Iron Fist: The Living Weapon Appreciation

[taozen]

nice change of pace. fills in the blanks of previous issues, i really enjoyed it.
i think i'd underrated andrews as a writer, some of his words here were beautiful. and i'm starting to like brenda loads.

taser sex

Totally agree. Danny's conversation with Brenda really explored more of his personality under Andrews. It will be interesting to see where he takes they mythos of iron fist. Especially the analogy of the taking the batteries from the taser and the chi powering his Iron Fist.

[Stormcrow]

So the scenes from issue #4 are supposed to take place before the attack on #1, where he was calling Brenda by a different name? Seems weird he'd do that after all this "bonding", unless he was playing dumb at the time.

It was nice to see a little bit more of the human side of Danny and not the raging jerk he's been throughout the story. But I gotta say I'm getting somewhat uncomfortable by Andrew's apparent obsession with oral sex suggestions... especially after seeing his terrible Cabin Fever movie.

[Pav]

Don't have much time to write but I wanted to chime in after finally getting to read the new issue last night. I didn't quite enjoy this issue as much as the last, as it kinda halted the momentum of the action; I was hoping we'd be getting a big fight between Danny and his father instead of more scenes from earlier in the story. Nonetheless, the issue was still solid, due to the excellent characterization and the exploration of Danny that Kaare is doing. I liked the winks at the fans - Danny being funny for example - and the battery/chi thing was smart as well.

Really can't wait to see what's coming next.

-Pav, who wonders if Brenda's past will play a role in the initial story...

[taozen]

Seems as though Andrews is sort of deconstructing Danny Rand--as a person and as an Iron Fist. The question is where is it going to lead? Andrews said that at the end of this 12 issue run, he has one panel in mind that he can't wait for Iron Fist fans to see. Well we see how he is taking Danny apart, soon it will be time to build him back up and put him back together.

[Wellman]

I hate that Andrews tore apart K'un-Lun and several of its characters just to add more drama to Danny's life, but I can't stop picking this book up, I like the art and how he handles some of the action.

The latest issue with Brenda, was nice characterization and sort of resembled Danny Rand I know from previous stories. Which I hope we seem more of before Andrews run is over, although that ending worries me.

[taozen]

I hate that Andrews tore apart K'un-Lun and several of its characters just to add more drama to Danny's life, but I can't stop picking this book up, I like the art and how he handles some of the action.

The latest issue with Brenda, was nice characterization and sort of resembled Danny Rand I know from previous stories. Which I hope we seem more of before Andrews run is over, although that ending worries me.

I agree. Andrews representation of K'un-L'un and its inhabitants seem waaaay off compared to any other Iron Fist series. It seems that under Andrews' pen, all of K'un-L'un inhabitants are immortal. That is totally new. Even Lei Kung's characterization is so different. The Thunderer has never been so bombastic. It was fun to see and it reminded me of old school Hong Kong martial art Shaw Brothers movies. But the Thunderer has never been that gregarious. Another question I had was since when has any Iron Fist become the Yu-Ti? Since when has the Prince of Orphans been a part of K'un L'un ? Since when has Danny been so recklessly angry? Even though the characters appear "off" and Andrews has really changed the history and nature of the city of K'un-L'un, I am along for this ride.

[gantz_alien_killer]

I have never been a fan of Iron Fist. Only because of a total lack exposure. I have read critisizm by long time readers that this is different from previous iterations and not in a good way. I gave this series a shot because of the cover and the art. This title has become one of my most anticipated books to read every month along with Clone, Velvet and Daredevil.

[Doc Omega]

I've been a fan since the original series. Although Danny has rarely been shown any love by Marvel writers... this series and the previous book are excellent IMHO

[Ying Ko]

man, i love the current series and Iron Fist in general... it was high time he got a new book, and so far it's been rock solid.

i wish Marvel would collect all Iron Fist material from over the years, all the ongoings and various minis and important appearances in a new TPB series, maybe even a series of Omnibuses.

[Moriarty]

i'm not sure what to make of the story yet, but i love the art direction of the new ongoing. i thought the previous ongoing was excellent and was sad to see it go. just glad Danny has a home now. after Bendis left Avengers Iron Fist didn't get much exposure.

[taozen]

i'm not sure what to make of the story yet, but i love the art direction of the new ongoing. i thought the previous ongoing was excellent and was sad to see it go. just glad Danny has a home now. after Bendis left Avengers Iron Fist didn't get much exposure.

So true. Before this series, Iron Fist was not used at all with the exception of the guest star role in Mighty Avengers. And even in that appearance he took he lumps and did not have a great showing.

[Of Atlantis]

I know a few of the other posters here who are veterans of the Iron Fist Appreciation Thread may not like the direction this book is going... but I absolutely LOVE it. Really interesting new perspective on the character. It's about time we saw a more serious Danny. Last issue was a good insight into the character and filled in a few of the blanks. Good stuff! Best Danny I've read since Brubaker/Fraction.

[Geno]

I've been very vocal about this on other forums, but as a long time fan of Iron Fist (from his original 15 issue solo, to his collaboration with Power Man, to his days as a Hero for Hire, and especially to the Immortal Iron Fist series) I have to say this is one of the worst Iron Fist stories I have ever read. Danny's characterization is just off entirely. He acts like a child, and his scenes in K'un-Lun portray him as your archetypical angry-victimized-white-man-in-a-foreign-land. He shows absolutely no respect for his heritage and the privileges bestowed upon him by the mystical city that he has revered in the past. Furthermore, while I understand Danny has endured a lot of tragedy in his history, his angsty nature (not to mention his promiscuity) here is completely out of character. He has faced far worse in the past with his wit and integrity intact.

An even more egregious offense in my opinion is rewriting Davos as a villain again, while sort of referencing events that involved him in the Immortal Iron Fist. It makes no sense, and it undermines several issues worth of character development that redeemed Davos and renewed his relationship with his father. There are other inconsistencies, as taozen has mentioned. Seeing the Prince of Orphans act as though he was a citizen of K'un-Lun made as little sense as Danny thinking he could actually hit him. The mythos of K'un-Lun is completely rewritten here. Furthermore, the legacy of the Iron Fist basically ended with the death of Shou Lao, the death of Lei Kung, and Danny (uncharacteristically) destroying the tree of immortality. But I digress, I have ranted far too much about this book elsewhere and don't have the energy to discuss the multitude of problems it has.

I have bought the first three issues, but that's all the money I care to waste on the Living Weapon. Suffice to say, my own love for past Iron Fist stories prevents me from deriving any enjoyment out of this book, and I understand not everyone will feel this way. While it's not wrong for Andrews to take the character in a "different direction", considering there is such a thing as continuity in the Marvel Universe, his creative liberties are rather obtrusive.

[themortalfist]

^ YES TO THIS. I've grown to really dislike the series, and after reading the Q&A with Andrews this week, I'm inclined not to wait around until issue 12 and simply drop this. The Q&A was simply one of those Marvel PR outreach programs to drum up interest in what may be a declining book (I haven;t checked sales figures yet). But what really rankled me was how defensive and tone deaf Andrews sounds. I mean, he actually says this:

If you speak to anyone who's experienced emotional trauma as a child, whether it's something as serious as sexual abuse or something as simple as being shamed in front of a classroom of other kids, you know that stuff doesn't go away. The whole idea of talk therapy is you deal with that stuff by talking about it and dealing with it. You become a better person because you acknowledge it. If you acknowledge your flaws and where you've come from that's how you can move on, but I haven't seen Danny Rand deal with or acknowledge that stuff in a long time. I was instantly inspired by my background as a student of human nature and the disparity between the core of his character and recent characterizations.

Say what? His "background as a student of human nature"? Um, my background as a student of canned Q&As is spotting when someone is trying to justify their relatively good ideas with the worst execution possible and then going to the press to drum up support for a series that looks to be canceled in 8 more issues.

Also, issue 4 was atrocious. He references the criticism he's received in his treatment of Brenda, saying: "I got a lot of responses suggesting that I was being very misogynistic. Maybe I was? I don't know, but that's what the character wanted to be." Again, wow. He even compares the character to his wife, which is embarrassing. Brenda is supposed to be a professional journalist who sleeps with her subject to "get the story." Wow, shades of the the first Iron Man movie? Have comic book writers actually met reporters?

Also, panic attacks? In the bathroom? After sex? (Again, I think Kaare has been watching the Iron Man movies closely.) Danny is having panic attacks over unresolved issues? First of all, in continuity, Danny has resolved his issues with his dead parents in an earlier mini. He's dealt with his anger and rage over being orphaned twice already in previous runs, including the original run that Andrews keeps referencing. He's also, what, died twice (sort of) and come back even more centered each time. And he has the Book of the Iron Fist now that he presumably has been tapping into! Grrr.

I'm going to echo Geno here: "while I understand Danny has endured a lot of tragedy in his history, his angsty nature (not to mention his promiscuity) here is completely out of character. He has faced far worse in the past with his wit and integrity intact."

Yeah, Andrews has turned me off Iron Fist. Good job sir!

[Of Atlantis]

Okay, so I can obviously tell you guys are seriously passionate about your opinions, and I'm not saying you're wrong as you both make some good points about mischaracterization and continuity. Granted, Andrews has taken some creative liberties on the character, but I think this may be another one of those stories that tend to come full circle once its done. I understand the viewpoint about Danny disrespecting his heritage and his upbringing, but it may also be a plot tool in order to bring him back around as well. It's very true he's been through similar tragedies in his life and handled them better as you've said, but this could be one of those times where he reaches an even lower point in order to face greater adversity. One thing that should be considered is that Danny's mind is slipping, so things that may seem out of character, like his anger and panic attacks, are more closely related (And I suppose explained) by the fact he is losing his centre. Again, I feel as though Andrews is putting the character through this in order to bring him back around.

And as far as the state of K'un L'un and the Thunderer goes, I don't think their demise is written in stone. I doubt Andrews will leave both dead by the end of his run (If he does, I'll be really disappointed) We're dealing with a lot of mysticism here so I wouldn't worry too much about Iron Fist continuity being left to rot for another writer to pick up.