Iron Fist - The Fury Of The Iron Fist!

Marvel dived into the burgeoning Kung Fu craze with the Master of Kung Fu, a series which worked in Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu and existed on the outskirts of the Marvel Universe and other series such as Sons of the Tiger and White Tiger in the pages of the black and white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, which spoke directly to the fervor that Bruce Lee's films and death had ignited. But the most accessible of the Kung Fu warriors has to have been the four-color Iron Fist, the Living Weapon which debuted in the pages of Marvel Premiere and held court there for many months before being awarded a self-titled series of his own. 

It likely begins in 1933 with a novel by James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon about a lost civilization called Shangri-La in the remote heights of the Himalayas where people can perhaps live forever. This "paradise" is not without its detractors though.  Frank Capra made a movie of the novel in 1937 which was well received by both the public at large and the omnipresent critics. 

So in the earliest days of comics when casting about for a way to explain superhumans (without resorting to the legally treacherous alien planet) Bill Everett created Amazing-Man who came from just such a hidden utopia and was gifted with above average abilities. Amazing-Man was a Centaur publication, one of the earliest publishers of comics. 

The notion was picked up by Pete Morisi under his penname of "PAM" at Charlton when he brought forth Peter Cannon, The Thunderbolt. Once again, we have a hidden paradise which has sent forth a representative who is skilled both mentally and physically beyond normal human standards. Thunderbolt became one of the "Action Heroes" and was for a time seemingly owned by DC until Morisi demonstrated otherwise. 

So, with martial arts all ablaze, it's logical for the creators at Marvel to seek the Himalayan well once again, this time with Daniel Rand-Kai, the Iron Fist. In an origin story by Roy Thomas, Gil Kane and Dick Giordano we learn some of Danny's story, both told in current times as well as copious flashback. He is an orphan raised by the cult which lives and rules the hidden land named K'un-L'un. 

Over the course of the next four issues of the series we slowly learn of Danny Rand's history and see him become the man who in the then current day of 1974 was back in the world fighting the Meachem Corporation headed by the man Iron Fist held responsible for his parents' deaths. Three of the four issues of the series are drawn by the new talent Larry Hama, who brought a sense of legitimacy to the martial artis aspects of the series. Len Wein writes an issue but then Doug Moench came on to write the next three books in the series. By the end Iron Fist has gotten his revenge but its taste is bitter, and the daughter of Meachum now wants her own revenger on Iron Fist. 

Things get incredibly complicated after Iron Fist gets his long-sought revenge when a death cult appears to threaten not only him but his friend Colleen Wing and her father. There is also a mysterious Ninja who has been showing up in the series, and the one who actually killed the murderer of Danny's parents. A trilogy of issues which are written by Tony Isabell and drawn by Arvell Jones. Alas it's a severe drop in quality when Jones takes on the book, though I will confess that I appreciate that he and Isabella hung around for a full story arc. Isabella and Jones are also responsible for introducing Misty Knight, though it will be more than a few issues before we see her again. 

Next it falls to Chris Claremont to take on the writing with Pat Broderick handling the artwork. This team lasts two whole issues, but when the change does come it's a most welcome one. Having solved his own issues Danny Rand as Iron Fist becomes embroiled in the politics of a distant territory called Halwan. Its princess has come under attack by the robotic Monstroid. Iron Fist also battles the murderous Warhawk. 

The twenty-fifth issue of Marvel Premiere is significant for a few reasons. It marks the final issue of Iron Fist's adventures before he gets his own title and more importantly it is the debut at Marvel of one of the most important artists in comics history -- John Byrne. He took on the title when Broderick missed a deadline, and the team of Claremont and Byrne was born. 

The debut of Iron Fist's own title comes in the middle of the storyline, and he is tracking Angar the Screamer when, in classic Marvel tradition, mixes it up with Iron Man. Misty Knight returns in this issue as well, and as rendered by Byrne, she is a knockout owing much to great Pam Grier. 

Master Kahn has kidnapped Colleen Wing as her father suffers in a coma. Iron Fist reflects back on his days in K'un-L'un when he came up against some bizarre plant creatures. The energy on the series is now palpable with Byrne improving with each issue, with first Al McWilliams and then Frank Chiramonte inking his work. 

Claremont takes the action to London where Iron Fist runs afoul of the villain Ravager who turns out to in reality Radion the Atomic Man. There are explosions galore, first a passenger plane and later an iconic tower in the city. Misty Knight's secret is revealed as we learn for the first time she possesses a bionic arm, but sadly it's when she loses it. Claremont likes to set stories in England, where he was born. 

The next three issues of the series follow the quest to rescue Colleen Wing who has been brainwashed and is now poised to attack Iron Fist when he shows up. There are plenty of other baddies such Scimitar and Kumballa Bey for Danny to fight as he tries to save Colleen. Ultimately, he has to use his Iron Fist abilities to bond with her mentally to free her mind and the two then share each other's most delicate secrets. Misty is on the sidelines alas. Khan also shows Danny that K'un-L'un has secrets he didn't know of and that those he trusted all his life might be treacherous. 

It's back to NYC and a trio of tales about a gang called the Golden Tigers led by a chap named Chaka who seek to rule crime in the city. Iron Fist has a really difficult time with this mob even with the help of Misty and Colleen. But ultimately he does indeed win the day. There are also moves afoot on the legal front for Danny to recapture his family's fortune. Byrne in growing by the minute and offers up some truly exciting splash pages showcasing Iron Fist's fighting style. 

Then the Wrecking Crew shows up and they try to force Iron Fist to help them invade the Avengers Mansion with the intention of killing their arch-foe Thor. The God of Thunder never shows up, but Captain America is on hand to assist in bringing these most powerful villains to heel. Of course, before getting down to brass tacks, Cap and Iron Fist mix it up a little bit, following the great Marvel tradition. 

Then it's a one-off as Iron Fist helps a friend he made in England, a former IRA bomber. This move alienates Misty, and she leaves to take on work elsewhere. Iron Fist has his hands full with a returning and souped-up Boomerang. Iron Fist also finds himself being attacked by a mysterious chap who seems to be stealing his chi, or life force. 

Then Claremont and Byrne give us Sabre-Tooth, a ferocious enemy who Iron Fist and Colleen Wing barely defeat in the wilds of Byrne's home country of Canada. 

But the road ends finally with issue fifteen when Iron Fist gets entangled with the then "New X-Men". He takes on Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Wolverine. Of course, it's Logan who started it. I can only assume this was intended as a try-out for Byrne on these characters. For withing a few months Dave Cockrum would step away from the X-Men title and the famous team of Claremont and Byrne would make it one of Marvel's most successful titles ever.

The saga of Iron Fist is wrapped up in the pages of Marvel Team-Up when the Steel Serpent reveals himself and his scheme to rob Iron Fist of his powers. It takes the Daughters of the Dragon (Misty and Colleen) and our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to take the villain down. 

What will become of Danny Rand? The Iron Fist will have to wait for a few months when he guest-stars in the book Power Man. As we know he and Luke Cage will become one of Marvel's most successful comics of the era, an odd blending of the blaxploitation and kung fu crazes which blazed forth in the 70's. But that's a whole other "Epic". 

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Showcase Corner - Codename: Gravedigger!

Men of War was the last of the classic DC war comics to arrive onto the comic racks. Like its kin it was an anthology which featured several characters during its run. Enemy Ace was a steady back up feature but I'll be turning my sights on him next month. Jerry Grandenetti turned in some outstanding artwork on features like Dateline: Frontline and Rosa. But the star of the show was Ulysses Hazard who was better known as Codename: Gravedigger. He got his sobering nickname in just the manner you'd expect -- he was a gravedigger who did service for the many men who fell in the line of duty. But he had that distinction because he was a black man in an army that was segregated and was redolent with the racism that brewed in the homeland. 

 

Codename: Gravedigger was the creation of David Michelinie and artist Ed Davis along with Romeo Tanghal who inked all the stories of Gravedigger in the series. Michelinie's story relates the saga of a young black man who as a boy was overcome by polio but works with a demon fury to build up his weakened body and eventually becomes a veritable powerhouse with a range of fighting skills. 

Despite these accomplishments he is relegated to support work and not given the chance to fight for his country as he'd prefer. His solution in the face of racism was to storm the Pentagon and so prove his mettle to the Undersecretary of War. He challenged the leadership to put him in the fight and so they sent him on a series of impossible missions. 

He fights in Europe against the Nazis, invades concentration camps, defends the American coastline from invasion, and rescues more than a few orphans during the war. His stories run the gamut of what one expects of a Bronze Age war comic. 

After a single issue by Arvell Jones the penciling job is given over to Dick Ayers. Eventually the scripting goes to Roger McKenzie. The stories they dream up for Gravedigger are high octane adventures in which he seems never to stop moving, 

To me at least, this seemed somewhat counter to the DC formula which seemed to focus on the time in between the fighting as much if not more than the physical combat. Perhaps it's the presence of Dick Ayers, the main man on Marvel's war comics, but this feature feels more like a Marvel book than a DC one. 

Gravedigger has that same imperviousness which Sgt. Fury and others at Marvel seem to possess as they wage the war against the enemy, and he has a tendency to mouth off quite a bit as he fights. 

The Joe Kubert covers are the most DC thing about this book aside from the back up features. 

Gravedigger fights alone for the most part, doing his best to salvage missions that seem impossible from the get-go. That he's a suicide warrior seems not to dawn on him. He just wants his chance to fight. 

His missions even come to the attention of Joseph Goebbels himself, the Nazi minister of propogranda, who goes on to become something of a main villain for Gravedigger. The fact a black man is so successful against the Nazis rubs Goebbels the wrong way indeed. 

Michilinie had begun a subplot which McKenzie continued about a wounded British officer who is recovering though he cannot walk. He is given the mission eventually of becoming Gravedigger's commanding officer though that is murky for some time. 

At some point he is replaced by a Nazi lookalike and Gravedigger not only has to unmask the villain but is charged with finding the disappeared officer named Burke. That trek leads Gravedigger into the depths of the German homeland where he must confront the horror of the camps. 

Jack C. Harris takes over the helm of the series alongside Ayers and Tanghal. If anything, the series become even more action-oriented. 

Gravedigger is joined in his fight by a trio of British soldiers who make the mag feel even more like Sgt. Fury. One of the three Brits wears a derby and another has beret, evoking Dum Dum Dugan and Percy Pinkerton. 

This little squad hangs out with Gravedigger for several issues off and on, though one never really gets the feeling their addition constitutes a permanent change. 

Gravedigger is ordered on a deadly mission in North Africa, and again his missions seem to suicide runs at best. 

This latest one though brings a permanent change to Gravedigger's face when he is wounded with a crooked scar across his face which resembles a cross, though he calls it a tombstone. Clearly there's a feeling Gravedigger needs a visual boost, though this change is rarely showcased on the covers. 

In North Africa Gravedigger is chasing some important documents, and this particular maguffin drives the plot for several issues. 

The stories while filled with action seem less and less signficant. Ulysses Hazard is more and more a cypher who fights for the sake of the fight. He bickers a bit now and again but follows through most often. 

One notable mission brings him into partnership with Mademoiselle Marie, a longtime DC war favorite. 

Truth told some of Gravedigger's missions don't really make all that much sense but as long as he's got Nazis to fight, the comic rumbles along. 

Toward the end of the run he's led to believe his Mother is dying and he's sent back to the states. This is a ruse for a bizarre Nazi plot to smuggle in doubles for loyal Americans keeping watch on the beaches for enemy incusions. Turns out his Mom is fine but Gravedigger has some fighting to do yet. 

After he single-handedly forestalls the Nazi invasion on the beaches of Atlantic City he heads back to the European front. 

One story even has Gravedigger live up to his nickname, but others end up six feet under and not Ulysses Hazard. 

One of the strangest two-parters yet has Gravedigger assigned to protect FDR. It's a wild and wacky misadventure of a war story and doesn't really have any sense of the essential realism to make a DC war story stick. It felt more like a chapter of All-Star Squadron. 

Under a George Evans cover Gravedigger completes that mission eventually with the world leaders safe and sound as we knew they would be all along. 

The series wraps up with Gravedigger taking command of Easy Company when Sgt.Rock is wounded. We get a nifty story which showcases each of the Joes of Easy as they try to take something called "Nickname Hill". Even with Easy backing him up it's clear that Gravedigger is a one-man act. The series is not nor is it especially good. Dick Ayers turns in unremarkable artwork that is inked with indifference by Tanghal -- they don't appear to be a good fit to my eye. The stories have too much of that zany feel one gets with Marvel war stories and that jars inside the illustrious DC war canon. 

Beginning tomorrow the Dojo takes a most sobering look at World War II and the Holocaust. 

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