By Eric Drumm
Danny Rand goes by a few names. Hero For Hire, the Living Weapon and most recently New Avenger and fill-in
Daredevil. However, he is best known as the immortal Iron Fist, and he is quickly realizing just how immortal the legacy of the Iron Fist really is.
During his tussle with international terrorist organization HYDRA, Danny has found a friend in Orson Randall, the last man to carry the mantle of Iron Fist before Rand. IMMORTAL IRON FIST has shown us that legacy of the Iron Fist goes
way back. To be exact, there have been 66 Iron Fists to bear the power before Danny Rand. We have been shown bits and pieces of this long and detailed history, and editor Warren Simons says that we will see much more as the story continues. "Yeah, we're planning on peeling back the history of the mantle in layers throughout the first few arcs," says Simons. "As Danny learns about his own past, the reader will also be learning about the mantle of the Iron Fist, and what possessing these extraordinary powers has meant to these warriors. It's pretty brutal; it hasn't ended well for a lot of these guys, as we've hinted at throughout the first arc. K'un-Lun, for all its majesty, is a pretty tough place. Wu Ao-Shi, who we last saw kicking the living crap out of bloodthirsty pirates in issue # 2, will be the central focus in issue # 7. We're going to explore how our girl became 'the Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay,' as Orson Randall refers to her in issue 4."
Despite this rich history, Iron Fist has been out of the spotlight of the Marvel Universe for some time. During the "Devil In Cell Block D" story arc in the pages of DAREDEVIL, Danny Rand traded in his slippers and sash for a billy club and horns, impersonating the Man Without Fear in Hell's Kitchen while Matt Murdock was incarcerated. Now back to being Iron Fist full time, Danny Rand is kung fu kicking evil in droves. Simons couldn't be happier. "I am extremely proud of the book, and think that Matt [Fraction] & Ed [Brubaker] have done a really wonderful job bringing some juice back to the character. I think it's a good read. And [David] Aja, Travel [Foreman], and Matt [Hollingsworth] have really packed as equal a punch with the art as the guys have with the scripts. Aja has just been ridiculously good. You see the thought and effort he puts into every panel. David never ever cuts a corner, and his pages are wonderful. And working with icons like John Severin and Russ Heath has been a real treat."
Completely back in the saddle, Rand is learning some new Iron Fist abilities from the mysterious Iron Fist Orson Randall [#65 if you're keeping score]. Abilities like the Hypnotic Fist are just the beginning, says Simons. "You'll have to wait and see, but I gotta say, how absolutely freaking cool was it to see Orson Randall channel his Iron Fist powers through a gun?"
There is some high-kicking action to come. With HYRDA problems and Davos the Steel Serpent, Danny Rand will have to fight them off while learning about his own history and the legacy of the Iron Fist. As a son of K'un L'un, Rand will find himself drawn back to the mystical city as the story continues. Simons tells us to brace ourselves. "Get ready for a massive combat tournament featuring the Immortal Warriors of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven," he says. "To paraphrase the Beastie Boys, things are going to get very hectic very quickly for our boy Danny Rand."
Get karate chopped in IMMORTAL IRON FIST #5 by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, and David Aja on sale May 2.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #5
Written by ED BRUBAKER AND MATT FRACTION
Pencils by DAVID AJA & TRAVEL FOREMAN
Cover by DAVID AJA
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC- 4/19/07, On Sale- 5/09/07
