Broken Frontier

Luke Cage and Iron Fist guest star in a hilarious send-up issue that sees the former heroes for hire tussle with Cable and Deadpool.

Before I begin this review I just wanted to say that I laughed my ears off all the way through this issue. I am a huge fan of Luke Cage and Iron Fist, and it was nice to see the pair teaming up again even if at the expense of Deadpool’s trademark side splitting witticisms. The issue was a throwback to Marvel’s Power Man & Iron Fist title from the 80’s, and what better way than to tie it into the company’s modern day incarnation of that team-up with Cable and Deadpool.

It opens with the usual introduction page, only instead of Cable and Deadpool trading off-handed remarks, the duo of Cage and Iron Fist replace them with laughable results. I really liked the way it was handled and that’s followed up with an impressive splash page of Deadpool mixing it up with these two former heroes for hire. The story is quickly dictated by this action sequence, and what follows is a complicated tale of double cross after double cross.

Deadpool has been hired to steal the Dominus Objective (secondary hard drive) from a computer research company in California. To make matters worse, Black Mamba, Asp and DiamondBack turn up to steal the same hard drive, but it turns out the foursome were all beaten to the punch. The drive had already been stolen, and Deadpool eventually tracked down the man who stole it at a company on Long Island. This company turns out to be Rand-Meachum, and of course it’s owned by Danny Rand A.K.A. Iron Fist. I’m not sure why Cage is tagging alongside Iron Fist, but the pair showed up to investigate and what ensues is a huge punch-up between the three of them. Luckily before much damage is caused by the ruckus, Cable suddenly makes an appearance and halts the proceedings. He brings news of the true culprit behind all this, and much of the steam is taken out of the three combatants afterwards.

That’s the general gist of the story, and it was humorously written for the most part. I think writer Fabian Nicieza enjoyed scripting this story and he obviously used Cage and Fist as foils against Deadpool’s wisecracks and continuous jokes. It was a real treat to read through, and despite the humorous take on Luke Cage and Iron Fist I think he has a real respect for previous Marvel history. I also liked the ingenious way he linked these four heroes, and I think in some ways it’s a great homage to the classic Power Man and Iron Fist title of the 80’s.

On the flipside of this humorous take, the art was exceptionally well done. Artist Patrick Zircher handled the action scenes with a splendid sense of cinematic choreography, and it blended well with the humorous banter traded between kicks and punches. He truly made this issue come to life and it’s nice to have a competent inker in the form of Udon’s M3TH to aid him achieve this goal. I found the inks to be chunky in spots, but it never hindered my enjoyment of the story overall.

So if you like a little humor mixed in with the action then I suggest giving this issue a try. I also think that all you old school Marvel fans will be tickled pink seeing Luke Cage and Iron Fist teaming up again. I know I was and after reading this issue it had me wanting more.