“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Immortal Iron Fist (2007) #1

Danny Rand’s home renovation show was…interesting.

The cover image you see to the left is also the cover for the Comixology version of the digital trade collection of “The Last Iron Fist “story, which is where the next set of Tuesday Marvel reviews will be coming from.

The Immortal Iron Fist #1

Marvel Comics (January, 2007)

“The Last Iron Fist Story” part 1

WRITERS: Ed Brubaker & Matt Fraction

PENCILERS: David Aja & Travel Foreman

INKERS: David Aja & Derek Fridolfs

COLORIST: Matt Hollingsworth

LETTERER: Dave Lanphear

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Alejandro Arbona

EDITOR: Warren Simons

1227 AD: The Iron Fist stands in front of an invading horde. 2006 AD: The modern Iron Fist also stands against an invading horde, only this one is Hydra. In a flashback we learn a Chinese company wanted to purchase Rand Corporation’s new train design but putting it under Chinese governmental control. Given China’s history of civil rights abuse he refuses, angering Jeryn, who had worked on this deal for three years. To prove Danny was right, Iron Fist investigates the company only to find it’s a fake set-up and Hydra is involved. Danny holds up against the group until their giant spider robot knocks him from the roof. Meanwhile in Bangkok a man named Davos, working for a currently unseen master, is seeking a drugged out man that he thinks is the one he’s looking for and his agents confirm it is Iron Fist…Norman Randall, the Iron Fist of 1913!

What they got right: For so many story beats they all work well together. The 1227 AD Iron Fist is only there to establish the lineage while the focus is on Danny and the stuff with Norman is just setting up the storyline in the last few pages. I don’t have any problem with the art style.

What they got wrong: The coloring style on the other hand has issues. It’s so darkly colored that they need a red box to show us Danny’s leg getting cut or Norman smashing the swords of the agents because you wouldn’t be able to see it otherwise. The dialog also has a lot of pontificating (for lack of a better word at this time) about Danny’s history, his attitude, the history of the Iron Fist…it just distracts from the action more than it does introduce new readers to the character.

What I think overall: It’s not a bad start to the story. Despite some presentation flaws it overall does make you curious what’s going on…provided you have any interest in Danny Rand and the Iron Fist history. Exploring and building on character’s history was something Brubaker also did in the Captain America trade I looked at a few months ago, but I’m curious to see what Matt Fraction’s attempts at commentary (at least he has a point about China’s rights abuse history) will affect the otherwise unnecessary subplot when the bit with Davos and the previous Iron Fist look more interesting to me.