Immortal Iron Fist - Volume 2: The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven [Paperback]

Back in the 1970s it was all about grindhouses and blaxploitation and kung fu films, and even Marvel couldn't resist playing this pop culture game. That's how Luke Cage came around, and also his eventual partner and best bud Iron Fist, not to mention the likes of Shang-Chi and the Daughters of the Dragon. Daniel Rand, Iron Fist's civilian identity, has always been my dude. But, even though he made a few half-hearted runs at a series, no one actually thought he'd be anything more than a lower tiered superhero. Was like that for years. Marvel even killed him off, but then brought him back. Then came Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction and David Aja, with some ideas for a new series. And, since then, they've made THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST monthly series unto a thing of beauty.

Here's the thing, here's what they did. These guys managed to revamp Iron Fist without really doing much to change the character of Daniel Rand. Danny's still pretty much the same cat, an unassuming Western kung-fu fighting billionaire.What co-writers Brubaker and Fraction did instead is inject a pulp-era feel to the framework, without taking away the gritty, street-level elements and the mystical Eastern stuff. They also added to the legacy of Iron Fist, now making Danny only the latest of a long line of Iron Fists. Which then paved the way for the introduction of Iron Fists in the past, including Orson Randall, Danny's Iron Fist predecessor and a hell of a cool guy for a fallen hero. It's also stated that K'un-Lun is merely one of the seven mystical Capital Cities of Heaven. All this stuff, you can read about in the first trade (Immortal Iron Fist Vol. 1: The Last Iron Fist Story (New Avengers)).

Which brings us to THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST, Vol. 2 - THE SEVEN CAPITAL CITIES OF HEAVEN, which collects issues #8-14 and Annual #1. It's a convoluted story arc, and takes place mostly in fabled, other-dimensional K'un-Lun, which only appears on Earth once every ten years. Ah, but once every eighty-eight years, a celestial convergence aligns the seven enchanted cities. A tournament is held in holy celebration and to determine the pecking order in the seven cities' Earthly manifestations. Daniel Rand, in his mastery of the Iron Fist, holds one of the seven Immortal weapons and is K'un-Lun's champion. As such, he must go against the doughty wielders of the six other Immortal weapons, each a champion of one of the six other cities.

But there's other stuff going on, which takes away Danny's focus on the tournament. He hungers for more knowledge about Orson Randall and the Iron Fist legacy. Jeryn Hogarth, the man who runs the Rand Corporation for Danny, has been kidnapped by the terrorist organization Hydra and, in the Himalayan mountains, is forced to construct an experimental magnetic-levitation train, part of a sick plan by Hydra to breach the mystic barrier and destroy K'un-Lun. In their search for Hogarth, Danny's Heroes for Hire buddies show up in Tibet, with Luke Cage incessantly harping about the cold weather. Meanwhile, in the fastness of tradition-minded K'un-Lun, the embers of revolution are quietly stoked. Seems the ruler of K'un-Lun is weak, corrupt, and hedonistic. A change is called for.

In the first six issues, Fraction and Brubaker had established a noirish, pulp-adventure feel to THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST. Most of this flavor is retained only in the annual, reprinted here, which narrates several high points in Orson Randall's life as Iron Fist. The ongoing flashback stories in the regular issues - chronicling the time Danny's father, Wendell Rand, had spent in K'un-Lun and his quest for the Iron Fist - are more classic martial arts than pulp in feel. But I loved all the mystical weirdness, court intrigue and mythos building which the writers infuse into the story arc. I dug the new characters, the other martial arts champions. And the exotic and colorful names! Dog Brother #1, Bride of Nine Spiders, Tiger's Beautiful Daughter, the mysterious Prince of Orphans... The gregarious Fat Cobra threatens to become the new breakout character of this series. By the way, this isn't meant to put down the old, still very cool names, like Lei-Kung the Thunderer and the August Personage in Jade.

Critics and fans alike are drooling over this series. Me, I lap up all this Way of the Warrior stuff and the Eastern mysticism. Fraction and Brubaker know how to tell a story, how to set up and plot and then unleash moments of sheer martial arts mojo. David Aja is the primary artist and his fluid lines are pitch perfect for Iron Fist. The guest artists are also pretty good. The annual is a highlight, not for Howard Chaykin's framing illustrations but for the lushly painted artwork by Dan Brereton and Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic, which, in telling Orson Randall's exploits, simply evoke that vintage pulp era.

I wish, though, that we'd seen more of the tournament and that Iron Fist had been more involved in it. As a matter of fact, I was hoping Danny would get into more tussles. And nothing really comes of Danny and the Steel Serpent's enmity. When I learned that Davos would be one of the tournament champions, I figured, uh-oh, the nasty's about to go down. But, nah. At least Davos gets what's coming to him later on. I do like how the last issue ended. That last page had me salivating at the possiblities.

Danny Rand, all of a sudden, has become a cool and relevant player in the Marvel Universe. He figured largely in a recent Daredevil arc and he's even in the New Avengers now. Will he stay cool and relevant? Who knows. Turns out Brubaker, Fraction, and Aja are jumping ship as of issue #16. So, with a new creative team taking over in issue #17, things are again up in the air for the Iron Fist. Anticipation and apprehension - welcome, my old pals.

The principle thing that makes me give this book 5 stars is what it isn't. It isn't typical superhero fare, it hasn't typical superhero art and when you see the story is going to end with the typical "death match with the evil baddie getting his comeuppance", it doesn't.

Fraction is the writer on the rise at Marvel Comics and Brubaker is, well, Brubaker. He's the guy that killed off Steve Rogers and is still selling the book to fans (like me) who cannot get enough of it. In this tale, he is channeling elements of the pulps, from Argosy-type adventurers to tales of the "Mysterious East". Together, they are working genres filled with stereotypes and yet making it all feel fresh and new.

David Aja's art is perfectly suited to the story being told. His martial arts choreography is solid and his noir style fitting. If you like the pulps - hard-boiled detectives to tales of exotic places - or even the old movie serials, this is the book you're looking for. The story is rich and complex, but easy to follow, and the art is superb. All in all, a perfect melding of pictures and words.
Throw in Luke Cage and the Heroes for Hire and how can you go wrong?

If you grew up during the 1970's Kung Fu craze you will love this series. If you grew up during the 1980's ninja craze you will love this series. If you grew up with Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II in the 1990's you will love this series. Iron Fist has been a hit and miss character in the Marvel Universe for about 30 years. His longest run was as friend and partner to Luke Cage in the Power Man & Iron Fist series. The current Immortal Iron Fist takes the character in a new direction and brings back memories of those wonderful cheesy Kung Fu movies I grew up with.

The Seven Capital Cities of Heavens follows a tournament between the living weapons of seven mystical cities which only are accessible from Earth every decade. A KUNG-FU TOURNAMENT BETWEEN MYSTICAL CITIES~! For Pete's sake what more do you need to know?

Fabulous characters too like:

Dog Brother #1~!
Bride of Nine Spiders~!
Tiger's Beautiful Daughter~!
Prince of Orphans~!
Fat Cobra~!

Seriously, how can you not love this series?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 13 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars