written by Kiara Williams

SPOILER WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT

I think it matters a lot that the battle between Luke and Diamondback is only a slightly superpowered one. A city-wide, throwing-the-opponent-through-a-skyscraper, explosion-filled fight would have only taken away from the full meaning of it. It may seem anti-climactic to some, but the closing of this chapter of Luke’s life was vitally important and it needed to happen this way.
Continue reading →

written by Kiara Williams

SPOILER WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT

[EDITOR’S NOTE: We apologize for this review taking so long to come out due to a series of unfortunate setbacks, but we’ve got newcomer Kiara Williams here to step in and help us finish off the series!]

“There ain’t no Iron Man comin’ to save us.”

Method Man, a Staten Island native who plays himself in this episode, spits this line while rapping what I started calling “The Ballad Of Luke Cage”. It’s a line that has many meanings. New York’s most prominent heroes, the Avengers, are always seen in wealthy areas with towering skyscrapers that look good on TV when blown up. They’re not ever seen in smaller towns, and definitely not in a low-income, highly black area like Harlem. For all of Harlem’s problems, superheroes aren’t going to go there. White superheroes aren’t checking to see if Harlem has problems, just like in reality where powerful white people aren’t usually checking to help the less privileged.

Iron Man ain’t comin’ to Harlem. That’s why Harlem needs Luke Cage.
Continue reading →