cyclonus_the_warrior's The Immortal Iron Fist: The Last Iron Fist Story #1 - Volume 1 review

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    The Iron Fist... There were many like it but this one is mine!

    Danny Rand aka the Iron Fist is on a personal mission that finds him in battle against the terrorist network Hydra. Later he begins to experience near crippling pains to his fist that can only mean someone is using his martial art The Iron Fist, when he's suppose to be the only wielder. Soon his questions will be answered; but will he be prepared for those answers? -summary

    Iron Fist has always been one of Marvel's least used and maybe even least appreciated characters. He made his first appearance in the mid 70's, and he was meant to capitalize on the kung-fu and martial arts craze along with Shang-Chi: The Master of Kung-fu of that time period moving on into the 80's. They were products of that era. I even saw a documentary once where it was clearly stated that Iron Fist was a homage to Bruce Lee. I always thought it was Shang-Chi paying tribute. In any case, although Iron Fist was kind of cool and had his own solo book for a time; he mainly developed a cult following teamed up with Luke Cage aka Powerman, in the then monthly series Powerman and Iron Fist, up until his death in the last issue. Long story short, it was revealed that Danny Rand never died, and therefore he was "resurrected". Surprisingly, Marvel still weren't doing much with the characte, and that was the case for some time until they handed him off to star writer Ed Brubaker in 2006, whom had made serious noise with Captain America. It was this reason I had to give his solo series a chance, and I still consider it one of Marvel's better titles of the 2000's. This TPB collects The Last Iron Fist Story across The Immortal Iron Fist issues 1 - 6.

    For those unfamiliar with the character, and I do know there are plenty. Much of the back story is delivered in the book, but it helps coming in with knowledge on the character. Iron Fist is a highly skilled kung-fu expert that can harness his "Chi", which is his inner power, in order to form his fist into a ball of energy called the Iron Fist. This technique also can be used to enhance his strength, speed, durability, and endurance. He's able to battle against the best fighters and some of the strongest in the Marvel Universe. He's also a billionaire under the Rand Corporation which he inherited after his father's death. So he's a great fighter with a lot of money, but he doesn't have cool gadgets like a certain guy out in Gotham City.

    The story has a great deal of action and it doesn't feel forced at any point. The action segments take place only when necessary, so it comes second to the actual story and this arc is pretty strong on that. Ed Brubaker not only manages to further develop Danny Rand to the point where he can finally carry his own story. He also expands on the legend of the Iron Fist. Rand learns that there has been up to sixty-six people carrying the mantle across generations. Some of these warriors battled against Genghis Khan's forces and there has been at least one female whom fought against pirates, and was able to channel her "chi" through arrow attacks making her extremely deadly. Rand learns quite a bit, and these pieces of history are brought to him by an older Iron Fist, whom helps shed a bit more light on his purpose. The plot is being developed through numerous threads, with the central portion appearing to focus on the consequences of an Iron Fist going rogue, and refusing to carry on the tradition that has been laid out for them.

    Brubaker just knows how to carry a narrative even when he's shifting between time periods. The book is completely newbie friendly as it doesn't require any past knowledge. The pacing is well balanced across the board and the dialog is fun, yet mature enough not to come off dull or boring. Older fans will more than likely dig this story as well since there's quite a bit of fan service that touches on Iron Fist's past roots. His best friends from way back make appearances; old pals such as the super strong and tough Luke Cage, the sword wielder Colleen Wing, and his former girlfriend, sister with an attitude Misty Knight. Several things here just brought me back such as the old buddy cop like chemistry with Cage only to name one.The story was written in 2006, but for me there was this 80's throwback feel that just felt pretty cool.

    The complex plot at first may seem to be hard to follow as there are numerous flashbacks, so I can understand some people taking issue with that. Fortunately, the going on's in Rand's life are not second place. An enemy of the past, a very tough kung-fu expert named the Steel Serpent is developed kind of well, plus the hostile takeover of Rand's company by Hydra is entertaining in its own way. To include, Iron Fist must work under a tight blanket of stealth since this story takes place after Captain America's defeat in Civil War, therefore the registered superheroes and SHIELD are as much a threat as his enemies. Along with the book ending on a high note, I can imagine most readers getting into these various elements.

    Ed Brubaker knows his street level superheroes very well. He was doing an excellent job on Daredevil around this time I believe. Iron Fist gets that exact same treatment as Brubaker's style of no holds barred, street like storytelling works great with David Aja's and others gritty artwork, rugged inks, and dingy atmospheric backgrounds. New York City in this book looks like the perfect place for war in the underworld. The noir-ish feel is well intact, as there's plenty of gun play and fights with crooked cops. The action panels are full contact with several blows and strikes delivered, with one moment of Iron Fist kicking a victim from one side of a train window out the other. It's funny to look at because I was able to picture the action in real time. I would love to see someone fly through double windows like that.

    The only problem I can imagine for people here are the small flashbacks. Even though it may feel like they get in the way of the story's pacing, they're just more forms of back story development for the reader. Apparently, there's a great history behind the Iron Fist, and Brubaker opens up plenty of doors for further story development. The artwork isn't flashy at all; I recommend not coming into this expecting David Finch's pencils. Instead it has almost everything in common with Alex Maleev's work; with that said, if you read Daredevil: King of Hell's Kitchen, Daredevil: Hardcore, Daredevil: Underboss, or even Road to Civil War, then those titles should alert you on what to expect. If you liked the visuals there then you'll love this because the character designs are more detailed here.

    In closing, The Immortal Iron Fist: The Last Iron Fist Story is a very good book. It introduces new readers to the character and his associates, plus it gives older fans something; but the one highlight is that Danny Rand can now carry his own book, since before he was only defined by those he was partnered up with. I highly recommend checking this series out.

    Pros: -Engrossing story and solid plot

    Cons: -Flash backs may bother some folks, artwork is not the flashy type

    Other reviews for The Immortal Iron Fist: The Last Iron Fist Story #1 - Volume 1

      More Past Then Present 0

      Iron Fist has been a character that is often shrouded in obscurity; he's not a terribly popular figure to begin with, but there also isn't much that we know about him, beyond some of his past and his partnership with Luke Cage. Even his powers are a little uncertain, as there hasn't been a chance to clarify them in their entirety. This series strives to fix that, but does so at the expense of development in the present day in favor of the past.This book is very much focused on explaining not onl...

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      The History Of The Iron Fist 0

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