Today we're going to be talking about the entire run of the Immortal Iron Fist we've got the good
we've got the bad and whatever it is that travel Foreman was doing. WOOF WOOF! Hey guys, it's me,
Marcus AKA The Maddogg and we're back with another video! written initially by Matt fraction and Ed
Brubaker then later taken over by Dwayne zaczynski and primarily illustrated by David Aja and travel
Foreman the first issue of the immortal Iron Fist was published by Marvel Comics in November
of 2006. with the 27th and finalists you've been released in June of 2009 and Danny Rand has a lot
of work to do between keeping around Enterprises afloat and defending New Yorkers Iron Fist the
last thing that he needs is to be forced into a tournament against the immortal weapons but
what happens when the lineage of the Iron Fist is disputed and how does a Hydra takeover threaten to
derail everything that Dany cherishes this review may seem ironic because the best way to summarize
this run both the art and the story is through the yin and yang for everything that's great there's
something that's equally as disappointing and it should come as no surprise that the greatness and
the r throughout the immortal Iron Fist is because of David are you not sure if I'm pronouncing that
correctly personally I think his work here is even better than the stuff that he did on Hawkeye
from the first issue with the rooftop fight in the rain I just knew that this was going to be
something special in pretty much every technique that I give credit to in other reviews he manages
to incorporate the motion is fluid and clear to see he balances light and dark flawlessly the
perspective mixes it up and keeps it interesting and just look at the rain admittedly it can't all
be like that and the same level of finesse isn't there when it's more Danny than I infest there
was still some fun techniques that are used like the use of onomatopoeia and variety of paneling
that keeps it interesting but it really is about the action when it comes to David are you and one
thing I don't remember seeing a lot of across Marvel titles during this time is just that
gritty style that David I brings sure the world varieties like Michael Locke but we're a bit
similar but having Aya on this title gave you that serious tone they needed and a nice little touch
of his that really reminded me of Joelle Jones Drew in lady killer in Andre sorentino during
Green Arrow was just his ability to highlight of every subtle moment it's a specially impressive
during the action because it does it without ever breaking the pace and it just added to
that sense of Mastery that Dany had towards his fighting style it made it feel like it was a
more intelligent battle rather than it just being abroad and one little thing that I noticed with
Aya is that when he drew Danny in a shooting Ty it really looked like hellblazer Ilion there's
some really nice flashback scenes that do have a different look from the rest of the series so he
does make it feel separate from Danny's story but unfortunately I just didn't enjoy these moments
as much and that may also have something to do with the story aspect of it but I'll probably
touch on that later but it was a lot cleaner and the language was more concise and some of these
flashback scenes were done by travel foreman and admittedly he is my biggest problem with the art
not so much doing the flashbacks but I do think that maybe I was just giving him a free pass but
everything about his art felt like it was made by that program that reads everything on a topic
and then just generates what it thinks the story should be there's a semblance of regular art there
but there's just something that feels really artificial about it and it's just always a bit
off and trust me it gets worse and longer that the Run goes on even during lemire's
Animal Man run which is a CB set I love I found his art to be the biggest hurdle into
getting into that first Arc and I try hard to avoid being harsh on Art because it is
a personal style and there is a passion that's gone into developing it but I think that's where
my problem with travel forming lies it feels rushed and with little care and just straight
up like there was no effort put into it and even now I'm wondering if I'm being too mean
but I'm gonna have to do something that I've never done before during one of my reviews but
let me show you the evidence this page this single page in issue 26 encapsulates everything that
pissed me off about his style basically can you gather where this scene is located maybe you can't
guess and don't feel bad about you because why could you there are absolutely zero backgrounds
on this page and instead there's just some shitty generic gradient that even my dumbass could have
created with about two seconds and yeah I know that probably is a colorist but I can't imagine
this is some kind of Jack Kirby deal where the colorist went in and rubbed out the backgrounds
all of the figures on this page never looked right whether we're in a wide shot or a close-up
this woman here is described as being irresistibly sexy but even a guy is desperate as me thinks that
she's got a body that looks like a butler Prime and I mean the UK version that Cobra and yes that
is his real name don't come at me for body shaming I can't even tell what he's supposed to be doing
here has he fallen over is he delivering a kick is he just standing still informing wanting to give
us some upskirting angle and the thing that bugged me constantly why can't this guy draw a neck has
he just never seen one did he grow up in a tribe of giraffes and thought that's just what everyone
looked like like why is Danny's neck both wider and larger than his head and that's including his
hair how does this guy even turn his head a fold washing he looks like he's made from the Michael
Keaton Batman costume at least it's not just Danny because fat Cobra seems to suffer from
the same Affliction which gives me the feeling that the fat cobra in his name is in reference to
that goofy neck of his like I could probably do an entire video just going in on how awful this page
is it's probably the worst single page of art that I've seen in a good number of years oh hold on I'm
getting a call yeah okay it's the Dark Knight strikes again it wants its art back to give it
credit there are some occasional moments of decent art in the second half of the series but they are
few and far between and they just never reach the same Heights as David are you and it angers me
when I'm talking about the problems with this art because it started with such a strong style but
all of those problems that are highlighted on that one page happen frequently whilst travel form is
illustrating it at one point he just uses arrows to tell you what you should be looking at and
it doesn't feel like a stylistic Choice it just feels lazy and it's a book I definitely recommend
checking out for yourself to see if you have the same experience and you know what why not gate for
a little bit cheaper with the discount codes that we've got with the channel sponsor organic Price
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below and you can use these codes as many times as you like before we jump into the story review
just know that if you love this run I'm going to be talking about the bad aspects of it and
if you hate this series I'm going to be giving it some praise that's because it's impossible to just
focus on one when reviewing the immortal Iron Fist again it's with the yin and the Yang and I think
it's very easy to forget who I in fist was before this one came out reading it today it's easy to
appreciate the story that fraction and Brubaker gave us but the reason why this is so revered is
because it made Iron Fist a character that you had to pay attention to which is why it's so annoying
they just Dove off a cliff after they left but the best part is is that Matt and Ed managed to
do that without doing a complete 180 on who Iron Fist is if anything fraction and Brubaker leaned
into that and gave us a story centered around the mythology of the Iron Fist and gave us a history
of the lineage and con lawn and when a face jumped into this series many years ago because I was such
a massive fan of Daredevil I was way too young to consider all that but coming back to it now
it's interesting to see how it managed to balance all of that without it ever clogging up the pace
speaking of which and I feel like I'm saying this a lot of my recent reviews but the pace in
this face dog was exactly what this run needed it also felt like the opening Arc was the best
balance between New York and conlon it was also exciting boardroom scenes and it was one of the
best examples of organized chaos there was a lot going on in this first storyline even Hydra was
thrown into the mix we never felt like it was too much or they were just hoping to see what would
stick additionally I was a big fan and others touched on The Wider Marvel Universe but he
didn't let the story get bogged down by it to me that is the perfect combination of special when
you've got two creators that were so involved not the titles and since the re-released the Omnibus
was announced I've heard people say that you need to read Civil War and you need to read brubaker's
Daredevil to understand what's going on in here and for me I don't think it's the case if you
do know what happens in those stories I feel like it does enhance it but it's not integral
and also I'd recommend is knowing the basics of what happened during Civil War although the risk
of sounding like a hypocrite I do wish there would have been more tension between Luke and Danny as a
result of Civil War like when the story starts out the nut together as a part of Heroes for
hire but it's clear that there's not really any real beef between them we've never done he's in
a bit of trouble Luke still comes running also I liked how Danny Wendell and awesome being white
was actually part of the narrative rather than shine away from it or tiptoeing around it whereas
Rubik and Fracture made it a part of the storyline especially in those flashback scenes when Wendell
was seen as an outsider and there was also great stuff with awesome where people were doubting him
it's almost as if from the beginning the brubach infraction said that they were going to take every
single excuse that somebody could have to not read a name first book but turn it on its head and make
it as a reason to read it Wilson himself was a great character in those flashback scenes during
the war were probably some of my favorites and I love the comparisons that you are led to draw
between him and Danny he almost felt like a spin on the it's a twisted version of yourself from
the future type of story but they gave us a new character that kept me guessing also his fighting
style was phenomenal especially when you saw him working alongside Dany and I swear this was the
origin of gun fu like John Wick must have taken notes what's also great is that the second Arc
felt like a natural progression of the story but at the same time it went in a completely different
direction yeah I know that sounds contradictory the tournament between the immortal weapons was
really entertaining and I wish it would have had more importance over the overall storyline
because of the scenes that we'd already had with Davos just the concept of this reminded me of The
Karate Kid and I was all for it but it was at this point that the wider plot began to take over and
unfortunately this got a little bit overshadowed because he has to be in our storyline about the
Takeover of Rand Enterprises was fun especially in the beginning but I can't say that it was the
most interesting part the hogar storyline where he's been held hostage so that some trains could
be built was one that I really failed to engage with and it felt like they included it so that
they could give Luca Misty's storyline to get involved with whilst Danny was off doing the
tournament especially so once that competition had started it felt like this was just an element
of the previous Arc that they didn't know how they could get rid of it I was really excited
to see the rest of davos's plan come to fruition but unfortunately that lost a lot of steam once
the rest of the immortal weapons were introduced as a result the second storyline felt massively
rushed or maybe worse abandoned as we ran up to the war for con one which I got the feeling was
meant to be a much bigger moment than he panned out to be I almost got whiplash without quickly
this battle happened and the development of the camaraderie between the immortal weapons didn't
feel organic either one moment they were willing to die fighting each other and then the next they
were having dinner together and willing to die for each other and it just didn't click as well as I
feel like it could have done but looking at this sort of conclusion now I can't help but wonder
why fraction and Brubaker left so suddenly and decided to cram so much story into just a couple
of issues I've read interviews with the duo after their departure was already announced and it seems
like it was amicable and that they were happy with it so reading the full run now it just feels a bit
odd and something really doesn't add up what's weird is that some storylines just didn't get a
conclusion there was one really interesting plot about this ancient enemy of the Iron Fist lineage
and about how all Iron Fists seemed to die at the same age but it just kind of went nowhere and
it was one of those storylines that was started during the fraction issues but continued into the
second half so I'm not sure if maybe Dwayne just didn't want to follow through with him because
there was still a brief mention of that character in the final issue but I'm not sure if this was a
series that was canceled or it was ended on its own teams but in the grand scheme of things I
think it really could have benefited from taking out some of those history lesson issues and just
pat their story out a bit more or at least just you know finish it off properly Davos the steel
serpenter I've already mentioned had a plot line that just fell flat towards the end whereas he was
a real highlight early on in this book to call me a conspiracy theorist all you want but I feel like
what we saw in issue 16 wasn't where fraction and Brubaker wanted to end this story maybe we should
do some kind of new Twitter movement hashtag released the fraction cut and up until now I've
mostly avoided speaking about the story after they departed but unfortunately is unavoidable unless
you've got the first printing of this Omnibus and then you're fine and even when I try to consider
other people's perspectives and what people want out of a story I can't really see a lot of
people enjoying the second half of this book more than the face or even really enjoying it overall
because going straight out to what fraction and Brubaker wrote I can't even say that it's
enjoyable the worst part is is it just feels like that let me copy your homework me but the thing it
changes is the level of enjoyment it Treads a lot of the same Steps From the first half of the book
but it takes out the pace the exciting fights the character development and gives us that art
it's okay the art sections don't it can't eat you know the majority of swazinski's time on
this title and I believe I'm pronouncing his name correctly there's no disrespect intended if I got
it wrong Seas don't even enter into this mystical City that most people didn't even think existed
and then he kind of just gets held captive for five issues I was so bored during this part of
the story and there was nothing that pulled me back in I even stopped caring about Danny even
though he is in this daddy situation because the most interesting plot line surrounding him just
kind of disappeared and what's worse is that this run did a really great job of making him
a likable character it gave him a good sense of humor with his sarcasm but at the same time it
was never too grating and it did like him and I wanted to see him do well but as soon as fraction
and Brubaker left I just didn't care as much the progress made between Danny and Misty also came
to a complete stop which made it feel like the why behind dany's actions wasn't there anymore
and it made the majority of everything after issue 20 just feel like fella and you'll notice I said
issue 20 and not 16 because Dwayne did get off to a good start with his first few issues and I
didn't like it as much as the Brewbaker infraction stuff but I didn't hate it either even if it was
mostly just issue after issue with Danny getting his ass handed to it but the immortal weapons were
also just kind of there after the war for con lot and waste they all just kind of blended into one
character sure one was fat and one was attractive and one dealt with spiders but it never felt like
they were really individuals and they mostly just followed Danny around and the worst part of it all
there was just way too many flashbacks during the first half of the story when they'd crop up they
felt interesting and engaged with the main plot of the story there was some kind of lesson there that
Danny could learn or it'd be an entire issue that you'd read between story arc so he never felt like
he was breaking up the pace but towards the end it's just a random mess it felt like there must
have been some kind of quota for flashbacks that just had to be filled regardless of how important
or even entertaining they were and it really must have been a headache reading this in single
issues because at the end of issue 20 there's a massive Cliffhanger where the characters discover
something that's been teased for a good chunk of this run it says that it's to be concluded you'd
assume it's in the next issue but then issue 21 is just a standalone story about some futuristic
kid Iron Fist like there's a time and a place to be doing that [ __ ] without spoiling anything
it ends with a bit of a whimper as well again I'm not sure if this was canceled and they just
had to wrap things up quickly but but I can't imagine anybody finding this to be a satisfying
ending and it's why I'd recommend probably just stop reading this after fraction and Brubaker
left and if I'm being honest I was pretty much on autopilot once Danny and the rest of the immortal
weapons were stuck in hell if that's what we're gonna call it sure the baffling art didn't help
me to engage either but when I do bag on a title kind of like when I reviewed Outcast which is
another series that derailed itself pretty much at the same point I don't enjoy being that negative
sure I'm a nitpicker it's something that I can't help but avoid but I do also like trying to find
all the positives so I've touched on my major criticisms with the second half of the book but
in all honesty there is not much that I enjoyed about the last six issues of this title but to end
this part of the review with some positivity the early fights were a massive highlight for me in
the immortal Iron Fist each time Dany would go up against the steel serpent or Hydra it was so tense
because there was always something else going on Beyond just the fight and that theme did also
continue when they went into the tournament which is why I wish we could have spent a bit more time
there but for a character that is centered around martial arts I loved it felt like these fights
were included for a reason other than the fact that dany's just really good at fighting even if
they did still manage to find a way to incorporate the business side of his life without it ever
feeling like it wasn't a welcome part this is my final video and it's unfortunate that this one of
the immortal Iron Fists felt like the epitome of one step forward but two steps back when fraction
and Brubaker kicked off this series it was a breath of fresh air that Danny Rand desperately
needed they respected the law of conlon but found new and exciting ways to expand the Mythos the
character of Iron Fist was finally getting the reinvention that he deserved and there wasn't much
that went wrong in the first half of this book besides the rushed ending of some of its story
arcs and in many ways the original printing of the Omnibus that excludes everything after Martin Ed
had already left the title might actually be the optimal version of this run because once
swazinski takes over and yeah I'm still not sure if I'm pronouncing his name correctly this title
loses nearly everything that made it interesting in the first place you'll feel soulless and has
no charm the story just shreds the same steps that came before me but with less passion and
I honestly don't know why they continued with this series and with how divisive the world is
I'm sure that there are going to be people who love this whole thing from start to finish but
if I'm going to give an honest review and not just say what I think people want to hear there
is not much that I can recommend about the second half of this series and when I review titles like
this where that yin and yang divide couldn't be more obvious I tried to balance the good with the
bad and look out more as a whole but when there's such a clear jumping off point it becomes a bit
more tricky do a think about my overall enjoyment or do I think about me overall disappointment in
that drop in quality because if it ended at issue 16 with a more wrapped up conclusion I would have
been sitting here now probably giving it about an 80 if it would have just been the second half
it would be a maximum of 30 and that's if I got through it in the first place so for the
full 27 issue run and when I think about it as a complete package I feel comfortable giving it
50 woof so that's the video and hopefully you enjoyed it but until next time just
make sure that you stay safe and stay mad all you dogs we both see the next video