The Pyrrhic Victory of Power Man Vs. Power Man!!

A couple of months ago, we discussed how Luke Cage picked the hero name Power Man.

Someone wasn't too happy about that:

This was one of the first comics I had, before I even started collecting them, and boy did I read the hell outta this book.

The old school Power Man is terrorizing the theater where Luke hangs his hat, calling him out to fight over the sobriquet:

We begin with some baseball-related preliminaries...

We're on to the main event, Friday Night Fights-style!!

The funny thing, after that dust-up, and the dire threat, well, Luke eventually just gave up using the Power Man name, and Eric Josten moved on to other names. So, really, a big ol' fight about nothing. Which is exactly what 85% of 1970s comic books were all about.

Oh, and don't worry--Luke didn't forget the little girl he asked to wait outside:

Now that's a hero!!

From Power Man #21 (1974)

Manic Monday Bonus--Luke Cage Almost Had The Greatest Name Ever!!

Just readin' the newspaper with our local hero for hire, Luke Cage...

Sheesh, why is he so upset?

Dude...vanity is a sin.

Well, "Hero For Hire" is kind of lame, as an actual name.

So, while on a mission to break into Stark Industries, Luke ponders potential names...

And...

Dude, Luke Cage, The Ace Of Spades would have rocked...

But we're not there yet, as Luke keeps reminding us.

Until...

No, no..."Black Power Man" was the way to go, Luke!!

But sadly, he didn't agree.

Of course, someone already had that name, and he showed up kinda p.o'd:

Which is funny, because they both abandoned the name. Why the fight, then, friends?!?

See, if I lived in a super-hero universe, I'd start a company to come up with hero names (and villains, under the table, of course), ensuring there are no conflicts, making sure no lame names are used, etc. Sort of an ICANN for the hero set.

From Power Man #17 (1974)