Issue(s): Cage #16
Cover Date: Jul 93
Title: "Love... like a weapon"
Credits:
Marc McLaurin - Writer
Scott Benefiel - Penciler
Frank Turner - Inker
Karl Bollers - Assistant Editor
Chris Cooper - Editor

Review/plot:
Terror, Silver Sable, and Luke Cage have all been confronted with visions of their lovers. But Cage realizes that his lover, Reva, is calling him "Luke", not "Carl Lucas", and that breaks the spell and he and the others are able to resist. It's said that of all the doppelgangers, Reva's form was the strongest and she is able to draw in the essence of the others and become "real". She flees for now.

It's been a long time since Reva has come up in a Luke Cage comic. I can sort of see the interest in bringing back a doppelganger of her but it wouldn't be my first choice for a Luke Cage plotline. I don't think she actually appears again, though (possibly because the book isn't far from cancellation).

Terror, Silver Sable, and Luke Cage then head after Priapus, who is in the Venezuela jungle seeking the Carnal Serpent, which turns out to be huge.

We do have a subplot scene with the Chicago Spectactor characters this issue. The paper's owner - Mr. Drewston, still only heard over the phone - tells Editor in Chief Analisa Medina that he wants her to promote the Luke Cage stories better, regardless of journalistic integrity. She brings a file on Cage to city councilman Randolph Creed. We also see Troop and some other runaway kids preparing to hire Luke for a job.

A letter published in this issue is from a reader that says he was "enthusiastic" about the series when it started but "you're losing me" because:

...this new CAGE series is one of the worst comics I've ever read in my twenty-plus years of comic book reading... in the past twelve issues, Cage has been involved in situations that are mundane at best".

I agree with "mundane". I don't think it's "the worst", though. I think the problem is that the book has indeed been really mediocre despite Cage being a good character and despite Marc McLaurin having a clear love of the Marvel universe. The writer also notes how "alienating" Cage is, both to his supporting characters and to the readers, and i agree with that. Despite McLaurin bringing in a lot of concepts that should be fun, Cage himself is not fun. He's always angry and miserable and always trying to distance himself.

But that's all sort of separate from this crossover, which is just really light on content. It's kind of fun if you read it all at once, but there's not enough going on to merit six issues. It's especially noticeable when i'm reviewing it. I sit down to outline what happened and it turns out it's not very much. It's especially a very weak use of Priapus. He should be a lot more interesting than just a guy that sends some doppelgangers of lovers to fight you.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part five of For Love Nor Money. The next and final part is in Silver Sable & the Wild Pack #14. Five days pass in this issue while Terror, Silver Sable, and Luke Cage are catching up with Priapus after dealing with the doppelgangers.

References:

• A footnote says that this is continued from Silver Sable & the Wild Pack #14, but that's not true. It's really continued from Terror Inc. #12 and the Silver Sable issue is next.

Crossover: For Love Nor Money

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A