Luke Cage as you have never seen him before

[sherkahn]

I confess I am getting this from the CBR forums, but it's so good it HAS to be commented on.
Here is the link to that discussion.





Is that what you tell Jessica Jones?

Comments

[golden_orange]

That is not the Hammer.

(... the Hammer is his penis.)


(Sorry, it had to be done.)

[selke]

I just choked on my soda.

[sherkahn]

Be sure to wipe your screen.

[darkblade]

Val Hallen of Dexter's Lab was his gimic back.

[ninjapeps]

this probably predates Dexter's Lab by at least 10 years.

[darkblade]

It probably does yes.

[lissa_quon]

I totally need to start swearing "by the gleamin' gates of funky Asgard"

[neuhallidae]

Motto.

[icon_uk]

You mean you don't already? I thought all the cool kids did.

[lamashtar]

Considering how disco-fantastic the outfits in Asgard are, I support a retcon placing Luke Cage there.

[silverzeo]

*face-palms*

[thandrak]

What If Vol 1. I have this issue somewhere.

[box_in_the_box]

... You know, for as much shit as I give Bendis, I will say this; he deserves credit for being one of the few white male writers in Marvel history to write Luke Cage as at least slightly less stereotypical than a '70s blaxploitation character.

Luke Cage's portrayals throughout the decades are probably one of the reasons why readers of color cringe instinctively whenever white writers approach characters of color withy the BEST OF INTENTIONS.

[randyripoff]

There's a certain truth to that. However, as a comic reader of color, I will give Marvel credit for headlining a Black character in the early to mid-1970's.

Also, it's never been like Luke was Stepin Fetchit. They attempted to make him rough about the edges, but I never felt that they wrote him any worse than any other ethnic characters--they were all done pretty badly in terms of speech patterns.

[cmdr_zoom]

What about those who deliberately employ the conventions of the "blaxploitation" genre for the sake of humor, or to suggest that the character is inextricably linked to the time and context of his origins - that he is as much of a "time capsule" character as, say, Adam Strange with all his Not-Buck-Rogers accoutrements?

[blake_reitz]

I would give up much for Luke Cage to be the new Thor. So very much.

[randyripoff]

Seconded.

[joasakura]

"Danny? Jess? I've been hiding a secret from you..."

[blake_reitz]

And then I remembered this (scroll down to see)
http://www.thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48414&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45

[joasakura]

OH MY GOD. That is FABULOUS.

[lamashtar]

Oh man. He looks totally natural.

thirded

[jazzypom]

I'd be all over that. Damn.

[l_arlesienne]

*giggle*

[roxrox]

Watch out bitches! It's hammer time!

[koschei]

[perletwo]

\o/

Would you like that Internet with cheese on top or a la mode?

[jcbaggee]

Evidently, if Luke Cage had found Thor's hammer, his clothing would tear with the greatest of ease.

[ian_karkull]

Hmm.. I was kind of hoping "Luke Cage as you've never seen him before" would mean "properly dressed".

[kingrockwell]

I keep telling you guys, What If v1 #34 is the most delicious crack that you can even find!
Intentionally, even!

[psychopathicus_rex]

Personally, my answer to that forum would be 'yes, it would weird me out a bit if Thor were black'. Not, I should hasten to add, because of any racial prejudice - it just wouldn't make much sense to me. Most superheroes are really kind of mix-and-match - it's just a matter of a costume, powers, and a motivation, and anyone who fills the bill can take over the role. Hence we've had several different Batmans, Captain Americas, etc. But Thor is, well, a GOD. The whole Donald Blake thing was never more than a thin disguise - Thor is Thor because that's who he IS. Sure, he's had various different secret identities over the years, but they haven't changed his actual self. Moreover, he's not only a god, he's a NORSE god, a member of the Aesir. His pantheon of worshippers back in the good old days were Scandinavians and Germanic types - overall, about as fair-haired and light-skinned a bunch as you would ever find. It makes perfect sense for Thor to look the way he does (well, his hair should be red, according to the myths, but still). Having him look otherwise would be... well, odd, in any case. True, there's Beta-Ray Bill, but he's not supposed to actually BE Thor, he's just an alien who has his powers. I think if Thor were to have a black guy as a secret identity, it wouldn't make any difference to HIM, personally - he'd simply transform from a black guy into a hulking caucasian god. (Which would doubtless get Marvel some nasty letters.)

[thehood]

Then again, we never actually seen the real gods.

They could all be black for all we know.

[psychopathicus_rex]

If the real Norse gods were black, then why would they have made the Norsemen all blonde and pale and blue-eyed? If the gods 'created man in their own image', then it would make precious little sense for them to make the Norsemen in a completely different version than themselves. I mean, they were their own models, right?