Cage in P2 60-62

[Antonio Gaviño]

Luke Cage’s appearances in P2 60-62 (which elapse 2 weeks or more) cannot go between his appearances in issues 2 and 3 of his CAGE series. They should go before CAGE 2.

Pages 1 to 21:2 of CAGE 2 are flashbacks narrated to each other by Micky Hamilton and Analisa Medina on a phone conversation about events as recent as the night before and at the most one more day earlier but no more than that. At the time they talk, Cage is said to be flying back to Chicago after the events narrated in the previous pages. Immediately after that phone call, Nitro, Tombstone and Kickback burst into the Chicago Spectator building, situation ending up with Nitro exploding within the newspaper premises. CAGE 3 follows 6 hours after those events, with Cage, back from his flight, helping rescue Analisa Medina, who got trapped inside an elevator after the explosion caused by Nitro. The Punisher appears in CAGE 3-4 trying to repay a debt to Cage from P2 60-62, CAGE 2 should also go after these Punisher issues.

There’s also some errors and omissions for some of the characters appearing in CAGE 1-4.

Daryl Andrews’ middle name, Joshua, is shown on a computer screen in CAGE 4 page 11 panel 2.


Elio Angelopoulus reveals in CAGE 1 (9:3) that everybody calls him Angel, short for his last name, but his first name is given on page 10 panel 1. Elio, a corporate man and gun collector with ties to the Maggia, and a breaker of strike manifestations in prior decades, is trying to fake his death and transfer his holdings to the Maggia, to get a new life somewhere else, but he is apprehended at the end of the issue. His name is more than likely a wink to Chris Eliopoulos, who letters the issue. The project shows appearances by Elio in P2 61-62 but he does not appear there. The character in these issues is a drug lord named Spike Johansen, his name revealed in P2 60 (12:2). He is referred to as Spike in P2 61 and 62, where he appears. I’m guessing whoever combined both characters’ appearances, for the Official Index and the Project, associated the fact that Elio is seen in a flashback hitting people with a stick to break a strike manifestation in CAGE 1, and Spike carries a baseball bat to intimidate people in P2 62; that and the fact that Chris Eliopoulos, the real life letterer whose name Elio’s is based on, is also nicknamed Spike. It is unfortunate that both characters made it to an official index as a single character but they have different motives, don’t look much similar and there’s no in-story indication that the one in P2 61-62 is Elio Angelopoulos. Apparently, using a baseball bat was a common practice for comic characters around those days; Marvin “M.C.” Large, a rapper Cage is hired to bodyguard, also carries a bat around in CAGE 2.

Bushmaster III appears on page 22 of CAGE 1 and on page 3 of CAGE 3.

Mr. Drewston’s behind the scenes appearances in issues 1 and 5 of CAGE should be changed to voice only; he speaks through an intercom on both occasions.

“Micky” Hamilton’s first name is shown on the front page of an American Spectator newspaper in CAGE 12 page 1 panel 1, spelled Micheal (not Michael) twice on said front page, so I’m guessing that spelling of his name is correct.

Kickback’s last name is revealed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Hardcover 2 (2008). He is referenced as a former member in the profile for the Corporation. Also, issue 4 of CAGE starts with a close-up of Kickback’s face with drops of rain on him as he starts recalling recent events, a similar close-up is shown on the first panel of page 13, where he continues to recall events which are shown through page 15. His recalling finally catches up on page 16, as he blinks an eye to Hardcore to make an agreement signal, with the rest of his body immobilized by tranquilizer darts all this time. So, for all the characters in pages 1 to 15 their appearances should be flashbacks.

Esther Lucas, Luke Cage’s mother, appears in the first of four flashbacks in CAGE 3. Her name is revealed to be Esther on page 15 panel 2 of CAGE 15; on the next panel of the same issue she is shown in various wallet pictures depicting her romance with James Lucas and at a time when her son Carl is just a baby. Their older son James Jr. is also depicted. She also appears in a flashback on the second story of Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular; she is seen watching her son Carl ride a bike on page 1, panel 1.

James Lucas’ behind the scenes appearance in CAGE 8 should be changed to voice only, he speaks to his oldest son James Jr. on the last page of the issue. Also, his name is given as John Lucas by a TV news reporter on page 12 of CAGE 19; one could take this as a mistake but “Micky” Hamilton, who is revealed to be his friend from younger years, calls him Johnnie on page 15 of CAGE 15. It is unclear if that would be his first or middle name; I’m going with middle one. Some other sources even give his middle name as Leonard but, at a quick glance, I haven’t found any in-book instance where that name is used. Maybe somebody out there knows more about it.

Luke’s older brother, James Lucas Jr. first appears in the third flashback of CAGE 3 confronting his brother after their father gets Carl out of detention.

Luke Cage’s middle name at birth is said to be Earl in a Chicago Spectator article on page 4 panel 1 of CAGE 17. On an aside note, I don’t know if I’m the last one to realize this but now I get it, Carl Earl, man of steel, clever. His mother’s name is also given in full as Esther Lucas in said issue.

There’s a couple of characters who might warrant inclusion, I’ll let you guys decide. One is Dakota North’s assistant Teague, appearing on an off through the series, and the other one is Jordan Hamlin, a guy getting kidnapped and later used as a subject to replicate the serum that makes Cage invulnerable; he ultimately dies as his body can’t handle it.

And lastly, on panel 6, page 20 of CAGE 4, the Punisher is reading a newspaper showing a picture of Cage and Dakota North surrounded by 5 policemen right after the events that unfold up to the very previous panel, which makes the scene a picture flashback for both characters.

ANDREWS, DARYL JOSHUA "TROOP"
 <— ADD middle name
CAGE 2-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 2-BTS <—- ADD notation
CAGE 3
CAGE 4-FB <—- ADD notation
CAGE 5-FB
…

ANGELOPOULOS, ELIO “ANGEL” III <—- REPLACE nickname with first name
CAGE 1-FB

CAGE 1

P2 61
 —-> DELETE
P2 62 —-> DELETE

BUSHMASTER III/CRUZ BUSHMASTER
PM&IF 125-BTS
CAGE 1 <—- ADD
CAGE 3 <—- ADD
CAGE 4-BTS
…

CAGE, LUKE/CARL EARL LUCAS <— ADD middle name
CAGE 1
CAGE 2
 —-> DELETE
P2 60
P2 61
P2 62
CAGE 2-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 2-BTS <—- ADD
CAGE 3
CAGE 4 (1:2-12)-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4 (13:2-15)-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4 (1-20:5) <—- ADD page range
CAGE 4 (20:6)-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4 (20:6-22) <—- ADD
CAGE 5-FB
…

COLDFIRE/JAMES LUCAS JR.
CAGE 15-FB <—- ADD
{CAGE 3-FB} <—- ADD
CAGE 8
…

DREWSTON, MR.
CAGE 1-BTS <—- change to VO
CAGE 5-BTS <—- change to VO
…

HAMILTON, MICHEAL “MICKY” <—- REPLACE nickname with first name

CAGE 12 (9:4 - 10:3)-FB
CAGE 2-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 2
CAGE 4-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4
…

HAMLIN, JORDAN <—- NEW
CAGE 3
CAGE 4
CAGE 5-FB

HARDCORE
…
{CAGE 1}
CAGE 2-FB <—- ADD notation
CAGE 3
CAGE 4-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4
…

JOHANSEN, SPIKE <—- NEW
P2 61
P2 62

KICKBACK/RICHARD YUROCKO <—- ADD last name
CAGE 2
CAGE 3
CAGE 4-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4

LUCAS, ESTHER <—- NEW
CAGE 15-FB
M/ASS 2/2-FB
{CAGE 3-FB}

LUCAS, JAMES JOHN/"JAMES GEARY" <— ADD middle name
MA2 11-FB
MA2 12-FB
CAGE 15-FB <—- ADD
{CAGE 3-FB}
CAGE 8-BTS <—- change to VO
CAGE 12-FB
…

MEDINA, ANALISA MARISOL SOTO
…
CAGE 3
CAGE 4-FB <—- ADD notation
CAGE 5
…

NITRO/ROBERT L. HUNTER
…
CAGE 3
CAGE 4-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4
…

NORTH, DAKOTA
…
CAGE 1
CAGE 2-FB <—- ADD notation
CAGE 3
CAGE 4 (1:2-12)-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4 (13:2-15)-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4 (1-20:5) <—- ADD page range
CAGE 4 (20:6)-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4 (20:6-22) <—- ADD
CAGE 6
…

PUNISHER II/FRANCIS G. CASTIGLIONE/"FRANK CASTLE"
…
CAGE 3
CAGE 4-FB <—- ADD
CAGE 4
…

POWER MAN II/CARL EARL LUCAS/"LUKE CAGE" <— ADD middle name
CAGE 15-FB <—- ADD
M/ASS 2/2 (1:1)-FB
…

TEAGUE <—- NEW
CAGE 1
CAGE 2-FB-BTS
CAGE 3
CAGE 10
CAGE 19-BTS

TOMBSTONE/ALONZO "LONNIE" THOMPSON LINCOLN
…
CAGE 3
CAGE 4-FB <—- ADD notation
DD 307
…