Broken Frontier

Everything is lining up for the showdown. Danny’s enemies and allies are prepared and the fuse is lit.

Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker have done something really unexpected with this title and they have done it in such a way that I do not think anyone has even really noticed. They have completely managed to change the tone of the character of Iron Fist, expand and enrich his back-story without it feeling tacked on, and expand the supporting cast as well without introducing many new characters at all. In short, The Immortal Iron Fist looks and feels nothing like any of its previous incarnations and yet it still feels like a natural progression from what has gone before.

A little bit more is learnt about the past of Danny’s father, Wendell Rand, while in the present Danny prepares a war on two fronts – one to change the path of K’un-L’un and one to face down his old enemies of Hydra. In both battles he has a new set of allies… but will one ally actually be an old enemy? On Hydra’s side, Misty, Colleen and Luke learn a bit about the mental and emotional torture Hogarth has been subject to by Xao. Like pieces on a chessboard, everyone is moving but who will get the checkmate?

Fraction and Brubaker have a talent for wordsmithing that keeps a reader captivated and coming back for more. Even in this issue where there is little except talking, it still manages to feel as tense as a brawl-for-all; there is energy in words when the right words with the right emotional backing are used… and these two writers know both. They have also managed to mix the previous issues’ superheroics and mystical martial arts with a new element – political intrigue. There is a palace coup element to the story that somehow weaves in perfectly despite all of the other elements.

The art is an intriguing experiment. With a tridentate story – Wendell’s past, Danny’s present in K’un-L’un and Misty, Colleen, Luke, Hydra and the rest in the "real world" – the creators have opted to give each part of the story to a different artist. The results are that each element has its own unique look and feel. On the one hand, it is a clever idea and is utilized to good effect but on the other hand it does make the story seem a bit choppier and robs it of some of the flow. Adding to the cleverness, colorist Matt Hollingsworth gives each piece its own color schemes, further delineating each segment.

No matter what your tastes, The Immortal Iron Fist is rapidly becoming one of those titles that have a little something for everyone. It is stylish and slick but without sacrificing emotion. It has empathy and action is equal parts and an involving, complex story. Fraction and Brubaker have, over the past year, changed everything about this title and this character and they have done it without big events or crossovers or screaming headlines of "everything you know is wrong!" Other writers could take some notes.