Hero for Hire #5

Name: Hero for Hire #5
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Jan 1973 · Marvel · 0.20 USD

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“Don't Mess With Black Mariah!”

★ 1st appearance — Black Mariah

About this Issue

Hero for Hire #5 marks the first appearance of Black Mariah (Mariah Dillard), one of Luke Cage's most enduring and recognizable antagonists — a large, cunning crime boss whose ambulance-driver scam to loot the recently deceased gave the young series one of its most memorably sinister villains. The issue also represents a creative turning point: it was Steve Englehart's debut as series writer, stepping in from Archie Goodwin and immediately deepening the street-level, morally textured tone that would define the book's best Bronze Age chapters. Black Mariah's later adaptation as a major character in Marvel's Netflix Luke Cage television series — portrayed by Alfre Woodard — confirmed the character's lasting cultural footprint across half a century of storytelling. The issue also introduces Flea, the unreliable street informant who becomes a recurring fixture in Cage's supporting cast, and closes with a pointed meditation on the contradictions of being a "Hero for Hire" — whether good deeds can coexist with the need to earn a living.

writer Steve Englehart · artist George Tuska · inker Billy Graham · colorist Mimi Gold · letterer John Costanza · cover Billy Graham

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $8

CGC 9.8 · 10 in census $471*

CGC 9.6 · 30 in census $129*

CGC 9.4 · 30 in census $81*

CGC 9.2 · 21 in census $57*

CGC 9.0 · 21 in census $46*

CGC 8.5 · 21 in census $38

Show all 14 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 12 in census $35*

CGC 7.5 · 11 in census $31*

CGC 7.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 10 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 7 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 6 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 3 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

This exact issue on ebay

CGC 9.4 ▾ $115–$349 4 listings

CGC 9.4 $115 CGC 9.4 $140 CGC 9.4 $300 CGC 9.4 $349

CGC 9 $125 1 listing CGC 8 $125 1 listing Raw — MINT $66 1 listing

Raw — VF/NM ▾ $40–$79.97 3 listings

VF/NM $40 VF/NM $45 VF/NM $79.97

Raw — VF+ ▾ $19.99–$48.99 3 listings

VF+ $19.99 VF+ $28.17 VF+ $48.99

Raw — VF ▾ $37–$39.99 2 listings

VF $37 VF $39.99

Raw — F/VF $55.8 1 listing Raw — FN+ $18.95 1 listing Raw — FINE $27.95 1 listing

Raw — FN ▾ $10–$60 7 listings

FN $10 FN $12.5 FN $14.99 FN $15 FN $15 FN $19.99 FN $60

Raw — VG $15.99 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $5–$85 30 listings

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History

Issue #5 shipped from Marvel on October 17, 1972, carrying a January 1973 cover date, with editor Roy Thomas overseeing the book. Steve Englehart took the scripting reins from inaugural writer Archie Goodwin beginning with this issue — a transition acknowledged on the issue's splash page with a special thanks credit to Goodwin — and would guide the series through issue #16, eventually co-plotting much of the run alongside artist Billy Graham, who inked George Tuska's pencils here and also supplied the cover. Editor Thomas had specifically recruited Graham, the only Black artist on the creative team, partly to ensure authentic visual representation of the series' Black characters — a priority that reflected the broader cultural awareness Marvel was navigating as it deliberately expanded its line to speak to audiences underserved by mainstream superhero comics.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Black Mariah (Mariah Dillard), leader of the Rat Pack criminal gang, who uses stolen ambulances to loot the bodies of people who die in public — Luke Cage's most recurring female villain.
First appearance of Flea, a street-level informant who becomes a recurring supporting character throughout the Hero for Hire run.
First (and only) appearance of Frank Jenks, whose murder in the Gem Theater sets the plot in motion; he dies in this issue.
First appearance of Mimi Jenks (Mrs. Jenks), Frank's widow, who becomes a recurring supporting character.
Steve Englehart's debut as series writer, taking over from Archie Goodwin who wrote issues #1–4; the splash page carries a special thanks credit to Goodwin.
Creative team: writer Steve Englehart, penciler George Tuska, inker/cover artist Billy Graham, colorist Mimi Gold, letterer John Costanza, editor Roy Thomas.
The issue's story title is 'Don't Mess With Black Mariah!' and the issue was on-sale October 17, 1972, with a January 1973 cover date.
The story has been reprinted in: Essential Luke Cage, Power Man Vol. 1 (2005); Luke Cage Epic Collection #1 — Retribution (2020); the Luke Cage Omnibus (2021); and international editions including Superaventuras Marvel (Brazil, 1983) and L'Inattendu (France, 1975).