Luke Cage
Marvel.
Essential
Luke Cage 1 (Hero For Hire 1-16, Power Man 17-27; w Roy Thomas, John
Romita, Archie Goodwin, Steve Englehart, Gerry Conway, Tony Isabella &
Len Wein; a George Tuska & Billy Graham). [From Marvel
Comics: Look out, world, here he comes – Luke Cage, Hero for Hire
– and bullets won't stop him! The early adventures of comics’
first and foremost black superstar of the seventies are collected for the
first time in one volume as Power Man defends his home turf against the
likes of Diamondback, Mace, Black Mariah, Dr. Doom, Senor Suerte, Chemistro,
Lionfang, Steeplejack, Cottonmouth and more! Guest-starring the Fantastic
Four, Spider-Man and Iron Man!] Old Book of the Week 5/4/05
Essential Luke Cage 2 (Power Man 28-49, Annual 1; w Don McGregor, Bill Mantlo, Marv Wolfman, Steve Englehart, Ed Hannigan, Roger Slifer, Chris Claremont, Mary Jo Duffy; a George Tuska, Rich Buckler, Arvell Jones, Sal Buscema, Frank Robbins, Marie Severin, Ron Wilson, Bob Brown, Lee Elias, John Byrne, Mike Zeck, Trevor von Eeden). [From Marvel Comics: Luke Cage wraps up his early solo career against the likes of Zzzax, Chemistro and Gideon Mace - then launches a new era with Iron Fist, forming one of Marvel's oddest and most enduring partnerships! Garish gangsters, sexy scientists, monolithic mutants...no job was too big for Heroes for Hire! Guest-starring the X-Men and the Daughters of the Dragon! See some of the most startling super-villains of the seventies! Re-telling the origin of Power Man!] 
Essential Power Man & Iron Fist 1 (Power Man & Iron Fist 50-72, 74-75; w Chris Claremont, Ed Hannigan, Jo Duffy, Steven Grant, Bob Layton; a John Byrne, Mike Zeck, Sal Buscema, Lee Elias, Trevor von Eeden, Marie Severin, Kerry Gammil, Alan Weiss, Greg LaRoque). [From Marvel Comics: A new era of greatness begins for the most unlikely team of all! From a Night on the Town to the Day of the Death Machines, Power Man and Iron Fist -- Heroes for Hire -- face the Living Monolith, El Aguila the Maggia and more! Guest-starring the Uncanny X-Men and the Daughters of the Dragon!] 
Cage (6-issue mini; w Brian Azzarello; a Richard
Corben). [From Marvel Comics: In this neighborhood,
you don't need to go looking for trouble. Trouble finds you. Hope Dickens
planned to send her daughter to college, but a stray bullet from a drive-by
shooting sent her baby girl to the cemetary instead. In this neighborhood,
you can't count on the cops. People here have to make their own justice.
To set things straight, Hope hires the one man who's always available, for
the right price. Long before a botched prison experiment granted him bulletproof
skin and superhuman strength, Luke Cage lived on these brutal streets -
and he knows how tough life can be. Even if Hope Dickens can't pay his bill,
he's willing to bend the rules a bit. Her dead daughter deserves that much.
To get justice, Cage is forced to head straight into the crossfire of the
three-way turf war among the mob, Lonnie Lincoln's cold-blooded crew and
Clifto's gangbangers. But what better way for Cage to get the job done than
to play all three sides against the middle, and get rich off the criminals'
cash in the process? Cage is the latest smash-hit series from the Marvel
MAX line. Intended for mature readers, MAX offers a raw, uncensored look
at the gritty underbelly of the Marvel Universe. Sometimes violent, but
always compelling, Cage is urban action at its street-level best.]