Cage

Cage (2002) #1-5

by Brian Azzarello

Investigating the murder of a teenage girl, Cage suddenly learns that a three-way gang war is underway for control of the turf he calls home. And what better way to disrupt the stalemate than offering his services to the highest bidder?

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Crime, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Brian Azzarello (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. He and Argentine artist Eduardo Risso, with whom Azzarello first worked on Jonny Double, won the 2001 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for 100 Bullets #15–18: "Hang Up on the Hang Low".

Azzarello has written for Batman ("Broken City", art by Risso; "Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire", art by Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, & Mick Gray) and Superman ("For Tomorrow", art by Jim Lee).

In 2005, Azzarello began a new creator-owned series, the western Loveless, with artist Marcelo Frusin.

As of 2007, Azzarello is married to fellow comic-book writer and illustrator Jill Thompson.

information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Az...

Reviews

[A.J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Damn... this was so fucking moronic, it actually kinda pissed me off. I wanted to like this so bad, but the only good thing here is the art and setting. Brian Azzarello & Richard Corben team for what is sadly the worst Max book I’ve read by a mile, as they show a “realistic” Luke Cage has to track down a missing little girl in a blaxploitation comic made by a bunch of white dudes in the 2000s (yes I died on the inside at the thought as well). Here we stay on a single street block as we see Cage interact with a cast of villains, but with this “realistic” twist on things. It has potential, but frankly, all falls flat on its face, especially as it flounders around in awkward pacing and terrible dialogue while making its way towards a terribly rushed conclusion.

Brian Azzarello is a bad writer, to say the least. I will concede that when a book by him is good, it’s very fucking good (Typing this I can’t think of anything besides the first half of 100 Bullets lol), but he has too much shit in the pool for anyone to act like he’s a consistently good writer. He isn’t and I have always thought the dude was a total fucking hack whose writing only appeals to utter fucking man-children. His Hellblazer run is genuine shit and I’ll never forget when he made the Amazon's rapists in his New 52 Wonder Woman run, and then threw a bitchy fit on Twitter when DC, thankfully, retconned it. He also called fans “pussies” who were mad after he added that rapey dialogue for The Joker in The Killing Joker movie during the infamous Barbera scene. That was also a horrible teleplay he wrote for The Killing Joke where Batgirl and Batman even ended up fucking at one point. Like what? The dude just seems like a total man-child that only writes to shock and gross out other man-children, not tell interesting stories. This is no exception. I also love Black Label, which is similar to Marvel MAX, and EVERY single story I’ve read from him there sucks too. Joker, Luthor, Batman: Damned, hell even that new Suicide Squad: Get Joker book are all fucking trash.

But the worst part, and holy shit I cannot stress this enough, is how dreadful Azzarello's dialogue is. Like I get “Hood Talk” but holy fuck, this is simply the cringiest shit to read and just borderline braindead. The worst part is it doesn’t even sound genuine or real. How the fuck does one even read this garbage with a straight face? Like how did this even get approved?

I hate writing off a book completely or leveling insults towards an author, their fanbase, or their work, because different strokes for different folks, but the only people that could possibly enjoy this shit are sheltered 14 or 40-year-old suburban dudes, aka the key Azzarello demographic. Everyone else will (or should) see how fucking stupid this shit is. Just straight-up terrible scripting, a dull-ass mystery that’s not even really a fucking mystery, and a rushed ending combine to create a total dud of a MAX book. Skip this. It genuinely fucking sucks.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three different criminal organisations vie for the same patch of land in a run-down part of the city. But why are the police and the mayor working with them - and why this neighbourhood? When an innocent child is gunned down in the turf war crossfire, Luke Cage steps up to find answers and dispense justice - awww, yeahh!

Brian Azzarello and Richard Corben’s Cage MAX is as good as I’d hoped it’d be given the creative team’s talent. It weirdly reads like a Broadway play in the sense that the entire story takes place on one street/four locations with Luke walking from the bar to the Italian mafia’s restaurant, to the first black gang’s place, to the second black gang’s basketball court, and back and forth throughout.

I loved Azzarello’s characterisation of Luke Cage. The dude oozes badassery effortlessly and you totally buy this guy gets by on his rep and look alone. And the way he plays the three sides against each other to his advantage is awesome. Azzarello briefly references Cage’s bulletproof superpower but it’s never tested in this book, maybe because he’s going for a more real-world version of the character like he did in his Joker book for DC.

The dialogue of the other characters feels convincing and genuinely street too. That’s mainly why it’s a MAX comic, because gangsters don’t say “gosh darn” or “sugar” and if they did here it’d take you out of the story. It also means Richard Corben can draw uncensored graphic violence and some sexytimes too.

The only flaws were in the final act. The ending felt a bit abrupt and was unsatisfyingly ambiguous, and the reveal of what everyone was fighting over wasn’t very surprising - generally though I can’t fault this one.

Richard Corben’s art is fantastic. The dude usually draws horror comics so it was great to see him stepping out of his comfort zone and drawing a violent realistic crime story. The artwork is solid, the character designs are superb, and the layouts are perfect – if only Corben drew more Marvel!

It may have the Marvel logo on the cover but Cage MAX is the farthest thing from bright spandex costumes and masks as you can get - it has more in common with Azzarello’s gritty crime drama 100 Bullets - and that’s fine. Cage MAX is an engrossing adult story from two of the finest creators in the business. Luke Cage has never been cooler!

[James DeSantis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow this was...awful.

I'm always ready to try new takes on characters. This actually would be a older one since this is the "Max" series for Cage before he became what he is today. Sorry, this is not what I expected. I get hood talk, I'm from Brooklyn, but this is horrendous and over the top dialog makes me cringe at so many moments. The storyline is so basic it hurts. It's basically just Cage going around finding out why a little girl was murdered but without any interesting moments or characters. This leads to a few issues of him walking around a few blocks.

Good: Nothing.

Bad: Everything. The dialog is cringe worthy, the storyline is bland and done a million times before, cage is wayyyyy to over the top, and that ending? Ugh.

Overall, not worth checking out at all. In fact, act like this was never made. It'll make your day better. A 1 out of 5.

[Vinicius · Rating 3 out of 5]

A minissérie Cage, escrita por Brian Azarello, dividida em 5 partes, vai trazer uma história mais adulta para o Luke Cage, diferenciado-o da fase do personagem que fora escrita por Brian Michael Bendis onde Luke era líder dos Novos Vingadores.

Aqui, com um desenhos composto por um traço bem sujo e poluído, Luke Cage trabalha como um "solucionador de problemas ", desde que o contratante pague a quantia certa.

Nesse sentido, ele aceita um trabalho de uma mãe que perdeu sua filha em um tiroteio de gangues por conta de uma bala que era endereçada para um dos figurões do bairro. Para o serviço, Cage deveria encontrar e matar a pessoa que tentou matar esse figurão.

Entretanto, ao sair pelo bairro e procurar pelo culpado, Luke acaba se envolvendo em uma briga de gangues ainda mais complexa, que possui corrupção pesada em um bairro do subúrbio de Nova York, que começa com Cage brigando com alguns capangas na quadra de box e termina com algo muito mais pesado envolvendo até mesmo especulação imobiliária.

Na história, há elementos complexos envolvendo a relação entre negritude e a ocupação de bairros periféricos e toda complexidade social por trás disso, resultando em criminalidade e corrupção. Porém, como destaquei, são temas complexos, que na trama, não são desenvolvidos e acabam sendo tratados de maneira expositiva e superficial.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely am interested in reading more Luke Cage now! This was a really great graphic novel and I have been loving the Netflix series

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's basically Chandler's Red Wind retold with a Marvel street level character.

[Cal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I debated whether to even mark this as read and have it show up on my list.
When did "blaxploitation" become something to be praised and regarded as some sort of art form? How has this comic gotten so many good reviews? I would love to hear the views of some black readers, not just all the white dudes praising it for being gritty, "street," "ghetto," and Luke Cage being a "thug". Not to mention Corben's art; I feel offended by anyone calling him a genius.

[Jonathan Maas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My intro to Luke Cage, and Azzarello, Corben and Villarubia ensured it was a good one!

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. Thank God for Brian Michael Bendis, who actually knows how to write Cage. As with a lot of the Marvel Max stuff, the writer (this time the usually good Azzarello) takes a character down a road to ruin for no seemingly good reason. In fact, I'd completely forgotten I hadn't finished in over a December lunch and had to look at the last few pages before the review.

We get Cage in a modern-day blaxploitation tale, caught between rival gangs who want to take over the old neighborhood for reasons unknown. This wouldn't be so bad, except that Azzarello insists on making Cage look bad from the get-go, caring nothing for human life or where he gets his money. That's not the Luke Cage we know and love, and stamping MAX on it is no excuse. The story's not bad and the Corben art is well suited to it, but the whole thing just reeks in its own over-done style. (Library, 12/06)

Trebby's Take: I still haven't read anything from Marvel's MAX imprint I actually liked.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nie będę ukrywał, że Netflixowy Luke Cage był serialem bardzo przeciętnym i raczej działał na niekorzyść postaci. Postanowiłem jednak zaufać Panu Azzarello, zważywszy po jego serii Wonder Women, którą darzę wielką sympatią. Nie zawiodłem się.

Pierwsze co zaskakuje to oprawa i rysunki, choć nie ukrywam, że początkowo na niekorzyść. Jednak im dalej tym bardziej się już przyzwyczaiłem i przyjrzałem bliżej. Taki styl pasuje bohaterowi, bowiem opowieść jaką snuje autor, jest dość posępna. Wszechobecna ciemna stylizacja wylewa się z kadrów. Postacie, zwłaszcza te negatywne, wyglądają odpychająco i karykaturalnie(jak Hammer czy Tombstone). Coś pięknego.

Luke. Bohater do wynajęcia, który przesiaduje w klubie ze striptizem, a który ma w zwyczaju obserwować się w lustrze? Narcyz? Musi być tu coś głębiej. Nie dane będzie mu jednak się odprężyć, bowiem pojawia się kobieta. Zrozpaczona matka, której zabłąkana kula odebrała dziecko. Cage najpierw się ociąga, ale w końcu zgadza się przyjąć sprawę, wbrew swoim zasadom. Jak zwykle bywa, sprawa okaże się dużo poważniejsza, choć bohater i w takiej sytuacji znajdzie sobie kilka okazji, aby odkuć się finansowo, przez co miesza się w cały bajzel jeszcze bardziej.

Wojny gangów, skorumpowane gliny, łatwe kobiety, szybka kasa. To zepsuty świat bohatera, który stara się zwyczajnie znaleźć swoje miejsce. W końcu ciągnie się za nim renoma herosa do wynajęcia. Śledztwo jakie prowadzi bohater jest naprawdę nietypowe, bowiem heros bardziej niż rozumu i dedukcji, używa tu częściej pięści i brutalnej siły. Nie ukrywam, że takie obrazowanie postaci naprawdę mi się podobało, bo przyzwyczajenia luka są czymś całkowicie świeżym i naprawdę intrygującym.

Azzarello odrobił lekcje koncertowo, dając nam brudny i brutalny świat z nieszablonowymi postaciami, przywołując na myśl klimat rodem z wczesnych lat 90. Wypada tylko polecić, choć żałowałem, że przedstawiona nam historia jest w sumie całkiem prosta. Szkoda, że tak szybko się kończy.

[MatiBracchitta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es la primera historia de MAX que he leído (al menos que recuerde) y la verdad que ha sido un trago de agua en el desierto. Después de caer en la repetición de argumentos y planteos, Cage presenta una visión muy propia del personaje y más aún de su autor, Brian Azzarello.
El arte del cómic me produjo ciertas reminiscencias al arte de Michael Lark en Gotham Central, aunque estoy seguro que es más una idea mía que una verdadera semejanza en la ilustración de ambas obras. Quizás el ambiente que maneja la obra haya ayudado un poco en ello.
Creo que el autor supo entender la esencia del personaje de Cage, perfilado según la línea adulta que plantea MAX, pero sin abandonar los aspectos que hacen al personaje y sobre el tanto se ha escrito durante años (su buen corazón, su esencia callejera, el héroe en alquiler, su violencia, etc)
Como crítica, no me ha gustado el final que plantea, así como ciertas incongruencias del cómic: El conflicto principal queda demasiado desdibujado, para mi gusto, haciendo que la historia (sin dejar de ser interesante, entretenida y atrapante) pierda un poco el rumbo; tampoco me pareció pertinente la forma en que se entabla la relación sentimental entre Luke y Dixie, si bien se mantiene dentro de los márgenes que el propio cómic plantea, termina excediendo un poco el propio límite de desapego emocional que la obra plantea.
Como contrapartida, la historia engancha rápido y presenta personajes bien construidos. Si bien hay secundarios que se pierden completamente entre tantos personajes, no son relevantes para la historia y no le quitan calidad.
Redondeando: Un muy buen cómic, sin demasiado simbolismo, pero con una historia muy entretenida y atrapante. A no confundirse, no es una trama super madura, pero sí se nota que trabaja con el enfoque MAX. Tampoco es una obra maestra, pero es una pieza recomendable.

[Orion · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't read this book. It's literally the biggest waste of time. As a fan of Luke Cage, I can say that any other fans of this character will be sorely disappointed and dare I say it; insulted by Azzarello's piss-poor depiction of Harlem's no. 1 hero. In trying to make the character "realistic", Azzarello extinguishes everything likeable about the character and turns him into an actual piece of shit. Pardon my language but reading this book made me angry. It is a betrayal of the character and the writing as well reminds me of stories where the writer thinks they're more intelligent than they are and that because the story has an ambiguous open-ended conclusion, that it's worth writing a ten page long video essay about its brilliance. There's nothing brilliant here, just a waste of money and time.

[Sean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Marvel's MAX line was a good idea but the creator's should have been held to a higher standard and not just go for easy outs with swearing and nudity for the sake of swearing and nudity. Here, a great character is depicted as a stereotype. Its embarrassing. This book won't make you think that Luke Cage is anything like the man he actually is. Yes, I understand this is supposed to be a different version, but its a terrible version. Also, Azzarello isn't the author for this type of book. Bad move by editorial. The art by Richard Corben is grotesque. His art in horror books makes perfect sense. In a street level book, unfortunate. Overall, a huge miss for me.

[Mads Tanggaard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brian Azzarello is a writer who makes better comics like Joker and 100 Bullets but in This case This is not his best work to date it is fine but the book is a Lot cliched and that's the biggest issue i had with it you Know like Luke joining gangsters and then they betray him at the end cliche sometimes the art of the novel just feels of at times the novel had a cool fight at the end but the story dosen't mix that much with the huge supervillan team up cliches but the novel was fine and that's all i have to say about this comic

[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nie będę udawał, że zachęcało mnie tu coś więcej niż grafiki Corbena. Jego charakterystyczne, wykonane metodą kropkowania, postacie to coś, co mnie od razu przyciąga. Właśnie rysunki wraz z ciemnymi kolorami Jose Villarrubii są najmocniejszym elementem całości, bo świetnie pasują do gangsterskiej historii rozgrywającej się na ulicach podejrzanej dzielnicy, gdzie rządzą zorganizowane grupy przestępcze i bieda. Wszystko w tonie bardziej gangstersko-detyktywistycznym niż superbohaterskim, co akurat jest plusem. Jest solidnie, choć bez przesadnej oryginalności

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping this would be as good as Azzarello's and Richard Corben's collaboration on Hellblazer: Hard Time, but it didn't quite match that. Nonetheless, it was a pretty good, if simplistic, crime/noir. I like the way Cage's powers are treated like an urban legend and never directly confirmed.

[Juan Antonio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cada vez que leo a Brian Azzarelo pienso que sus guiones están llenos de cuestiones inconexas y fuera de lugar, cuestiones que aparecen sin explicación y o bien las interpretas tú mismo o bien lo utilizas como recurso narrativo. Pero el problema surge cuando abusas y abusas de esa narrativa. Te das cuenta que en realidad el autor no tiene mucho que aportar y simplemente lo hace como método para crear falsas expectativas. Por otro lado Richard Corben es el mejor y no se puede decir nada malo de el.

[Daniel Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

acabei de ler com a sensação de que queria ter gostado mais.
A trama leva o CAge a se envolver em uma disputa de gangues em uma aréa abandonada de NY corrupação violência são as linguagens que circulam em um território visualmente vibrante e amedrontador pelo traco de Corbern
o Roteiro de Azzarello entrega uma história que explora parcialmente a complexidade da relação entre crime, negritude e corrupção social na américa do século 20

[Maarit · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story left me a bit cold, even if Luke Cage is an interesting personality. Maybe too many clichés in one story, with gangs and mafia and stuff mixing up. Artwork was cool, though, so it keeps this one in 3 stars.

[Jeik Dion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. It may seem a bit offensive now, but at the time, it was a whole new take on the character.
Azzarello really brought something new to Cage.
Jose Villarubia totally get Corben and colours his art masterfully. I recommend reading this while listening to 90s dark hip-hop.

[Gamal Hennessy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This twist on he blaxploitation trope might have been relevant in 2002, but it doesn't age well and this vision of Luke Cage doesn't live up to the potential of the character.

[Lindsey.parks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have used more gold jewelry tbh.

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edición española publicada como Marvel Graphic Novel. Pensé que eventualmente se iba a editar en Argentina pero al final no.

[Sira · Rating 1 out of 5]

La historia no es buena y el dibujo tampoco

[Alessandro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Yojimbo-inspired story, like "A Fistful of Dollars". It has a good beginning but loses its way as it progresses.

[Mag · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is sick as Corben’s work always is, but the story is kinda whatever and the plotting can be a bit much. Enjoyed the dialogue and the asshole Luke Cage.

[Rorscharch71 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 3
Art 5 Corben N’uff Said

[John Netherton · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was just a strait up fun no nonsense crime story that involves the great luke cage

[Niko Dasilva · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Luc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Corben’s art isn’t enough to save this mess of a series.