr. and George Tuska, and debuted in his own book, Luke Cage, Hero for Hire, back in 1972. He wasn't Marvel's first black hero --- that was Black Panther --- or its first African American hero --- that was Falcon --- but he was the first black hero to launch in his own book and be given a push as a solo hero. In short, he was the first black hero who was made to be a star, and he was one. We've collected some of the best Luke Cage fan art we could find to celebrate the release of his new Netflix series. A lot of it harkens back to his original 1970s look, but some of it incorporates more recent looks, or takes him in a new direction. If there's one thing that Cage's comics history proves, it's that you can take him in a lot of different directions, but he'll always be unbreakable.

Over a lifetime of reading comics, Senior Writer Chris Sims has developed an inexhaustible arsenal of facts and opinions. That's why, each and every week, we turn to you to put his comics culture knowledge to the test as he responds to your reader questions!