Luke Cage #5 review: Shadows of the super soldier serum
By Alex Widen
Luke Cage gets to the center of the web. Yet can he ever look at his mentor the same way again?
Luke Cage #5
Writer: David Walker
Artist: Nelson Blake II
Colorist: Marcio Menyz
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The superhero formerly known as Power Man went to New Orleans for a funeral. Instead, he learned that his mentor, Dr. Noah Burstein, is very much alive. In addition, the man behind Luke’s powers is at the center of a seedy web involving mobsters, a street gang, and one local tycoon. Originally hired to perform his “Burstein Process” on Caleb Morgan, son of Cyril Morgan, things went wrong immediately. Aside for Luke Cage, the process has had side effects on all those who undertook it! Hence, Noah has done anything to further his experiments!
Image by Marvel Comics
Always eager to perfect his process, Noah began granting the “process” onto more figures. These included the son of a local mobster who did dirty work for Cyril, and a street gang. And while the process during Caleb of his crippling chronic illness, it brought with it an insane rage. Despite the boy’s passive nature, the chemical imbalance once overtook him during a meeting between Cyril, Noah, and Noah’s wife Emma. Unfortunately, Emma Burstein would only be the first casualty!
Image by Marvel Comics
A Crisis Unites Unlikely Allies!
The arrival of Luke Cage has torn the entire deal between Burstein and Morgan into chaos. Morgan decided to cut all of his losses, hiring the 9th Street Mafia gang to kill Luke Cage, and then siccing his own men to kill them. The end result is a bloodbath in which both soldiers and gang members are dead, and only their leader, Kevin Larsen, remains. Known on the streets as “KevLar,” he’s also undergone the “Burstein Process.” As a result, he’s tougher, stronger, and faster than even Cage is!
Image by Marvel Comics
Yet Luke Cage quickly realizes that behind all the bravado is a scared kid in way over his head. Using his experience to relate to him, Kevin quickly backs down from a fight which seemed inevitable. Both of them have been used and manipulated by the same people, and it’s time for both of them to get some payback! Along the way, Luke gives Kevin a refresher course on the super soldier serum, the ultimate source of their powers. Trying to improve upon it led to them.
Image by Marvel Comics
As a result of Cyril’s actions, Noah Burstein is on the run. He’s joined by his assistant Lenore Mornay and his first test subject, Warhawk. Yet it seems like Dr. Mornay has betrayed them, bringing Noah right to Cyril Morgan’s estate. Their original deal was to have Cyril fund Burstein’s experiments in exchange for curing his son. Unfortunately, Noah’s quest to replicate and improve upon the success he had with Luke has consequently led to their entire house of cards collapsing.
Image by Marvel Comics
This Series Remains Especially Relevant!
As much as Luke Cage would rather not believe the worst of his mentor, what he’s seen can’t be undone. Hence, Cage and Kevin start a battle at the estate between Cyril Morgan’s heavily armed henchmen. Vans get tossed, explosive chemicals explode, and in the end, Luke and Noah meet once again. And while it seems like Luke Cage may be bulletproof, it’s the intangible things that hurt the most. He learned he didn’t know Dr. Burstein at all, and what he’s learned is deeply ugly.
Image by Marvel Comics
David Walker is a writer who profoundly cares about Luke Cage as both a title and character. He’s professed in his letter column about first reading the character as a child in the 1970s. Yet he hasn’t allowed his adulation to prevent him from taking the character in new places. In this case, shining some light on Luke Cage’s mentor. Rarely seen over the decades, readers learn that Noah Burstein is not all he’s cracked up to be. Noah calls people his “son,” yet the word has no meaning.
Image by Marvel Comics
The underlying message is that while Noah Burstein may have given Luke his powers, he didn’t make him a hero. It was Luke Cage who decided to use his powers to help people (for the most part) despite having every excuse not to. He’d been railroaded into prison on a false conviction and nearly killed by a racist prison warden. While Luke always envisioned Noah as having somehow known Luke better than he knew himself, he’s learned how much of a fluke their relationship was.
Image by Marvel Comics
There Are Fundamental Messages between the Thrown Vans!
Often times, especially for vulnerable people from poor backgrounds, they meet those in higher positions who profess to care. Who shower them with lofty terms and even comforting words, such as saying, “you’re like a son to me.” And the person who is hearing these words for the first time can feel a warm feeling inside. Yet when a professional uses such terms to engender trust in those he manipulates, it loses all meaning. This is very much what has been revealed of Noah.
Image by Marvel Comics
The sudden bond between Luke Cage and Kevin is surprising, yet organic. In a lot of ways, Kevin is similar to Luke, having stumbled into his powers and the actions of rich men of power. It’s said that it is wiser to avoid a fight if necessary and it’s in dealing with Kevin that Cage showcases how much he’s grown as a man since having a daughter and being an Avenger. A pawn mixed up in the schemes of Cyril and Noah, Kevin became a sympathetic character, which wasn’t expected.
Image by Marvel Comics
Another thing that wasn’t expected was the odd relationship between Noah, Lenore, and Warhawk. Warhawk remains as crazy as a bag of cats, talking in rage and nonsequitur statements. Lenore found herself in the middle between Noah and Cyril, caught up in the whirlwind of both of their schemes. She all but embodies the phrase, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Even Cyril Morgan, as ruthless as he was, just wanted to save his son.
Image by Marvel Comics
A Rough Arc for Luke Is a Suspenseful Arc for Us!
Nelson Blake II and Marcio Menyz do a solid job overall on the art, for the most part. There does appear to be a sign of rush to complete the pages, as some panels appear sketchier than others. The final battle, in particular, gets messy. Yet there are some standout panels. Chief among them is the super soldier recap page. Blake II gets to draw a range of characters from Man-Thing to Josiah X to Taskmaster, Union Jack, and even Warrior Woman. Walker and Blake II have long memories.
Image by Marvel Comics
Next: The secrets of Noah Burstein are revealed in #4!
Luke Cage ends the issue at a funeral, although hardly the one he planned on being. His mentor is on the run and Cage could be implicated in a series of brutal battles. The next arc promises a return to prison for Power Man, which should prove especially harrowing. David Walker has proven adept at utilizing the origin of Luke Cage in new and creative ways without simply resorting to retroactive continuity. This is a very gutsy run for Luke Cage, and I look forward to what’s next.