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CAGE #1
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics/MAX Comics
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Richard Corben
Colors: Jose Villarrubia
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $2.99 US/$4.75 CAN |
Azzarello. Corben. An underused urban character. The usual rules governing Marvel super-heroes... gone. It all should have added up to one hell of a read, but to my surprise, it didn't really work for me. Azzarello brings a refreshing edge to the title character, but in the end, the plot comes off as a bit on the cliched side. This first chapter comes off as something of a second-rate private-eye TV plot.
For people like Mrs. Dickens, justice is about as accessible as accessible as the peak of Mount Everest. The cops don't care that her daughter was killed by a bullet meant for a local drug dealer, so she scrapes up what little cash she can to get someone else to do something about it... someone by the name of Cage. The problem is that he seems more interested in bigger bucks and booty. Still, he takes the case, and it leads him to a place where bangers and beat cops pal around.
Corben's squat figures and organic style help to brings out the stark nature of urban living here. The detailed but exaggerated faces of these characters make it exactly clear just how hard their lives have been. But when it comes to the title character, he stands out as a physical paragon. His invulnerability comes shining through in his body language and perfectly sculpted appearance. The colors also reinforce the gray and dirty nature of the setting.
Fans of Luke Cage shouldn't try to reconcile this vision of the character with those that have come before... not even Brian Michael Bendis's more adult take on him in Alias from a few months ago. There's no "Sweet Christmas!" coming from Cage this time around. Azzarello has transformed him into a badass. The idea is that this "hero for hire" acts only out of self-interest. He's a slimeball who just happens to beat up on bangers rather than hang with them.
But then, that's not completely true either. Cage acts like he doesn't care about anything, but then has the cliched change of heart about a poor mother who lost a child. I've seen this same archetype before, albeit in different settings. Hard-boiled type's heart melts a little upon hearing someone's sob story. The narration tells us one thing, his actions indicate the opposite. he only plans to do a minimal amount of work... until things get interesting. It's a cliche that's dressed up with in-context profanity and a track suit, but ultimately, it's nothing new. This is The Rockford Files, with Ice Cube in the title role.
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