Power Man & Iron Fist #1
Writer: David Walker
Artist: Sanford Greene
Color Artist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Jake Thomas
Publisher: Marvel
Review by Darnell Savant Lee
This is the response from Luke Cage to his wife Jessica Jones after she asks him (for the third time) if he and Danny Rand a.k.a. Iron Fist are getting back together. Its been a while since these two have hung out together as a duo, both in comic book time and in real life. Marvel’s answer to the buddy films so popular in the 80’s and 90’s with team-ups like Riggs and Murtaugh aiming in Lethal Weapon, Lee and Carter speeding in Rush Hour, or Lowery and Barnett being Bad Boys are back and it doesn’t miss a beat. I have to break the standard review format for this one because this was a great book! From art to colors to story, it just fit. A lot has changed since we last saw the boys together, but the more things change, the more they stay the same, and in this instance… more of the same is just fine.
The story is a new beginning, at the same time, it feels as though it’s the next issue of a long going series, the way it’s written. You are re-introduced to Luke and Danny as friends, but through dialogue and flashbacks, you feel like you know what’s been going on in their lives over the hiatus. Writer David Walker’s words feel true to the environment , being street enough to sound like a conversation one might hear today without sounding corny, but not overdone where a class in Ebonics is needed to understand and follow. You feel the love between two close friends in every conversation, and the juggling of being a father and husband by Luke is thoughtfully written. The need to “check in” with Jessica even has Danny teasing him with a “Jessica has you on a short leash” blast, teasing like only bro’s can do.
The artwork fits the book’s street level style. Sanford Greene has a style that reminds me of Ryan Stegman, a little on the anime-ish side, but with way more grit. The updated takes on Luke and Danny are wonderful, and they seem like a natural progression of these characters over the time passed. Luke has grown and matured, being an Avenger, a major player in the Marvel Universe over the past couple years, and a responsible man with a child and wife at home, and it shows in his dress. Gone is the classic headband and yellow silk shirt, for a more subdued slacks and vest look while Danny has a more retro look fitting his martial arts style with a homage to the great Bruce Lee’s track suit from Game of Death done in Iron Fist’s traditional green and yellow colors. The coloring is done with flashback scenes shaded differently, and locations colored to accentuate and better set the scene and tell the story.
Verdict
This is a no brainier, if you’re even the slightest fan of Luke Cage (he hates being called Power Man now) or Iron Fist, you must have this book! If you want to stay ahead of the curve and get familiar with these boys before Netflix airs their seasons separately before coming together to form the Defenders (with Daredevil and Jessica Jones), you must have this book! If you’re a fan of bromances, you must have this book! Are you following the trend here, this is a fantastically done return for two of Marvel’s most beloved characters, and it leaves me on the edge of my seat to see what happens next in the story of these two Heroes For Hire!
“Nuff Said . . . Sweet Christmas!“
