Cage #2
Cage #2 (May 1992) is the first appearance of the Untouchables — the villain collective anchoring the early arcs of Luke Cage's 1992 solo revival — as well as the individual debuts of Kickback and the racist terrorist cell known as Hammer, an offshoot of Cameron Hodge's mutant-hunting organization The Right. By centering Cage's bodyguard assignment around a rapper targeted by racially motivated violence, writer Marcus McLaurin embedded topical commentary on anti-Black hate and hip-hop culture directly into superhero action at a moment when both subjects were flashpoints in American life. The issue also marks the first appearance of supporting characters Troop (Daryl Andrews) and Kurt Lockley, who would recur throughout the series. As one of the few Marvel titles of its era written by a Black author tackling themes of racial violence head-on, the issue occupies a modest but genuine place in the history of socially engaged superhero storytelling.
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The 1992 Cage series was a deliberate reinvention of Luke Cage by Marvel under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco, with writer Marcus McLaurin — who had come up through the editorial side, working on the Epic imprint and titles including Akira and Clive Barker's Hellraiser — making the unusual transition from editor to series writer for the full 20-issue run. McLaurin and penciler Dwayne Turner (inked by Chris Ivy, colored by Mike Thomas, lettered by Chris Eliopoulos, and edited by Kelly Corvese) stripped away the blaxploitation-era trappings of the Power Man persona and relocated Cage from Harlem to Chicago, attempting to ground the character in a grittier, street-level early-1990s context. Issue #2, 'Creative Hate,' shipped with a release date of March 3, 1992, carrying a May 1992 cover date, and was available in both direct and newsstand editions.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Story title: 'Creative Hate' — Cage is hired to bodyguard a rapper being targeted by a racist organization.
- First appearance of the Untouchables as a group, with this issue also serving as the individual first appearance of Kickback (Richard Yurocko) and the introduction of Hammer agents — Hammer being an offshoot of Cameron Hodge's The Right, the mutant-hunting terrorist organization.
- First appearances of supporting characters Troop (Daryl Andrews), Kurt Lockley, and Marvin 'M.C.' Large.
- Tombstone (Lonnie Lincoln) and Nitro (Robert Hunter) appear as Untouchables members — notable crossover villains imported from other corners of the Marvel Universe into the Cage title.
- Full creative team: writer Marcus McLaurin, penciler Dwayne Turner, inker Chris Ivy, colorist Mike Thomas, letterer Chris Eliopoulos, editor Kelly Corvese.
- The issue exists in two editions: a direct-edition and a newsstand edition.
- Reprinted in Luke Cage: Second Chances Vol. 1 (Marvel, 2015), a trade paperback collecting Cage (1992) #1–12 alongside a Luke Cage story from Marvel Comics Presents #82.
- Tom DeFalco is credited as Marvel's editor-in-chief (publisher) on the issue, consistent with his tenure across the early run of the series.
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Reprinted in Luke Cage: Second Chances #1 (2015)
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