THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST #14
The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven: Conclusion
Writers: Matt Fraction & Ed Brubaker
Artists: Tonci Zonjic, Clay Mann, & Kano
Inker: Stefano Gaudiano
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterers: Artmonkeys Studios
Everything that’s been building with this title since the giddyap comes to a head in THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST #14. With Xao’s train poised to strike at the Heart of Heaven – the name given to K’un L’un and its six counterparts’ intersection with the earth realm itself – Danny Rand, the Heroes for Hire and his fellow immortal weapons take a desperate stand against the mysterious businessman with immense HYDRA backing. And while you’ve got this showdown in the Himalayas, back in K’un L’un, Lei Kung’s Army of Thunder makes its move, and even the treacherous Davos, Danny’s arch-nemesis, arrives at a crossroads.
In this comic you have what you can only call a recipe in satisfaction at a level once available solely to candy bars: action befitting a story’s climax, great character moments for all of the principal players, including new status quos for Lei Kung and his wayward son Davos, and a chilling revelation from the fanatical Xao. And of course, one of those things that makes this title stand out all on its own: kung fu moves with bitchin’ names:
Oh, yes…
This, my friends…this, right here…
…is what you call “the Stuff.”
My only regret is that the immortal weapons never SHOUTED THEM OUT during battle. I know I would’ve. I guess it’s all in the training, because that alone must take some serious discipline!
As we all know by now, we have two more issues before Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction take their leave, but by combining Western pulp with Eastern wuxia, leaving behind plenty of plot threads that can be expanded upon, and reminding us all that “Kung Fu Billionaire is a good idea for a comic character,” they have left us with a comic that can sustain publication for years to come. Here’s hoping Duane Swierczynski can hit the ground running, because between the new status quo of K’un L’un and Xao’s last words, I’m sure I’m not the only reader wanting more of that particular storyline.
So I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m gonna be here for issue #17. In the meantime, THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST #14 and this review have been brought to you by the writing team affectionately known as Frubaker, a host of incredibly talented artists and Misty Knight’s No-Frills Guide to Hostage Negotiation:
Because really – when you lay it all out for’em, what’s there to dispute?
