Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #03

by King on November 23, 2014

Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #3 Main Image
Writer/Artist: Kaare Andrews
Publisher: Marvel

"Courage is only one step ahead of fear."
 
Last issue left us with a K’un Lun in ruins, as Danny finds his adoptive homeland torn asunder and desecrated. And what lies in Danny’s wake when he actually explores K’un Lun is… terrifying.
 
We open up with a reflection upon Danny’s past, as his will to survive is reshaped and reborn following the tragedy of his parents’ deaths; we intermittently revisit his development as a child throughout the issue, in fact. The main element of this issue is that Andrews continues to explore a very open and exposed Daniel Rand, paralleling those flashbacks of his childhood with his current weakness in seeing his homeland in ruins. We also see rage and hate start to surface and direct Danny, as he begins to lose himself to emotion, just as when he first experienced the loss of his parents.
 
Andrews reworking of Iron Fist as more of a rage fueled, double-edge sword (of sorts) continues to starkly contrast how many have come to perceive the character in recent years, leaving part of me is conflicted, because of how many vast changes Andrews has made to K’un Lun in even a few issues – it almost seems too much. At the very least, this issue performs well in terms of calling back to Danny’s past, in order to potentially direct his future direction, and quell the emotion that has seiged his heart.
 
Andrews’ artwork still remains wonderfully kinetic, but I still find it lacking in terms of conveying more typical and scenery and emotion; but I’m still a fan. I can’t say this was the strongest issue yet, but with the damage that has been dealt to K’un Lun and even the Immortal Iron Fist himself, I find it almost obligatory to stay on and see things play out.

Our Score:

6/10

A Look Inside