Luke Cage #168 review: Surviving Ringmaster and the Hole

Luke Cage and Acosta have been sent to the Hole! Yet can they manage a way to survive Ringermaster’s prison?

Luke Cage #168

Writer: David Walker

Artist: Guillermo Sanna

Colorist: Miroslav Mrva

More from Comics

• X-Men: 6 reasons why Marvel’s mutants are the best superhero team
• Harley Quinn renewed for a fifth season on Max (and it’s well-deserved)
• Marvel Comics announces seven important X-Men comic books
• The X-Men were betrayed by Captain America in Uncanny Avengers
• Spider-Man: Miles and Peter team-up for their first ongoing series

Between this issue and the last, fans of Luke Cage got a bit of bad news. As happens sporadically, Marvel Comics announced their latest round of quarterly cancellations. This title was among them. It seems like the “Marvel Legacy” renumbering failed to spike sales for Walker’s second arc on this relaunch. As a result, it is very likely that this arc will be the last, at least for the moment. With Luke Cage remaining a well known hero thanks to Netflix, it will hardly be the end for him in comics.

Image by Marvel Comics

Walker always manages to blend Marvel Comics sensibilities with real world reality. This arc has been one of them, exploring the injustice of the prison system. As Cage is sent to “the Hole,” some of the origins of the facility are revealed. The evil organization A.I.M. buried toxic waste there, and a decade later a slightly less evil executive built a for-profit prison over it. Eventually the Ringmaster was exposed to some of the radiation during a stint there, which gave him legitimate powers!

Image by Marvel Comics

Welcome To “The Hole!”

Luke Cage, who also has legitimate powers, remains trapped in Ringmaster’s prison. While the ex-Avenger had rolled into town via a random whim, Ringmaster assumed it was deliberate and mesmerized him. Now Cage is stuck in the prison the town is centered around with no memory of his past, or bulletproof abilities. He and ex-prison guard Gonzo Acosta have been sent to “the Hole,” a pit within the facility where no inmate has ever left alive! And they’re far from alone!

Image by Marvel Comics

“The Hole” is where inmates dig up irradiated rock and soil for the Ringmaster’s personal use. It seems like his newfound psychic powers are temporary, and require increasing doses of a serum made from the materials to harness. While it is empowering for Ringmaster, it is toxic for anyone else! The guards all wear gas masks, yet the prisoners sent to “the Hole” are left with full exposure. Eventually the mining work will prove fatal for them all, as it does for a man near Cage.

Image by Marvel Comics

While Cage wants to save the man, the guards around him are less than interested. They actually finish the inmate off, then insist a grave be dug! When both Cage and Gonzo realize the massive number of burials in “the Hole,” they realize they have little to lose. As a result, Luke Cage sparks a riot, and accidentally sees that he cannot be harmed by bullets. “The Hole” consequently collapses all around them. Yet will Luke Cage be buried alive, or finally come to his senses under tons of rock?

Image by Marvel Comics

A Brain Is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

David Walker continues to straddle the line between revealing some truths about the prison industrial complex without getting too preachy. This is mostly done by acknowledging that while “the system” may have planted the seed, it was still the super villain Ringmaster who harnessed it. In fact, Walker offers considerable focus on Ringmaster this issue, showing what a strain it is for him to control an entire town. The revelation of his brain’s deformity is also revealed!

Image by Marvel Comics

There is a bit of irony to the Ringmaster growing a brain outside of his skull. While it makes for a decent reveal, it also makes him similar to another old enemy of the Hulk. Having an enlarged, exposed brain has long been the visual gimmick of Samuel Sterns, a.k.a. the Leader. For the moment, the Leader is plaguing She-Hulk while Bruce Banner, the original Hulk, remains deceased. That said, it’s anybody’s guess if this grotesque deformity will last for Ringmaster.

Image by Marvel Comics

While it is ambitious to mingle the causes of compelling fiction and education, I will admit the pace of the tale has slowed some. There’s little doubt that Luke Cage will eventually come to himself and save the day. All that remains is the path towards getting there. Walker has chosen to use Cage’s origin as inspiration for these last two arcs. The last one used Dr. Burstein as a metaphor for bad father figures, and this arc sees Cage once again confront wrongful imprisonment.

Image by Marvel Comics

Is This Series Walking the Green Mile?

Guillermo Sanna is flanked by new colorist Miroslav Mrva on art. Much of this issue focuses on suspense with elements of horror, and Sanna adapts accordingly. The scene with the mass grave as well as the tight quarters of “the Hole” are highlights of this. Sanna also has some fun with Ringmaster’s hypnotic effects and hand gestures, channeling some Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. That said, as the issue progresses, there are some signs of rush amid some panels.

Image by Marvel Comics

Next: Luke becomes part of the chain gang in #167!

In conclusion, it is a shame that Luke Cage has been canceled. David Walker has a great voice for the hero, and I would love to see him return to him in 2018. That said, I won’t deny this arc in particular has been a little slow, and perhaps more somber compared to the funky, offbeat tone of Power Man And Iron Fist. It seems like the mystery which was introduced in the previous arc may go unresolved. Hopefully the sight of Luke Cage taking down a corrupt prison will serve as a respite.