Customer Reviews

Immortal Iron Fist Vol. 1: The Last Iron Fist Story (New Avengers) (v. 1)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As much as I read Marvel comics, I never really had any prolonged exposure to Iron Fist (Danny Rand) before this title. I knew he was one half of the "Power Man and Iron Fist" team back in the seventies, but since that was a little before my time, most of my experience with this character came from Wikipedia. As a result, I really didn't know what to expect from this new comic.

Well, I can easily say it's definitely in my top five being put out right now. As the reviewer before me said, it does spend a lot of time setting the plot up, but I don't think it's for the worse, since I personally appreciated the time to get what was going on. You get to see Danny interact with his main supporting characters like Luke Cage (who thankfully has been brought to the forefront of books like New Avengers), but the "Immortal" aspect of the title is also played up, with short glimpses into the lives of the other people to bear the mantle of Iron Fist. One of these other people plays a major role in the arc collected, so the fact that while the continuity is clearly important (the closeness of Danny and Luke, his former relationship with Misty Knight), it isn't necessary to know all of it in order to follow what goes on. Honestly, I originally read it because Ed Brubaker's name was on the cover, and he could rewrite the telephone book and find some way to make it awesome. I am glad to say his combined efforts with Matt Fraction (who has been a great job on The Order) make this an excellent read.

That good writing is coupled with the more than excellent art of David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth is an even better deal. Sometimes it's annoying when good writing is somewhat dragged down by mediocre or worse art (after all, that's what I first notice in a comic book), but their talent is a perfect match. I don't know how to say this well, but there is a dank atmosphere created by the use of colors in the first few issues, one that makes the story more "real," and then the use of different artists for different time periods takes us, the audience, out of that successfully, suggesting a different world entirely.

This review has probably gone on too long anyway, so to be concise: This is a well-written book that made me, someone that didn't care for Iron Fist at first, a big fan of Danny Rand.

After enjoying Ed Brubaker's work on Captain America of late I was interested in taking a look at this series so I decided to pick up this collection to catch up on the first few issues (issues 1-6 along with a Civil War tie in are collected in here). The book itself is nicely packaged as a hardcover with a glossy slipcover.

Iron Fist is a product of the martial arts craze of the 70s and has been mostly a minor character in the Marvel Universe never able to hold up a book on his own for very long. His longest lasting series was the shared Power Man and Iron Fist that ended with Iron Fist's undignified death. Later he was found to not really have died (you haven't come full circle as a character in comics unless you have died or appeared to have died) and resumed life once again without much added character development.

The Immortal Iron Fist series expands upon the Iron Fist storyline revealing new history that makes Iron Fist a much more intriguing character. The Iron Fist is shown to be a legacy power passed down through generations of warriors across the centuries (this isn't much of a spoiler as you are shown this on the first page of the series) and Danny Rand is only the latest of those warriors. The central conflict in the series involves what happens when one of those warriors doesn't follow the tradition laid out by the rulers of K'un L'un.

Overall I found this to be a very entertaining start to a series and a great reinvention of an older character. I immediately went out and picked up the subsequent issues (up to issue 10 at this point) and have not been disappointed. The artwork is stylized, but suits the character and setting very well. The flashback sequences are done by different artists, which tends to work well in general with a few exceptions.

I'd say this is a more adult oriented comic book, as many are these days, but there isn't excessive violence or gore or anything like that so it would not be inappropriate for a young adult. They don't really recap Danny's origin so the book might be a bit obtuse for those who don't know the history of the character. Still, the series is definitely taking the character in a new and exciting direction that I would recommend following.

I've never been a fan of the original Heroes for Hire until Bendis reinvigorated Luke Cage in New Avengers. Now Brubaker has done the same for Iron Fist and made him a New Avenger as well.

This book explains where the Iron Fist powers originated, and hints at much greater possibilities than "fist as of iron" abilities. Be prepared for flashbacks, unexplained characters, and a cliffhanger ending as this sets the stage for issues to come. If you want to see Kung Fu in Film Noir style, come and get it!

Don't let the title fool you. The first volume of Immortal Iron Fist, entitled The Last Iron Fist Story, isn't the end of our hero at all, but rather a new beginning. First off, the character of Danny "Iron Fist" Rand has quite a history, mainly being paired with Luke "Power Man" Cage in the old Power Man & Iron Fist comics. In recent years though, Luke Cage's stock has risen in the Marvel universe, and now finally, Iron Fist's has as well. Scripted by Ed Brubaker (Daredevil, Captain America, Sleeper) and Matt Fraction (Punisher: War Journal), The Last Iron Fist Story finds Danny Rand learning more about himself and the power he wields, as the history of those before him is laid out. Despite some slow moments, Immortal Iron Fist is a surprise treat that makes great (and even new) uses out of a critically underused Marvel character, and further paves the way for new adventures and a new direction as well. The artwork from David Aja is what's really worth noting here, and is worth checking this handsome hardcover out for alone. All in all, longtime fans of Iron Fist should definitely give this a look, and those unfamiliar with the character, but are getting familiar thanks to his new exploits in New Avengers, should check this out as well.

Now I wasn't too familiar with Iron Fist prior to this story. All I knew was that he wore funny green pajamas and had a blatantly 90sified dragon tattoo on his chest. Overall, not too interested...On a whim, however, I picked up this classy Hardcover and was pleasantly surprised. Not only are the stories of Danny Rand and his legacy 'Iron Fist' power intriguing and steeped in martial arts, eastern mystery, and shadowy streetcorners, but they are all cleverly written by Brubaker and Fraction and wonderfully illustrated by Aja. A far underappreciated comic like this deserves your time. Hands down.

There's a breed of comic book that is hard for readers to get into and identify with, and this book is of that breed. The breed is symbolized by Thor, and finds its antithesis in Spider-Man. Most of us can easily identify with a hapless teenager who suddenly finds himself fighting injustice with a set of powers he can barely grapple with, and who goes on trying to balance his "normal life" with his crime-fighting one.

Fewer people can readily identify with a Norse god who can travel dimensions at will, and has trouble balancing his duties on The Avengers with his role as Odin's son in Asgard. The same problem seems to exist when trying to identify with a white guy who's inherited one of the world's largest corporations, as well as some heavy-duty Kung-Fu skills, plus a mystic connection to the world of Chinese martial arts mythology. That doesn't mean there's not a place for Thor, or the Iron Fist, but they're just not going to strike the same chord as other characters, and writers have to really work to make their stories something readers can sympathize with.

Brubaker and co. do an admirable job constructing the same framework that worked so effectively for them in Captain America: a darker "look", a confused hero caught up in a whirlwind rising out of the depths of the character's origin, intrigue that pits huge criminal/corporate/government organizations against each other and against the heroes, etc. In this case, instead of the depths of WWII memories and the Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes, we get the depths of Chinese Mythology and the long lost Iron Fists of yesteryear, including Danny's Dad. Instead of SHIELD/A.I.M we get Rand Corp/HYDRA. Instead of the Red Skull, we get Davos, the Steel Serpent.

I found it a lot easier to get into the Cold War-style escapades of Captain America than the Kung-Fu stylings of Iron Fist. I found myself constantly questioning the foundation of the story: are we, Westerners, simply bastardizing and bowdlerizing Eastern culture because we ran out of other character concepts? Is the depiction of Chinese mythology herein completely made-up, or is there some basis in actual lore? Why do Luke Cage and Misty Knight still talk like they escaped from the movie "Shaft"? The scripting, largely decent, again presents questions to me when I read lines like "Stay your hand!" or "Your destiny has arrived!".

Does the world need this Kung-Fu retread? I'd pretty much rather watch a Jet Lee movie, than read this Westerner's cultural imperialism-lite.

In short, there are just too many cultural and character obstacles in the way for me to fully embrace this book. I already own the other volumes, so I'm going to go ahead and read those. The artwork is excellent, so that'll keep me going...

Length:: 2:29 Mins

Even though it's no longer being published, The Immortal Iron Fist is still one of my favorite comics of all time. The debut storyline for this short-lived comic is a testament to both the character and the creative team, and is definitely a fantastic read. If you're roaming San Diego Comic Con looking for a few new books to pick up, I whole-heartedly recommend giving this book a shot. Who knows? You may grow to love it as much as I do.

So we hear you're looking for something to read. That's great because we've got a ton of recommendations on what comics you should be checking out. Every week we'll pick out one gem from the longboxes or trade shelves that you absolutely cannot miss. We're talking mainstream, indie, full storylines, single issues, and beyond. If there's a comic we enjoy that we think you will too, you'll hear all about it on Read This Now!

You can check out more videos in this series on TheQuarterbin.com every Wednesday.

"Immortal Iron Fist, Vol. 1: The Last Iron Fist Story"
(Marvel Comics)
---------------------------------------------------------------
I'm an old-school Iron Fist fan -- as a kid, I had all the original issues, as well as the Luke Cage/Heroes For Hire episodes... Inevitably, Marvel's superpowered kung fu star slid off the radar, becoming even more of a confirmed second-stringer, and the initial spark of those early stories was lost. Recently, writers Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker breathed new life into Iron Fist and Luke Cage, bringing them back as part of Daredevil's gritty inner-city Scooby gang and then, finally, as a hero with a book of his own.

This is the first collection of stories from the reinvigorated Iron Fist, nd it's pretty good. At first I was a little dubious about the flashbacks that showed us the lives of previous Iron Fists, earlier heroes who were chosen, ala Lee Falk's Phantom, to be the champions of the mystic city of Kun-Lun. These flashbacks seemed a bit too Sax Rohmer-ish and steampunk-y, but eventually I was won over. The volume ends with a major cliffhanger, and I am definitely on board with reading the sequel. Glad to see Danny Rand coming back into his own. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)

This being the first time I got a chance to read about Iron Fist, i was anticipating a stupid story. I only saw him in Marvel ultimate alliance 2 and thought he was a stupid character. I was definitely wrong. He has a really cool background...Many backgrounds. In fact there were a few Iron Fists. This book discuses a few of them. Some Chinese versions and some American versions. Brubaker wasn't in his Captain America form, but it was a pretty good story. Fraction also had some pretty good work, but not my style. Seems more like watercolors than sharp distinct Ivan Reis or Jim Lee type work. I'd get this book. It's under $11.00 right now and it's a good read. You may end up really liking it. At least you can add a Iron Fist book to the collection...worst case scenario.

This may be the finest work MARVEL has done in years. They took a 70's fad character and gave him pulp roots, tradition, and good-old-fashioned-whiz-bang, and the end result was my falling in love with kung fu all over again. Brubaker and Fraction are an awesome writing team, and David Aja may be my favorite artist since Alex Maleev.

Why can't they all be like this...?