Ho Che Anderson reveals why Marvel got cold feet about LUKE CAGE: CITY OF FIRE

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Back in 2021, Marvel introduced a 3-issue Luke Cage: City of Fire miniseries from author Ho Che Anderson and a rotating crew of artists together with Farid Karami, Ray-Anthony Height, and Sean Damien Hill solely to abruptly cancel the miniseries lower than two weeks earlier than the discharge of the primary concern. The prevailing assumption was that given the political material of the sequence, exacerbated by the present tense political local weather, the writer got cold feet. In a CBR interview with Anderson, the topic was introduced up and the creator principally confirmed the explanation divulging extra particulars:

Long story quick, they sat me down and mentioned, “We’re canceling this book. We’re afraid that the subject matter is going to be damaging for you. We don’t want you to be attacked by right-wing nuts.” I used to be like, “Fellas, I can handle myself. Let them come at me. I have no fear about that. You don’t have to do this.” I don’t know that that’s exactly what was happening. I believe there have been in all probability another points with their higher-ups who simply mentioned, “No, this is going to affect our bottom line. We don’t want the story out there.” That’s my suspicion. Nobody’s ever come out and mentioned that to me. Also, this was proper across the time [of] the Kyle Rittenhouse trial and the choice that had come down, and so they had been actually frightened that there was going to be some blowback with the Kyle Rittenhouse lovers of the world or no matter. So they selected to take the cautious route.

That was devastating as a result of I labored with three different artists as collaborators. Sean Damian Hill was illustrating Issue #3, Ray-Anthony Height was illustrating Issue #2, and Farid Karami illustrated Issue #1 and did an outstanding job. I learn the PDF of the finished first concern, and I couldn’t imagine that I’d written this comedian. It didn’t really feel like one in every of my comics. It felt like an official comedian versus one in every of my weird-ass comics. It felt cool. I used to be like, “Damn, whatever the creative team was on this book, they nailed it.” There was a buzz, man. I might really feel it. People had been coming at me on the common to let me understand how excited they had been to learn this comedian. It felt like we had successful. It felt like we legitimately had successful, after which I get this name saying we’re not doing it. It was so stunning and out of the blue and simply form of Cavalier.

It actually threw me off. I had a few actually darkish nights of the soul, the place I assumed, “Why am I involved in work which can be summarily thrown away at the drop of a hat?” I assumed, “Why am I doing this? I don’t need to do this in my life. I could do something else.” I got here round to actuality as a result of I can’t do jack shit. So I sort of have to do that. It made me query my involvement in comics and storytelling normally. It was darkish. I’ve gotten over it now. Like I mentioned, I’m persevering with to work with them. I’m nonetheless having fun with myself, and I managed to determine a option to repurpose City of Fire for its personal creation, which I’m tremendous excited about. But I’ll by no means do work for Marvel that’s about something aside from “The villain of the week wants to take over the world.”

I felt like we had a chance to inform a narrative that had some real-world relevance. The incontrovertible fact that it got shut down so rapidly advised me unequivocally that that isn’t what they need. They don’t need that in any respect. They simply need secure materials. So in the event that they rent me once more, that’s what I’ll give them. I’ll give them secure materials. But it’s a disgrace as a result of I really feel like we had a chance to inform a narrative that had some relevance, and they’d have been on the suitable aspect of historical past for being sturdy sufficient to inform the story. So it’s a missed alternative.

Anderson additionally revealed that the venture was initially a brief story however expanded to a miniseries with Marvel excited about the venture.

But Luke Cage was painful, man. I used to be so excited and cautious as a result of Marvel’s got a historical past. I believe we’re all conscious. You know, poke the bear, and it may very well be harmful. But on the identical time, I used to be nonetheless excited to be working with them. They approached me and had been like, “Do you want to write a short story for us?” I had simply achieved an interview with the [Cartoonist] Kayfabe guys, and I’d requested Ed Piskor to hook me up, which he had achieved very graciously. So they approached me about doing this quick story, and I got here up with a Luke Cage story. Five pages. [It was] primarily what would occur if the mom of George Floyd employed Luke Cage to guard Derek Chauvin, her son’s homicide. That was the place the premise sprang from.

Anderson recounts that Marvel gave him a name and he thought it was in bother but it surely was simply to say the mini-series had lots of plots strains. However, “I knew I was dealing with a major corporation like Marvel. I didn’t choose to push it as far as I could have. But apparently, I still pushed it too far.”

Marvel was advantageous with the pitch, the scripts, the artwork for the primary concern and about half of points 2 and three. Anderson even did some lettering notes. While he was conscious that the subject material was well timed and doubtlessly painful, all appeared to be going nicely till he was requested to go on a Zoom name, and so they advised him it was cancelled.

Despite the cancellation, Ho Che Anderson nonetheless has initiatives within the works with Marvel, noting that editor Wil Moss is “a really cool guy. We’re very creatively in sync.” He additionally has relationship with e-i-c CB Cebulski.

Evidently the “no hard feelings” perspective has continued, as Anderson lately wrote Killmonger and Spider-Man, and is slated to do a Blade quick story.