Appearing in "No Deadly Drug!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Jake Lockely (Cameo)
- Chinatown Hoods
- Ling
- Pao
- Sung
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- North America
- Hong Kong (Mentioned)
- K'un-Lun (Mentioned)
Items:
- Acid Z
Synopsis for "No Deadly Drug!"
Luke Cage and Danny Rand arrive at the Gem Theater to find a bunch of young adults strung out on a new designer drug called Acid Z that makes it's users become highly irrational and suicidal. They soon learn that these revelers were partying with D.W. Griffith, who stormed out of the party after an argument with his girlfriend, Power Man is told that he left with some of the Acid Z pills. Luke and Danny are at odds about what to do: Go after the supplier, at Wu Fong's in Chinatown, or go after D.W. The two agree to split up, Danny going to shut down the operation in Chinatown, while Luke tracks D.W. down to save him from a potentially fatal acid trip.
As D.W. crosses town, pondering what to do with himself, and wondering what his life's worth is, Danny takes a cab ride into Chinatown, unaware that the cabby is Moon Knight in his Jake Lockely disguise. Arriving at Wu Fong's, Iron Fist fights off the guards unaware that Luke's old foe Black Mariah and his old foe Scimitar are the ones behind this narcotics operation.
As Luke continues to track his friend down, D.W. tires to find answers by going to a church but finds that it's closed for the night. Back in Chinatown, Iron Fist ends up learning who is behind the drug operation and is locked in a battle against Scimitar, who he defeats by using his Fist of Fury to break his foes weapon and knocks him out. This however, leaves him open to attack from Black Mariah, who manages to knock Danny out.
On the Brooklyn Bridge, D.W. contemplates taking the drugs or jumping when a man in shadow tells him that he should savor his distressed mood because it may help him to never be as unhappy ever again. Power Man meanwhile has checked everywhere he can think of looking for D.W. including the morgue but to no avail.
He happens to be in the right place at the right time when Black Mariah tosses Iron Fist out of a high rise window, allowing Power Man to catch his friend and save his life. The two Heroes for Hire chase after Black Mariah and Scimitar, incapacitating their getaway van. Power Man then easily knocks out the two criminals.
Deciding to call the Gem to find out if D.W. had returned, they were told that he had called the Gem and said that he was at the Brooklyn Bridge, his girlfriend telling Power Man that D.W. sounded strange. The two heroes arrive at the Brooklyn Bridge to find D.W. alive and well, having contemplated his lot in life and came to the decision that drugs and/or suicide were not the solutions to his problems and tosses the Acid Z off the bridge into the water below.
Notes
This issue contains a letters page, Power/Fistfuls. Letters are published from Bill Hall, Dames Drage, Richard Dillard, Don Carnes, Jeffrey Lowndes, Mark NIchols, Dim DiMaio and Ken Tucker.
- Scimitar was last seen in Iron Fist #5. Black Mariah was last seen in Hero for Hire #5.
- It is undetermined if Dave Griffith's girlfriend this issue is his longtime romantic interest "Winnifer". The individual this issue is not referred to by name; and the characters hair is a different color (Brunette).
- This issue also reveals that D.W. Griffith is named after ""the greatest movie director in history".
Trivia
- This is, apparently, the first issue Bertha (or someone strongly resembling Bertha) is not working as the ticket taker at the Gem Theater. In this issue, a gentleman is at the front ticket office.