The Immortal Iron Fist, Vol. 1: The Last Iron Fist Story [Paperback]

Ed Brubaker (Author), Matt Fraction (Author), David Aja (Illustrator), Travel Foreman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

Many years ago, in the mystical city of Kun' Lun, young Danny Rand stared at a suit behind glass - the garb of the "Immortal Iron Fist" - and knew that he was destined to wear it. But where did this costume come from? Why did it wait for Danny all those years like a shadow of his future? The answer to those questions will stun both him and his readers, as Danny Rand leaps from the pages of his breakout hit in Daredevil to his own history-spanning kung-fu epic that will shatter every perception of what it means to be the Immortal Iron Fist! Brought to you by top-ten writer Ed Brubaker and breakout talent Matt Fraction (Punisher War Journal), with action-packed art by David Aja (Daredevil, Giant-Size Wolverine). Collects Immortal Iron Fist #1-6.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785124896
• ISBN-13: 978-0785124894
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.3 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting start for a sometimes under-used hero, August 25, 2007

By 

G. Callejas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Immortal Iron Fist Vol. 1: The Last Iron Fist Story (New Avengers) (v. 1) (Hardcover)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly entertaining addition to the Iron Fist legacy., December 9, 2007

By 

Harvey H. Meeker (Shelton, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Immortal Iron Fist Vol. 1: The Last Iron Fist Story (New Avengers) (v. 1) (Hardcover)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reborn!, August 31, 2007

By 

Guy Smiley "Mr Fixit" (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Immortal Iron Fist Vol. 1: The Last Iron Fist Story (New Avengers) (v. 1) (Hardcover)

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!