Writer(s): Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker
Artist(s): David Aja, Scott Koblish, Roy Allan Martinez Raul Allen (i), Matt Hollingsworth (c), June Chung (c)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
I won't beat around the bush on this one: Immortal Iron Fist is consistently once of the best comics that Marvel is putting out today. It's rare to find a comic which provides such a thrilling, entertaining read the first time around but which reveals such depth when you give it another look, but Brubaker and Fraction have pulled it off and have managed to rejuvenate a long-dormant, C-list character at the same time.
This issue sees Danny Rand fight his first battle in the tournament between the titular "Seven Capital Cities of Heaven". It's far from the predictable slugfest that many might have expected for a story arc based around a straightforward fighting competition. Fraction and Brubaker pepper the story with intrigue before so much as a punch is thrown, as Danny encounters a mysterious ninja spy whilst he mentally and physically prepares himself for the tournament. Once the fighting gets going, however, it's as exciting as you could have hoped and a satisfying number of pages are devoted to the opening bout between Iron Fist and his opponent, Fat Cobra. The story wears its various influences on its sleeve, feeling like a mix of equal parts Enter the Dragon and Mortal Kombat, but with touches of uniqueness which come courtesy of Brubaker's unpredictable plotting and Fraction's own particular brand of crazy cool ("Bring me my victory wenches!" has got to be one of Fraction’s lines). It's a highly entertaining combination, and the book always has so many subplots and visual ideas on the go that it's impossible to get bored.
Bringing these ideas to life is the excellent artwork of David Aja. The most striking visual aspect continues to be his highly effective layouts, which draw attention to the important elements of many of his images by framing them separately with elegant panels-within-panels, often accentuated by vivid flashes of colour. His use of skewed gutters and 'dutch’ angles during the fight sequence add a suitable sense of energy and chaos. Afterwards, his use of larger, simpler squarer panels slows down the pace, enabling readers to take a post battle breather. The fighting feels authentic, and I wouldn't be surprised if Aja had referenced martial arts textbooks for some of the poses he puts his combatants into here. However, the action never comes across as posed or flat, with some particularly powerful visuals provided for the 'special moves' (like the "Cudgel of Misfortune" or "Whirlwind of Impending Doom") that Brubaker and Fraction write into the fight. It again brings videogames like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter to mind (with Fat Cobra coming off as a cross between Raiden and E. Honda, respectively), and I have no doubt that the new generation of comics writers that we're seeing emerge today will continue to show such modern influences in their work.
Aja also has an obvious gift for sequential storytelling, moving Danny Rand through several poses in the course of his martial arts routines (sometimes within the space of just one panel) as smoothly as frames of animation. There's also another great sequence of panels, in which a ninja spy melts into the darkness, which simply drips with atmosphere. The final great achievement of the art is to make the setting of K'un-Lun feel truly otherwordly, with an eclectic mix of architectural styles, cultures and technologies which is simultaneously familiar and weird. The writers also add to this anachronistic atmosphere, making the story feel modern without ever sacrificing the 1970s vibe of the kung-fu tournament or the more ancient charms of the mystical aspects of the Iron Fist legacy. They combine their original subplots with an intentionally derivative core storyline in a timeless mix of ideas: this issue they throw a classical heroic quest and some steampunk elements into the melting pot, too.
Brubaker and Fraction have achieved so much with the book that it's easy to forget that Iron Fist was such an insignificant character a year ago. They have successfully gifted the character with new abilities and a higher level of power without any of the changes seeming forced, adding a new depth and sense of history to the office of the Iron Fist. They have re-integrated him into the fabric of the Marvel Universe, making the most of their many guest stars (Luke Cage's "Sweet &@&#$@ Christmas" is becoming something of a catchphrase) but never letting them overwhelm the main story. They have managed to introduce a plethora of subplots without the story feeling cluttered or unfocused (I can't wait to see who the mysterious "Prince of Orphans" turns out to be, or how Orson Randall's daughter fits into all this). And they've kept things fast-moving and constantly unpredictable (a case in point is the end of this issue, as Danny ignores his friends to pursue his quest alone).
In Marvel's stable of books, Immortal Iron Fist seems to be rivaled only by Daredevil and Captain America for being such a reliably satisfying read, month in and month out. The only real criticism of this particular issue that I have is that I'm not a huge fan of Koblish and Martinez's work during the flashback sequences, but it's a minor complaint, and I'm actually finding myself warming to their style a little more each time I see it. The best thing I can say about this book is that I simply can't imagine anyone not enjoying it, so I'd recommend anyone who hasn't tried it yet to give it a shot. Excellent stuff.
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