Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #1

 

   I've read (and enjoyed) the adventures of Iron Fist since his first appearance, but the main reason I picked up this issue is because of the writer: Larry Hama.

   I've liked Hama's work since I first saw it in one of the early issues of... Iron Fist.

   Hama started out as an artist - and a darned good one, too - but he eventually turned his attention to writing, making his reputation with excellent work on the original G.I. Joe comic with Marvel.

   He's known for clever, action-packed scripts loaded with great characters, and that's all in evidence here. 

   The story follows Iron Fist traveling via a mystic gate to the Heavenly Cities, where he finds a deadly attack under way, and a well-known villain (or two) on a deadly mission.

   It's fast and fun and feels like a classic Marvel comic (and boy, is that all too rare these days). 

   The art is by David Wachter with color art by Neeraj Menon, and it's classic storytelling, loaded with great action sequences. 

   The story is just getting going, of course, but with some great nods to the past and a major threat on the horizon, it a very promising start! 

Grade: A-

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Iron Fist #6

   I've always enjoyed Iron Fist's adventures, but to be honest, he's my second-favorite martial artist, trailing Marvel's first entry in that category - Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu.

   So I was happy to see this issue's guest star (although he's barely recognizable on the cover).

   The issue finds Iron Fist under attack by a small army of hooded mystery men - and trying to survive a plane crash.

   Just as he's about to be overwhelmed, an old friend shows up and together they tackle the mystery figure behind the attack.

   The story is a basic fight from start to finish, with a good twist at the end.

   My biggest complaint is that the fighting sequences don't really show off the fighting prowess of either hero. Part of the joy of martial arts combat is the poetry of the fighting, the precision of the moves (offense and defense) and the skill of the fighter.

   We don't really get that here - it's just a slugfest, which is, frankly, disappointing.

Grade: B-

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Iron Fist #1

   Timed to coincide with his new Netflix TV series, Iron Fist is back in a new comic - one that has a classic kung fu feel.

   The character first got his start during the heyday of chop-socky martial arts films that swept the U.S. in the '70s, and this new series honors that by using a classic approach.

   This issue finds Danny Rand wandering the world, looking for a challenge. He's the ultimate fighting machine, but he can't find a proper challenge for his skills - so he goes looking for a fight.

   He's abut to give up when he receives a special invitation that offers the solution to his problem.

   Long-time fans will find the story has a familiar ring to it - but there's nothing wrong with taking a classic approach.

   I like this new start for Iron Fist a lot - kudos to writer Ed Brisson for the new direction, and to artist Mike Perkins for a gritty, high-energy approach to the visuals.

   So far, so good!

Grade: A-

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Iron Fist - TV Review

   When I get ready to write a review, I make it a point to avoid reading anyone else's review. But I've seen enough comments on Social Media to know that quite a few reviewers have been giving Iron Fist low marks.

   So far I've only seen the first episode of the latest Marvel / Netflix production, and it's apparent that the creative team is doing a slow rollout of (and introduction to) the main characters - but I like it!

  The focus, of course, is on Danny Rand (played by Finn Jones), a young man whose father was a powerful man who owned a huge corporation. Danny and his parents crashed on a flight over (I believe) the Himalayas, and all were presumed dead - so it's a shock to the owners of the company when Danny shows up - alive, natch - at their door in New York more than a decade later.

   The answer to the question of where he's been is hinted at - Danny mentions the land of K'un L'un and that he was trained in martial arts there (skills he gets to demonstrate a few times through the episode).

   He finds a would-be ally in another martial artist, the beautiful Colleen Wing (played by Jessica Henwick), and he encounters new enemies in his childhood playmates, Ward and Joy Meachum (played with wicked verve by Tom Pelphrey and Jessica Stroup).

   So how can he prove his identity? Why has he returned to his New York home? Why do the Meachums refuse to listen to him? What secret are they hiding? And when will we get to see the Iron Fist in action?

   And why the bad reviews? The characters are interesting, there are some good plot twists, and the series has a nice Kung Fu vibe (which, for those not old enough to remember, was the TV series starring David Carridine as a Shaolin Monk wandering the old west).

   I assume the reviews largely spring from either: 1) the desire of some reviewers to slam Marvel over something - there are those who can't stand success; or 2) they're angry because Danny is a white guy. There are those who think that's offensive, that a martial artist trained in China should be Chinese - and he could have been, I suppose - but the original story cast him as a white anglo-saxon, and it makes sense to stick to the original concept, just as they did with Luke Cage and the Black Panther.

   Hopefully they'll get around to creating a series or film starring Shang-Chi, and all will be well.

   In the meantime this is yet another terrific series from NetFlix - I'm looking forward to seeing the rest in the series!

Grade: A

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Power Man and Iron Fist #1

   Well, this is different.

   One of the oddest "couples" in comics had to be the teaming-up of streetwise Luke Cage (briefly known as Power Man) and Danny Rand, the rich kid who ended up becoming the martial arts master known as Iron Fist.

   They both appeared in their own comics in the early-to-mid '70s, but when sales dropped, they were combined into a single title, Power Man and Iron Fist, and that series (which continued Luke's original occupation as a Hero for Hire) rolled on for another eight years (or so).

   In the 30 years since then they've both been through major changes. Luke dropped the superhero name, married former superhero Jessica Jones (perhaps you've heard of her?) and they're parents of an infant girl.

   Iron Fist has been established as a legacy hero, carrying on a legendary role as the man with the fist of iron. He's also (I believe) back to being wealthy.

   So this series, written by David Walker, tries to fit all those crazy puzzle pieces together and find a reason for these old friends to work together. The story does that, as Luke and Danny set out to do a favor for a mutual friend - an errand that brings them into conflict with some heavy hitters, and lands them in the middle of a power struggle.

   It would work fine as a one-off story, but it's hard to see how this is going to work as an ongoing series. I kept thinking, I'd rather see each hero in his own series - certainly Luke and Jessica are interesting enough on their own - ditto for Iron Fist.

   It's a nice bit of nostalgia to see the two guys back together, but I don't have a good feeling about the projected life span of this series.

   And the title no longer makes sense.

Grade: B

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The Classics - Iron Fist #15

   One of Marvel's hidden gems from the '70s was the super-hero / martial arts mix that became Iron Fist.

   Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, the hero was a clever combination of the story of a hidden, mystical city and the martial arts craze.

   As a boy, little Danny Rand is raised in a hidden paradise, where he becomes a master of the martial arts, and finally gains the power to turn his fist into a glowing focus of his spirit - in other words, an Iron Fist.

   Several artists took a shot at the series during its brief life, but the series was a launching pad (at Marvel) for rising star John Byrne, working with his future X-Men collaborator, Chris Claremont.

   They did stunning work on the series, wrapping up with this issue - the last in the initial run of the series (though Byrne and Claremont would transplant the hero into their Marvel Team-Up run, and then to the combined Power Man and Iron Fist comic.

      But their final story here was a barn-burner, being a strong entry in the classic collection of stories wherein heroes meet for the first time, fight, and then become fast friends.

   In this case, we have Iron Fist fighting the X-Men, as that fantastic Dave Cockrum cover gives away. It's a heck of a lot of fun, as Wolverine mistakes Iron Fist for a burglar (Misty Knight is sharing an apartment with Jean Grey / Phoenix, natch).

   Wolverine leads with his claws, of course (it's fun to note he's wearing a different costume, for reasons X-Men fans may know), and soon the rest of the team joins in.

   The issue had the added benefit of showing that Iron Fist was a serious hero - able to hold his own with the powerful team of mutants (we're talking Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm, Banshee, Phoenix and Cyclops).

   I remember being a fan of the series, and shocked when it ended - how could fans not be buying this series? But that's the danger of being a comics fan - even a book that should be a fan favorite can fail.

   Of course, Claremont and Byrne had better luck on the X-Men title, guiding it to a spot on the top of the charts that it would hold for decades.

   Iron Fist didn't have the same luck - but for a while there, it was mighty good.

Grade: A

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Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #3

   Danny Rand is one of those characters who struggles for lasting success.

    Born to capitalize on the Kung Fu craze, Iron Fist managed to cleverly smash together several classic concepts - the quest for revenge, the immortal city that only appears once every 10 years,  and the child of wealth who is pushed to the limit.

   That hasn't always translated into success, but it does translate into many second chances, so the hero is back again under the guidance of writer / artist Kaare Kyle Andrews - who seems intent on tearing it all down.

   That's not necessarily a bad thing - it's one of Alan Moore's favorite tricks, after all.

   The story combines flashbacks with a brutal battle (on several fronts) and manages a shocking final page, to boot.

   It remains to be seen if Andrews can "stick the landing" and bring ongoing success to this title - but here's hoping!

Grade: B+

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Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #1

   To say that Iron Fist has had an erratic career would be an understatement.

   Created during the Kung Fu / Martial Arts craze of the '70s, he was an attempt to cross that genre with superheroes. Thus we have the costumed young man who can turn his fists into glowing, unbreakable... well, fists.

    The original series was quite good, and featured some top-notch writers and artists, including Roy Thomas, Chris Claremont, Larry Hama and John Byrne.

   The character eventually teamed up for a long run with Luke Cage (Power Man). Some (largely forgettable) mini-series followed, but Ed Brubaker's series titled The Immortal Iron Fist was excellent.

   For the "All New" version, Iron Fist's adventures are written and drawn by Kaare Kyle Andrews, and he's off to a solid start here.

   We get a partial recap of Danny Rand's young life, a look at his (rather grim) existence in the modern world, and an over-the-top action sequence. I don't really care for Danny as a listless, idle hero - but events seem to be moving to correct that.

   I like the art a lot - it's very dark and edgy, with a Jae Lee feel to it. The layouts are fresh and the designs outstanding, and the story flows with lots of energy.

   It's been typical through Iron Fist's past series that his stories start out strong and then eventually fade - but I'm a fan of the character, and hope this series will break the trend. It's off to a promising start!

Grade: A-

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