Issue(s): Power Man #19, Power Man #20
Cover Date: Jun-Aug 74
Title: "Call him... Cottonmouth!" / "How like a serpent's tooth..."
Credits:
Len Wein - Writer
Tony Isabella - Script & Co-Plotter on #20
George Tuska - Penciler
Vincent Colletta - Inker

Review/plot:
Luke Cage agrees to become the #1 man for a criminal mastermind named Cottonmouth (who also happens to have super-fangs).

His goal is to get evidence to put Cottonmouth away. Cottonmouth killed the informant Flea last issue, and was also responsible for the death of Cage's love, Reva, in the flashback in issue #1. While biding his time trying to get information to put Cottonmouth away and clear his own name, he helps Cottonmouth by taking out rival gang leader, Morgan.

In the end Luke doesn't find anything, and he only discovers that the reason why is that Cottonmouth's dwarf-pimp lackey Mister Slick...

...has a photographic memory, and therefore needs no paper records, after Slick dies.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - first Cottonmouth

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• The heroin that was used to frame Luke Cage in Hero For Hire #1 was stolen from Cottonmouth's organization.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Cottonmouth will grace the September 30th Netflix offering of Hero for Hire. This character could not only be formidable but also absolutely frightening if presented properly! What a great Day for Luke Cage.

In regards to the above comment, I think they made a mistake by making him a "normal" non-powered villain. He definitely had potential, IMO