Iron Fist: The Living Weapon is a mainly strong story that raises the bar for what a martial arts comic should be (are you paying attention, Shang Chi?). Kaare Andrews’ grittier, hard hitting approach to the character has been a mostly successful experiment despite a certain unevenness to the plot so far. Does Andrews manage to iron out the pacing this week?
So, the past couple of issues have featured Iron Fist getting his ass handed to him by the cyber ninjas that burned the Not-So-Immortal City of K’un Lun to the ground. This month, Danny gets a rest period before getting ready for a rematch while getting reacquainted with an old friend from his childhood. His healing time is a juxtaposition of present events, dreams and flashbacks that mostly serves its purpose in conveying the torment his buried deep with his lust for violence. This is all a well done approach to character development, but it also feels like more of what we’ve been seeing for the past couple of issues.
I’m confident there’s going to be some quality payoff, but I also wish it would just go ahead and happen. I can’t tell if this is me being an overeager fanboy or the plot itself crawling. One way or another, it’ll be nice to see the resolution in the story arc kick into high gear. Besides, a lot of the kinks in this plot’s system can be forgiven due to the consistently amazing visuals. Every issue, Andrews seems to be finding new ways to twist kung-fu movies aesthetics into inventive panels and transitions. At this point he’s just plain showing off.
Bottom Line: Still quality writing, still one of the most gorgeous Marvel books there is. I’m a fan. I just wish the plot would pick up speed just a little. 7.5 out of 10
Show Comments