Immortal Iron Fist #18 – Review

By Duane Swierczynski (Writer), Travel Foreman (Artist), Russ Heath (Artist pgs. 1-4), Matt Milla (Color Art)

I have to hand it to Duane Swierczynski for managing to maintain a majority of the momentum left from the fantastic Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction run. He wisely picked up the plot thread with the most immediate potential, Danny Rand’s 33rd birthday, and ran with it. The introduction of mysterious Iron Fist killing villain brought an immediacy to back to the series that continues in Immortal Iron Fist #18.

The issue opens up by showing the demise of Iron Fist Kwai Jun-Fan at the hands of the mysterious man/creature that Danny Rand is currently battling in Central Park. From there, the action reverts back to the particularly brutal fight in the present as Danny’s narration brings everyone up to speed on the situation at hand. An appearance by the Heroes for Hire keeps the Iron Fist alive for at least another day, but things between Rand and the mysterious man look to be far from over. Even though the bulk of the issue revolves around an action scene, the story manages to advance in a meaningful way. It is clear the Iron Fist assassin is playing hardball and I can’t wait to see how Danny Rand reacts.

The only real complaint I can think of regarding Mr. Swierczynski’s writing is that he is clearly employing the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” style for his run. There are more than a few moments where he is obviously using aspects of the Brubaker/Fraction style to tell the story, but I can’t come down to hard on him when the results work so well. Simply put, the series is extremely close to being as entertaining as it was with the last creative team and I really like the direction the story is going. While it is not quite as epic in scope as the Brubaker/Fraction arcs, Swierczynski is using the foundation they laid to great effect. The only real cause for worry is that Swierczynski may not be able to sustain this momentum over the long haul, but that is something to think about another time. Fans of Brubaker and Fraction can rest assured that, for the time being, The Immortal Iron Fist series is in good hands.

Both artists do a great job making this a nice looking book, but a few things keep it from being something special. I love Russ Heath’s brutal scene with Kwai Jun- Fan, but can’t ignore the fact that it is a bit inconsistent with the details (Bloodless severed leg?!). As for Travel Foreman’s work, I am really enjoying his gritty style, but wish he had a better handle on his action scenes. While some of it looks fantastic (the headbutt!), the direction is a bit confusing and some of the more stylized moments just look rushed. A little  more refinement and I would easily consider this to be one of the better looking books on the stands.

Eventually, Swierczynski is going to have to find his own voice on this series, but I like how things are going so far. The story is interesting, the art fits nicely, and I think there is definitely potential for things to get even better. Take some time to check this one out. (Grade: B)

-Kyle Posluszny