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Iron Fist: The Living Weapon (Collected Editions)
Puño de Hierro: Arma Viviente - Rabia
A one-of-a-kind kung-fu action epic directed by the inimitable Kaare Andrews! Danny Rand, a.k.a. Iron Fist, is haunted by the consequences of choosing death over life. But when he receives a message from his mystical homeland of K’un Lun, Danny must return and relive his blood-soaked origin of betrayal and vengeance! K’un Lun is under attack, reduced to ruins — and the villain behind this nightmare is terribly close to Danny’s heart! With everything broken and the wolves at the door, there may be no place left to hide that’s safe from the ghosts of Danny’s past! An old friend returns to aid him, but is the Iron Fist broken beyond repair? Hope is reborn with talons and fire, but revenge is a weapon that cuts both ways. Will Danny survive the bloodletting?
Collecting IRON FIST: THE LIVING WEAPON #1-6.
Collecting IRON FIST: THE LIVING WEAPON #1-6.
136 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2014
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243 people want to read
About the author
Kaare Andrews
359 books33 followersKaare Kyle Andrews is a comic book writer, artist and filmmaker
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
September 9, 2014
Where to even start with this failure?
Danny Rand aka Iron Fist goes back to the mystical city of K’un-Lun (via a portal at the bottom of his apartment block because convenience) which he discovers has been destroyed by a giant cyborg Akira-esque monstrosity that’s appropriated his dead father’s face. I guess he’s got to defeat this dad cyborg? Meanwhile, a journalist called Brenda and a little girl from K’un Lun called Pei must evade a spider-woman assassin and assorted ninjas who’re after them for some reason. Sprinkle in copious amounts of flashbacks to Danny’s youth training to become the Iron Fist in K’un-Lun and that’s the book.
It’s a piss-poor story because it’s hard to know what’s happening or why. Why is Pei, the little girl, so important? Why does she have dragon eggs? Why was K’un-Lun destroyed? Who is the cyborg monster and why does he have human flesh draped across his face that should’ve decayed twenty years ago? What is Danny’s goal in this story? Why wasn’t he in K’un-Lun to prevent its destruction? Why isn’t all of the focus on Danny - why do we have to see what Pei and Brenda are up to? Who is Brenda anyway? Why are the police suddenly after them? Who is the spider-woman assassin - did Kaare Andrews see that Saga had one of those and decide to appropriate one to hopefully make his crappy comic more popular?
What makes it even worse is the way Andrews has told it. One minute we’re in the present then we’re twenty years or so in the past. Then we’re back in the present. Then we’re back in the past, but only a few days ago. Then we’re even further back in the past, maybe fifteen years this time. Now we’re in the almost-present - now we’re in the present. Now throw in some pointless nightmare sequence! Then back to the past but only yesterday. Then the present, then back fifteen years again - then twenty years, now back to the present.
The crappy story is made totally baffling thanks to Andrews’ incompetent structuring of it.
The flashbacks don’t even add anything to the story. Andrews reveals how totally unimaginative he is with the inclusion of these scenes. We see Danny getting beat up by students who’re better than him until he gets better and beats them up. His tough sensei eventually becomes one of his best buddies. He’s even called “sparrow” by one of the characters, like David Carradine’s called “grasshopper” in the classic TV show, Kung Fu. How many times do we have to see these overused cliches in martial arts stories and what did Andrews hope to achieve with them here?
Then there’s Danny himself who is no longer upbeat or making jokes or has any levity to his character. No, Andrews writes him as a brooding, dark billionaire obsessed with his parents’ deaths when he was a kid. Danny is basically Bruce Wayne in this book. There’s so little character-work on everyone except Danny that it’s hard to care about what’s happening to them, while Danny’s such a miserable sod you couldn’t care less what happens to him.
Andrews is just trying too hard to make this book “badass”. Look at the quotes he’s plastered underneath the titles: “When offered life he chose death”, “Revenge is a weapon that cuts both ways”, and “Courage is only one step ahead of fear”. They’re so bad they’re like parodies of dumb ‘90s action movie taglines!
Throw in some sloppy art from Andrews - the flashbacks are presented in a way that looks like the pages have been unfolded and you can see all of the creases for some reason - and you’ve got one of the worst Marvel NOW! titles. I doubt even Iron Fist fans will like this because Danny Rand isn’t Danny Rand and the story is completely flat, uninteresting and confusing.
Andrews is an ok artist but he’s a dreadful writer. Iron Fist: The Living Weapon Volume 1: Rage is a complete and utter mess - don’t bother. Try Dragon Ball for a much better martial arts comic instead.
Danny Rand aka Iron Fist goes back to the mystical city of K’un-Lun (via a portal at the bottom of his apartment block because convenience) which he discovers has been destroyed by a giant cyborg Akira-esque monstrosity that’s appropriated his dead father’s face. I guess he’s got to defeat this dad cyborg? Meanwhile, a journalist called Brenda and a little girl from K’un Lun called Pei must evade a spider-woman assassin and assorted ninjas who’re after them for some reason. Sprinkle in copious amounts of flashbacks to Danny’s youth training to become the Iron Fist in K’un-Lun and that’s the book.
It’s a piss-poor story because it’s hard to know what’s happening or why. Why is Pei, the little girl, so important? Why does she have dragon eggs? Why was K’un-Lun destroyed? Who is the cyborg monster and why does he have human flesh draped across his face that should’ve decayed twenty years ago? What is Danny’s goal in this story? Why wasn’t he in K’un-Lun to prevent its destruction? Why isn’t all of the focus on Danny - why do we have to see what Pei and Brenda are up to? Who is Brenda anyway? Why are the police suddenly after them? Who is the spider-woman assassin - did Kaare Andrews see that Saga had one of those and decide to appropriate one to hopefully make his crappy comic more popular?
What makes it even worse is the way Andrews has told it. One minute we’re in the present then we’re twenty years or so in the past. Then we’re back in the present. Then we’re back in the past, but only a few days ago. Then we’re even further back in the past, maybe fifteen years this time. Now we’re in the almost-present - now we’re in the present. Now throw in some pointless nightmare sequence! Then back to the past but only yesterday. Then the present, then back fifteen years again - then twenty years, now back to the present.
The crappy story is made totally baffling thanks to Andrews’ incompetent structuring of it.
The flashbacks don’t even add anything to the story. Andrews reveals how totally unimaginative he is with the inclusion of these scenes. We see Danny getting beat up by students who’re better than him until he gets better and beats them up. His tough sensei eventually becomes one of his best buddies. He’s even called “sparrow” by one of the characters, like David Carradine’s called “grasshopper” in the classic TV show, Kung Fu. How many times do we have to see these overused cliches in martial arts stories and what did Andrews hope to achieve with them here?
Then there’s Danny himself who is no longer upbeat or making jokes or has any levity to his character. No, Andrews writes him as a brooding, dark billionaire obsessed with his parents’ deaths when he was a kid. Danny is basically Bruce Wayne in this book. There’s so little character-work on everyone except Danny that it’s hard to care about what’s happening to them, while Danny’s such a miserable sod you couldn’t care less what happens to him.
Andrews is just trying too hard to make this book “badass”. Look at the quotes he’s plastered underneath the titles: “When offered life he chose death”, “Revenge is a weapon that cuts both ways”, and “Courage is only one step ahead of fear”. They’re so bad they’re like parodies of dumb ‘90s action movie taglines!
Throw in some sloppy art from Andrews - the flashbacks are presented in a way that looks like the pages have been unfolded and you can see all of the creases for some reason - and you’ve got one of the worst Marvel NOW! titles. I doubt even Iron Fist fans will like this because Danny Rand isn’t Danny Rand and the story is completely flat, uninteresting and confusing.
Andrews is an ok artist but he’s a dreadful writer. Iron Fist: The Living Weapon Volume 1: Rage is a complete and utter mess - don’t bother. Try Dragon Ball for a much better martial arts comic instead.
December 30, 2018
Surprisingly better than I expected. Good art and an intriguing story. I liked the art design of the flashbacks where they made it look like an old comic with creased pages.
March 3, 2022
This was fun but the only problem it has is that its all over the place with so many timelines and what not.
Its an interesting volume and yeah i can see why people won't like it as its very unclear and all over the place but if you frame it in the above manner it makes for an interesting read. The art is garbage but the story has elements of mystery and revelations and is building towards an epic finale and I love the character of Pei and Danny is met by multiple challenges: love, friendship, mortal enemies and everything at stake so no wonder it feels epic like that so yeah do read it for sure!
Its an interesting volume and yeah i can see why people won't like it as its very unclear and all over the place but if you frame it in the above manner it makes for an interesting read. The art is garbage but the story has elements of mystery and revelations and is building towards an epic finale and I love the character of Pei and Danny is met by multiple challenges: love, friendship, mortal enemies and everything at stake so no wonder it feels epic like that so yeah do read it for sure!
September 13, 2015
Oh dear me.
Mr. Andrews has made a strong case for why artists shouldn't write, or writers shouldn't draw...sadly, he invokes the great Jim Steranko as his hero and raisin d'stinkify.
This is no Danny Rand I know. He's like the worst brooding Of Daredevil and Batman crossed with the absolute lack of humour from DC and the terrible ninja crap from the bad parts of the Hand (Wolverine, DD, Etc.)
Even Bruce cracks a joke once in a while, even if you have to look for it.
The flashback and forward are confusing even if you own a Delorean.
There's nothing redeeming about anyone.
I feel like this book came out 20+ yrs too late.
Oh and the "art" started off offbeat but doable, by the end it was clear he either didn't give a shit, knew he was cancelled, ran out of time, was trying to get fired, or had a seizure during the process.
Frank Miller DK2 era here...not good. Even had the talking screens of the 80s classics.
I haven't read a lot of Iron Fist outside of the New Avengers of Bendis, but this is not good. I really want to get Brubaker's run now.
I'd settle for Iron Fist and Power Man even.
Just avoid this like Lono avoids showers.
Mr. Andrews has made a strong case for why artists shouldn't write, or writers shouldn't draw...sadly, he invokes the great Jim Steranko as his hero and raisin d'stinkify.
This is no Danny Rand I know. He's like the worst brooding Of Daredevil and Batman crossed with the absolute lack of humour from DC and the terrible ninja crap from the bad parts of the Hand (Wolverine, DD, Etc.)
Even Bruce cracks a joke once in a while, even if you have to look for it.
The flashback and forward are confusing even if you own a Delorean.
There's nothing redeeming about anyone.
I feel like this book came out 20+ yrs too late.
Oh and the "art" started off offbeat but doable, by the end it was clear he either didn't give a shit, knew he was cancelled, ran out of time, was trying to get fired, or had a seizure during the process.
Frank Miller DK2 era here...not good. Even had the talking screens of the 80s classics.
I haven't read a lot of Iron Fist outside of the New Avengers of Bendis, but this is not good. I really want to get Brubaker's run now.
I'd settle for Iron Fist and Power Man even.
Just avoid this like Lono avoids showers.
January 16, 2016
Weird. Kinda sloppy.
I would like to share something I learned in a creative writing class.
One time I wrote this story. It was all scenes that happened out of order because...I can't totally remember. It was something to do with a musician who found that different orders and sequences in his music caused these interesting effects. Because the songs sounded out of order, and because it's hard to write about something like songs, I put all these vignettes that made up the story in a jumbled order.
It was a mistake. I worked really hard on it, and honestly, a really good teacher convinced me to keep the draft I brought in, but to put the whole thing in order and see what it was like.
In order, it was a lot better. It made more sense. There was a building of tension instead of having this sort of taffy machine going, stretching and compressing not the story, but the tension in a way that caused it to lose impact.
There are two things I learned from this.
First, if you want to tell a story out of order, it has to work in order as well. If the story sucks, scrambling the scenes doesn't help. Don't mistake this for re-ordering the events of a story. That can be a great thing. I'm talking about just putting the last part first, the middle at the front, and so on, and doing it mostly to make the story feel like it has more motion than it really does.
Second, you really have to consider how the re-ordering of a story changes that story. For example, if Danny Rand is TELLING me the story of his past, then I know he's not dead. If I know he was trained in an ancient city, and then we flash back to a part where it's unclear if he'll make it through the snow to the ancient city, I'm bored. I know he makes it. Let's get there already. If you change the order, you have to make sure that the tension and the real story are not dependent on the order.
I think that lots of writers take to heart the idea of starting somewhere near the present, hooking the reader and getting them interested before flashing back and filling in the details. I think that's a very accepted and normal way to write.
But I also think, if you want to do that, do it honestly. Start the story where the reader wants to start reading it, and don't use that show of good faith to convince me to then march through unneeded backstory. If you know that I don't want to start at the beginning and go through chronologically, listen to that instinct, and don't make me do it at all.
I would like to share something I learned in a creative writing class.
One time I wrote this story. It was all scenes that happened out of order because...I can't totally remember. It was something to do with a musician who found that different orders and sequences in his music caused these interesting effects. Because the songs sounded out of order, and because it's hard to write about something like songs, I put all these vignettes that made up the story in a jumbled order.
It was a mistake. I worked really hard on it, and honestly, a really good teacher convinced me to keep the draft I brought in, but to put the whole thing in order and see what it was like.
In order, it was a lot better. It made more sense. There was a building of tension instead of having this sort of taffy machine going, stretching and compressing not the story, but the tension in a way that caused it to lose impact.
There are two things I learned from this.
First, if you want to tell a story out of order, it has to work in order as well. If the story sucks, scrambling the scenes doesn't help. Don't mistake this for re-ordering the events of a story. That can be a great thing. I'm talking about just putting the last part first, the middle at the front, and so on, and doing it mostly to make the story feel like it has more motion than it really does.
Second, you really have to consider how the re-ordering of a story changes that story. For example, if Danny Rand is TELLING me the story of his past, then I know he's not dead. If I know he was trained in an ancient city, and then we flash back to a part where it's unclear if he'll make it through the snow to the ancient city, I'm bored. I know he makes it. Let's get there already. If you change the order, you have to make sure that the tension and the real story are not dependent on the order.
I think that lots of writers take to heart the idea of starting somewhere near the present, hooking the reader and getting them interested before flashing back and filling in the details. I think that's a very accepted and normal way to write.
But I also think, if you want to do that, do it honestly. Start the story where the reader wants to start reading it, and don't use that show of good faith to convince me to then march through unneeded backstory. If you know that I don't want to start at the beginning and go through chronologically, listen to that instinct, and don't make me do it at all.
March 9, 2015
Kaare Andrews tackles Danny Rand all by himself, and the result is a bit of a mixed bag. The art is incredible, and by far some of the best work I've ever seen from Andrews. The layouts are fantastic, the figures are gorgeously stylized, and there are some truly gruesome designs in the fold, that really light a creative fire in my head. Iron Fist: TLW is a joy to behold, and really fantastic in terms of bold inks, and great color choice.
Unfortunately, it falls flat in the story telling department. I was never rolling my eyes, and the dialogue was never a slog, but not nearly enough is explained in this volume for me to get past some pretty big plot-holes. (The curious, new portal to K'un Lun under Danny's house being key among them.) I loved Pei, Brenda, and Sparrow, but I kept holding out for Andrews to give me a little more background to hold onto with them. Danny himself has been degenerated into a broody, monstrous sad-sack, totally void of personality, so the lack characterization on anyone else really sticks out.
The core conflict, the antagonists, all of that is intriguing, and I appreciate the almost, Frank Miller approach to the title, but there's not enough of a payout in book one for me to be confident in getting the full story I'm hoping for. I'll probably keep reading for the art alone, but this title does not quite live up to the high bar Brubaker, Fraction and Aja set with their defining run on the character.
Unfortunately, it falls flat in the story telling department. I was never rolling my eyes, and the dialogue was never a slog, but not nearly enough is explained in this volume for me to get past some pretty big plot-holes. (The curious, new portal to K'un Lun under Danny's house being key among them.) I loved Pei, Brenda, and Sparrow, but I kept holding out for Andrews to give me a little more background to hold onto with them. Danny himself has been degenerated into a broody, monstrous sad-sack, totally void of personality, so the lack characterization on anyone else really sticks out.
The core conflict, the antagonists, all of that is intriguing, and I appreciate the almost, Frank Miller approach to the title, but there's not enough of a payout in book one for me to be confident in getting the full story I'm hoping for. I'll probably keep reading for the art alone, but this title does not quite live up to the high bar Brubaker, Fraction and Aja set with their defining run on the character.
March 17, 2017
Whil I salute the authors obvious love for the Iron Fist character and mythology, thus run kinda left me cold. This incarnation of Iron Fist just wasnt for me.
September 26, 2015
I had originally rated this 3.5 stars, but the more I thought about it as I was getting ready to do my mini review the more I thought that it did not deserve that and I feel it's more of a 2 star.
I was really looking forward to learning more about Iron Fist and a different kind of "hero" than I'm used to. Sadly this story was really lacking and the jumping back between timelines did not help at all. Daniel Rand/Iron Fist did not come across at all as a good character and I didn't care about any of the other characters in the story. I also thought the art was half hearted, like the bare minimum was done and I really did not enjoy it. I did however enjoy the variant covers shown in the back.
I was really looking forward to learning more about Iron Fist and a different kind of "hero" than I'm used to. Sadly this story was really lacking and the jumping back between timelines did not help at all. Daniel Rand/Iron Fist did not come across at all as a good character and I didn't care about any of the other characters in the story. I also thought the art was half hearted, like the bare minimum was done and I really did not enjoy it. I did however enjoy the variant covers shown in the back.
May 11, 2018
There seem to be two basic types of Iron Fist stories. The first is the one where he interacts with the Marvel Universe and play superhero. The others focus more on the mystic kung fu side of him and have the feel of a Martial Arts film. I prefer the former, but this series is more the latter. That being said, it is still interesting as we see more of Danny's origin as well as a different side of his father.
Kun'lun has been nearly destroyed by...well, I'm not entirely sure yet but it's pretty bad. So Iron Fist must try to save what remains of the mystic city before it is totally destroyed by evil. The art isn't bad, and the story is decent, but for whatever reason it's not exactly my cup of tea. I can't really put my finger on why, but it's just not the type of story I like for Iron Fist. Still, I'm interested to see how things conclude in the second volume.
Kun'lun has been nearly destroyed by...well, I'm not entirely sure yet but it's pretty bad. So Iron Fist must try to save what remains of the mystic city before it is totally destroyed by evil. The art isn't bad, and the story is decent, but for whatever reason it's not exactly my cup of tea. I can't really put my finger on why, but it's just not the type of story I like for Iron Fist. Still, I'm interested to see how things conclude in the second volume.
January 3, 2015
This new volume of Iron Fist draws a lot more on previous Iron Fist continuity than I expected it to, though this is a welcome change to the usual fresh starts that most new ongoings have nowadays. The story itself is intriguing, but after 3 issues of build-up, comes to a bit of a halt for issues 4 and 5 in order to do some flashbacks. As a result, by the time the trade ends it feels like we're only about halfway through the story instead of near the completion - I know Kaare Andrews has said that the whole thing is one big story, but I expected a little more progression before the end of the book. The artwork is quite distinctive, and lends itself well to the idea of kung fu battle scenes, and I like how the pages are often crumpled in order to give the impression of an older style comic instead.
April 9, 2019
Well, this is grim as shit. Dark doesn't even begin to describe what Andrews is going for here, and while it looks kind of cool and the storytelling style is disjointed and non-linear and there's a couple of cool new characters, some of the outright changes that have been made to Danny's history are stupid and wrong and look too much like Sam Keith's Maxx stories. Also? This messes with the Capitol Cities of Heaven books and I thought those were damn near perfect. I get the sneaking dark suspicion that this might have been where the Netflix show took its direction from, because the problems here are reflected here as through a glass, darkly.
July 31, 2018
This is a semi decent introduction to Iron Fist. It explains his origin story and how he became a hero. However, he is very brooding in this, and not the centred Danny that I have come to know in other books. The flashbacks were very good, it is just the present day part that I would question. A good read.
February 2, 2015
I`ve seen this book really polarize readers with folks on both sides, positive and negative, being really passionate on how they feel about it. Me, I'm one of those rare middle-of-the-road people. I think a lot of this book is a mess, both narratively and art-wise, but there`s a logic to it all that is consistent and, after a while, kind of works. I definitely enjoyed the latter half of the story where things gelled a bit more and the story started taking real shape. Less flashbacks and trying to be coy with the writing and more of Andrews just letting it all hang out. Crazy fights, kooky characters, and an idea of where all of this kung-fu nonsense is leading us. In fact, that's probably the weakest thing about "Rage". So much of it seems directionless and Andrews doesn't let the reader in on what's going on until more than halfway through the book. To be fair, though, it is an entertaining diversion and I am definitely curious enough to try the next volume and see some of these dangling plot threads pay off.
February 12, 2017
Jamás había leído nada de Iron Fist, pero cierto programa de televisión con Spidey me hizo leer este run.
El primer número me creó esta imagen de un Danny Rand bastante misógino y egocéntrico. Además, Kun Lun no es un lugar que me guste. Mal principio, varios puntos en contra. Por otro lado, todo este asunto de volver a las raíces me agrada bastante, ir al momento en que nació Iron Fist, cómo se formó y toda la tragedia en su pasado. Un punto a favor. Brenda; ¿qué puedo decir de este personaje? Empezó como un cliché sólo para hacernos ver que era completamente otra cosa diferente. Varios puntos a favor, porque estoy a favor de los personajes femeninos fuertes. "Kun-Fu Girl", <3
El primer número me creó esta imagen de un Danny Rand bastante misógino y egocéntrico. Además, Kun Lun no es un lugar que me guste. Mal principio, varios puntos en contra. Por otro lado, todo este asunto de volver a las raíces me agrada bastante, ir al momento en que nació Iron Fist, cómo se formó y toda la tragedia en su pasado. Un punto a favor. Brenda; ¿qué puedo decir de este personaje? Empezó como un cliché sólo para hacernos ver que era completamente otra cosa diferente. Varios puntos a favor, porque estoy a favor de los personajes femeninos fuertes. "Kun-Fu Girl", <3
May 31, 2016
I don't know much about Iron Fist. I have only encountered him in Avengers books and as a guest in other books. And I have no idea who Kaare Andrews is. But he or she made a pretty badass book. Danny Rand's past is creepy, tragic, and well, creepy again. His enemies are weird undead robo-ninjas. They remind me of enemies in the classic Shinobi or Ninja Gaiden games. I told you this was badass, right? All of this mixes with a style and sense of humor that I crave. It's exciting, self aware, and creative. I hope they draw heavily from this series when making the Netflix Iron Fist character. Kung fu!
June 27, 2016
We get a little bit of origin story told through flashbacks. Pretty much a tortured soul who watched his dad plummet to his death and his mother get eaten by wolves and he's never really come to terms with it.
A little depressing tale nonetheless.
It was good but have you ever run across a book where the author was trying for something great and groundbreaking and really all you wanted was to be entertained?
I was looking for something fun and this was way too serious for my mood when I read it - not the books fault, it happens.
A little depressing tale nonetheless.
It was good but have you ever run across a book where the author was trying for something great and groundbreaking and really all you wanted was to be entertained?
I was looking for something fun and this was way too serious for my mood when I read it - not the books fault, it happens.
February 22, 2015
This is a tough one. I really enjoyed the art here. I think the style fits the story and character. It feels like Mr. Andrews likes Iron Fist and wants to create great stories. I could have done without another version of his origin though. I know that is part of the storyhe is telling, but enough already. The ollection didn't really end. It was a 6 part story that did not wrap anything up at all. I felt I was left with more questions than answers.
December 21, 2016
I've been interested in this character for a while and since netflix is coming out with a mini series of Iron Fist next year I thought I'd read an Iron Fist graphic novel to get a feel for the character. The story is pretty cool how he becomes the Iron Fist... the artwork was ok in this volume but could've been better. I'd have to read volume 2 to see how the story pans out. It was a mediocre graphic novel...
August 9, 2017
This started off really solid. I especially liked the artwork in the first few issues. But by the end of the sixth issue I really couldn't care less about the story and the art started to feel sloppy and gimmicky.
March 24, 2015
This was not at all what I expected. I suppose I really didn't know the Iron Fist character or Danny Rand. I was expecting a little more Keanu Reeves and a little less Hulk. I dug it though. I will definitely keep reading this run.
Read
July 11, 2015A mopey, often annoying Frank Miller-style take on the kung fu hero, and not a patch on the pulp excitement of the Brubaker/Fraction run (still probably my favourite Fraction work). But any comic where the hero punches out an Apache gunship can't be all bad.
December 7, 2014
Excellent book from a fantastic writer and artist. Read this series as single issues and it hasn't disappointed yet, so good.
December 29, 2015
The only good things here are the covers. That's it. Next !!!!
March 24, 2024
Danny Rand is the Iron Fist. Given mystical after a childhood of brutal martial arts training, to protect the supernatural city of Kun Lun. However, Danny isn't in Kun Lun. He's in new York, returning home to enact revenge on an old family friend, who left Danny’s mother and father for dead in the mountains of the Himalayas while searching for the hidden city of Kun Lun. Now after his revenge is done, Danny finds himself in New York; owner of a business empire he doesn't want, questioned by the press what a superhero billionaire is doing teaching kids kung fu and leaving the company’s HQ a burnt-out wreck across the New York skyline. Feeling a cauldron of emotions of guilt and emptiness, unsure what path to take. However, others have plans for him. As he is attacked by cybernetic ninjas and Apache gunships in new York, Kun Lun is also attacked, dragging Danny back, as the Iron Fists duty is the defence of Kun Lun. However, this malicious force isn't just to destroy this city, but has Danny Rand at the centre of its plans.
Firstly, what I liked about this book, the art and tone of the story. The art style is very interesting and suits the story well, with some good action scenes and interesting designs of some of the characters and locations. The tone of the story is surprisingly mature. I’d say while not as mature as stuff like the walking dead or the boys, but definitely aimed at towards 14 years and over. What I liked about the tone, is that it didn't treat it as a joke. While the story might have cyborg ninjas flying Apache helicopters in New York, mature mystical powers, super kung-fu and hidden cities it didn’t look down on the world or treat it as joke; it took it dead seriously, and I liked that. I don’t mind how outlandish a story is, as long as it’s treated as serious as it should.
Where the story fell a bit for me was the story could be at times a bit confusing; with parts where I wasn't getting the whole picture. Whether this was because I've never read an Iron Fist comic before and I'm missing bits, stuff will be revealed later or if the story was just a bit messy in places. But this wasn't enough to ruin the book for me, and I did leave wanting to carry the story on.
I was surprised by this comic; both by its impressive art style and the strength of its story. I’m going to try and keep an eye out for volume 2. For a more ‘mature’ comics reader I’d say this is a good one to pick up.
Firstly, what I liked about this book, the art and tone of the story. The art style is very interesting and suits the story well, with some good action scenes and interesting designs of some of the characters and locations. The tone of the story is surprisingly mature. I’d say while not as mature as stuff like the walking dead or the boys, but definitely aimed at towards 14 years and over. What I liked about the tone, is that it didn't treat it as a joke. While the story might have cyborg ninjas flying Apache helicopters in New York, mature mystical powers, super kung-fu and hidden cities it didn’t look down on the world or treat it as joke; it took it dead seriously, and I liked that. I don’t mind how outlandish a story is, as long as it’s treated as serious as it should.
Where the story fell a bit for me was the story could be at times a bit confusing; with parts where I wasn't getting the whole picture. Whether this was because I've never read an Iron Fist comic before and I'm missing bits, stuff will be revealed later or if the story was just a bit messy in places. But this wasn't enough to ruin the book for me, and I did leave wanting to carry the story on.
I was surprised by this comic; both by its impressive art style and the strength of its story. I’m going to try and keep an eye out for volume 2. For a more ‘mature’ comics reader I’d say this is a good one to pick up.
September 19, 2022
Album zawiera zeszyty z serii: IRON FIST: THE LIVING WEAPON #1-6.
Powiem jedno. Nie łatwo będzie dorównać temu co dla serii zrobił Brubaker. Ramta seria wymiatała. Andrews stara się i wyciska ile może, ale to jednak za mało, aby ta historia przyćmiła poprzednie dzieła i weszła do zasłużonego kanonu klasyk. Niemniej to nadal pełen werwy akcyjniak, gdzie akcja rwie na łeb, na szyję. Tylko czy coś z tego wynika?
Danny opuścił K'un Lun, wołać żyć własnym życiem. Nie dany jest mu jednak spokój, gdyż po romantycznej kolacji z pewną dziennikarką, za oknem pojawia się cały zastęp ninja, którzy mają brzydki zwyczaj nie pukać do drzwi. Za to na horyzoncie majaczą większe problemy, bo do Fista przybyła pewna dziewczynka, na którą wydaje się polować całą zgraja złych ludzi.
Rand musi zatem wrócić do miejsca gdzie stał się Iron Fistem. Może być jednak problem, bo miasto stoi w płomieniach, starzy znajomi nie żyją albo są okaleczeni, a Danny'iemu przyjdzie się się zmierzyć z przeciwnikiem jedynym w swoim rodzaju...
Aby nieco wyrównać tempo opowieści, autor zdecydował się na kilka retrospekcji pokazujących wędrówkę bohatera z rodzicami do K'un Lun, a która to kończy się tragicznie. Będziemy też świadkami jego rozwoju, treningu i życia w tym świętym miejscu. Na uwagę zasługuje tutaj pewna dziewczynka, która zwyczajnie rządzi.
Mamy tu masę mniejszych i większych walk z szeroką gamą przeciwników, gdzie ci mechaniczni budzą autentyczny niepokój. I w tym miejscu dochodzimy do największego minusu tego tomu. Mianowicie, wygląda on pa-sku-dnie. Postacie albo wyglądają mega poważnie, albo tak, jakby mieli wytrzeszcz oczu po dopiero co zrobionej lewatywie. Takiej BARDZO GŁĘBOKIEJ...
Nowy Iron Fist to całkiem poprawne czytało, z wieloma twistami fabularnymi, aczkolwiek o mało atrakcyjnej mimice postaci czy sylwetkach postaci,co przekłada się na klimat tytuły. Wyglądem przeraża.
Powiem jedno. Nie łatwo będzie dorównać temu co dla serii zrobił Brubaker. Ramta seria wymiatała. Andrews stara się i wyciska ile może, ale to jednak za mało, aby ta historia przyćmiła poprzednie dzieła i weszła do zasłużonego kanonu klasyk. Niemniej to nadal pełen werwy akcyjniak, gdzie akcja rwie na łeb, na szyję. Tylko czy coś z tego wynika?
Danny opuścił K'un Lun, wołać żyć własnym życiem. Nie dany jest mu jednak spokój, gdyż po romantycznej kolacji z pewną dziennikarką, za oknem pojawia się cały zastęp ninja, którzy mają brzydki zwyczaj nie pukać do drzwi. Za to na horyzoncie majaczą większe problemy, bo do Fista przybyła pewna dziewczynka, na którą wydaje się polować całą zgraja złych ludzi.
Rand musi zatem wrócić do miejsca gdzie stał się Iron Fistem. Może być jednak problem, bo miasto stoi w płomieniach, starzy znajomi nie żyją albo są okaleczeni, a Danny'iemu przyjdzie się się zmierzyć z przeciwnikiem jedynym w swoim rodzaju...
Aby nieco wyrównać tempo opowieści, autor zdecydował się na kilka retrospekcji pokazujących wędrówkę bohatera z rodzicami do K'un Lun, a która to kończy się tragicznie. Będziemy też świadkami jego rozwoju, treningu i życia w tym świętym miejscu. Na uwagę zasługuje tutaj pewna dziewczynka, która zwyczajnie rządzi.
Mamy tu masę mniejszych i większych walk z szeroką gamą przeciwników, gdzie ci mechaniczni budzą autentyczny niepokój. I w tym miejscu dochodzimy do największego minusu tego tomu. Mianowicie, wygląda on pa-sku-dnie. Postacie albo wyglądają mega poważnie, albo tak, jakby mieli wytrzeszcz oczu po dopiero co zrobionej lewatywie. Takiej BARDZO GŁĘBOKIEJ...
Nowy Iron Fist to całkiem poprawne czytało, z wieloma twistami fabularnymi, aczkolwiek o mało atrakcyjnej mimice postaci czy sylwetkach postaci,co przekłada się na klimat tytuły. Wyglądem przeraża.
October 24, 2023
I'd give this 0 stars if Goodreads let me. As much as I dislike decompression and modern comics where an entire issue is little more than one or two scenes, comics with an abundance of mediocre dialogue which drag across one or two scenes for an entire issue are even worse. Kaare Kyle Andrews likens himself to a do-it-all-yourselfer like Jim Steranko but falls short on every count. His writing sucks, his artwork is wretched, possibly the worst this side of Rob Liefeld, and his coloring is the worst that I have ever seen. He uses endless Photoshop effects to try and mask his horrid artwork. Fake aging, fake line folds, and other anomalies are added to try and distract folks from how bad his artwork truly is.
The story is bland and boring, with what should have been a 40 page double-size introductory recapping Iron Fist's origin. Instead, it is stretched across six issues and inserts all kinds of gobbledygook that adds nothing to Iron Fist's origin. Very little actually happens in this book and there is no resolution to the story as an arc. It's like half of an arc. This story plodded along in such an uninteresting way that I do not care what happens and won't be back for volume 2. Kaare Kyle Andrews has been added to my DO NOT BUY list of comic creators. I have already flushed this turd down the eBay toilet.
The story is bland and boring, with what should have been a 40 page double-size introductory recapping Iron Fist's origin. Instead, it is stretched across six issues and inserts all kinds of gobbledygook that adds nothing to Iron Fist's origin. Very little actually happens in this book and there is no resolution to the story as an arc. It's like half of an arc. This story plodded along in such an uninteresting way that I do not care what happens and won't be back for volume 2. Kaare Kyle Andrews has been added to my DO NOT BUY list of comic creators. I have already flushed this turd down the eBay toilet.
April 18, 2020
Yiiiiiikes.
Maybe Iron Fist doesn't need to be written as a solo story? Maybe Kaare Andrews shouldn't be given full control of the entire creative process? Either way, this store lacks a solid...iron foundation.
Let's start with the story. It has its moments where I become genuinely interested. But then it falls flat. The storytelling isn't linear which isn't inherently a bad thing but if you are going to do that, you need to do it well (duh). But the way the story is organized makes for a mess. Plus I just don't care about anybody including Iron Fist!
The art isn't your traditional comic book art. In fact, it reminds me a bit of The Dark Knight Return. You know? Basically that quirky Frank Miller style. Kaare also went a step further and basically made many of the pages look crinkled and aged for a cool effect. But everything combined makes it difficult to sort out at times and that I don't like.
So now I'm going to pick up volume 2 which is the final volume because of course I am. Since it's only 1 more volume, I'd like to finish it out. It's going to have to finish really really strong for me to recommend this to anyone. I don't imagine even your hardcore Iron Fist fans being into this.
Maybe Iron Fist doesn't need to be written as a solo story? Maybe Kaare Andrews shouldn't be given full control of the entire creative process? Either way, this store lacks a solid...iron foundation.
Let's start with the story. It has its moments where I become genuinely interested. But then it falls flat. The storytelling isn't linear which isn't inherently a bad thing but if you are going to do that, you need to do it well (duh). But the way the story is organized makes for a mess. Plus I just don't care about anybody including Iron Fist!
The art isn't your traditional comic book art. In fact, it reminds me a bit of The Dark Knight Return. You know? Basically that quirky Frank Miller style. Kaare also went a step further and basically made many of the pages look crinkled and aged for a cool effect. But everything combined makes it difficult to sort out at times and that I don't like.
So now I'm going to pick up volume 2 which is the final volume because of course I am. Since it's only 1 more volume, I'd like to finish it out. It's going to have to finish really really strong for me to recommend this to anyone. I don't imagine even your hardcore Iron Fist fans being into this.
December 6, 2017
Probably the worst Iron Fist story ever written. Kaare Andrews gives Danny Rand the Zack Snyder treatment, pushing the "dark maturity" to laughable levels. In only a few panels Danny is stripped of everything that makes him charismatic and likable and shoved down a deep dark hole, emerging on the otherside an 80's action cliche minus any of the charm that made those cliche's enjoyable. It's shallow grit in place of depth. Add to this the nonsensical pacing and terrible sequentials that barley cohese, and it just adds up to a big stinker. It joins many of the other titles that make up the dumpster fire that is Marvel NOW.
December 7, 2018
Of the Marvel characters I've read about so far, I think Iron Fist is my least favorite. Some of the secondary characters are pretty cool (Pei obviously being the best), but Danny Rand himself is kind of boring. His backstory doesn't really bring anything new into the world of "superhero with tragic childhood" and he spent more of this graphic novel losing his power than using it to fight. Considering that they made a Netflix series about him, I assume he gets more interesting in other comics, but he just wasn't for me in this one.
June 12, 2018
For anyone looking to read a good Iron Fist story this is not it. This has two good things going for it, the art and how the paneling is done. The art at time looks like something Frank Miller might have drawn.
The writing is so grimy and dark it comes off cheesy and overplayed. And after this volume I have little interest in seeing the close of the story, even though there are only six issues left and it leaves on a cliff hanger.
I can’t recommend this title.
1 Star.
The writing is so grimy and dark it comes off cheesy and overplayed. And after this volume I have little interest in seeing the close of the story, even though there are only six issues left and it leaves on a cliff hanger.
I can’t recommend this title.
1 Star.
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