CAGE

I’m slightly mystified on what the purpose of “New Avengers: Luke Cage” really was. Was it to push the character, right before he headed over to “Thunderbolts” as the leader? Extend the “New Avengers” brand? Well, it certainly wasn’t to provide a showcase for Eric Canete’s art, which is what you might have suspected. After all, both #2 and #3 are only drawn partially by Canete, with additional pages provided by Pepe Larraz. It’s not that Larraz is a bad artist. He’s got that slightly cartoonish look that would make him a potential person to step in if Paco Medina needs a month off of the upcoming “X-Men” comic. But Larraz isn’t an appropriate choice to draw sequences in “New Avengers: Luke Cage,” when the best way to describe Canete’s art is a cross between Ted McKeever and Denys Cowan. Canete draws characters rough and blocky, taking the time to draw slightly off-kilter Venetian blinds and flecks of dirt on a bandage. It’s a strong, forceful style that barges its way onto the page