Luke Cage: Power Man Statues
While not the first African-American character in Marvel Comics’ roster of superheroes, Luke Cage is definitely one of the more prominent players. Starting out as a “street level” hero, Cage is currently the leader of a team of Avengers.
Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1, dated June 1972, introduced readers to a new kind of hero. Incarcerated in Seagate Prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Cage participated in a medical experiment that was sabotaged by a sadistic prison guard. Cage escaped in the ensuing explosion, now endowed with enhanced strength and bulletproof skin, determined to clear his name.
Eventually, he did indeed exonerate himself and, after a solo stint as Luke Cage: Power Man, he teamed up with martial arts hero Iron Fist. Together, they opened up shop as Heroes for Hire, an operation that continued until Iron Fist’s apparent death. Though Iron Fist did ultimately turn up alive, Cage had moved on to bigger things.
The Luke Cage Power Man statues from Bowen Designs represent the two significant eras in Cage’s crime fighting career. The classic version shows Cage in his original costume, which he wore from his beginning days through his partnership with Iron Fist. The modern version, which many collectors are already calling the “DMX Version” due to his resemblance to the rapper, gives us Cage as he currently appears as a member of the Avengers. Both versions are sculpted by Mark Newman, with the classic version available in a limited edition of 1,000 and the modern version in a limited edition of 600.
