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| Power Man and Iron Fist | |
|---|---|
 Power Man and Iron Fist, 50th issue cover | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | 1972-1986 |
| Main character(s) | Power Man and Iron Fist |
Power Man and Iron Fist (originally Luke Cage, Hero for Hire then Luke Cage, Power Man) was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the superheroes Power Man and Iron Fist.
The series debuted as Hero for Hire #1, and became Power Man from #17 onwards. The cover logo included Luke Cage's name, so from #1–16 the cover logo read Luke Cage, Hero for Hire and from #17 onwards Luke Cage, Power Man. The series was initially written by Luke Cage's co-creator Archie Goodwin, pencilled by George Tuska, and inked by Billy Graham.
When Power Man's sales became unsustainable, Marvel added Iron Fist, another once popular superhero who could no longer support his own series, in order to save both characters from full cancellation. [1] Iron Fist joined the cast of Power Man in a three-part story arc in #48–50. The series title changed to Power Man and Iron Fist with #50, though the indicia did not reflect this change until #67.
Iron Fist writer Chris Claremont penned the initial stories pairing the characters, but was soon forced to turn the series over to Jo Duffy due to his unmanageable workload. Duffy's run was noted for its lighthearted, humorous, character-driven tone, and had relatively few fight scenes. [1] A young Kurt Busiek had his first regular assignment with the title, writing it from issue #90 to #100. He emulated the lighthearted humor of Duffy's run, not knowing that Duffy had been taken off Power Man and Iron Fist precisely because the editorial staff disapproved of her lighthearted tongue-in-cheek approach to the series. [1]
Goodwin then returned to the series, but had difficulty keeping up with the work, and his brief second run was littered with issues by fill-in writers, including two by Busiek. [1] Jim Owsley, another Marvel staffer, took over as regular writer. The series concluded with the death of Iron Fist in #125, a controversial story. Owsley later commented, "Fist’s death was senseless and shocking and completely unforeseen. It took the readers’ heads clean off. And, to this day, people are mad about it. Forgetting, it seems, that (a) you were supposed to be mad, that death is senseless and Fist’s death was supposed to be senseless, or that (b) this is a comic book." [1]
Power Man and Iron Fist returned as a five-issue limited series in 2011, spinning-off from the "Shadowland" storyline, which introduced a new Power Man, Victor Alvarez. [2] It was written by one of the character's creators Fred Van Lente, with art by Wellinton Alves. [3] [4] [5] It returned again in 2016, with Luke Cage replacing Alvarez.
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential Power Man and Iron Fist Vol. 1 | Power Man and Iron Fist #50-72, 74-75 | January 2008 | 978-0785127260 |
| Essential Power Man and Iron Fist Vol. 2 | Power Man and Iron Fist #76-100 | March 2009 | 978-0785130727 |
| Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection: Heroes for Hire | Power Man #48-49, Power Man and Iron Fist #50-70 | August 2015 | 978-1302929879 |
| Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection: Revenge! | Power Man and Iron Fist #71-72, 74-89, Daredevil #178 | October 2016 | 978-1302900137 |
| Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection: Doombringer | Power Man and Iron Fist #90-107 | December 2019 | 978-1302920715 |
| Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection: Hardball | Power Man and Iron Fist #108-125 | August 2022 | 978-1302945923 |
| Power Man & Iron Fist: The Comedy of Death | Power Man and Iron Fist (vol. 2) #1-5 | November 2011 | 978-0785152477 |
| Power Man and Iron Fist Vol. 1: The Boys are Back in Town | Power Man and Iron Fist (vol. 3) #1-5 | October 2016 | 978-1302901141 |
| Power Man and Iron Fist Vol. 2: Civil War II | Power Man and Iron Fist (vol. 3) #6-9, Sweet Christmas Annual #1 | March 2017 | 978-1302901158 |
| Power Man and Iron Fist Vol. 3: Street Magic | Power Man and Iron Fist (vol. 3) #10-15 | October 2017 | 978-1302905392 |
Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr., the character first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1. He is one of the earliest black superheroes to be featured as the protagonist and title character of a Marvel comic book.
Iron Fist is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Iron Fist first appeared in Marvel Premiere #15. The character is a practitioner of martial arts and the wielder of a mystical force known as the Iron Fist, which allows him to summon and focus his chi. This ability is obtained from the city of K'un-Lun, which appears on Earth every 10 years.
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer. His work includes the Marvels limited series, his own series titled Astro City, a four-year run on The Avengers, Thunderbolts and Superman.
Christopher James Priest is an American writer of comic books who is at times credited simply as Priest. He changed his name legally circa 1993. He was the first black writer-editor in mainstream comics.
William Henderson Graham was an African-American comics artist best known for his work on the Marvel Comics series Luke Cage, Hero for Hire and the Jungle Action feature "Black Panther".
Mary Jo Duffy is an American comic book editor and writer, known for her work for Marvel Comics in the 1980s and DC Comics and Image Comics in the 1990s.
Mercedes "Misty" Knight is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Tony Isabella and Arvell Jones, the character was first mentioned in Marvel Premiere #20 and first appeared in Marvel Premiere #21.
El Águila is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Mary Jo Duffy, Trevor Von Eeden, and Dave Cockrum, the character first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #58. El Águila belongs to the subspecies of humans called mutants who are born with superhuman abilities. He is a swordsman vigilante with the power of bio-electricity. He was originally an adversary of the superheroes Luke Cage and Iron Fist but became their ally over time.
Heroes for Hire are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54, and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias. The team continued to appear in comics regularly over the years, and has made guest appearances in television productions and game environments featuring other superheroes.
Colleen Wing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
The Daughters of the Dragon are the duo of Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They first appeared as a team in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #32 in a story titled Daughters of the Dragon written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Marshall Rogers. This followed the introduction of each individual character in mid-1970s Iron Fist stories.
The Heroic Age is a 2010 comic book branding that ran through a number of books published by Marvel Comics. It began in May 2010, marking a major change in the status quo of the Marvel Universe after the events of the "Siege" crossover event, similarly to how "The Initiative" and "Dark Reign" dealt with the aftermath of "Civil War" and "Secret Invasion", respectively.
"Shadowland" is a 2010 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, focusing on Daredevil and other "street-level" superheroes in the Marvel Universe. The storyline started in the Daredevil comic and was expanded upon in the Shadowland five-issue mini series as well as four tie-in mini series, four one-shots, and two issues of Thunderbolts. The storyline was collected into seven individual hard cover and soft cover Trade paperbacks in 2011.
Power Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fred Van Lente and Mahmud Asrar, the character first appeared in Shadowland: Power Man #1. Victor Alvarez is the third incarnation of Power Man. He is the son of the supervillain Shades.
Claire Temple is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a medical doctor primarily affiliated with the superhero Luke Cage and is one of his early love interests.
Hernan "Shades" Alvarez is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the father of Victor Alvarez and is frequently seen with Comanche, his partner in crime.
Comanche is a fictional villain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is frequently seen with his partner in crime Shades.
Black Mariah is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of Luke Cage. She was created by Billy Graham, George Tuska, and Steve Englehart, and first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire Vol. 1, #5.
David "D.W." Griffith is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is depicted as an ally of Luke Cage.
Diamondback is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is primarily an enemy of Luke Cage and is notable for being the first major supervillain that he faced.
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