The Defenders #6 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (writer), Victor Ibanez (art), Tom Palmer & Terry Pallot (finishes), Chris Sotomayor (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Delving into ancient secrets, Danny and the Surfer discover a connection between the Concordance Engines and the Prince of Orphans, as well as an old, forgotten team of superheroes – the awesomely named Confederates of the Curious.

The Review:  One thing that Fraction’s Defenders has had going for it since its first issue has been consistently awesome art.  I’ll admit that when I saw that Ibanez had been assigned a pair of finishers, I was worried.  Thankfully, while not QUITE as excellent as previous issues, this is still a nice-looking comic.  Ibanez reminds me a bit of Rafael Albuquerque, a mix of Saturday morning cartoon and noir.  In particular, I liked the thick-lines in his inking, which added quite a bit of character.  Sotomayor’s colours really sealed it, using bold, vibrant colours that match the energy and enthusiasm of Fraction’s script.

That energy is far and away the best thing about Fraction’s Defenders and that holds true this month.  It’s clear that he’s having a lot of fun writing that series and, as such, it makes it hard to hate.  Fraction obviously enjoys writing Danny Rand and that makes the character all the more fun to read.  Despite the ominous engines and secret histories, there’s a kind of gleefulness and madcap pace to the book that makes it an enjoyable experience.  I especially like the pacing; this issue could’ve easily been expanded upon and decompressed into a much larger arc, but following a format of short-arcs and interrelated one-shots has meant a much higher pace and single issues that are much more satisfying in their own right, packed with their own stand-alone stories as well as significant progression in the overall series.

The Immortal Iron Fist #21 – Review

By Duane Swierczynski (writer), Timothy Green (artist), Edward Bola (colorist)

The Story: Just in time for the holidays, Swierczynski delivers what is easily his finest work to date on Iron Fist. Before the next major story arc begins, this on shot tale of eternal hope focuses on the arrival of the Iron Fist of 3099: nine-year old Wah Sing Rand, who has waited twenty-four years to save the planet from tyranny and fight for a better tomorrow.

The Good: Swierczynski’s writing has always been solid, even great at times. However, with this issue he has both enriched the quality of the Iron Fist legacy, and raised the bar for all issues to come.  For a $3 price tag (enjoy them while they last!) you get a complete story that is wildly imaginative and entertaining.  Not only that, but it doesn’t require you to have read a year of back issues to understand what’s going on.

Timothy Green’s art has a wonderful European quality to it that you don’t see often enough in mainstream American comics.  His linework is clean, dynamic, and rarely employs heavy inks, allowing Bola’s colors to shine and animate every page.  I would not mind at all if these guys became the regular art team on the book.

The Not So Good: If I had to pick at something, I would say the cover doesn’t even begin to sell all the coolness inside the comics.  Seeing as Swierczynski drew influences in this issue from movies like Akira and The Matrix, I think a cover designed as an homage to either of those movies may have done a better job promoting this issue.

Conclusion: Swierczysnki’s tale of the future Iron Fist only further proves that he has the vision, imagination, and mad kung fu skills needed to make Iron Fist one of the finest pieces of comic entertainment available to readers today.  Pick up an issue today and see what you’ve been missing!

Grade:  A

-Tony Rakittke