The Immortal Iron Fist #17

Ok! Not bad!

I really wasn't completely sold on this issue until the final panel where the new baddie is standing over Kwai Jun-Fan (aka The Iron Fist circa 1878) and reveals that he's the killer of Iron Fists. I thought it was a great reveal, even though it may have been an obvious one for many (it wasn't for me).

The issue starts off with a flash forward to a K'un-Lun 10 years into the future, where we find Misty Knight and what we are led to believe is her child with Daniel Rand. The young kid storms into his mother's chambers and demands to know how his father really died. Not really the biggest fan of this type of storytelling, as I feel like it has a good chance of either painting future writers into corners or just making for an otherwise lame story down the line when someone has to write their way out of it to change it. Not a huge qualm, but it did make me flinch a little.

Overall, I think Swierczynski crafted an overly acceptable story and takes the reins from Fraction / Brubaker with hardly a hiccup. I thought his dialogue was well done and the story was a breeze to navigate.

Foreman's art wasn't amazing nor insulting. It was just kind of there and that's plenty fine.

Very interested to see how this shapes up in the next few issues and this new creative teams arc overall.

- TFM

The Immortal Iron Fist #17

So! Despite my apprehension about the creative team switch on Iron Fist, it wasn't bad! It wasn't the bestest ever, but I'll definitely keep reading.

When we last left Danny Rand in #16, he had just come to the realization that only one Iron Fist has lived past the age of 33 and, surprise, today is his 33rd birthday! What's a guy to do? Try to ignore it while his friends throw him a party, I guess.

Danny's made headway into retooling the Rand Corporation, and he's hired a feisty new COO. Danny and Jeryn give the new guy a run down on Rand Corp's...less than conventional enemies.

Also in the issue is the ever popular (with me, at least) past Iron Fist flash back. It takes us to West Texas in the late 1800s, where the current IF is trying to alleviate the hardships of his Chinese brethren. After getting his ass kicked by some not-so-innocent townspeople, he runs into a spooky guy who tells him, "I am a servent of the Ch'i-Lin. I am the one who kills The Iron Fist." Dun dun duuuun!

And, what do you know, this fuckin' guy turns up at a park in NYC decades later to beat Danny Rand to the ground. Oh nos!

Sooo, yeah. Story is good, dialogue is tIIF appropriate mix of funny/serious/mystical, and the art isn't too shabby, either. I don't like it quite as much as David Aja's stuff, but the action shots are still seriously kick ass.

Recommended!



-AR