HERO OF THE WEEK: CLOAK (Marvel)Real Name: Tyrone Johnson
First Appearance: Spectacular Spider-man #64 (March, 1982)
Fight Club Ranking: #574
Featured Fights:
- vs AVENGERS: Civil War #3 (Sep 2006)
Marvel hasn't exactly wowed with their expansion into television. The Netflix shows have a certain referential appeal, but their reluctance to go all-in on the designs and spectacle of the comics takes some of the fun out of it. Shows like Agents of SHIELD and Inhumans persist in spite of themselves. Even Marvel cartoons lack the punch of earlier incarnations who didn't have the resources of Disney.
Cloak & Dagger doesn't immediately scream a game-changer, but if you take a look at the first trailer, you may agree that the 2018 series will be worth keeping an eye on...
Like a lot of fans; I know the tag team of Cloak and Dagger primarily through the adventures of Spider-man. Sure, I was pretty chuffed that time I found the first issue of their 1983 mini-series in an el cheapo three-pack, but their solo escapades lacked the punch of time spent with the web-slinger. Heck! They even produced an oddball Spidey villain I've always had a fondness for: The Spot!
For readers of the early nineties, and lovers of 16-bit video games, the duo is probably best remembered as players in the crossover jambalaya that was Maximum Carnage!
The 14-part epic put Cloak & Dagger on the same side as Venom, Black Cat, Morbius, Captain America, Iron Fist and even more oddly grouped heroes. Collectively they were roped in to fight the serial-killing symbiote Carnage, and his own Manson Family-esque crew of homicidal maniacs. In theory it was all kinds of wrong, but damned if it wasn't a whole lot of 1993 fun!
The drama of Dagger's apparent death early in the story was particularly memorable. It focused on a dynamic of affection that bordered on co-dependency. Their super-powers of light and dark were reflected in their personalities, making the balance of their unique partnership more than just a corny codename. They weren't the Wonder Twins, but they worked well together!
The origin of Cloak & Dagger functions as a weird sort of garbled PSA. It's embroiled in the usual types of teen dramas: stuttering, anxiety, emotional neglect, running away, exploitation, and being experimented on by Mafia chemists who're developing an alternative for heroin. You know. The problems we all dealt with in puberty.
It looks like the relationship drama will play a big part in the live-action TV series, which will air next year on Freeform. I don't know a whole lot about Freeform, but it doesn't take deep analysis to recognize they'll be aiming this series at a Millennial teen demographic. It has the same filtered haze of faux-eighties touchstones like It Follows, with a vibe that reminds me of what's going on with The CW's Riverdale. Not a bad way to go for a TV serial working to a budget.
The thing that gets me most excited about the TV version of Cloak & Dagger is the glimpse of super-powers seen in the trailer.
Live-action shows usually disappoint severely in the costume and powers department. I don't think Cloak & Dagger will rewrite the rules in that respect, but a lack of expectations make the glowing white of a light dagger, and the wind swept fabric implying a cloak, an early thrill. That rooftop crane (or drone) shot of Cloak at the end is particularly cool!
Of the pair, Cloak was always my favourite. His ability to cast a shadowy sub-dimensional void within the animated folds of his fabric is a great visual! The concept of engulfing villains and trapping them within the terror of their own darkness - a wonderful pulp irony. There's a little bit of The Shadow in the concept, which always appeals. Aubrey Joseph plays the role in the series, and is the more immediately convincing of the two young leads.
We haven't really talked much about Cloak (or Dagger) on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths, but I hope this will spur on a future feature fight. For now, Cloak is our Hero of the Week! If you'd like to find more of his adventures in the future, or other characters, be sure to follow links throughout this post, or dive in to the Secret Archive!
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