Synopsis: Freedom was written by Chris Claremont with once again John Byrne on pencils and opens on a party for Luke Cage, who after years of being considered a criminal has been exonerated of the crimes he committed and has been legally declared Lucas Cage. Talking with Iron Fist, Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, he recaps much of his recent history before he is dumped by his long standing girlfriend Claire Temple. As he reels from the bombshell, two vigilantes called Discus and Stiletto burst and and start shooting the place up to kill Cage for his crimes.
Eager to prevent anyone getting hurt needlessly, Iron Fist jumps in and starts battling with the pair, whilst getting Misty to clear the place of civilians. When their easy kill starts looking less easy, Stiletto and Discus head to the roof outside, soon followed by Iron Fist. Stiletto tries to push Iron First off the roof, before he and Discus are through through the roof by Cage. Iron Fist does fall off the roof, but lands in a swimming pool in that building, a pool that just happens to have Kurt (Nightcrawler of the X-Men) Wagner’s girlfriend Amanda and her friend Besty in it.
The police arrive, including Misty Knight’s ex-partner Raphael (Rafe) Scarfe, who is shot by Stiletto. This enrages Misty who fires her gun right at Stiletto’s head, but Luke Cage catches the bullet, saving her from being a murderer, since Rafe was hurt, not killed. Iron Fist arrives to see the bad guys put away and then the three of them talk about working together.
Revelance: This was the beginning of the life-long friendship of Power Man and Iron Fist. The two being friends to this day and starting the idea of heroes for hire, a concept that still pops up from time to time.
Notes: I did like this issue, but it felt a bit like a missed opportunity in some ways. A lot of the issue is taken up with the battle between Discus and Stiletto, but apart from their manifesto, this issue doesn’t tell you much about them. Being the start of the new team, the comic doesn’t really show them interacting too much. We get a lot of conflict, but not as a way to expand upon the title characters, although we get that great scene where Misty Knight loses it for a second. That said, it’s a great little showcase for the characters. If you’re a Luke Cage fan, Iron Fist gets a spotlight and vice versa and the John Byrne Art is always awesome.
Next Time: Once again we assemble.
My Marvel Life 