POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #1

Capsule Review

Nothing spectacular happens in this issue — old partners Luke Cage and Danny Rand re-team to do a solid for an old friend — but the style and heart brought to this story by creators David F. Walker and Sanford Greene makes it just as much a page-turner as the Avengers fighting space gods for the fate of the earth. The characterization and dialogue is spot-on, with Danny obviously wanting to get his old partnership back together (so much so that he makes some foolish choices), and Luke just as obviously wanting the opposite (but chaffing, just a bit, under a family he possibly feels doesn’t let him risk his neck the way he used to). Our guys chase down a MacGuffin, get in a fight, and of course get sucked into a deeper adventure that promises betrayals and twists to come. Nice to see Luke’s old foe Tombstone playing the heavy. “Heavy” might also describe Greene’s art, which leans (hard) toward caricature … but I like it. Luke’s shoulders are broad as a barn, Tombstone’s mug is a rubbery horror mask, and the toughs in Tombtone’s employ are all flattened noses and gritted teeth. Bonus points for Luke saying, “Christmas!” and for Danny having a box of Master of Kung Fu comics and some Shaw Brothers movies in his storeroom.

Approachability For New Readers

Excellent. Danny and Luke have a history together, but you needn’t know much if anything about that history to enjoy this tale.

Read #2?

Yes!

Sales Rank

#8 February

Read more about Power Man and Iron Fist at Longbox Graveyard

• Sweet Christmas: A Visual History of Luke Cage
• Luke Cage Gallery
• Giant Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag (Of Coal)
• Iron Fist
• Iron Fist Gallery

Read more capsule reviews of Marvel’s All-New All-Different rolling restart.