Student Ryder Stone has been inducted into the Cage Hero program, a secret project developing the hidden powers held by a select group of people. With the world in danger, can this new team unlock the hero from within themselves before it’s too late?

CollectsÿCage! #1-4. The award-winning animator behind Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack and Hotel Transylvania brings his visionary talents to Marvel! On the mean streets of Harlem, shoes are big, shirts are large, bottoms are belled and crime is rampant! But in the heart of the city, the world's hardest-working, smack-talking, chain-wearing super hero is on the streets and on the case! And his rates are reasonable! He's Cage! Dig it! But what happens when he's out of his element, trapped in a jungle a thousand miles from home, and hunted by savage beasts that walk like men?

Luke Cage burst onto the comics scene in 1972 as the "Hero for Hire." Equal parts Marvel Method and Blaxploitation boldness, he was a new kind of hero for a new era. Now, the Marvel Masterworks proudly presents the complete Luke Cage, Hero for Hire - the historic first title to headline an African-American super hero - in one hardcover volume! Cage's adventures depicted New York City's 1970s grit and the plight of its people unlike any other, all while incorporating larger-than-life villains including Black Mariah and Dr. Doom. COLLECTING: Luke Cage, Hero for Hire (1972) 1-16

Investigating the murder of a teenage girl, Cage suddenly learns that a three-way gang war is underway for control of the turf he calls home. And what better way to disrupt the stalemate than offering his services to the highest bidder?

Power Man no more! Harlem's favorite son is ripping up the silk shirt and getting back in the game as Luke Cage, Hero for Hire - and he's working overtime! With Chicago as his new home, it's no surprise Luke soon has his hands full with the Untouchables! And that puts him square in the Punisher's sights. Bullets are one thing for a guy with steel-hard skin, but he'll need a power upgrade before locking horns with the Rhino and butting heads with the Hulk! It's far from a sweet Christmas when a new foe strikes - one with ties to one of his greatest enemies! With his family's lives at stake, Luke sure is a friend in need. Good thing Iron Fist is his friend indeed! Collecting Cage (1992) #1-12 and material from Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #82.

As the Civil War rages, an unlikely group of heroes gather to hunt down fugitive superhumans who refuse to register. Misty Knight and Colleen Wing use their bail-bonds skills, underworld connections and government funding to lead an all-new Heroes for Hire: Black Cat, Shang-Chi, Paladin, the all-new Tarantula and more! It's action, adventure, crime, beautiful women and Kung Fu chaos! Then: the Thunderbolts may be known criminals, but they sure can get good publicity by hunting down renegade heroes! COLLECTING: HEROES FOR HIRE #1-5, THUNDERBOLTS #101-105.

Luke Cage burst onto the comics scene in 1972 as the "Hero for Hire." Equal parts Marvel Method and Blaxploitation boldness, he was a new kind of hero for a new era. Now, the Marvel Masterworks proudly presents the complete Luke Cage, Hero for Hire - the historic first title to headline an African-American super hero - in one hardcover volume! Cage's adventures depicted New York City's 1970s grit and the plight of its people unlike any other, all while incorporating larger-than-life villains including Black Mariah and Dr. Doom. COLLECTING: Luke Cage, Hero for Hire (1972) 1-16

"A lot can change in ten years. And rarely for the better. Local legend, Luke Cage, invincible, unstoppable, unflappable, finds that out the hard way when he returns to the mean streets of Prohibition-era Harlem after a ten-year stretch in Riker's Island. All he wants is to be back in the loving arms of his woman, but certain powerful men have different plans for Cage. Willis Stryker, Cage's childhood friend turned Godfather of Harlem, wants him on his crew, and under his thumb. And wealthy white socialite Randall Banticoff, whose wife is now very dead, murdered in a Harlem alley, wants Cage to investigate her death. Cage is about to learn that coming home is never easy, and to survive he might just have to kill a whole lot of people"--Publisher's web site.

Contributions by Phil Bevin, Blair Davis, Marc DiPaolo, Michele Fazio, James Gifford, Kelly Kanayama, Orion Ussner Kidder, Christina M. Knopf, Kevin Michael Scott, Andrew Alan Smith, and Terrence R. Wandtke In comic books, superhero stories often depict working-class characters who struggle to make ends meet, lead fulfilling lives, and remain faithful to themselves and their own personal code of ethics. Working-Class Comic Book Heroes: Class Conflict and Populist Politics in Comics examines working-class superheroes and other protagonists who populate heroic narratives in serialized comic books. Essayists analyze and deconstruct these figures, viewing their roles as fictional stand-ins for real-world blue-collar characters. Informed by new working-class studies, the book also discusses how often working-class writers and artists created these characters. Notably Jack Kirby, a working-class Jewish artist, created several of the most recognizable working-class superheroes, including Captain America and the Thing. Contributors weigh industry histories and marketing concerns as well as the fan community's changing attitudes towards class signifiers in superhero adventures. The often financially strapped Spider-Man proves to be a touchstone figure in many of these essays. Grant Morrison's Superman, Marvel's Shamrock, Alan Moore and David Lloyd's V for Vendetta, and The Walking Dead receive thoughtful treatment. While there have been many scholarly works concerned with issues of race and gender in comics, this book stands as the first to deal explicitly with issues of class, cultural capital, and economics as its main themes.

School kid Ryder Stone’s life is turned upside down when he’s caught in the middle of a fight between two super-powered opponents, both of whom want Ryder’s secret power--a power he doesn’t know he has! Can Ryder unlock the hero from within before it’s too late?