Most of you may know Iron Fist from the late 2010s Netflix shows featuring Finn Jones as the character. My apologies if you do. What you should know is that Iron Fist is an incredible character and has better stories in the comic books. I think it is insane that Marvel did not adapt The Immortal Iron Fist, a 2006 comic and one of the best martial arts comics ever, for the Iron Fist show.
I highly recommend that you buy The Immortal Iron Fist omnibus now if you love martial arts comics. Before I plead my case, let me first tell you about Iron Fist.
Iron Fist
Iron Fist, like Shang-Chi, was a comic book creation that found its inspiration from the kung-fu film craze of the 1970s. Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan became household names for action fans during that era. While action films are not as popular as they once were, fans of such films live on. And those fans, like myself, loved Iron Fist comics of the era.
Danny Rand was a child when his parents set out to find the mystical Chinese city of K’un Lun. K’un Lun only appears on Earth once every 70 years. Danny’s parents died protecting him during the expedition. The kung fu warriors of K’un Lun take in Danny as an orphan and teach him martial arts from a young age.
K’un Lun is powered by a mythical dragon, Shou Lao the Undying. Danny defeats the dragon in battle: the brand of the dragon is seared into Danny’s chest during battle. Danny punches his fist into a cauldron that contains the heart of the dragon.
His fist absorbs some of the power of the dragon. When Danny channels his chi into his fist, it becomes indestructible.
That is the short version of the Iron Fist story. The character became best friends with Luke Cage, and they became the vigilantes Heroes for Hire in New York City. Iron Fist comic books are a relic of their era; I love them, but they may not be for everyone.
However, if you love kung fu, mystery, fantasy, and action films, then you will love 2006’s The Immortal Iron Fist.
The Immortal Iron Fist
Danny learns that he is not the only Iron Fist. There have been almost 70 Iron Fists in the history of K’un Lun. Iron Fist is a mantle, a title, and there were Iron Fists fighting for K’un Lun long before Danny was born.
A man named Orson Randall, the Iron Fist before Danny, pays him a visit. Danny has the same powers as Danny but uses them in a different way. Orson uses guns and channels his chi into his bullets, making his bullets indestructible. Orson is like a mix of Bruce Lee and a 1990s John Woo gun-fu gangster.
Dark forces want to prevent K’un Lun from having the sole right to appear on Earth every 70 years. Orson warns Danny and prepares him for a tournament where Danny has to fight to stop the conspiracy. Danny receives a training manual and has to make new allies whom he does not trust.
Buy The Immortal Iron Fist Right Now
The Immortal Iron Fist reimagines the character for a whole new generation. I cannot stress enough that The Immortal Iron Fist captures the energy and excitement of the best 1970s and 1980s era kung fu and imbues it in a modern setting. If you love Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, and old-school kung fu films made by similar companies of the era, then you will love The Immortal Iron Fist.
The only drawback of this series is that it only lasted for 17 issues. The first 17 issues were written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction and drawn by David Aja. The entire series ran for 27 issues, but the later creative team cannot match the energy of the first 17 issues.
In terms of superhero comics featuring martial arts characters, The Immortal Iron Fist is the best kung fu comic of the last generation of comics.
Immortal Iron Fist & The Immortal Weapons Omnibus is a 1,006-page hardcover that collects all 27 issues of the series and several tie-in issues. Get it now at Amazon for $40.
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