Issue(s): Hero For Hire #4
Cover Date: Dec 72
Title: "Cry fear... cry Phantom!"
Credits:
Archie Goodwin - Writer
Billy Graham - Penciler
Billy Graham - Inker

Review/plot:
Billy Graham, who'd been inking this series since issue #1, does full art for this issue. The story here is a little less "relevant" than the previous issues, but it's a good modern ghost-crime story...

...albeit one that involves a dwarf.

It occurs to me that we haven't seen a "Sweet Christmas!" yet (and it turns out we won't get one until Power Man #27), but here's a "Sweet Sister!".

The stories continue to show Cage's incredible strength and invulnerability...

...but a response in the lettercol says:

About Luke Cage's strength: we think it was increased somewhat by his chemical sauna, just by virtue of the fact that his muscles, like his skin, increased in density. Whether or not that qualifies as "super-strength" is another matter, one we'd prefer to leave up to you readers.

We'll just add that, while Luke isn't in the same league as Thor or the Hulk, he's probably at least as strong as, say, Ka-Zar, who, in turn, is "stronger than mastodon - stronger than giant boar -", etc., etc.

My first thought was that Cage is shown to be way stronger than Ka-Zar in these issues, but then i remembered that at this time Marvel was working under the premise that Ka-Zar had super-strength from exposure to the Place of Mists as a child in the Savage Land.

Graham has Cage in a tank-top instead of his usual shirt for this issue. I wonder if Graham even intended for it to be yellow.

This issue is the first appearance of Phil Fox, an investigative reporter who will cause trouble for Cage.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - first Phil Fox

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A