The Marvel Digital Originals line of comics just gained the Hero of Harlem, as the publisher looks to stock the new line with a few A-list heroes to get it off the ground.
Last month, the Digital Originals line — a line of comics that are exactly what they say on the tin, so far celebrating characters from Marvel’s various TV hits — dropped the first issues of series starring Jessica Jones and Cloak and Dagger, and at San Diego Comic-Con the publisher announced future series Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daughters of the Dragon.
Now Luke Cage #1 is here, with a double-sized adventure on sale now through the Marvel Comics app, Comixology, and Kindle.
The new series from writer Anthony Del Col and artists Jahnoy Lindsay and Ian Herring follows the Hero for Hire in the midst of a New York City heat wave. When the rich and powerful begin dying from a mysterious illness, it’s up to Luke to find and stop the killer, but his own health is also at risk. As he takes on a new external enemy, the unbreakable hero must also face a new challenge that comes from within.
“Luke Cage is an amazing character, and I’m honored to create an original story that takes him in a completely different direction,” Del Col said in a press release. “He’s almost impossible to defeat physically, so it took me a while to realize that perhaps the biggest challenge he could have to overcome would be something internal. And after doing research and talking to specialists about CTE incidents amongst football players and soldiers, it seemed natural that it could make for a very compelling and relevant storyline for our ‘Hero for Hire.’”
Like Jessica Jones and Cloak and Dagger, the Luke Cage Marvel Digital Original will follow the format of three monthly issues followed by a trade collection release, giving readers a quick, action-heavy story that they can enjoy in three short bursts or one afternoon, and since Luke’s story is kicking off double-sized, we’re essentially in store for a six-month story that will be released in three, according to series editor Alanna Smith.
