Immortal Iron Fist - Volume 2: The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven

by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction

Book Overview

Once a generation, the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven align on a plane far beyond the ken of mortal men. It is here that these cities send their Immortal Warriors to compete against one another in a combat tournament to end all tournaments...and it is here that Daniel Rand was spirited to in his darkest hour.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0785125353
• ISBN13: 9780785125358
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Marvel
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.8" x 10.3"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Great Read

Volume 2 was a great read. I read the original story of Ku'n Lun when I was a boy, and this updated version does it justice.

Finally... Iron Fist done right!

If you grew up during the 1970's Kung Fu craze you will love this series. If you grew up during the 1980's ninja craze you will love this series. If you grew up with Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II in the 1990's you will love this series. Iron Fist has been a hit and miss character in the Marvel Universe for about 30 years. His longest run was as friend and partner to Luke Cage in the Power Man & Iron Fist series. The current Immortal Iron Fist takes the character in a new direction and brings back memories of those wonderful cheesy Kung Fu movies I grew up with. The Seven Capital Cities of Heavens follows a tournament between the living weapons of seven mystical cities which only are accessible from Earth every decade. A KUNG-FU TOURNAMENT BETWEEN MYSTICAL CITIES~! For Pete's sake what more do you need to know? Fabulous characters too like: Dog Brother #1~! Bride of Nine Spiders~! Tiger's Beautiful Daughter~! Prince of Orphans~! Fat Cobra~! Seriously, how can you not love this series?

More than meets the eye

The principle thing that makes me give this book 5 stars is what it isn't. It isn't typical superhero fare, it hasn't typical superhero art and when you see the story is going to end with the typical "death match with the evil baddie getting his comeuppance", it doesn't. Fraction is the writer on the rise at Marvel Comics and Brubaker is, well, Brubaker. He's the guy that killed off Steve Rogers and is still selling the book to fans (like me) who cannot get enough of it. In this tale, he is channeling elements of the pulps, from Argosy-type adventurers to tales of the "Mysterious East". Together, they are working genres filled with stereotypes and yet making it all feel fresh and new. David Aja's art is perfectly suited to the story being told. His martial arts choreography is solid and his noir style fitting. If you like the pulps - hard-boiled detectives to tales of exotic places - or even the old movie serials, this is the book you're looking for. The story is rich and complex, but easy to follow, and the art is superb. All in all, a perfect melding of pictures and words. Throw in Luke Cage and the Heroes for Hire and how can you go wrong?

You Just Don't Mess with the Iron Fist

Let me start out by saying that Matt Fraction has a hell of a career ahead of him. Boy can this guy write! He's gained so much popularity with Marvel due to his craft that he's even leaving Iron Fist (unfortunately) to go write on X-Men (Yeah!). And this Aja artist is something else too. Boy can he draw the kung-fu type of story that kung-fu fanatics like! His picture renderings of Fraction's words are amazing. This volume of stories, not to give away too much, focuses on the battles being waged by several clans of Mystical Powers in the sacred city of "Heaven". These clans each have their own master, all of them cool and very powerful in their own rights, with Danny Rand, the current Iron Fist, just being one of them. These stories also include former Iron Fists and Luke Cage and the new Heroes for Hire. Just an all around great story. Peace and Love, Jake

Unbelievably good

Seriously, who would have thought that a lower-tier character like Iron Fist would ever have gotten his own series that is this good? The writing team of Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Daredevil) and Matt Fraction (Punisher War Journal, The Order) deliver a title that combines nods to the 70's kung-fu era that helped birth the character, and just plain great storytelling. The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven, the second collected volume of Brubaker and Fraction's run on Immortal Iron Fist, finds Danny "Iron Fist" Rand possibly in over his head as there are those seeking to end the Iron Fist legacy. Continuing with flashbacks, backstory, and the fleshing out of one of the best supporting casts in all of mainstream comics today, The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven ends up reaching heights that you may not expect. The story may be a bit too convoluted and the mix of mysticism and martial arts mythology may be nothing new, but Brubaker and Fraction manage to weave a storyarc that is ever-twisting and even more enjoyable. David Aja's artwork continues to impress as well, as he stands as the absolute best artist to ever render Iron Fist, and his action sequences are simply spectacular. All in all, if you've been missing out on Immortal Iron Fist, you are doing youself a great disservice, and you deserve to check out one of the most surprising new series' to come out of Marvel in quite some time.