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Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection
Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection, Vol. 1: Heroes for Hire
Marvel's stronger-than-steel man of the streets, Luke Cage, partners with the mystic kung fu master Iron Fist in the beginning of one of the greatest teams in comic-book history! Together Power Man and Iron Fist are heroes for hire, taking any on any job, any challenge, so long as their clients can meet the price. But both heroes have long pasts and old foes out to destroy them. Between those menaces and making ends meet, it's a life short on downtime and long on action! COLLECTING: Power Man 48-49, Power Man & Iron Fist 50-70 (Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection Vol. 1)
444 pages, Paperback
First published August 18, 2015
19 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Jo Duffy
494 books10 followersAlso published under the name Mary Jo Duffy and/or Mary-Jo Duffy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
June 28, 2018
Pretty fun collection of bronze age comics. If you are looking for any kind of depth you will have to look elsewhere, but if you are looking for a bunch of fighting montages, you have come to the right place.
October 1, 2017
I'll divide this into the portion written by Claremont and then the portion written by Mary Jo Duffy.
One note: this entire book suffers from the time period. It's very dated; not just in terms of art and style but in terms of language. I hate, hate, hate the way Luke's dialogue was written. There are several words here that made me cringe, especially towards Asian characters. The "g" slur is used and Jeryn refers to an Asian character as "oriental". All of this in a book co-starring a white character who's an expert in martial arts... it's a lot to take in. But again, this is stuff that was deemed totally ok by 1970s standards. Doesn't make it right but I would be remiss to not mention it.
Claremont:
This is a much more likable Danny Rand. He gave his shares of the company to Joy Meachum because she earned her place and he hasn’t yet. This is a much more humble and respectable Danny.
Luke and Danny’s friendship is classic comic book cheesy but they’re adorable. Especially when Danny worried Luke wouldn’t want him to be a part of Heroes for Hire. Danny worries about Luke a lot and, surprisingly, there's a lot of Luke being damsel'ed and Danny saving him. I guess, when the female characters aren't here, the men have to save someone.
Luke feels machismo style sympathy for women which is quite annoying to be honest. A lot of "sugar", "darling", etc.
Nightshade was a surprisingly progressive villain. She was a woman that built robots to be her henchmen and tricked the men into thinking she was just a pawn. Black female genius. I can dig it.
Mary Jo Duffy:
Switches over to Mary Jo Duffy and I really like her style! Luke gets to use his brain. There’s a discussion of privilege between Luke and Danny. It was quite progressive for the time. Danny seems to actually try to understand where Luke's coming from. Several times throughout this portion, Danny tries to buy their way out of trouble and give Luke money and Luke turns him down.
The sparring scene was genius! It was all about their different styles. Luke uses his strength and is a lot more straight forward. When he needs information, Luke goes to people on the street for information. He even lives above a theater in Harlem so that the people always know where to reach him. Danny is much more stylistic, stealthy and he goes through official channels for information.
Luke and Danny’s chemistry is better in Duffy's portion. It felt a lot more even towards Luke's skills.
I don’t like this arc that basically says Misty’s crazy for not trusting a guy that used to make bombs. His bombs killed people so, excuse me for not feeling any sympathy for him because Misty's being mean to him. Yeah, maybe it's not his fault that Misty lost her arm but he still killed people. He's still a bad guy and the arc makes it seem like Misty's just being a meanie pants for not welcoming him into the fold.
I don’t love the idea that Misty and Colleen lose business because Luke and Danny are in business. They refer to the boys as "superheroes" and act like they're lesser than even though they seem to have been doing their jobs more efficiently.
There are a couple 2-bit heroes and villains I'd never heard of here like La Acquino and Muerte. There's a point where Luke is buried alive. Luke is a famous super hero. If you were planning on burying him to get rid of him, why would you go through the trouble of making a fake tombstone?
There’s a deeper relationship going on between Luke and DW Griffith. I had a lot of questions and I kind of wanted more of them. I'm interested in Luke's life outside of cases.
Issue 65 is the least feminist in the bunch. Luke’s a misogynist and there’s some questionable stuff about when it’s okay to hit a woman. Also, Jeryn’s a dick.
Summary: So, this was pretty much like most older Marvel comics. The stories are a bit meh, the characterization is okay and the art was fine. It's not something I can see myself re-reading a lot but I enjoy Luke and Danny's partnership. I liked seeing more of the background characters that pop up in later series. It's easy to see that David F. Walker pulled a lot from the early books for his Power Man and Iron Fist series. I think that one is a lot better, not just because it's a lot more recent but because the writing was a lot stronger and Luke and Danny were more evenly matched.
So, it's not quite a recommend. If you have Marvel Unlimited and feel like checking it out, just skim it some and see if you like it.
One note: this entire book suffers from the time period. It's very dated; not just in terms of art and style but in terms of language. I hate, hate, hate the way Luke's dialogue was written. There are several words here that made me cringe, especially towards Asian characters. The "g" slur is used and Jeryn refers to an Asian character as "oriental". All of this in a book co-starring a white character who's an expert in martial arts... it's a lot to take in. But again, this is stuff that was deemed totally ok by 1970s standards. Doesn't make it right but I would be remiss to not mention it.
Claremont:
This is a much more likable Danny Rand. He gave his shares of the company to Joy Meachum because she earned her place and he hasn’t yet. This is a much more humble and respectable Danny.
Luke and Danny’s friendship is classic comic book cheesy but they’re adorable. Especially when Danny worried Luke wouldn’t want him to be a part of Heroes for Hire. Danny worries about Luke a lot and, surprisingly, there's a lot of Luke being damsel'ed and Danny saving him. I guess, when the female characters aren't here, the men have to save someone.
Luke feels machismo style sympathy for women which is quite annoying to be honest. A lot of "sugar", "darling", etc.
Nightshade was a surprisingly progressive villain. She was a woman that built robots to be her henchmen and tricked the men into thinking she was just a pawn. Black female genius. I can dig it.
Mary Jo Duffy:
Switches over to Mary Jo Duffy and I really like her style! Luke gets to use his brain. There’s a discussion of privilege between Luke and Danny. It was quite progressive for the time. Danny seems to actually try to understand where Luke's coming from. Several times throughout this portion, Danny tries to buy their way out of trouble and give Luke money and Luke turns him down.
The sparring scene was genius! It was all about their different styles. Luke uses his strength and is a lot more straight forward. When he needs information, Luke goes to people on the street for information. He even lives above a theater in Harlem so that the people always know where to reach him. Danny is much more stylistic, stealthy and he goes through official channels for information.
Luke and Danny’s chemistry is better in Duffy's portion. It felt a lot more even towards Luke's skills.
I don’t like this arc that basically says Misty’s crazy for not trusting a guy that used to make bombs. His bombs killed people so, excuse me for not feeling any sympathy for him because Misty's being mean to him. Yeah, maybe it's not his fault that Misty lost her arm but he still killed people. He's still a bad guy and the arc makes it seem like Misty's just being a meanie pants for not welcoming him into the fold.
I don’t love the idea that Misty and Colleen lose business because Luke and Danny are in business. They refer to the boys as "superheroes" and act like they're lesser than even though they seem to have been doing their jobs more efficiently.
There are a couple 2-bit heroes and villains I'd never heard of here like La Acquino and Muerte. There's a point where Luke is buried alive. Luke is a famous super hero. If you were planning on burying him to get rid of him, why would you go through the trouble of making a fake tombstone?
There’s a deeper relationship going on between Luke and DW Griffith. I had a lot of questions and I kind of wanted more of them. I'm interested in Luke's life outside of cases.
Issue 65 is the least feminist in the bunch. Luke’s a misogynist and there’s some questionable stuff about when it’s okay to hit a woman. Also, Jeryn’s a dick.
Summary: So, this was pretty much like most older Marvel comics. The stories are a bit meh, the characterization is okay and the art was fine. It's not something I can see myself re-reading a lot but I enjoy Luke and Danny's partnership. I liked seeing more of the background characters that pop up in later series. It's easy to see that David F. Walker pulled a lot from the early books for his Power Man and Iron Fist series. I think that one is a lot better, not just because it's a lot more recent but because the writing was a lot stronger and Luke and Danny were more evenly matched.
So, it's not quite a recommend. If you have Marvel Unlimited and feel like checking it out, just skim it some and see if you like it.
March 17, 2017
I admit it. I have a soft-spot for "Heroes for Hire", especially in their goofy 70's heyday!
While both Luke Cage(Power Man) and Danny Rand (Iron Fist) have gone on to become mainstays (if not A-listers) in the Marvel Universe, their newer works [while perhaps better in quality] don't compare to the "Heroes for Hire" days!
Sure, there's some queastionable language choices, and some unpleasant issues that lurk in the background (as an astute reviewer below mentioned), Luke Cage does seem to have a slight streak of misogyny [In fact, in the very first issue, he beats up and nearly kills Misty Knight!], and thier villians may be somewhat laughable, but...
The dynamics of the two titular characters is really strong, even in their inital outings, and really manages to shines through in just about every issue in this collection. The writers really managed to highlight both Power-Man's & Iron Fist's individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as their dynamics as a team.
This is a title well worth reading, where you could read a big chunk of a Marvel storyarc and have it be largely self-contained, without needing to know the minutia of the rest of the Marvel Universe, or worry about Alternate Universes, or "World-Changing Crossovers/Events".
While both Luke Cage(Power Man) and Danny Rand (Iron Fist) have gone on to become mainstays (if not A-listers) in the Marvel Universe, their newer works [while perhaps better in quality] don't compare to the "Heroes for Hire" days!
Sure, there's some queastionable language choices, and some unpleasant issues that lurk in the background (as an astute reviewer below mentioned), Luke Cage does seem to have a slight streak of misogyny [In fact, in the very first issue, he beats up and nearly kills Misty Knight!], and thier villians may be somewhat laughable, but...
The dynamics of the two titular characters is really strong, even in their inital outings, and really manages to shines through in just about every issue in this collection. The writers really managed to highlight both Power-Man's & Iron Fist's individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as their dynamics as a team.
This is a title well worth reading, where you could read a big chunk of a Marvel storyarc and have it be largely self-contained, without needing to know the minutia of the rest of the Marvel Universe, or worry about Alternate Universes, or "World-Changing Crossovers/Events".
November 8, 2019
I enjoyed the partnership between Danny and Luke however, for a lot of the time they seemed to be doing their own thing before coming together by the end of the story. The best parts for me were Misty and Colleen; their partnership and team work was always the highlight of the comic. Something I did not like and was a little surprised about was how Luke spoke about or interacted with women. Yes, its the 80s, what can you do? Except Danny showed more respect to the women he interacted with! I always have a soft spot for origin stories but when a collected edition has multiple updates to an origin for the SAME character every few comics, it gets a bit old.
August 26, 2015
People who have been following my reviews for a while might be thinking, "Lissibith? Didn't you already review this book?"
Well, yes and no, my long-remembering friend. Because what I read and reviewed before was the Power Man and Iron Fist Essential collection. And this? This here is the Epic collection. I trust you see the difference.
Well, regardless of if you can, I absolutely did. You see, the difference between the Essential and Epic collection is that the Epic books are in Glorious Full Color (tm), and for that I was totally willing to buy this book again. You see, I love a good buddy book, and even moreso when it's in comics. From Marvel team-ups to Booster and Beetle or Kyle and Guy, superheroes are just exponentially more fun when you get the right pairing, that combination of easy familiarity and genuine deep concern that infuses both fight scenes and their down time.
And Power Man and Iron Fist are my second-favorite such duo in anything ever. Part of it's just the very different ways they approach problems, and how they usually both respect (to an extent) the other's way of doing things, but I think the awesome supporting cast definiely helps.
This book chronicles some of the duo's time as Heroes for Hire - superheroes who can be put on retainer or paid for help with specific things. There's a mix of honest and shady folk who come to them, and from all different economic strata, and it makes for a refreshing change from the city-, country- or world-threatening doings of many other super heroes. From protecting ancient relics and fighting alongside X-Men to revisiting the terrible experiment gone wrong that gave Luke his powers, their stories are all over the place, and I love the ride.
The book is not without its flaws. There's more than one instance of people referring to Luke as a "buck" early on in the run, but thankfully they work THAT out of their system very quick. I don't think it lasts beyond the first issue or two in this collection. Longer lasting is a somewhat misogynistic streak Luke has, but he doesn't let it get in the way of doing his job and he mostly respects the strength of the women in his life.
But mostly it's great vintage superhero fun at its best. And in COLOR!!!
Well, yes and no, my long-remembering friend. Because what I read and reviewed before was the Power Man and Iron Fist Essential collection. And this? This here is the Epic collection. I trust you see the difference.
Well, regardless of if you can, I absolutely did. You see, the difference between the Essential and Epic collection is that the Epic books are in Glorious Full Color (tm), and for that I was totally willing to buy this book again. You see, I love a good buddy book, and even moreso when it's in comics. From Marvel team-ups to Booster and Beetle or Kyle and Guy, superheroes are just exponentially more fun when you get the right pairing, that combination of easy familiarity and genuine deep concern that infuses both fight scenes and their down time.
And Power Man and Iron Fist are my second-favorite such duo in anything ever. Part of it's just the very different ways they approach problems, and how they usually both respect (to an extent) the other's way of doing things, but I think the awesome supporting cast definiely helps.
This book chronicles some of the duo's time as Heroes for Hire - superheroes who can be put on retainer or paid for help with specific things. There's a mix of honest and shady folk who come to them, and from all different economic strata, and it makes for a refreshing change from the city-, country- or world-threatening doings of many other super heroes. From protecting ancient relics and fighting alongside X-Men to revisiting the terrible experiment gone wrong that gave Luke his powers, their stories are all over the place, and I love the ride.
The book is not without its flaws. There's more than one instance of people referring to Luke as a "buck" early on in the run, but thankfully they work THAT out of their system very quick. I don't think it lasts beyond the first issue or two in this collection. Longer lasting is a somewhat misogynistic streak Luke has, but he doesn't let it get in the way of doing his job and he mostly respects the strength of the women in his life.
But mostly it's great vintage superhero fun at its best. And in COLOR!!!
June 6, 2021
CHRISTMAS!!
This is reminiscent of a buddy-cop movie. Now I want to read the original Luke Cage!
•Towards the end, I noticed how Iron Fist’s inner dialogue about the fist is repeatedly mentioned in every issue-ANNOYING.
•Spanish words are barely used, which I didn’t know about this graphic novel.
•A couple of typos.
November 16, 2017
Great collection of stories. This feels like a fun 70s buddy cop/kung-fu/detective show that never aired! Mad bombers, bank robberies, stolen museum artifacts and even some superpowered villains thrown in for good measure. Power Man aka Luke Cage,what a character, mixing the hard edged feel of Blaxploitation cinema with Marvel's superhero thematic, makes for a truly fantastic protagonist. His friendship with Iron Fist is fun and inspiring, and the two heroes makes a great team. Recommended!
December 18, 2022
I read a lot of these originally as individual issues, but many I read when the run was previously collected in Essential Power Man and Iron Fist, Vol. 1. This buddy-team-up series started off strong (VERY strong), and then floundered before finding a solid and steady footing.
Power Man #48-49 & Power Man & Iron Fist #50 - Here’s our VERY strong start. From the legendary team of Chris Claremont & John Byrne, coming right off their run on the Iron Fist comic, these three issues are a seemless continuation that also wraps up the biggest problem facing Luke Cage. This is excellent stuff that begins to clean away the detritus of dangling story threats and really primes the reader’s anticipation for some excellent stories to come 5/5).
Power Man & Iron Fist #51-55 - What we get next, doesn’t live up to that expectation. While Claremont stayed around for a couple of issues, all these do is illustrate how much Claremont’s legend is truly based upon who he’s collaborating with. And the next writer on the series, Ed Hannigan doesn’t seem to have a clue how to continue the relationships. Lucky he doesn’t stick around for long, thankfully these stories aren’t terrible, but there’s definitely an increasingly diminishment of value (2/5).
Power Man & Iron Fist #56-70 - The remaining 2/3’s of this volume is written by Jo Duffy, and this truly sets the tone and establishes the relationship between our titular buddies, Luke and Danny. Duffy tenure starts out fairly unremarkable, but as the issues progress, there is a clearly a growing sense of character and relationship that permeates the series. This is the true, and often unrecognized, bedrock upon which the Power Fist was born and would grow. Duffy even puts they relationships with supporting cast members into the spotlight, further enriching the title and series with truly rememberable moments. Coupled with Kerry Gammill on the art, this team makes for a rock solid, enormously and consistently entertaining series (4/5).
Power Man #48-49 & Power Man & Iron Fist #50 - Here’s our VERY strong start. From the legendary team of Chris Claremont & John Byrne, coming right off their run on the Iron Fist comic, these three issues are a seemless continuation that also wraps up the biggest problem facing Luke Cage. This is excellent stuff that begins to clean away the detritus of dangling story threats and really primes the reader’s anticipation for some excellent stories to come 5/5).
Power Man & Iron Fist #51-55 - What we get next, doesn’t live up to that expectation. While Claremont stayed around for a couple of issues, all these do is illustrate how much Claremont’s legend is truly based upon who he’s collaborating with. And the next writer on the series, Ed Hannigan doesn’t seem to have a clue how to continue the relationships. Lucky he doesn’t stick around for long, thankfully these stories aren’t terrible, but there’s definitely an increasingly diminishment of value (2/5).
Power Man & Iron Fist #56-70 - The remaining 2/3’s of this volume is written by Jo Duffy, and this truly sets the tone and establishes the relationship between our titular buddies, Luke and Danny. Duffy tenure starts out fairly unremarkable, but as the issues progress, there is a clearly a growing sense of character and relationship that permeates the series. This is the true, and often unrecognized, bedrock upon which the Power Fist was born and would grow. Duffy even puts they relationships with supporting cast members into the spotlight, further enriching the title and series with truly rememberable moments. Coupled with Kerry Gammill on the art, this team makes for a rock solid, enormously and consistently entertaining series (4/5).
May 31, 2025
I don't have so many nice things to say about this book.
This collects comics that were published in 1977-1981 by Marvel Comics, teaming up the D-Listers Power Man and Iron Fist. I'm aware that these comics are set into the Bronze Age and should be treated as such. However, I've read other series from that period and this book just stinks.
The book starts with Power Man and Iron Fist meeting up for the first time and then soon after teaming up. There's no real story behind that, they just team up. They take jobs for payment, even though Iron Fist owns a fortune. This might be an interesting contrast, but it is never explained and just doesn't make any sense like that.
Thus far, the two have barely any chemistry and, what bothers me the most, any reason to keep teaming up. They have no bond whatsoever. Sometimes there's two more ladies, Coleen and Misty, who help them out. As in most comics from that time, the women are written in an awful way. Half of this book is actually written by a female writer, but even then the women are mostly damsels in distress.
The duo lacks any meaningful villains. There is one Sabretooth story in here, which might be the highlight, or rather the least boring story of this volume. Most stories just feature mafia or villains tied to corruption and are utterly forgettable. The protagonists are not allowed to have any meaningful progression. Most of the stories in here can be read out of order.
The artwork is really bad and the covers in particular are quite ugly. In total, nothing in this book is any good in my opinion and this might be one of the dullest comics from Marvel I've read. I have 3 more volumes to go, hoping it will improve.
This collects comics that were published in 1977-1981 by Marvel Comics, teaming up the D-Listers Power Man and Iron Fist. I'm aware that these comics are set into the Bronze Age and should be treated as such. However, I've read other series from that period and this book just stinks.
The book starts with Power Man and Iron Fist meeting up for the first time and then soon after teaming up. There's no real story behind that, they just team up. They take jobs for payment, even though Iron Fist owns a fortune. This might be an interesting contrast, but it is never explained and just doesn't make any sense like that.
Thus far, the two have barely any chemistry and, what bothers me the most, any reason to keep teaming up. They have no bond whatsoever. Sometimes there's two more ladies, Coleen and Misty, who help them out. As in most comics from that time, the women are written in an awful way. Half of this book is actually written by a female writer, but even then the women are mostly damsels in distress.
The duo lacks any meaningful villains. There is one Sabretooth story in here, which might be the highlight, or rather the least boring story of this volume. Most stories just feature mafia or villains tied to corruption and are utterly forgettable. The protagonists are not allowed to have any meaningful progression. Most of the stories in here can be read out of order.
The artwork is really bad and the covers in particular are quite ugly. In total, nothing in this book is any good in my opinion and this might be one of the dullest comics from Marvel I've read. I have 3 more volumes to go, hoping it will improve.
July 25, 2018
Though the Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection continues the numbering of the Power Man comic, it's more clearly a continuation of the Iron Fist Epic Collection: The Fury of Iron Fist. Not only does author Chris Claremont come over, but he also brings with him Danny's entire supporting cast, and then even rather rudely displaces Luke's own.
What's most shocking about Claremont's short run on the comic (#48-53) is how quickly he deals with the two comic's continuing subplots. His dismissal of Luke's problems with the law is as offhand as his dismissal of Luke's cast. Iron Fist does better with a reconciliation between Danny and Joy that's been some time coming. Other than that, the brief Claremont issues are a mix of horribly '70s villains (like Stiletto and Discus, both from early issues of Power Man, and the newer cybernauts) with ones who have had much longer shelf lives: Bushmaster, from the Iron Fist comic, gets an interesting new setup as Power-Man-ized villain; while Nightshade, from Captain America, makes less of an impression.
It's interesting that Ed Hannigan is the one who brings the Hero for Hire concept back to the new buddy comic, in just one of his two issues not written with Claremont (#54-55). The trick is of course figuring out why Danny would ever need money ... and the idea that he feels like he needs to earn his fortune is believable. However, Hannigan's two issues are otherwise dull, centering on a bank robbery and a car theft. Mind you, it's a Fantasti-car.
The comic really takes off with Jo Duffy (#56-70), primarily because she does a great job of writing the duo as good friends. They bounce off each other in interesting ways, and they also enjoy a larger cast including Misty, Colleen, Bob Diamond, and others. With that said, the supporting cast doesn't get nearly as much attention as Luke and Danny, and the stories are again fairly pedestrian. There's an intriguing use of the Living Pharaoh and a good return of Bushmaster, but various thieves, assassins, and Mafia members leave other stories lessmemorable. The staccato use of 1 or 2 issues stories also foils any attempts at longer plotlines.
Overall, this is an interesting volume for fans of Danny, Luke, or the newer Netflix series, but ultimately one that's beholden to its time period.
What's most shocking about Claremont's short run on the comic (#48-53) is how quickly he deals with the two comic's continuing subplots. His dismissal of Luke's problems with the law is as offhand as his dismissal of Luke's cast. Iron Fist does better with a reconciliation between Danny and Joy that's been some time coming. Other than that, the brief Claremont issues are a mix of horribly '70s villains (like Stiletto and Discus, both from early issues of Power Man, and the newer cybernauts) with ones who have had much longer shelf lives: Bushmaster, from the Iron Fist comic, gets an interesting new setup as Power-Man-ized villain; while Nightshade, from Captain America, makes less of an impression.
It's interesting that Ed Hannigan is the one who brings the Hero for Hire concept back to the new buddy comic, in just one of his two issues not written with Claremont (#54-55). The trick is of course figuring out why Danny would ever need money ... and the idea that he feels like he needs to earn his fortune is believable. However, Hannigan's two issues are otherwise dull, centering on a bank robbery and a car theft. Mind you, it's a Fantasti-car.
The comic really takes off with Jo Duffy (#56-70), primarily because she does a great job of writing the duo as good friends. They bounce off each other in interesting ways, and they also enjoy a larger cast including Misty, Colleen, Bob Diamond, and others. With that said, the supporting cast doesn't get nearly as much attention as Luke and Danny, and the stories are again fairly pedestrian. There's an intriguing use of the Living Pharaoh and a good return of Bushmaster, but various thieves, assassins, and Mafia members leave other stories lessmemorable. The staccato use of 1 or 2 issues stories also foils any attempts at longer plotlines.
Overall, this is an interesting volume for fans of Danny, Luke, or the newer Netflix series, but ultimately one that's beholden to its time period.
October 15, 2017
Man oh man. This material has not aged well. It's not super racist or anything, but it doesn't have a lot of redeeming qualities. The four-color print art looks really ugly, you have all of the Orientalism of Iron Fist and all of the awkward misunderstanding of black culture of early Luke Cage, and some of the plots are baffling. It is kinda fun to hear Luke refer to people as "jive turkeys" and for another black man to refer to Luke as an "Uncle Tom" because he works for/with Danny Rand. This material is really only good for understanding just how far we've come with the Netflix shows, particularly Luke Cage, and how hard the writers had to work to rise above this material but still acknowledge its origins.
Fun fact: Did you know Misty Knight and Colleen Wing once had a successful PI/bodyguarding business, and offered Luke a job, and he didn't take it because he didn't want to work for women? .... Yay.
Fun fact: Did you know Misty Knight and Colleen Wing once had a successful PI/bodyguarding business, and offered Luke a job, and he didn't take it because he didn't want to work for women? .... Yay.
May 9, 2021
I'm not going to tell you that this is the greatest bronze age comic you're going ot rad, but it's certainly fun. There's some great arc as the two get into so many fights, with Iron Fist being nimble and using martial arts while Luke Cage runs up and smashes things. They're a fun dynamic! I love when they play into the idea of being "heroes for hire" and charging overtime, or clocking out when they don't feel like being superheroes anymore. Lots of their adventures have them working for less-than-virtuous organizations so they get caught up in some drama most superheroes don't, while still trying to do good and stick by their morals. I like that it's not just "Power Man and Iron Fist" but you get regular appearances from Colleen Wing and Misty Knight as they investigate plots of their own and have big fight scenes.
It's kind of dated. It likely won't blow you away. But it's a good time and worth checking out if you're fans of either character.
It's kind of dated. It likely won't blow you away. But it's a good time and worth checking out if you're fans of either character.
June 22, 2022
Really can't say enough about these stories from the late seventies and the early eighties. I loved them back then and still they read (of their time) as well thought out stories.
The villains appear a few times from both the Iron Fist volume one and Hero for Hire/Power Man titles before plus brand new ones.
The only issue I keep seeing is how angry and hostile Misty Knight is. From the stories I cannot image what Danny Rand finds attractive and loving in her anger.
I love these Epic Collections, I just wish they would actual keep them in print and print the ones they skip.
Even the Omnibus collections are cool, but they print so few and then skip others.
No clue that Marvel (Disney) just don't get it together a bit better.
The villains appear a few times from both the Iron Fist volume one and Hero for Hire/Power Man titles before plus brand new ones.
The only issue I keep seeing is how angry and hostile Misty Knight is. From the stories I cannot image what Danny Rand finds attractive and loving in her anger.
I love these Epic Collections, I just wish they would actual keep them in print and print the ones they skip.
Even the Omnibus collections are cool, but they print so few and then skip others.
No clue that Marvel (Disney) just don't get it together a bit better.
November 7, 2022
Sure there is a touch of nostalgia. The plotting and the art aren't anything memorable or ground breaking.
Gee I miss the days when super hero stories weren't 'rushed'. This is an almost paradoxical statement as today's comics are so decompressed but the characters have time to breath. This especially gives rise to support characters. PM and IF have at least 10 that bob up every now and again. Modern comics don't have time for support characters, and if they are included, they are ditched when the mini series of there is a change of creator. Lessens the sense of continuity. (Speaking of continuity - subtle cameo from Bruce Banner).
This collection also doesn't feature any 'self made' problems from our heroes, nor does it feel the need to have any legacy characters!
Gee I miss the days when super hero stories weren't 'rushed'. This is an almost paradoxical statement as today's comics are so decompressed but the characters have time to breath. This especially gives rise to support characters. PM and IF have at least 10 that bob up every now and again. Modern comics don't have time for support characters, and if they are included, they are ditched when the mini series of there is a change of creator. Lessens the sense of continuity. (Speaking of continuity - subtle cameo from Bruce Banner).
This collection also doesn't feature any 'self made' problems from our heroes, nor does it feel the need to have any legacy characters!
September 13, 2024
Gems include Luke v. Danny & Daughters of the Dragon, Misty nervepinches Claire, Luke catches Misty’s bullet, H4H v. cybernauts, Danny kicks a monkey statue into a guy’s face, H4H v. Nightshade, Danny gets cardsharked, Luke KOs a tiger at a carshow, Luke v. Danny Round 2, Danny smashes the Cheops Crystal, H4H v. El Águila, Colleen almost belegs a Son of the Tiger, Misty overcomes her anti-IRA prejudice, Man Mountain Marko shocks Luke & Danny beats down Thunderbolt, Maggia buries Luke alive, Danny walks thru flame, H4H v. Srs. Suerte & Muerte, Luke ratifies the ERA, Daughters of the Dragon v. Sabretooth & Constrictor, Bushmaster crumbles, Luke v. Gorilla-Man, Danny v. Col. Eschat, & El Supremo shoots Danny
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2022
This is great 70s fun, a mixture of hepcats and martial arts, reflecting the trends of the era. Luke Cage is just great, and is complemented well by Iron Fist. I read this title as a kid, though probably started later in the run. In the U.K. back then, it was kind of pot luck which American titles were available, but I enjoyed this one and the other martial arts themed comic, Master of Kung Fu. Heroes for hire has it all: origin stories, relationships, the great idea that superheroes were doing it to pay the rent, and a great rogues gallery. We meet gangsters, supervillains, killer robots, and even a guy with his head grafted onto a gorilla. What's not to like?
March 19, 2025
I'm going to be honest, this wasn't completely what I thought I was getting into. For starters, for some reason I thought Claremont and Byrne had a much longer run. Instead it's blink and you miss it Which leads quickly into Mary Jo Duffy taking over with a few artists before landing on Kerry Gammill. In my opinion, it took Duffy a little while to really find her footing on the book, but by the time Gammill comes around she has the characters down and by the end of the book Gammill easily became my favorite Power Man and Iron Fist artist. Sorry John.
So what does this really relate you. Kind of a rough first half, finished off by real strong back half.
So what does this really relate you. Kind of a rough first half, finished off by real strong back half.
May 17, 2018
I had read these as a kid and loved them. As a middle-aged white man I am appalled at the casual racism that abounds here. The fact that Chris Claremont is responsible makes me shake my head even more. I am surprised they kept it in, but I am glad they did so. It's important to accurately record this sort of thing, no matter how offensive.
If you can get past the racism, there's plenty of good 70's cheese to be had. Story quality ranges from pretty decent to "who thought that was a good story idea".
If you can get past the racism, there's plenty of good 70's cheese to be had. Story quality ranges from pretty decent to "who thought that was a good story idea".
August 13, 2017
So after Iron Fist's series got cancelled, Marvel teamed him and Luke Cage up, a format which lasted for a decade (and has been revived since). This collection of the first thirty or so issues is reasonably fun, nothing terribly special as Heroes for Hire battle El Aguila, the Living Monolith, Big Ben Donovan and Bushmaster, among other foes. Competently written for the most part so your reaction may depend how much you like the characters.
June 20, 2019
You know what I really liked about this book? It seemed like there was a whole special Power Man and Iron Fist universe. It fit within the Marvel Universe, but it's separate and they all seem pretty rich.
It riffs off a lot of blaxploitation stuff. It's hard to tell if any of this is really racist. It feels like sometimes it is, but it didn't mean to be? But I'm not the one who can make this call.
It riffs off a lot of blaxploitation stuff. It's hard to tell if any of this is really racist. It feels like sometimes it is, but it didn't mean to be? But I'm not the one who can make this call.
March 1, 2021
4.5 rounded up on this slice of Marvel nostalgia. The storylines are fast-paced fun and the art is great for a book that didn't rate top billing. Marvel was daring in the 70s and 80s as they produced comics with off-beat characters and storylines. These books allowed new writers to learn the Marvel way and to show off their talent.
This book features some amazing art by Zeck, Gammill, and Sal Buscema. That alone is worth the price, but the stories are fun and full of action and adventure.
This book features some amazing art by Zeck, Gammill, and Sal Buscema. That alone is worth the price, but the stories are fun and full of action and adventure.
August 4, 2019
The stories are entertaining enough and the art is great. The writing seems off at times in regards to race by modern standards with many outdated stereotypes and terms. It is an extension of blaxploitation cinema characters like Shaft and the roles of Pam Grier. For me, observing this book's role in that wider body of work is why it's worth reading.
January 19, 2018
This was such a kitschy little collection, though very enjoyable. Fans of the modern day Power Man and Iron Fist will very much enjoy seeing them team up for the first time.
March 17, 2021
Just great comics
January 25, 2016
I have loved Power Man and Iron Fist for a long time. So long, in fact, that I can't remember how it came about. I know I liked Iron Fist first, and came to appreciate Power Man afterwards. My best guess is that I liked the '90s Werewolf by Night revamp, and went back to read some of those comics, and found Power Man and Iron Fist around the same time, and went along for the ride. Then the Heroes for Hire books came along and solidified my interest. Anyway, I have read a number of the older comics, but never all in one chunk, and from what I can tell, mostly later ones than this, since none of these looked familiar. This collection comes after about four years worth of Power Man comics, and a good bit of Iron Fist and Misty Knight and Colleen Wing in their own martial arts books. This is where the chocolate and peanut butter come together and create something magical. IN true comic book fashion, it starts with a fight. From there, a reluctant partnership starts, and the chemistry between the characters and their individual quirks just makes it something special. From a modern perspective, it's a simple trope of a buddy story, but it's just a lot of fun. I often have trouble now reading older stories, because of the tremendous difference in pacing between classic and modern books, but this one was no trouble at all. The characters have distinct voices and personalities, and it is interesting to see how they grow and learn from each other. I'm amazed just how much this very solid collection made me enjoy these characters even more. It is as epic in length as its name would imply, and this is not an idle afternoon's read. It's quite a lot of comics, and from an era where an issue of a comic might be about as extensive as an arc of six comics is today. It took me a good while to read it all, and I enjoyed every moment of it.
October 28, 2016
Not bad, but not nearly as good as the solo Iron First volume I read previously. The plots aren't nearly as interesting, the guest villains aren't nearly as super. Sabretooth makes a return appearance, but he's barely in the story of the one comic he shows up in. Another character, the Aguila, had such a warped sense of justice he continuously views Power Man and Iron Fist as bad guys even though he knows they aren't. "Because he just had to return" shouts one of the comic covers featuring Aguila's second appearance. No, no he didn't.
I got the feeling that this would have worked as a great private eye type tv show back in the 70s. But after the epic feel of Iron Fist, this really does feel like a just a collection of comics in sequential order. There are some truly interesting facets to be explored here. The interracial relationship between IF and Misty Knight was still not the kind of relationship accepted by most of society in the late 70s and could have made some great dramatic moments. But the relationship is only mentioned. We never see IF and Misty act or behave as a couple. We only ever see them on the job. I don't know if that's all that could be done in comics back then, but for a 2016 mindset I wish there had been more.
Still worth the read, but not as good as I was hoping.
I got the feeling that this would have worked as a great private eye type tv show back in the 70s. But after the epic feel of Iron Fist, this really does feel like a just a collection of comics in sequential order. There are some truly interesting facets to be explored here. The interracial relationship between IF and Misty Knight was still not the kind of relationship accepted by most of society in the late 70s and could have made some great dramatic moments. But the relationship is only mentioned. We never see IF and Misty act or behave as a couple. We only ever see them on the job. I don't know if that's all that could be done in comics back then, but for a 2016 mindset I wish there had been more.
Still worth the read, but not as good as I was hoping.
September 4, 2016
As late 70's Marvel comics go, this one is pretty good. I think it's cool that two characters that were fading in popularity got such great artists and writers. Claremont and Byrne were great for starters, but Duffy and Gamill do a great job picking things up. I especially like how well Gamill's abilities noticeably progress over the course of just a few issues. Did they do anything revolutionary with the stories? Not really. Standard stuff for the time, but the characters are interesting enough to keep you reading.
October 3, 2015
I think this was the most inconsistent collection of comics ever. There's like 7 writers and 8 artists listed. Plots are started, then dropped. Sometimes the book ties into X-Men, but sometimes not. Sometimes Cage is a lovable spoof of Shaft... sometimes he's a crumugdeon... sometimes he's Black Daredevil.
Some really fun stories mixed into the chaos, though... I can see why people liked the book, and the concept.
Some really fun stories mixed into the chaos, though... I can see why people liked the book, and the concept.
October 7, 2016
Heroes for Hire
Had fun reading this series.. so retro in terms of art, style, dialogue and story, as compared to comic books nowadays.. got it on sale so it was a good deal, the Kindle edition also is easy to read. Best read before watching the upcoming Luke Cage and Iron Fist series on TV..
Had fun reading this series.. so retro in terms of art, style, dialogue and story, as compared to comic books nowadays.. got it on sale so it was a good deal, the Kindle edition also is easy to read. Best read before watching the upcoming Luke Cage and Iron Fist series on TV..
June 8, 2016
This run is a lot of fun, the best way to describe it is like a 70's buddy-detective show. Sure Claremont's involvement is limited to the first two issuses, but Mary Jo Duffy elevates the concept and works with both characters beautifully.
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