The Immortal Iron Fist, Vol. 4: The Mortal Iron Fist

The Immortal Iron Fist (Collected Editions)

by Duane Swierczynski (Writer), Travel Foreman (Illustrator)

Following the character-redefining, critically-acclaimed, fan-favorite events of The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven, the all-new Immortal Iron Fist creative team of Duane Swierczynski (Cable) and Travel Foreman (Ares) takes it to the next explosive level Think you know everything there is to know about the traditions of the Immortal Iron Fist? If you do, then why's Danny sweating bullets over an inescapable legacy that's haunted the Iron Fists for centuries, huh? Tell us that, if you're so smart. What was the deeper meaning of Xao's ominous threat? And what incredible new adventure are Danny's fellow Immortal Weapons embarking upon?

Collecting: Immortal Iron Fist 17-20

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy, Comic Book, Superheroes

136 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2009

About the author

Duane Swierczynski is an American crime writer who has written a number of non-fiction books, novels and also writes for comic books.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one takes a step up from the rest and gives us a very nice and scary twist. It works well because the powers of the Iron Fist do spread across all generations and we love a character that is presented with a huge drawback... this one being that no Iron Fist lives past his 33rd birthday.

Oops.

Happy Birthday, Danny.

I liked the story very much and especially how he managed to survive it. It was a close thing. Great volume here.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite epic!

It starts off with someone coming after Danny and we see his legend of the demon Chi'Lin and his host Zhou Cheng and why they come after the Iron fists, a yang to their yin and then his battle with Danny and how he targets him, Heroes for hire join in and they fight, legends are revealed and new ways to defeat and fight also and its an epic battle! I loved the whole sequence when Danny has the final fight with him and we learn of big things coming down the line!

Plus a story with Orson in the past in Hollywood and how he fights the Death Queen there and wins! That story was quite fun and like hints at the cult like thing in history during that time in Hollywood plus the Death Queen and the case with Darlene was strange and weird but makes for an interesting story and the art there was quite cool. A fun and decent volume.

[Tays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every bit of this series is compelling than its predecessor. Seriously, I fancied this one so much for it shows that no matter how great of a power you have in your hands, there are still consequences to it and mostly one's that you sort of least expect. It portrays enough conflict and all at the same time it succeeds in adapting more intensity to the groundwork the previous volumes laid already. The whole search for the 8th Heavenly City is still a running plothole but in some ways, it moves forward gradually. Brilliant storytelling even with the change of head writers. Artwork remains consistent as it always was. Though I'd like to see more of those people who embodied the title Iron Fist. :p

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked this more than the last two volumes in this run. This brings Duane on board for writing duties and it's a lot of fun.

A old mystical creature who has killed Iron Fist users throughout the year is after Danny next after Danny finds out almost every single Iron Fist user dies by 33. This brings a threat to Danny's life as this creature goes after not only him but the kids he's training and his friends. This is exciting, quick paced, kung fu action I wanted. I really enjoyed what's happening, though not sure if I care too much about the "lost" city they're going to next.

A 4 out of 5.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*

After Matt Fraction's departure I was afraid of what Duane Swierczynski would do with the series. Turns out it's not too bad.

With the exception of Orson (there's a reason to that) , every Iron Fist died at 33. Now Danny is pursued by a creature-linked to the mythical 8th city- intent to prevent him from ever reaching 34. Another day at Rand Corp.

The main plot is interspersed by the fate of another Iron Fist at the hand of the same creature 130 years before- not very useful and poorly illustrated by Russ Heath I'm sorry to say- and some intriguing flash-forwards that seem to bode well for the last volume.

The book concludes with yet another Orson one-shot taking place when silent movies were not to stay that way for long. Noirish in style and decently illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli but without particular genius, this one is ok but would fundamentally be dispensable if not included in the trade.

[Fraser Simons · Rating 5 out of 5]

So damn good. Unlike the previous volumes, the art is constantly on point, too. It still changes sometimes, but all of it is stellar so I never minded. A definite high point.

Plot wise, really fun. Probably better than the tournament. Danny is hunted by an ancient evil (question mark) that appears to kill every iron fist when they turn 33. At the same time, the boys and girls of the eternal weapons are united in hunting for the eighth city, of which nobody knew existed until the previous arc. There’s also a little romance subplot with Misty, but it’s mostly a lot of action. Oh, and Danny wants to dismantle Rand Corp and make it a not-for-profit, in an effort to do some actual good.

People who think this isn’t the best iron fist run are just built different, basically.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume we find all previous Iron Fists have died at the age of 33, other then one. When it's Danny's turn, he has to call in the Immortal Weapons and some other friends in order to help him make it to 34. We find out there's a creature that wants to devour the dragon egg in K'un L'un before the dragon can be born, and that the creature apparently dwells in the mythical Eight City of Heaven, which may not be so mythical after all.

Great series.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

All Iron Fists die when they reach 33 years old. It is Danny's 33rd birthday and something is trying to kill him. There's a few decent flashbacks to a previous Iron Fist who lived in the Wild West. It's fun that Danny's friends try to help him beat this monster. The flashforward was also intriguing and bodes well for the rest of the series. A good read.

[Ant Tellez · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9/5.0

[Michael Emond · Rating 2 out of 5]

So Duane takes over writing and Travel (odd name) does the art. The premise is okay but not super original and has a bit of retconning in. So apparently no Iron Fist lives beyond their 33 birthday EXCEPT Orsen who managed to drug himself so much that he couldn't be found by the "dragon" that hunts Iron Fists. That is where we get retconning. Nobody mentioned this to Danny before? The reason given (in the last issue of the story) is "Yeah, why bother - he was going to die so why warn him". Um...no...
So a Dragon hunts Danny down and like too many of Danny's foes he can stop his chi so his Iron Fist is useless. There are some interesting moments and some lame ones. And unfortunately the lame ones and bad plotting are the ones that stood out to me. There is a traitor in Danny's inner circle but it is so badly foreshadowed and badly handled you just go - oh, that was stupid and oh they poison Danny by bringing him tea when he told everyone not to come into the room and why was the traitor even in his apartment that late? There are a lot of parts like that. The idea isn't so bad as the execution of the idea.
And the art by Travel (really weird name) is very absurd. I guess "cartoony Manga" comes to mind. Weird angles, over exaggerated perspective, over the top bloodiness. Not a fan.

After the run by Aja and Fraction this was a letdown. Pick their run up before this. To be honest - pick up the Claremont/Byrne run FIRST and then see how good plotting and interesting side characters are developed.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iron Fist trafi z rąk Brubakera do Swierczynskiego, którego lubię za dobrą robotę przy Spider-manie. Niestety autor wydaje się rozmieć Żelazną Pieść dużo gorzej, bo spadek jakości jest niestety mocno odczuwalny, mimo że historia do najgorszych nie należy.

Po zamieszaniu w K'un-lun, Danny wraca do domu i zamierza wziąć się za własną firmę, ale nie jest mu dany spokój. Podczas powrotu do domu napotyka niejakiego Zhou Cheng, który okazuje się nosiciele, potężnego demona Chi'Lin, który już ma na swoim koncie kilku innych Iron Fistów. Mityczne stworzenie chce pochłonąć serce wojownika i dobrać się do wykluwającego się smoka, zanim ten opuści skorupę jaja. Stawka zatem jest spora. Szczęśliwie Danny może liczyć na wsparcie swoich przyjaciół i dziewczyny. Starcie z monstrum jednak wydaje się nieuniknione.

O ile fabuła miejscami utyka, tak w kwestii wizualnych miałem wrażenie jeszcze większego regresu. Nie jestem fanem prac Foremana i może to tutaj czuć, bo niektóre plansze, a zwłaszcza ludzie wyglądają miejscami fatalnie. Niemniej podczas lektury były te chwile, które dawały mi niemałą przyjemność. Finalnie jednak troszkę gorsza pozycja od tego co wcześniej prezentowała ta seria.

[Joe Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had some fears going into this issue but they were all misplaced. Duane takes the solid and simple approach of taking the reins on a good superhero run by introducing a new monster, but it works really well both because the monster itself is interesting and by virtue of how the author takes the 'unstuck in time and space' elements of Iron Fist and uses it to spin out threads from this monster such that every answer reveals a host of further questions. This isn't the only use the book puts the webbed quality of Iron Fist to, however, as the plot uses the new threat to build coherence among old friends. At the end you have a broader world built for the Iron Fist but also one that's a little more coherent and clear, a pretty remarkable achievement in its own right and a great relief to readers who have become invested in the mythology of the Iron Fist in prior books.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Duane Swierczynski takes over the writing chores but continues the 8th city drama but the story's biggest problem was the art by Travel Foreman. It was undecipherable at times and ugly. It didn't fit the story well at all and it was off-putting. The plot involves an immortal Iron Fist killer throughout time and how Danny, now 33, will be killed. I liked the basic story but the author's voice for Misty was so odd and seemed like Swierczynski was trying to hard. I did really enjoy Orson Randall's Hollywood tale. Overall, the art was an enormous drawback but the story is being pushed forward.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Vol. 4 before Vol. 3 because it was mis-labeled as Vol. 3 on Overdrive / Libby from the library. Danny is pursued by an ancient spirit creature who has possessed a willing servant. Danny also celebrates his 33rd birthday, but realizes that none of the other so-called Immortal Iron Fists have ever lived past the age of 33. Meanwhile, the other immortal weapons from the other seven sacred cities do research to try and learn about the mythical eighth city. This was good, but Vols. 1 & 2 are by far my favorites in this series so far.

[Vahid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun, continuing the saga of what, exactly, happens to the Immortal Iron Fist after they've served in their station for a while, and their "opposite force" in the universe comes knocking. Also, a bonus tale with Orson Welles in old glamorous Hollywood, trying to find his friend's missing daughter and coming across a plot to resurrect an ancient death god. So, you know, good solid comic book stuff. Fun read.

[Root · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the now flippant and now confused Danny Rand as well as the friends. This is a story of how all Iron Fists's have died by the age of 33 and how Danny avoids this particular part of his legacy. One of the better stories out there for sure.

[Derek Neveu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was apprehensive with the departure of Fraction, but Swiercynski's storyline picks up nicely where Fraction's ended. I didn't know if I was going to finish this book's run, but now I think I definitely will.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Really pretty good

[Liana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, terrible terrible art. I didn't like the art at all.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good one. I truly believed the protagonist was in mortal peril.

[David Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storytelling is immaculate in these books, it has the right pacing and everything. Everything is just on point.

[Karl Stark di Grande Inverno · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dopo la gestione Brubaker / Fraction, questa è stata una mezza delusione.
La storia zoppica un pò, e i disegni fanno pena.
Molto più bello il one-shot disegnato divinamente da Camuncoli e Andrews.

[Paz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Derek Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note: This section of the post contains some spoilers for Volumes 1 - 3 of THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST series.

It's Danny's 33 birthday, but 33 isn't a happy number for him, or any Iron Fist for that matter. No, 33 is when Iron Fists reach their maximum life expectancy. The only person ever to break this streak was Randall and he took a path that Danny could never stoop to. What Danny is about to find out is that there is a mysterious figure who makes a living out of killing Iron Fists in a heartlessly gruesome way and stealing their hearts so that he can try to kill the dragonling which will grow into the beast that an Iron Fist slays to get its power. No one has ever defeated this heart-eater before, but Danny has the benefit of friends who stick their necks out on the line for his sake. The fight scenes in this volume are by far the most brutal and twisted that we have seen so far and the stakes have never been higher. Across the issues, readers will follow an Iron Fist from history who finds out exactly what the supernatural hunter can do firsthand and this sets up a really dire feeling since we know that's what could happen to Danny.

The entire volume is entirely centered around this conflict which comes as a major disruption to Danny attempting to put his life back together. What's more upsetting is the fact that no one ever warned Danny about any of it. Not his mentor, The Thunderer, not The Book of the Iron Fist, not even Orson. There's a lot of mystical intrigue set up around this and even by the end of the volume, we get the sense that Danny is nowhere near out of the woods. There is an overall feeling that there are some larger powers at play and to see Danny's life treated with such disregard on the part of the Capital Cities of Heaven is more than a little disturbing. That said, we do get to see quite a bit more of the other Immortal Weapons who come to Danny's aid and eventually uncover more details about their search for the eighth city.

This is a volume that is every bit as dramatic and passionate as the second in the series and is graced by more beautiful artwork (the styles have changed a bit, but it's still quite good). There's a much more sinister overtone to everything from the visuals, to the finer points of the plot. It leaves me eager to read the fifth and final volume and has reinvigorated my love for the series in general. There is even a fun issue featuring Orson tossed in for good measure. While generally weird and mirthless, it is well done for what it is. There's a lot going on in this entry to the series, but it's all handled remarkably well and is bound to entertain any who have read through the series this far.

[Arno Callens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it was inevitable that after Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction's incredible run The Immortal Iron Fist would take a dip. Duane Swierczynski does an admirable job of contuining in their Shou-Lao-sized footsteps, and he isn't the one to blame for the decline in quality at all.

Let's start with the good. The idea of every Iron Fist dying at the age of 33 is an efficiently scary one, and landing on Danny Rand's very own 33th birthday, it immediately pushes the drama into high gear. Danny works best as a character when he's facing the unknown, because it gives him the chance to showcase his immense adaptability, perseverance, and strength, and this might be an even greater and more personal challenge than the Tournament, drawing in his various friends from Heroes For Hire, employees of Rand Inc., and most terrifyingly of all, the kids at his dojo.

Why then does none of it feel like it matters all that much? The story is perfectly fine, building on what came before, and setting up what comes next, with a pretty monstrous villain in the middle, and some imaginative imagery surrounding it. Why does an Iron Fist dying in an old 19th century Texas town come across as so flat, or a hundred warriors trained since childhood to protect a dragon's egg from said monstrous villain feel not as epic as it sounds?

It's the art. Travel Foreman seems to want to imitate David Aja's stellar work on the previous arc, but most of it is blurry, disproportionate, and sometimes downright ugly. None of the punches hit like they should, none of the incredible fantasies that make The Immortal Iron Fist so wonderful take your breath away. I get he wanted to create a sense of otherworldliness, and to a certain extent he succeeded, but it crossed the line between "weird" and "incomprehensible".

Following The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven would always have been an unenviable task, but Swierczynski gave it his best shot. If only the same could be said about Foreman. This is a missed opportunity, and I'm already glad Foreman didn't return for the conclusion of this series. Let's hope the new guy gets it right.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon hearing the news of a new Iron Fist series coming out I got nostalgic to the amazing series written by Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker and realized I hadn't reviewed the other excellent story line for this series.

The story is intriguing, Danny Rand discovers almost all the Iron Fists die in their 30s which is strange that no one told Danny this or investigated it since there were a considerable number of Iron Fists before Danny. We find out a man/monster kills the Iron Fists and is superior in terms of fighting ability. There is an odd moment about Rand's death that the book brings up in issue one that never gets resolved but the story is interesting enough to compel you to read it. There is humour too which comes in the form of the other immortal weapons living with Danny similar to a frat comedy. More could have been done with this stereotypical setup but at least the author taps into it.

The art by Travel Foreman is excellent however it does waver at times. He splits some of the panels awkward so an action sequence might take place in a small panel is very obscured other than that most sequences were rendered wonderfully.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very pleasantly surprised by the new writer on this series. I am a big Fraction fan and was upset to see him leave, but so far Swierczynski has kept up with the pace Fraction and Brubaker set. I also really enjoyed the reappearance of the other weapons...bride of nine spiders, fat cobra etc and hope they continues to reoccur...or maybe branch of into their own series! Whoever invented those characters did a bang up job...almost to a fault however because I find myself more curious about those characters than Danny Rand at times. (I did hear however, that they are planning to do some one-shots for each character...the first having Jason Aaron writing the fat cobra backstory! Awesome!)

[Pturingan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that I was a bit worried when I learned that Iron Fist would have a new writer. I'm a big fan of the works of both Brubaker and Fraction and I had never read anything by the new author before. Well, I was wrong to be worried, thank goodness.

The Mortal Iron Fist continues to bring the kick-ass kung-fu awesomeness of the first two storylines introduced by Brubaker and Fraction. The story is great on its own but it also ties in quite nicely with the earlier stories. I even enjoyed the stand-alone Death Queen story (unlike the Green Mist story in the previous volume). Good stuff all in all. Can't wait for the next volume.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Mortal Iron Fist” is generally a strong story that shows off Danny’s supporting cast and the mystical undertones of the series. It wasn’t as good as Brubraker & Fraction, and I didn’t love the retcon of every Iron Fist being murdered at the age of 33. It also had big problems with bad art. But the raw writing kept the story going [6.5/10]. The Orson Randall special really showed off the author’s chops as a noir writer and was a great entrant in that genre [8/10].

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the previous volumes of this series, but less because of the writing and more because I'm not that a big fan of the art in this one. Something noteworthy: While I started reading the series because of Danny Rand, I've become a big fan of the stories involving Orson Randall.