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

Secret Invasion #2 (of 8) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Leinil Francis Yu (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin (colors)

So, Secret Invasion #2. Heh, yeah. Where do I begin with this one?

After the first issue blew my mind, I was hoping for the momentum to keep going. Sadly, it does not. Sure, there’s plenty of fighting and Brian Bendis’ dialogue is top notch per usual, but are there any surprises? Not really. Most of what we’ve come to surmise or assume from the end of last issue’s confrontation comes to fruition. Those we thought were Skrulls are Skrulls and those we didn’t, seem to be the real deal. Of course, this can all change later, but so far everything that’s been revealed in this book has been quite predictable.

My problem with is that the story focuses too long on the Avengers and their dealings with the “dopplegangers” in the Savage Land. Were the story to shift around more like it did previously, I’d see the bigger scope of this event. But, because Bendis keeps the story confined, we’re given a small amount of reveals and perhaps too many pages of fighting. Speaking of action, it eventually moves back to New York near the end of the book, but what we’re shown is just another prelude to yet another battle. Oh, and the Skrulls who invade New York? As much as I can appreciate the concept behind them, they look utterly ridiculous.

Perhaps the thing that made me smile the most was the confirmation that Sentry is the biggest wuss in the Marvel Universe. God, he’s so annoying and completely useless as Marvel’s “Superman”. I keep hoping he’ll end up being a Skrull and they’ll have reason to kill him off, but alas, I don’t think that’ll be happening any time soon.

In the art department, Leinil Yu does another fantastic job on pencils, while Mark Morales makes the line work crisp and defined. Laura Martin also continues to shine with her vivid color palette. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see a book that’s not over-colored or covered in “moodiness”. I wish more Marvel books were colored like this.

Ultimately, Secret Invasion #2 will be better judged as a small cog in a big machine. But if you’re asking me to judge it on its merits alone, I’m going to have to say doesn’t match the intensity or fun of the first issue by any means, nor does it sit well by itself. (Grade: C+)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

I have to respectfully disagree with Jay. To paraphrase James Cameron, “If you don’t like this book, maybe you just don’t like comics.” Marvel comics anyway.

Sure, the plot doesn’t advance much in this issue, but these are not the “instant gratification” comics of our childhood. Bendis takes his time to build suspense and explore characters. Also, I admit, to get the full impact of the most important scene in the book, you have to have read the lousy, lousy Marvel comics of the 90’s, and remember a particular lousy, lousy character. It comes in the middle of the book, when Hawkeye encounters Mockingbird. He knows she’s a Skrull. We know she’s a Skrull. After all, Mockingbird is dead. But she is perfectly in character, and she knows a little, mind-blowing detail about Hawkeye’s private life that we’ve never heard before. So against all better judgement, he lets her live. He knows he’s going to regret it, but he simply cannot kill the woman he loves in cold blood. And does that make him a fool? Or a real man, with a real heart?

Oh, and by the way, those Skrulls who invade New York are totally awesome. (Grade: A+)

– Andrew C. Murphy