 |
Preview art by
Mico Suayan |
By Marc Strom
You just know a man named
Fat Cobra has to have an interesting story.
Since his introduction in the IMMORTAL IRON FIST, Fat Cobra has remained an enigmatic figure, but writer Jason Aaron and artist Mico Suayan will get to the bottom of his mystery as they delve into the fan-favorite warrior's origins in IMMORTAL WEAPONS #1, on sale July 22.
Before Aaron set out to write this origin story, he relates that "nothing had been established about Fat Cobra's back story, except maybe in [former IMMORTAL IRON FIST writer] Matt Fraction's head—and who the hell wants to go there. So I created his origin whole-cloth, though hopefully in a way that's still keeping with everything Fraction and [Ed] Brubaker had done on the book and everything that Duane Swierczynski is doing now."
Before Fat Cobra gained his status as an Immortal Weapon, however, Aaron tells us that he had a very different life.
"He changed a lot," expresses the writer. "Or really, it was his struggle to become his city's Immortal Weapon that changed him. He had to pay a heavy price to finally defeat the
 |
Preview art by
Mico Suayan |
great multi-headed dragon Xiang Yao and become the next great Cobra warrior of Peng Lai, as we'll see."
According to Aaron, a difference exists between writing a character like Fat Cobra, who has a relatively short history in the Marvel Universe, as opposed to other more established characters like
Ghost Rider or
Wolverine.
"I had a very free hand with this one-shot," he notes. "There was no long, established continuity to have to work around. All we really know about Fat Cobra is that he's fat, he's an amazing fighter and he likes his wenches of waiting. Beyond that, I was pretty much free to go crazy."
When the opportunity to tell this particular story presented itself, Aaron couldn't wait to play in one of the newest areas of Iron Fist's sandbox.
"I was just so intrigued with all of the Immortal Weapons from the moment they first appeared, so I jumped at the chance to help add to their story," the writer shares. "This story is sort of a tragedy overall, but one that has plenty of room for both comedy
 |
Preview art by
Mico Suayan |
and drama, both over-the-top craziness and quiet character moments, and of course plenty of sex and Kung Fu violence."
Aaron also hopes that the more tragic element of Fat Cobra's origin will help bring a new layer of depth to readers' understanding of the character.
"Hopefully they'll realize that there's a lot of heartache and tragedy beneath his big, boisterous, fun-loving exterior, and hopefully he's a character who will continue to grow and have adventures."
Beyond Fat Cobra, Aaron promises fans even more craziness in the self-contained first issue of IMMORTAL WEAPONS, with appearances by "Elvis! Opera! Russian werewolves on the moon! Googam Son of Goom! And more!"
Be sure to check out the free IMMORTAL WEAPONS SKETCHBOOK on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited!
Check out the official Marvel Shop for your favorite Marvel Heroes!
Download episodes of "X-Men: Evolution" and "Wolverine and the X-Men" now on iTunes!
