ClintP
12-04-2006, 05:24 AM
In a review of Iron Fist on newsarama:
The Immortal Iron Fist #1
Written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction
Illustrated by David Aja
Colors by Matt Hollingsworth
Published by Marvel
Review by Koben Kelly
I have been a fan of Iron Fist for a long, long time. I remember the days of my thirteen-year-old youth, riding my bicycle into the downtown area near my father’s house, to buy the newest Power Man and Iron Fist from the local drugstore. Those were the days. At the time, I was shocked and quite saddened by Daniel Rand’s apparent death and Luke Cage’s reaction in the final issue.
Ed Brubaker has been scorching the racks, lately, with the hotness of titles like Criminal, Daredevil, and Captain America. His talents are unquestionable at this point in time. Matt Fraction has recently made his mark on the comics world with his Image title, Casanova, and has moved on to a job writing Punisher: War Journal for Marvel. The latter being close to a mainstream gig, but the former, in the slimline format, being as far away from that as imaginable. Before reading this issue, I was concerned that the two’s styles wouldn’t gel. Would we have an oddly staggered tale with the scribes obviously taking turns from beat to beat? I guess I should have had more faith in them being willing to work with each other from the start.
The idea of the series is fantastic. What if Daniel Rand is not actually the Iron Fist, but rather an Iron Fist? What if his alternative moniker is actually a title that has been held by many over the centuries, only taken up by the worthy newcomer every so many decades? It seems that Rand is actually the currently active incarnation of the Fist, in a long line of champions. This introductory issue opens with scenes of Bei Ming-Tian, the Iron Fist of 1227. A different artist is even used to differentiate the tone from that of Rand. Apparently, the intention is to continue to depict the various heroes of K’un-Lun all throughout history. The man we have come to know and love as Iron Fist still has the same history as far as I can tell. He still got his powers from the defeat of an ancient and deadly dragon. He still was a parentless child taken in by the monks of K’un-Lun. It’s just that now there is a great history to unearth and detail as the series progresses; and it’s a history that I am, for one, completely excited about learning.
Without going too deeply into details, let me state, for the record, that there is a great deal of action involved. The detail put into the intricacy of panel-to-panel martial arts fighting is amazing. The story doesn’t skimp on Marvel-based villainy either. Do the words cut off one head, and two will grow in its place mean anything to you? Well, it certainly does to our boy Danny… especially now. While investigating a multi-million dollar company interested in RandCorp., Daniel steps in the doo-doo bigtime. The writers have a little fun Tarantino-ing the story progression to draw you in and then hit you with the details. And. It. Works.
As far as the artwork is concerned, everything is aces. First and foremost, Aja’s pencils and inks are fantastic. Dramatic scenes are well drawn and clear. Action scenes are fluid and easy-to-follow. While reading this issue, I was often reminded of Maleev’s work minus the annoying photocopy-like shading he employed. His cover work and splash pages are chock-full of the same intensity that Seinkiewicz used to bring to every page. I also see a bit of a Jae Lee influence, but that’s mostly in his cover work. Aja’s one issue of Daredevil had me interested, but with his work on this, I am now a full-fledged fan. Keep your fingers crossed that he can keep up with the demands of a monthly book.
Also on the artistic side, I must mention the spectacular work of Matt Hollingsworth. This guy is one of the most underappreciated digitally-skilled men around. His understated hues bring a touch of class and restraint to Brubaker’s Daredevil every month, displaying how well a gritty book can be accentuated by a less intense color pallet. In this book, however, it’s when and how to use flashes of color and light during a pouring rainstorm that really stands out. His casting of Daniel’s original moment of truth in shades of red, without washing it all out in crimson monochrome, is a pleasing accent as well.
This book is set up to become the next huge title for Marvel fans in the coming year.
I give The Immortal Iron Fist issue one eight out of ten Norrins.
Congrats Hollingsworth! You da man! I can't wait to read this from my DCBS shipment!
The Immortal Iron Fist #1
Written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction
Illustrated by David Aja
Colors by Matt Hollingsworth
Published by Marvel
Review by Koben Kelly
I have been a fan of Iron Fist for a long, long time. I remember the days of my thirteen-year-old youth, riding my bicycle into the downtown area near my father’s house, to buy the newest Power Man and Iron Fist from the local drugstore. Those were the days. At the time, I was shocked and quite saddened by Daniel Rand’s apparent death and Luke Cage’s reaction in the final issue.
Ed Brubaker has been scorching the racks, lately, with the hotness of titles like Criminal, Daredevil, and Captain America. His talents are unquestionable at this point in time. Matt Fraction has recently made his mark on the comics world with his Image title, Casanova, and has moved on to a job writing Punisher: War Journal for Marvel. The latter being close to a mainstream gig, but the former, in the slimline format, being as far away from that as imaginable. Before reading this issue, I was concerned that the two’s styles wouldn’t gel. Would we have an oddly staggered tale with the scribes obviously taking turns from beat to beat? I guess I should have had more faith in them being willing to work with each other from the start.
The idea of the series is fantastic. What if Daniel Rand is not actually the Iron Fist, but rather an Iron Fist? What if his alternative moniker is actually a title that has been held by many over the centuries, only taken up by the worthy newcomer every so many decades? It seems that Rand is actually the currently active incarnation of the Fist, in a long line of champions. This introductory issue opens with scenes of Bei Ming-Tian, the Iron Fist of 1227. A different artist is even used to differentiate the tone from that of Rand. Apparently, the intention is to continue to depict the various heroes of K’un-Lun all throughout history. The man we have come to know and love as Iron Fist still has the same history as far as I can tell. He still got his powers from the defeat of an ancient and deadly dragon. He still was a parentless child taken in by the monks of K’un-Lun. It’s just that now there is a great history to unearth and detail as the series progresses; and it’s a history that I am, for one, completely excited about learning.
Without going too deeply into details, let me state, for the record, that there is a great deal of action involved. The detail put into the intricacy of panel-to-panel martial arts fighting is amazing. The story doesn’t skimp on Marvel-based villainy either. Do the words cut off one head, and two will grow in its place mean anything to you? Well, it certainly does to our boy Danny… especially now. While investigating a multi-million dollar company interested in RandCorp., Daniel steps in the doo-doo bigtime. The writers have a little fun Tarantino-ing the story progression to draw you in and then hit you with the details. And. It. Works.
As far as the artwork is concerned, everything is aces. First and foremost, Aja’s pencils and inks are fantastic. Dramatic scenes are well drawn and clear. Action scenes are fluid and easy-to-follow. While reading this issue, I was often reminded of Maleev’s work minus the annoying photocopy-like shading he employed. His cover work and splash pages are chock-full of the same intensity that Seinkiewicz used to bring to every page. I also see a bit of a Jae Lee influence, but that’s mostly in his cover work. Aja’s one issue of Daredevil had me interested, but with his work on this, I am now a full-fledged fan. Keep your fingers crossed that he can keep up with the demands of a monthly book.
Also on the artistic side, I must mention the spectacular work of Matt Hollingsworth. This guy is one of the most underappreciated digitally-skilled men around. His understated hues bring a touch of class and restraint to Brubaker’s Daredevil every month, displaying how well a gritty book can be accentuated by a less intense color pallet. In this book, however, it’s when and how to use flashes of color and light during a pouring rainstorm that really stands out. His casting of Daniel’s original moment of truth in shades of red, without washing it all out in crimson monochrome, is a pleasing accent as well.
This book is set up to become the next huge title for Marvel fans in the coming year.
I give The Immortal Iron Fist issue one eight out of ten Norrins.
Congrats Hollingsworth! You da man! I can't wait to read this from my DCBS shipment!