Iron Fist vol.1: The Trial of the Seven Masters comic review

Now this is top tier Iron Fist comic book action!

Essentially a Marvel Mortal Kombat, Brisson’s plot pits Danny Rand against seven masters of Kung Fu on the mystical island of Liu-Shi in order to regain his diminishing Chi. It’s slight but contains the classic unworthy underdog scrappy spirit that defines the character for me as he finds his inner worth whilst kicking ass. Most probably my favourite part was the naming of all the individual moves which is endlessly creative and must have been so much fun spitballing possibilities.

Mike Perkins’ art is [action] packed full of little details and always offers that all important sense of spatial awareness during the many, many Kung Fu duels whilst Andy Troy’s primary colouring crackles and vividly leaps off the page too.

There’s a page in issue 3, as Rand takes on the Resourceful Snake master, that is some of the finest panel work I’ve seen since Fraction and Aja’s genre-pushing Hawkeye run between 2012-2015. Jeff Dekal’s cover for issue 2 is stunning too.

I can’t recommend this volume enough. It’s epic. It’s brutal. It’s bloody. Brilliant.