Editor's Note: Immortal Iron Fist #17 arrives in stores tomorrow, July 23.

"The Mortal Iron Fist: Chapter One"

A daunting task to put on anyone would be to follow up Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction's phenomenal run on the critical and commercial success that is The Immortal Iron Fist. Anyone who read Brubaker and Fraction's run not only learned a great deal about Danny Rand and the legacy of the Iron Fist, but were also treated to a big piece of the Underground Avengers' logistics as well as the proof that Marvel has some great B-list heroes. However, you can’t cancel a phenomenal title just because the two writers leave. One of Marvel's top rising writers, Duane Swiercynski, steps in to try his hand, or his fist, at Danny Rand. Swiercynski is a writer I've kept my eye on. He's a super-nice guy, he wrote a fantastic Moon Knight Annual and his run on Cable has been fairly solid. Luckily, Brubaker and Fraction left him with an excellent transition point, a reformed "Heroes for Hire," a new direction for Rand's company and fortune, plenty of room to explore the legacy of Iron Fists from days past and finally, the fact that only one out of sixty-six Iron Fists have lived past the age of 33. Today is Danny Rand's 33rd birthday.

There are two stories being told throughout this issue. The first follows Danny Rand as Swiercynski tries to avoid the cliché recap of everything that's happened, but he does indeed manage to cover all the basics about Danny Rand and the way his life currently works. He also opens the story in K’un-Lun, where a young boy runs to his mother, Misty Knight, asking about how his father really died. He holds a picture of a dragon holding what appears to be the lifeless body of the Iron Fist, his father. The story then segues to the present day where Luke Cage and the Iron Fist are fighting off a group of thugs trying to mug and beat up an Asian man. At first, you may think that this man is not important, but Swiercynski keeps his focus on the man for the first few pages, even going back to the man's apartment. There we see the true identity of the man. He appears to be this story-arc's villain, the man who we learn at the end of this issue is charged with killing the Iron Fist. I love the way Swiercynski structures this story because after the introduction of the villain, he transitions to 1878 and the second story of the issue, a story featuring Iron Fist Kwai Jun-Fan.

I found the narrative of Jun-Fan to be much stronger and much clearer than the narrative of Danny Rand, and I think it's because Swiercynski has a bit of trouble teetering the line between story advancement and recap when dealing with Rand. At first I wasn't sure what to think of Jun-Fan, but his journey into an Old West town--as well as the confrontation he has in a saloon--was interesting. The way that he shows a couple of cowboys in a bar, recognizing Jun-Fan and then speaking Chinese, was a subtle connection to the Asian man introduced at the beginning of the issue. This then transitions back to the present day and Danny Rand's 33rd birthday party. (Fun Note: Brubaker, Fraction, Quesada, Wolverine and someone who looks like Bendis are all present at the party.) This transition to the 33rd birthday party is a subtle connection to the scene involving Jun-Fan, except here Danny is pondering his future and the heavy possibility that he will not see the age of 34.

While I do indeed love the subtle connections and groundwork that Swiercynski builds, the story does slow down a great deal when he goes through the motions of re-introducing the players in the book. I thought he handled the issue over Danny and Misty's relationship pretty well, but it almost feels as though there are way too many plot threads running already. While they stay relatively tight in this issue, I think Swiercynski just needs to make sure he takes the appropriate amount of time to wrap up each of them when the time comes. Regardless of the seemingly choppy pace during the scenes taking place in the present day, Swiercynski seems to be just coasting off of the fantastic set-up of Brubaker and Fraction while bringing his own stylistic elements to the story.

I really didn't fall in love with this issue until the end. We witness another scene with Jun-Fan where he is attacked and nearly defeated inside the saloon. This scene transitions to the finale of the issue where Danny is attacked while he is out for a walk. In one of the best scenes I have seen so far this month, Swiercynski pulls off excellent transitions between the modern day and the past when Danny Rand and Jun-Fan battle the same assailant. The finale of this issue leaves me anxiously awaiting the next issue as Swiercynski has definitely come out of the gate running hard.

Two artists draw this issue; Travel Foreman provides the artwork for all the scenes taking place in the present day, while Russ Heath provides the artwork for the scenes that involve Jun-Fan in 1878. I loved Heath's work, and I thought he brought a great sense of action and detail as well as consistency from panel to panel. Travel Forman's artwork has its moments, but there a level of inconsistency and anatomical issues that stands out to me. I think he does a decent job capturing the tone and style of the series, and for the most part, his artwork is pretty decent. I just found myself more partial to Heath's style than Foreman's, although both handle the action pretty well.

Overall, I think The Immortal Iron Fist is staying solid on the course laid out by Brubaker and Fraction, and Swiercynski seems to have a clear idea of where he wants to go with the story. The idea that Danny Rand may not live past the age of 33 gives this story a higher level of suspense and is sure to add to the action with each issue. If Swiercynski can keep building on this title's momentum, Immortal Iron Fist will only continue to build steam and move into Marvel's upper echelon of quality books.

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