Marvel has timed the release of the new “Iron Fist” comic well, coinciding right with the release of its Netflix show. What no one anticipated, however, was the show’s poor critical reception. Fortunately, we’re not here to talk about the show – Jess is doing a great job at that – so we can see how the comic stands on its own.
Written by Ed Brisson
Illustrated by Mike Perkins
Colored by Andy Troy
Lettered by VC’s Travis LanhamK’un Lun is in ruins. The chi fueling Danny’s fists is wavering. Is there a future for the Iron Fist? Danny Rand pushes himself to the breaking point, finding fights to prove his worth. But a bigger fight than he can handle may have found him…
We begin with Danny Rand, the Iron Fist, at something of a low point. Following the fall of K’un Lun, he’s been going from fight club to fight club, beating up whoever he can in search of a challenge, but finds none. I call this “The Saitama Dilemma,” so named for the protagonist of “One Punch Man” – he’s worked hard to get strong enough to beat anyone, but has now become so strong that beating everyone is boring. Of course, Rand isn’t just looking for fun, as he’s in the midst of a world-traversing angst trip.
However, the comic’s grim mood is accentuated by the artwork. There are shadows everywhere, and the comic primarily uses dark colors in gray and blue shades, save for the illumination of a red sky – a great choice by Andy Troy that sets the tone perfectly. Even the credits page, and its identical variant cover, features a great illustration of Iron Fist, where the only light comes from his glowing hand.
The combat looks very nice as well, although at first it’s mostly just illustrations of Danny’s strikes hitting his foes, along with very painful-seeming sound effects. The action is fast paced, but each blow is lovingly drawn to show maximum impact, yet still illustrating how quickly the fights go. When we get to see more drawn-out battles, they grow more dynamic, but the impact remains the same; every blow is drawn to look like it hurts.
The first issue of “Iron Fist” is mostly looking at Danny’s character, and how far he’s fallen. Piles of money do little to sate his grief over his ever-dwindling powers, and there’s a palpable sense of loss as he struggles to draw what little power may be left into his hands. His identity crisis is explored well, and Ed Brisson does a good job at exploring the impact that this loss has on Danny and his sense of self.
Speaking of our protagonist, I was concerned that they might try to make Danny Rand look too much like his Netflix counterpart. No offense to Finn Jones, who is far from unappealing, but he does look decidedly different than Danny has been portrayed in the comics, and comics often have a tendency to shift their character designs to more resemble their live action counterparts. Fortunately, Mike Perkins draws him in such a way that it’s still unmistakably the Iron Fist we know and love; even when he’s just fighting at underground rings, or at his most alcoholic state, he still doesn’t have the “hippie hobo” look that the show has gone with. Instead, this is Iron Fist as a man, lost and searching for meaning, certainly struggling with an existential depression, but still Danny Rand, not “Danny Rand as Finn Jones as Danny Rand.”
The second act of “Iron Fist” #1 is where the plot really kicks off, and the shift is clear even in the art. The colors change from grays and blues to an all-consuming red, illuminating the backgrounds and characters in crimson. This is where we get the plot hook, for now that we’ve seen how far Danny has fallen, we can root for him as he tries to rise again.
In this case, it’s through a mysterious martial arts tournament, which is probably not called “Mortal Kombat” but I will still refer to as such until we get an official name. To be fair, “Iron Fist” has always been an homage to cheesy kung fu films, and the “called out to a mysterious tournament on a previously unknown island” plot is about as “cheesy kung fu” as it gets. I say that in the best of ways, of course. No doubt we’ll be learning more about this tournament, its competitors, and the dark secret behind it (there’s always a dark secret behind these things) as the comic goes on, but it provides our hook and plot, as well as a good excuse to see more action drawn by Mike Perkins.
Overall, the first issue of “Iron Fist” does a good job at setting up the story. We get a look into our hero’s head, the artwork looks great, and the color work is powerful. It’s not a story about fighting crime with martial arts, it’s a story about a fallen hero trying to find himself again, just one that involves a lot of fighting and a martial arts tournament. If that’s what you want out of your comics, then this is a good place to find it.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – A fine start to a new run on “Iron Fist,” which looks good and promises plenty of action to come.
