By Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker, David Aja & various (Marvel)
ISBN: 978-0-7851-2535-8
To save you looking up old graphic novel reviews (but please don’t let me stop you if you feel so inclined) Iron Fist was an early entry from Marvel during the 1970s Kung Fu boom, although the character also owed a hefty debt to Bill Everett’s golden Age super-hero Amazing Man – who graced various Centaur Comics publications between1939 and 1945. The tribute was paid by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane although a veritable host of successors (writers and artists included Len Wein, Doug Moench, Tony Isabella, Larry Hama, Arvell Jones, Keith Pollard, Pat Broderick and Al McWilliams) followed them in what was a relatively short run on the adventures of the “Living Weaponâ€.
Little Danny Rand travelled with his parents and uncle to the Himalayas, searching for the “lost city of K’un Lun†which only appears once every ten years. The boy’s father Wendell was murdered by the uncle, and Danny’s mother sacrificed herself to save her child. Alone in the wilderness, the city found him and he spent the next decade mastering all forms of martial arts.
As soon he was able he returned to the real world intent on vengeance, further armed with a mystic punch gained by killing the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying. When Iron Fist eventually achieved his goal the lad was at a loose end and – by default – a billionaire, as his murderous uncle had turned the family business into a multi-national megalith.
The series ran in Marvel Premier (#15-25; May 1974 to October 1975), before Chris Claremont and John Byrne steadied the ship and produced a superb run of issues in his own title (Iron Fist #1-15, November 1975 – September 1977). After cancellation the character drifted until paired with street tough hero Luke Cage. Power Man & Iron Fist ran from #51 until the book ended in 1986 (#125). The K’un Lun Kid has died, come back and cropped up all over the Marvel universe as guest star, co-star and even in a few of his own miniseries.
Recently revived and somewhat re-imagined as The Immortal Iron Fist, the new series revealed that there has been a steady progression of warriors bearing the title for centuries – if not millennia – and in volume 1 (The Last Iron Fist Story) Danny discovered that his predecessor Orson Randall went rogue, refusing to die for the Holy City, roaming the Earth ever since. He also knew Danny’s father…
This volume contains issues #8-14 of the monthly comicbook plus the first Annual and follows the orphan hero as he learns the true history and meaning of his life, a task complicated by the fact that a cadre of super scientific Hydra warriors have kidnapped his friend Jeryn Hogarth and are using Rand technology to break the dimensional walls and invade K’un Lun.
The title comes from the fact that there are in fact seven mystical cities in this universe and every 88 years their celestial orbits coincide to permit a grand martial arts tournament. Each city has a champion as puissant and dedicated as Iron Fist and they must fight. The eventual climax will change the hidden cities forever…
Interspersing revelations about Wendell Rand and the renegade Orson with scenes on Earth and in the confluence of Floating Cities, these tales reveal the true nature of K’un Lun, and the power of Iron Fist, easily blending traditional costume-capers with the best of movie martial arts fantasy. Old fans can revel in guest-appearances by Luke Cage, Colleen Wing and Misty Knight as well as tantalising glimpses of pre-Marvel Age 1920s and 1930s super-heroics whilst newcomers can simply enjoy the wonders of an enchanting, multi-layered action epic told exceedingly well.
Swift and compellingly exotic the story balances character and plot perfectly augmented by masterful artistic contributions from Roy Allan, Martinez, Scott Koblish, Kano, Javier Pulido, Tonci Zonjic, Clay Mann, Stefano Gaudiano, Jelana Kevic Djurdjevic, Dan Brereton and Howard Chaykin. This mesmerising saga resolves the cliffhanging ending of the previous volume and taken together these two books form one of the best Marvel Masterpieces of the last decade.
© 2006, 2007 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.