Pro tip: Don’t watch the new IRON FIST series that premiered last week on Netflix.
I found it disappointingly bland, boring and lacking in any sort of originality or excitement I had expected from a show focusing on a kung fu master who was granted access to a mystical power after besting a dragon, and plunging his fists into its molten heart.
For me, it failed on almost every level, but instead of a few thousand words droning on about how I hated it, I thought I’d put together something a bit more positive, so here are a few better ways to get your fix of the real Iron Fist.
Iron Fist
by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Larry Hama
From 1975 to 1977 legendary comic book creators Claremont and Byrne took over the Iron Fist title and gave the world 15 issues of solid story, great characterisation and lovely art that was sadly chopped short, but it is a nicely contained tale for anyone wishing to get a first taste of the character without having to worry about a massive amount of prior continuity. Newcomers to comic books can sometimes be underwhelmed with older style artwork like this, and while I personally love it, some may prefer the modern look of newer books. My advice would be check out the little preview first. Their run is collected in a big edition here, along with issues from a host of writers and artists that were on the title before Claremont and Byrne took over full time.
Power Man and Iron Fist
by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Mary Jo Duffy, Kerry Gammill
So, about that Claremont run that was cut short, Marvel decided that because of poor sales in both Iron Fist, and the Power Man book, they would put the pair together in order to try to boost numbers and stop them from cancelling both titles all together. In doing so, they created one of the greatest pairings in comic history, as Danny Rand and Luke Cage became “Heroes for Hire”. The early run that Byrne and Claremont started, was then taken up by Duffy and Gammill can be found here for around £20 (just £7.60 on Kindle), and is massively worth picking up. It’s a brilliant and light-hearted book, that is more focused building the friendship of the two characters, billionaire Danny and man of the street Luke, than it is with over the top action and you can see why this pairing became such a hit. The low-level, personal angle of them taking small cases to help out people, rather than saving the planet work brilliantly to set it aside from other books.
Immortal Iron Fist
by David Aja, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker
For most, this run on the character became the definitive story of Danny Rand, and certainly the most widely recommended and admired books for anyone looking to get into Iron Fist. Featuring a great story where Danny is invited to battle other immortal weapons, and discover deeper secrets about the power he holds, it gives you a look back at other people throughout history who became the Iron Fist and the incredible battles they went through, leading up to the present day with Danny Rand. It’s a phenomenal book, beautifully drawn by Aja, and is a perfect place to start with the character.
The whole collection is on Amazon for around £20:
Iron Fist: The Living Weapon
by Kaare Andrews
The 2014 story by writer/artist Kaare Andrews is a more brutal, stylised take on Iron Fist, full of revenge and savagery, as Danny confronts his past. It’s a phenomenal looking book, with really exaggerated line-work and bold, vibrant colouring, the story is perhaps more suited to those already familiar with the character, but is definitely worth checking out even if you aren’t a long time reader. I mean, just look at it:
You can pick up the first volume “Rage” for dirt cheap used, or £15 on Amazon.
Power Man and Iron Fist
by Sanford Greene, David Walker, Flaviano
Going back to their roots, Danny and Luke team up again in a really fun, lighthearted book with some fantastic artwork. The street-level, team-up style is again absolutely perfect for the characters as they solve a bit of a mystery and go up against hired goons rather than planet destroying gods. A lot of the first trade “The Boys are Back in Town” is spent reminiscing about the old days of being Heroes for Hire, and its wonderful stuff. While knowledge of the characters will always enrich a book like this, you would still have a blast with it as a newbie. Available, again, on Amazon here.
THE AVENGERS: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES
If animated TV shows are more your bag, Iron Fist also makes a few appearances in the EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES series, specifically the following episodes:
“To Steal an Ant-Man”, “Infiltration”, “Yellowjacket”, “New Avengers” and “Avengers Assemble!”
He makes more of an impact in the Disney X.D. show ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, showing up consistently over 4 seasons.
Admittedly, I haven’t had chance to watch either series fully, but just on these images alone I can confidently say they’re both much more enjoyable than the Netflix show.
There have been many books exploring Iron Fist over the years, these are just a sampling of my favourites, let me know any I may have forgotten. I will also mention there is a new Iron Fist comic book starting this month by writer Ed Brisson and artist Mike Perkins, and will feature covers by Jeff Dekal. The book will pick up where Kaare Andews’ “Iron Fist: The Living Weapon” story left off, so if you are thinking of checking it out you might want to grab those trades beforehand.
Happy reading.
that lego guy 