Appearing in "Retribution!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- ⏴ Billy Bob Rackham ⏵ (Main story and flashback)
- ⏴ Big Ben Donovan ⏵ (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Unnamed Construction Workers
- Unnamed Former Warden (Only in flashback)
- Georgia State Prison Board (Only in flashback)
- Daily Bugle
- Sol (First appearance)
- Frank Jenks (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Mata Hari (Mentioned)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Mentioned in narration)
- Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) (Mentioned in narration)
- Noah Burstein (Only in flashback)
- Bertha (Gem Theater Ticket-Seller) (Mentioned)
- NYPD
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Birds
- Dogs (Mentioned)
- Wolves (Mentioned)
- Bears (Mentioned)
- Cats (Mentioned)
- Apes (Mentioned)
- Pigeons (Referenced)
- Horses (Mentioned)
- Chickens (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America (Main story and flashback)
- New York
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Murray Hill
- Times Square
- 49th Street (Mentioned)
- Broadway (Mentioned)
- 83rd Street
- Mrs. Jenks' Apartment
- Manhattan
- New York City
- Georgia (Main story and flashback)
- Seagate Prison (Main story and flashback)
- Atlanta (Named only)
- Alcatraz Island (Referenced)
- Texas (Named only)
- Oklahoma (Named only)
- Pennsylvania (Named only)
- Washington, D.C. (Named only)
- Connecticut (Mentioned)
- Boston (Mentioned)
- New York
- United States of America (Main story and flashback)
- North America
Synopsis for "Retribution!"
While Luke Cage is busy saving construction workers from disaster in New York, two of his old cellmates in Seagate prison, Comanche and Shades have broken out. They have done so because after years of abuse by guard Billy Bob Rackham led to Rackham's dismissal from Seagate prison, and the two have broken out to track him down and seek revenge, all three parties ending up in New York City.
While Rackham tries to find a job in the city, Phil Fox happens to run into him and learn of his connection to Seagate prison, leading the two to begin working together to get back at Luke Cage. While back at Cage's office at the Gem Theater, Mrs. Jenks arrives with some trouble. She explains to Luke that she was out on the town and this guy didn't take no for an answer after wining and dining her. Suddenly Big Ben Donovan, the man in question, bursts through the wall looking for Jenks. This leads to him and Luke duking it out.
While elsewhere, Rackham tells Phil Fox what he knows about the origin of Luke Cage's powers, and the two decide to work together to expose Cage as a wanted felon, Fox for the fame and Rackham in hopes of getting his old job back. They decide the best way to trap Luke is to kidnap his girlfriend Claire Temple.
Back at Luke's office, Luke has a brief respite from the battle with Big Ben to put Mrs. Jenks in a cab and send her home, little knowing that Rackham and Fox are following her. Returning to his office, he and Big Ben resume their fight until Big Ben eventually gives up and the two call a truce. While in another apartment, Comanche and Shades find Rackham's want ad in the newspaper and decide to go and deal with him personally.
While at Mrs. Jenks' home, Rackham has her tied up, and Fox begins arguing over the fact that Rackham grabbed the wrong girl. The two get into an argument as Claire arrives at Jenk's apartment (looking for Luke and hearing that he had gone to Jenks' place the day before) where she overhears Rackham and Fox arguing over Luke's fugitive status and hears a gunshot go off. Entering the apartment, Claire finds only Phil Fox, shot dead, in the room. She instinctively picks up the murder weapon just as the police enter the room, demanding she put the weapon down.
This story is continued next issue...
Notes
- As seen on page one, this issue is Story #1582Z.
- No letters page is printed in this issue. In its place is a survey from Marvel Comics.