Power Man #66
Power Man #66 (cover-dated December 1980) holds a firm place in Bronze Age Marvel history as the second-ever appearance of Sabretooth — still years away from his definitive association with Wolverine and the X-Men — showing the character in his earliest mercenary-for-hire form, paired with the Constrictor as hired muscle rather than as an ideological foil. The issue is a showcase of Jo Duffy's character-driven approach to the Heroes for Hire: the Daughters of the Dragon (Misty Knight and Colleen Wing) drive the plot, are genuinely endangered, and call in Luke Cage and Danny Rand only after being overwhelmed, giving the supporting cast meaningful agency unusual for the period. Arriving just as Duffy and penciller Kerry Gammill were hitting their collaborative stride — a partnership credited by later writers like Kurt Busiek with pushing the title to a monthly schedule — the issue encapsulates why their run on the book is remembered as its creative high-water mark. It also sports one of the more collectible covers of the era, pencilled by Frank Miller and inked by Klaus Janson during the same season their *Daredevil* collaboration was redefining Marvel's street-level aesthetic.
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Jo Duffy inherited the *Power Man* writing assignment from Chris Claremont around 1979, when Claremont's commitments to the expanding X-Men line made the workload unmanageable; Duffy lobbied Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter directly for a regular writing assignment and was given the book. Issue #66 falls squarely in the middle of her core run (issues #56–84), the longest and most successful of any writer on the title, and was produced alongside her primary artistic collaborator Kerry Gammill, who came aboard full-time with issue #61. The cover by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson was an outside contribution — both were then the signature creative team on *Daredevil* — reflecting a Marvel house practice of occasionally using high-profile cover artists to boost a mid-tier title's newsstand profile. Editors listed on the issue are Denny O'Neil and Mark Gruenwald, with Jim Shooter serving as editor-in-chief.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Second appearance of Sabretooth (Victor Creed) in Marvel Comics — his first was in Iron Fist #14; his next appearance after this issue would be Power Man and Iron Fist #78.
- Written by Mary Jo Duffy (credited as Jo Duffy); interior art pencilled by Kerry Gammill and inked by Ricardo Villamonte; colors by Glynis Wein; letters by Jim Novak.
- Cover art by Frank Miller (pencils) and Klaus Janson (inks) — the same team then producing their landmark Daredevil run.
- In this appearance, Sabretooth and Constrictor (Frank Payne) are working as hired guards of a stolen jeweled statue called the Jade Tiger, placing them — unusually — nominally on the side of the law rather than as straightforward criminal aggressors.
- The Daughters of the Dragon (Misty Knight and Colleen Wing, operating as Nightwing Restorations) lead the story: Misty is trapped inside a magnetically sealed vault by her cybernetic arm, and a wounded Colleen summons Power Man and Iron Fist for backup.
- Supporting characters include Bob Diamond (member of the Sons of the Tiger), Harmony Young, and Master Khan (Tyrone King); the Hulk, the Rand-Meachum Corporation, and the Sons of the Tiger are referenced but do not appear.
- The issue is available digitally on Marvel Unlimited and through the Comixology/Kindle store, making it accessible to modern readers despite no known dedicated print reprint collection isolating this single issue.
Cast · 16 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
When Colleen and Misty attempt to steal a jade tiger for a mysterious client, they get Luke and Danny tangled up in a mess with Constrictor and Sabretooth.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).