You know what book I’ve had a major league hard on for lately? The Immortal Iron Fist. If I had been writing this column last year, you definitely could have expected to see it in the running for book of the year (however, Captain America would have kicked it’s ass, but it was all Bru so it was all good). I just absolutely adored the book on every level; it was fun, epic, thrilling, and most importantly, it was incredibly well written. When I first heard about the book I figured it could be fun for an issue or two, but that there was no way in hell that the book could be any good, despite the creative team. It was Iron Fist, who has ever made him cool?
My first experience with Danny Rand came in a random issue of Marvel Comics Presents when I was a kid, back when it was a flip book (you read what feels like half a story, then flip the entire book over and read it upside down for another half a story about someone else), so I got half of a random story, picked up half way through, and only went “Huh, good costume.”
The next time I came across him was during the late 90’s when John Ostrander wrote him in Heroes for Hire, which was such a fun book that I loved and own every issue of. Unfortunately, like many of the other teams and solo books to come out during that time from Marvel, it was culled in favor of a renewed focus on the ‘heroes’ line of books. How Heroes for Hire wasn’t a heroes book I had no idea, but I guess a team charging money for it while the Avengers do it for free looks bad. Or something. Any way, killed before its time.
Then I remember him getting a new series in…..I want to say 2004, because I know I was reading that first issue in a college dorm room and saying to myself “This is absolutely horrible”. And yeah, I didn’t go back for the second issue and the book was over and done within six issues. Danny just seemed….well, pathetic. And the writer just had no idea what he was doing with him, and it showed. An easily forgettable run that you, the readers, shall now forget via the powers of my mind trick.
*Waves hand all E-Jedi style*
So we wind up with Brubaker, Fraction, and Aja and the promises of this giant Kung-Fu epic the likes of which comics has never seen. Sounds kinda sexy, but at the same time, Kung-Fu and I have a history made up of backstabbing, cheating, and lots of Jean-Claude Van Damme kicks. Let it never be forgotten, that mother fucker can kick as well as Chuck Norris can punch.
Wait, did Grey really just make a Chuck Norris joke? God, the economy must suck, he’s too cheap to even write his own jokes. Phoning them in! Huzzah! The point, back on topic now, is that despite my love for Danny’s wicked chest tattoo, and his yellow booties, there was precious little to draw me into the new book outside of the creative team and a character crush from when I was nine years old. Not really enough to get me past the first arc, to be completely honest. Brubaker and Fraction get that much out of me (remind me to tell you guys about The Order sometime). So, of course, I bought the first arc. And then the second one. And all of the done-in-ones, the annual, every last thing with the Iron Fist name attached. You might as well have called it Iron Crack, because I was hooked like I had never been before in my life. And all it took? A man named Orson Randall, and the great many secrets that surrounded him, the Iron Fist of 1916. That was a big thing that the team did with this book; rather than focus primarily on Danny Rand, they fleshed out the legacy of the Iron Fist. Providing one shots and fill-in stories portraying the lives of his predecessors, expanding on the rich history to give us readers more to grasp on to.
Orson Randall, Iron Fist of 1916. Master of Gun-Fu.
The book has an epic feel to it, as the writers do their very best to make this book accessible to all readers, they tell it across three acts. We’re granted retellings of origins for the entire Rand lineage; Danny, Wendall, and even Orson Randall. Even when past events are referenced, Bru and Frac make it a point to not alienate potential new readers with mounds of unbreachable continuity. In fact, out of their entire run, the most continuity filled moment? Davos not liking Danny, and even that is explained as we’re shown the length of his rivalry and history with Danny’s father Wendall. It’s pretty rare to see a book picked up by a pair of writers with a deep love for the character and continuity, and for it to be completely accessible to any reader that wants to try and give it a shot. Rarer still that attempting to do so can make the book do justice for both kinds of readers as well.
A week or so ago I was telling a friend of mine about it, actually. Trying to get him to pick up my trades and give them a read. His response?
“How does someone that knows martial arts supposed to be taken seriously in a world with Spider-Man and Iron Man?”
A few years ago I would have asked the exact same question, to be honest. How does someone like Danny manage to stay relevant in this day and age? We’ve got heroes that can fly, or shoot shit from their eyes, or bench press battleships, and what can he do? Kick stuff? Damn straight he can kick stuff. He’s the immortal weapon of K’un-L’un. The student of The Thunderer, Lei Kung. He is powered by the chi of Shou-Lou the Undying. He is, easily, the perfect weapon. Strength, speed, grace, and a lasting mortality that makes his existence that much more important. He is an extension of the power that is K’un-L’un, and he wears it as a badge of honor, just like he does the mark of Shou-Lou on his chest.
A lesson in chi.
Danny is the sixty-sixth person to call himself the Iron Fist, of which only one has been a woman (Wu-Ao-Shi, the Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay), and so far we know of only one that has lived to see the age of thirty-four (Orson Randall), It’s a legacy and a lineage of immortal weapons in the name and honor of their city, each competing in the tournament of the Seven Champions, against the immortal weapons of the other six cities. From tidbits of information revealed, the Iron Fist is, traditionally, the victor amongst them.
Wu-Ao-Shi. Iron Fist of the 16th century.
When the fighting actually comes to pass we’re treated to a very stylized manner of combat, where the moves are frozen for us in mid strike with a title, each panel giving us a new blow from the arsenal of the fighters. It’s far and away a touch of style that could never be translated appropriately outside of the medium, and that’s not a complaint. The fights are things of beauty, with careful attention paid to the details. The only regret is that we don’t get to see nearly enough of the battles.
Iron Fist vs Fat Cobra
Dog Brother #1 vs. Bride of Nine Spiders
Steel Phoenix vs. Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter
Prince of Orphans vs Steel Phoenix
While I do commend the writers for not taking the story overboard, I do kinda get greedy sometimes. At least we were treated to that sweet, sweet moment leading into the huge fight at the end. Where Xao realizes that his fight is no longer against the Iron Fist alone, but rather all of the Immortal Weapons. Proof that it only takes six people to fight a war when they’re six of the seven best fighters in existence.
You see that? That’s the sight that caused the hordes of Hydra to crap themselves.
When Brubaker and Fraction exited the book, I was all ready to drop it. This new guy taking over, Duane what’s-his-name, I’d never heard of him. How good could he be? Well, apparently good enough that I’d read one of his Orson Randall one-shots and thought that it was Matt Fraction. Apparently good enough that I read his first issue and didn’t even realize that the writing team had changed. Duane Swiercyznski. Remember that name. He’s going to be huge. And you know what? His Iron Fist? It’s just as much of a must-buy as it was last year when we had the dream team of Brubaker and Fraction on it. That’s fucking awesome.
This is what I call a good old fashioned ass kicking.
Iron Fist has been tentatively scheduled as a movie for a 2012 release, and you know what? I know how they should do it. You don’t treat Iron Fist like a comic book, no, that will hurt you more then it will help. In actuality, a better template would be the Lord of the Rings. Wait, what? That’s right! The perfect Iron Fist story? The three volumes of Brubaker and Fraction. The first movie is the first trade, covering Danny meeting Orson and their fight against Hydra. It introduced the character and the legacy, and provided a brilliant stepping on point for any reader, and that would translate perfectly to the screen. You end the movie just as the book did, with Danny leaving to fight. The next movie picks up with a story about an Iron Fist before transitioning back into the story, showing the continuation. You see, while the trades might have been divided up to provide the complete tournament in one volume, with all the background stories and flashbacks in another, I would use the actual release calendar as a template. When we were told stories of Iron Fists of old, or given stories from the book of Orson Randall, it wasn’t just to give us some filler while Aja took a breather, it was to give us a greater sense of importance to the story at hand.
Immortal Weapons.
By including these segments throughout the movies, and breaking up the tournament across the second and third movies to provide added space for them, you enable your viewers to form a grander attachment to the legacy that is key to the character. By breaking the story up, by adding everything in, you change this from your traditional comic book movie/trilogy into an epic tale that would draw in people who would never even consider catching a flick about a comic book martial artist who dresses like Danny. It would open up the entire audience of people who love kung-fu movies, as well as those who enjoy an epic, well written, and well paced story.
The best part? It wouldn’t even have to be epic for the sake of being epic. The story is just grand enough in nature on its own to become deserving of this degree of grandeur and hype. And hey, the only Marvel cameos we’d have? Luke, Misty, and Colleen. The only three you need. The original Heroes for Hire.
Maybe I’m just being a raving fanboy right now, but what can I say? I see the news of an impending Iron Fist movie and the only thing I can think of is “This is Marvel’s chance to make something that is cinematic brilliance instead of just another popcorn flick”. Not to rag on Iron Man, but it was a blockbuster despite being an amazing story as well. Iron Fist isn’t a blockbuster, I mean, yeah, it is and can be, but most importantly it’s a story about a man and his legacy, and his battle to not only save his home and friends, but to discover the truth about himself.
The story of Daniel Thomas Rand-K’ai.
The story of the Immortal Iron Fist.
I walk these streets, a loaded six string on my back, I play for keeps, cause I might not make it back, I been everywhere, still I’m standing tall, Ive seen a million faces an Ive rocked them all
There is going to be a few releases from me this week, including the March solicits as covered by myself and Pulse Glazer, and a giant sized Avengers Power Review. And when I say Giant Sized? I mean that there is going to be at least eight different books reviewed for it. And I don’t mean tiny capsule reviews, I mean good ones.
TAKE THAT GLAZER! YOU BASTICH!
A few months back I remember reading a report from a comic-con where someone asked Dan DiDio about future releases of Absolute and Omnibus editions of books, and he said that they wanted to limit the releases to only a handful a year to keep the idea special. I liked that. If you’re going to be releasing oversized hardcovers with price tags of $75 and $100, I like that there aren’t going to tons of them, just important ones. But at the same time, I do want to get a few a year. Maybe one every two or three months, you know? It’s enough that you’re not over saturating the market with them, but not so few that readers spend all of their time waiting for the next one.
Marvel…..Marvel has a different policy about it. Here’s a sample of three of their March releases:
ULTIMATES BY MARK MILLAR & BRYAN HITCH OMNIBUS HC
Written by MARK MILLAR
Penciled by BRYAN HITCH & STEVE DILLON
Cover by BRYAN HITCH
Is even an Omnibus big enough to contain Millar and Hitch’s widescreen super-hero epic?! They are the greatest heroes the world has ever known: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Wasp, Giant Man, Hawkeye, the Black Widow, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch! Brought together by Nick Fury, head of the elite espionage agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., the Ultimates are Earth’s last line of defense against a rising storm of strange new threats to humanity — menaces such as the rampaging monster known as the Hulk, and an army of shape-shifting aliens bent on destroying the world and killing all humankind. But just as they begin to get comfortable in their roles as international celebrities and America’s champions, things get hard! Can the Ultimates survive the Hulk’s execution, Thor’s imprisonment — and the advent of the Ultimate Defenders?! The world’s greatest heroes are in for the battle of the century — and not all of them will be walking away! Collecting ULTIMATES #1-13, ULTIMATES 2 #1-13, ULTIMATES ANNUAL #1 and ULTIMATES 2 #1 VARIANT SKETCH EDITION.
896 PGS./Parental Advisory…$99.99
IMMORTAL IRON FIST BY MATT FRACTION & ED BRUBAKER OMNIBUS HC
Written by ED BRUBAKER & MATT FRACTION
Penciled by DAVID AJA, TRAVEL FOREMAN, SAL BUSCEMA, RUSS HEATH, JOHN SEVERIN, HOWARD CHAYKIN, DAN BRERETON, TONCI ZONJIC, JELENA KEVIC DJURDJEVIC, KANO, KHARI EVANS, LEANDRO FERNANDEZ, NICK DRAGOTTA, MIKE AND LAURA ALLRED, MITCH BREITWEISER & LEWIS LAROSA Cover by DAVID AJA
Experience a brand-new kind of Iron Fist story – one steeped in legends and fables, magic and adventure, and a historical sweep that stretches back through the centuries – as the living weapon returns in this hard-hitting martial-arts epic by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja and a who’s who of artistic collaborators! Orphaned as a child and raised in the lost city of K’un-Lun, Danny Rand returned to America as the mystical martial artist Iron Fist – but all his kung-fu skills can’t help him find his place in the modern world. After learning the hard way that the centuries-spanning legacy of the Iron Fist holds more secrets than he ever dreamed possible, Danny is ushered to the fabled city of K’un-Lun to fight in a tournament against the Immortal Weapons of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven. It is a round of games that occurs every 88 years as the different cities connect together on the same mystical plane. At stake is the life of his friend, the legacy of his father and mentor, and the future of K’un-Lun. And despite the awesome new powers and knowledge granted to him by the mysterious Orson Randall, will Danny be ready when the tournament calls his name? Plus: There have been sixty-six men and women to carry the mantle of the Immortal Iron Fist. Witness their story in The Book of the Iron Fist. Collecting IMMORTAL IRON FIST #1-16, CIVIL WAR: CHOOSING SIDES, ANNUAL #1, ORSON RANDALL AND THE GREEN MIST OF DEATH and THE ORIGIN OF DANNY RAND.
500 PGS./Rated T+ …$74.99
DAREDEVIL BY ED BRUBAKER & MICHAEL LARK OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by MICHAEL LARK, STEFANO GAUDIANO, DAVID AJA, LEE WEEKS, MARKO DJURDJEVIC, JOHN ROMITA SR., GENE COLAN, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, ALEX MALEEV & LEE BERMEJO
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Longtime DD fans will not be disappointed as the critically acclaimed, award-winning creative team of Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark leave their mark on one of comics’ most enduring legends! For the past few years, Matt Murdock’s life has been teetering on the edge of destruction. Now, pushed beyond the limit, he finds himself behind the eight ball with no clear way out, the people he calls friends slowly deserting him, and Hell’s Kitchen gradually slipping out of control. The question is, when his back is against the wall, just how far will Daredevil go to get back what is his? And if you think Matt’s life is going to start getting simpler after that, think again! As he tries to find a way to move forward, a threat from his past begins to creep toward daylight. And with the post-Civil War fallout all around him, he finds himself fighting a battle on both fronts of his life: in the courtroom and on the rooftops of Hell’s Kitchen! Nominated for three Eisner Awards – Best Continuing Series, Best Writer and Best Penciler-Inker Team! Collecting DAREDEVIL #82-105.
608 PGS./Rated T+ …$74.99
FUCK YOU MARVEL!
Of course, I’ve already pre-ordered all three, despite owning the entirety of the first two in both singles and hardcovers. Just because this is the text book definition of gouging the market, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t giving me three things I’m dying for.
Then again, I’m also not quite sure why they aren’t releasing the second Bendis/Maleev Daredevil Omnibus, since it would end in time for the first Brubaker/Lark one and the lack of which will only serve to confuse the fuck out of people picking these up without prior reading (i.e. me). But hey, at least that Daredevil one promises us even more Danny Rand goodness!
You know what wasn’t goodness? Larry Stroman on X-Factor this week. We had Monet fighting bad guys, I think three issues in a row now, wearing ONLY one of Jamie’s shirts, and you know what? She’s never looked more like a man. No, I don’t care that all he did was a single double page splash with her this issue, it was hideous. Now he’s doing the upcoming Bishop mini? Fire his talentless ass! Bendis can draw better! BENDIS! Where is Valentine De Landro? He did last issue and it was gorgeous! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m just bitching for the sake of it. I was just so happy, so very, very happy when I heard Valentine was the new regular artist, and then he goes and only does one issue before we see Stroman come on for another one. What gives?
I would also like to dedicate the following paragraph to a wonderful character that was taken from us far too soon. A Skrull named Crusader who turned his back on his empire and fought against them with the heroes of Earth. An amazing character, an outstanding hero, and unfortunately, the last casualty of the Secret Invasion. He fell prey to what had been the greatest strength of the Initiative during the Invasion, that being 3-D Man’s ability to see Skrulls. Unfortunately, despite being a huge hero and helping to save the Earth. Despite turning his back on his race and pledging allegiance to Earth, there was one thing that Crusader hadn’t taken into account. To 3-D Man? He was just another Skrull. With any luck the last page cliffhanger will grant me the promise of seeing this wonderful character again sometime soon. Hopefully in the pages of Dan Slott’s Mighty Avengers. And if not? Well, at least I’ll always have my issues of the Initiative to fondly look back on.
R.I.P. Crusader: A Skrull that could teach most people a thing or two about being human.
I bought God Sized Thor on a coin toss, and I feel guilty about that. It was one of the best books I’ve read in months, and I had to flip a coin to decide to get it. Fraction deserves better than that, he deserves a guaranteed “Frac is writing? Sold.” From now on he gets it. Sorry Matt!
Manhunter featured a jarring jump about fifteen years into the future this issue, but once I caught on I threw out any and all complaints. This is DC’s Spider-Girl, an incredibly well written book that is beloved by its fanbase but unfortunately, despite repeated attempts to generate interest through relaunches and trades, hasn’t caught on with the general public. Give it five to ten years and people will realize what they missed out on, and then and only then will they realize that the book no longer being on shelves is their fault for ignoring it.
As much as I want to like Robin, since, I mean, Anarchy is in it and everything, I just can’t do it. Fabian is working his ass off to fill in a few months that blatantly set him up where the higher ups want him to be, but the whole thing just feels…..did Tim really need to be horribly scarred to the point where he needs to wear the Red Robin mask? Did he really?
Mighty Avengers, The Initiative, and Invincible Iron Man will be talked about at length in my APR this week, same with Dark Reign and Thunderbolts. Thor God Sized as well, now that I think about it. Feel that tingling in your pants? That’s excitement!
Uncanny was one of the cleaner story based issues I’ve seen in a while as they took a step back to start tying all of the books together. This issue marks the first blatant X-Force connection since the launch of the bloody book, and it was done in a very nice and organic manner. Rather than Emma prying secrets from Scott, it winds up being Pixie showing Emma a bloody towel that X-23 dropped and thinking that it was Laura’s blood. Simple, in character, to the point. Pixie gets her lovable cute moment, X-23 gets her badass blood moment, and Emma….Emma takes a phone call at the end that drops her in Norman’s basement for Dark Reign.
Legacy was another spectacular issue, as Carey got to devote an issue to the relationship between Charles and his step-brother Cain Marko, the Juggernaut. Sure, we’ve seen it a BIILLION times. We know why Cain hates him, we know all about Kurt Marko, we know about the gem in Korea, we know all the little bits. It’s not a new or original story, so why is it so good? Because Carey has no delusions about who either of these characters is right now, and both are able to show it. Cain is evil again, the avatar of Cytorak, and he would sooner rip Charles’ spine out then speak to him. And Charles? He’s no longer above manipulation and mind invasion. So it makes for an incredibly interesting encounter between the two, and thankfully gives us a new status quo for Cain that’s been pretty much in need.
There was no new TV for me this week, and it made me angry. Very angry. So rather than express my rage through violence, I went and bootlegged the Legion of Super Heroes cartoon and have been watching it. Awesome show. It’s going to be a long month with no new shows, so I’m taking reader suggestions.
WHAT SHOULD GREY WATCH?
See you guys next week when I do the big year end Gold Standard awards.
What I read this week:
- Birds of Prey
- Manhunter
- Robin
- Supergirl
- Tangent: Superman’s Reign
- Avengers: The Initiative
- Dark Reign: New Nation
- Deadpool
- Invincible Iron Man
- Mighty Avengers
- Thor God Sized
- Thunderbolts
- Uncanny X-Men
- X-Factor
- X-Men Legacy
Best of the week:
- Invincible Iron Man
- Thor God Sized
- Manhunter
Happy Holidays everyone!
The Gold Standard
