After months of waiting, Marvel Comics’ much-awaited Iron Fist 50th Anniversary Special #1 went on sale in comic shops on Wednesday and Danny Rand fans are divided as to what to make of it. The 40-page comic is meant to be a celebration of the Living Weapon’s five decades in the Marvel Universe, and for the most part, it was.

The fifth and final story of the one-shot, however, seemed to be the final fate of Danny Rand…or was it?

SPOILER ALERT! This review is not for those who haven’t read Iron Fist 50th Anniversary Special #1 as I will be going into spoiler territory. You’ve been warned, Marvelite!

The special issue is composed of five parts, divided among a handpicked host of creators from Marvel’s rich history. I’ll discuss each one and what I thought of the story and art. I won’t dive into the coloring, but I must say that the color artist for each story did their jobs excellently, especially Alex Sinclair, who proved once again that he’s a master of the medium.

But first, let’s start with the covers:

Regular cover by Alan Davis and Alex Sinclair (color artist)

It’s a celebration issue, so it’s great to see Danny Rand wearing the different costumes and colors that he has worn over the years. Davis focused on the original costume design, naturally, and he did a superb job mostly. If not for the questionable background choice (it looks like a piece of cloth to me) and colors (yellow or a different shade of green; Iron Fist-y colors!), this would have been an A.

GRADE: B+

Variant cover by Kevin Eastman and Paul Mounts (color artist)

While Eastman is a legend in comics for bringing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to life, he didn’t quite hit the brief in drawing Iron Fist and Sabretooth. It’s an okay cover at best.

GRADE: B-

Variant cover by David Aja

Aja’s style is far different from his days illustrating The Immortal Iron Fist, but he still wows us with his crisp and clear art. Bonus points for Aja, too, for pairing Danny with Orson Randall.

GRADE: A

Variant cover by Howard Chaykin and Jesus Aburtov (color artist)

Chaykin is a highly respected artist in comicdom, and it shows why in his work here. This cover art was originally used as the inside back cover art for The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #29, except it was in black-and-white.

GRADE: B+

The lettering was provided by VC’s Travis Lanham and the editors are Danny Khazem and Mikey J. Basso, Mark Paniccia (Senior Editor), and C.B. Cebulski (Editor-In-Chief).

1. “Training Day” by Chris Claremont, Lan Medina, and Israel Silva

The opening page says the story takes place after Iron Fist (1975) #15. That’s true, but more accurately, it takes place between Marvel Team-Up (1972) #64 and Power Man (1972) #48. Danny and Misty Knight were not on speaking terms until the MTU issue.

Misty and Colleen Wing are observers and cheerleaders on the sidelines. It’s always great to see the Daughters of the Dragon in an Iron Fist comic.

This was supposedly training for Iron Fist to hone his skills for when he faces Sabretooth a second time. Claremont doesn’t explain why Danny needs to train blindfolded. It’s a mystery to me because it’s not like he will face Sabretooth again without the use of his eyesight, as was the case in Iron Fist (1975) #14 when he became snow blind.

His trainer is none other than Wolverine who is still wearing the garb he took from Fang in the pages of The X-Men. As it is with most fictional training sessions, the trainee takes a beating at first until they figure it out eventually in the end. Nothing new here, but it does reinforce the fact that Danny’s training in K’un-Lun is quite extensive, and it includes heightening one’s five senses.

The art and storytelling by Medina are excellent. The minimalist use of backgrounds is similar to when John Byrne used to draw panels in a similar way to emphasize the moment and to remove distractions as well. One thing that bothers me, though, is Medina’s art when Danny called on the power of the iron fist. It should’ve been drawn in the classic 70s style and not like how it was sculpted in the XM Studios Iron Fist statue. Go ahead and Google it.

Nothing spectacular about the story by Claremont but the use of the second-person narrative is a familiar style that reconnects fans to an earlier time in Iron Fist’s life.

GRADE: B

2. “Iron Fisticuffs” by Alyssa Wong, Von Randal, and Arif Prianto

Talk about a fistfight! When Randal told me in an interview that his story with Wong was going to be a “full-on fight fest from the start,” he wasn’t kidding!

This story was better than I expected. While Wong’s Iron Fist five-issue mini-series was sometimes hampered by Lin Lie’s Sword Master past, this was not. It was enjoyable to just see him use the fist and the sword shards’ powers at the same time without anything holding him back.

I love that Pei is channeling some kind of power from the start even if it wasn’t her Iron Fist powers. Not sure if this is the same power she harnessed in her digital only miniseries from last year. The great thing is, she is referred to as an Iron Fist here and she eventually channels her chi powers once again by the end of the issue.

Lin Lie and Pei take on the Shocker, who looks so menacing here. I don’t think I’ve seen him more formidable than he is with the new gauntlet that Randal designed for him.

Wong did a superb job with this story, mixing both action and drama beautifully in a fast-paced, high-stakes situation. Lin Lie and Pei are a great tandem, and I’d love to see them both in action once again. But I’d love it better if they’re working with Danny. The interaction between the two Iron Fist kids is a lot of fun and it deserves to be explored further. 

Randal’s art is some of the best I’ve seen in an Iron Fist comic in recent years. His storytelling is superb and the action sequences are to die for. Hats off to the newcomer, who is sure to make more waves for Marvel down the line.

GRADE: A

3. “Emergency Call” by Justina Ireland, Elena Casagrande, and Espen Grundetjern

It’s the Daughters of the Dragon in a lighthearted story set in the past. Based on their outfits, the events here likely occurred before or after Power Man and Iron Fist #66. 

While I would’ve preferred a Nightwing Restorations detective story for the 50th anniversary issue (it’s been 50 years for Misty and Colleen, too, you know?), it’s still good to see them involved in their community in a fun tale that also features Iron Fist. Danny’s “emergency call” was nothing more than an S.O.S. to two of his best friends to help him with a project involving kids.

Ireland brings the three main characters of the original Iron Fist comic together for a behind-the-scenes look at how they interact when there are no baddies around. It’s a similar approach to how Jo Duffy used to portray these characters in Power Man and Iron Fist, although this is an even lighter take than those. It’s a cute, whimsical story that refreshes our memory of simpler times in the lives of Danny, Misty, and Colleen.

Casagrande’s art is perfect for Ireland’s tale. Her clean and polished art style is refreshing and it excellently captures the jovial nature of Colleen and Misty’s tasks, as well as Danny’s mischievousness. I’d love to see her draw a mini featuring the Daughters of the Dragon.

GRADE: B

4. “Heroes for Hire” by Frank Tieri, Ty Templeton, and Dee Cunniffe

I wondered a few weeks ago why Marvel never released a sneak peek of Templeton’s art for the series. Now we know why. This one-page story is a comical take on the Heroes for Hire duo of Power Man and Iron Fist with Colleen and Misty providing unsolicited commentary in the background.

Tieri was likely inspired by the iconic Marvel Comics house ad that Bill Sienkiewicz illustrated in the 80s, calling for readers to buy Luke Cage and Danny Rand’s title. Power Man was angry and direct in his approach to convincing readers to shell out 60 cents while Iron Fist appealed to the fans’ concern for their own safety over Luke’s demands.

You get that same vibe here. It’s pretty hilarious!

It’s also great to see B-list villains Man Mountain Marko and El Aguila, who I think is more of an anti-hero than a villain, really.

Templeton’s artwork skillfully narrates Tieri’s story. I don’t think there’s a better way of capturing the goofiness of the plot than how Templeton executed it.

GRADE: B

5. “Happy Birthday, Danny” by Jason Loo, Whilce Portacio, and Alex Sinclair

Now, let’s talk about the story that everyone is most curious to hear my thoughts on.

If the title sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same one that Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction used to end their Immortal Iron Fist run in issue 16 of the series. It was revealed then that almost every Iron Fist died at the age of 33. In the succeeding issues by writer Duane Swierczynski, Danny found a way to escape that fate by seemingly destroying the Ch’i-Lin, the mystical beast that craves access to Shou-Lao’s egg by taking an Iron Fist’s heart.

Loo, and the editors, unfortunately, missed an all-too-important detail about the Iron Fists who died at 33. Danny isn’t the only one who escaped the Ch’i-Lin. His predecessor, Orson Randall, escaped the beast at the same age by dumbing down his chi so that he became untraceable. Another Iron Fist, as pointed out by my fellow Iron Fist fan Kala Torres, who owns and runs the Iron Fist Facebook page, survived a horrific death at the hands of the Ch’i-Lin–Quan Yaozu, the first (recorded?) Iron Fist.

Back to Loo’s story, it appears that the Ch’i-Lin is alive and well, and this time is seeking revenge on Danny more than anything, especially since our not-so-young dragon (who’s celebrating his 34th birthday in this issue, by the way) no longer possesses the iron fist power. Despite this, Danny appears to have found a way to harness chi powers but not the one coming from Shou-Lao. 

Interestingly, Danny is still wearing his Iron Fist costume despite handing over the mantle to Lin Lie. As he battles Razor Fist, it becomes apparent to Danny that it’s not Shang-Chi’s foe that he is really facing, but the Ch’i-Lin, who took possession of the host body.

I can understand why Danny would fall prey to the hands of the Ch’i Lin this time compared to their first go-round. In Razor Fist’s body, the beast is nearly unstoppable already. But if you add in the fact that our hero is without Shou-Lao’s power and also intoxicated from his birthday celebration with Luke and Jeryn Hogarth, Danny never stood a chance.

Danny fights valiantly, but the battle takes a brutal turn for him, resulting in a nicked artery and the loss of his arm. We are spared the violent details as the story ends with the Ch’i-Lin/Razor Fist about to take his heart.

The next page begins with editor Danny Khazem saying “Danny Rand. Long Live Danny Rand.” Then, he goes on to promote Iron Fist collected editions and a few of the Marvel bullpen’s favorite covers. Khazem ends it later with the following:

“Gonna miss Danny. 

Hope all of you enjoyed the last fifty years of Iron Fist. 

Orson Randall to Danny Rand, Fan Fei to Lin Lie. 

So many great characters have held the mantle. 

The Iron Fist will always live on. 

From K’un-Lun to New York City. 

Immortal Weapons forever.

Shou-Lao the Undying thanks you.

Thanks for reading!”

In the last page, we see a QR code that is begging to be scanned. Once we open the link, we find an epilogue to the story we just read. And boy, it’s a good thing that’s there because otherwise, Iron Fist fans would’ve been up in arms over that ending! Most already are but I would have been among those, too!

We find out that Danny was truly dead and he was buried, but weeks later punches out of his grave with a glowing blue fist!

What does this mean? It means this is not the end for Danny and his story is far from over. If you’ve read last year’s Timeless #1, then you know that this is likely setting him up to become a puppet of Khonshu. How that will happen and when we’ll see the events unfold have yet to be revealed.

Despite the heartwrenching story, Loo crafted an action-packed tale reminding fans that Danny is still one of the best fighters in the Marvel Universe even without the iron fist. To go toe-to-toe and almost win against a mystical being of immense power is a testament to the skill and mastery of our fallen hero. The pulse-pounding pace of the battle puts readers at the edge of their seats and never lets up.

Portacio, meanwhile, does a spectacular job with the artwork. He brought his A-game and then some! Whilce was born to draw Iron Fist and I hope he gets the opportunity to work on a solo series one day. 

The X-Men veteran artist is well-known for the dynamic energy he brings to action sequences and even in the still moments, you feel a sense of drama and urgency. It’s the same for his work on the Iron Fist 50th Anniversary Special, and I am so grateful that Marvel tapped him to draw this final story.

GRADE: B+

In conclusion, the Iron Fist 50th Anniversary Special is mostly a celebration of the Living Weapon, in particular, Danny Rand. When taken individually, the stories range from average/interesting to almost great, while the art throughout the book is consistently at a high level.

Overall, the choice of creators was good, even if we were expecting other former Iron Fist creators aside from Claremont to take part in the festivities. I mostly enjoyed reading the stories, though I wish we had more to read with more creators involved. If only this was an 80-page giant rather than the 40-pager we were treated to.

I could have given this book a B+ if not for the dour mood that the book ends in, including a few minor and major issues that I need to get off my chest.

A 50th Anniversary Special should begin in celebration, and it should end in celebration. It should showcase what makes Iron Fist enduring and iconic while giving props to all the creators that have come before and those who could be a part of the character’s future. At least that’s the ideal.

Marvel should have reserved a death and resurrection story in another book. Ms. Marvel was recently killed off outside of her own title, so it’s not like this hasn’t been done before. Danny deserved a more heroic ending in which his peers witnessed his heroism. That is how you honor the life and legacy of a 50-year-old character who has survived and thrived and staved off recent criticism of his origin and race.

And where’s the tribute to Iron Fist’s co-creators, Roy Thomas and Gil Kane? The opening page should’ve included their names at the bottom of the title at the very least. This was a major misstep.

Additionally, I wanted to see a portfolio of artwork from past Iron Fist artists to grace the last few pages of the book. Rather than use it to promote their slate of graphic novels, it would have been much better to include rarely seen pencils or inked works by Iron Fist legends like Kane, John Byrne, Kerry Gammill, David Aja, Kaare Andrews, Mike Perkins, and others. 

Finally, that epilogue should have been placed within the book. Anything that’s part of the narrative shouldn’t be on the Marvel.com website but within the pages of the anniversary special. The QR code should have been used instead to promote the Iron Fist books that Khazem presented in the one-shot, giving us more room for the portfolio I suggested or it could have been used for another short story.

Again, individually, the stories and art are all good and at times excellent. I truly appreciate the creators’ efforts and their contributions to this book. They should be celebrated as well. I’d love to congratulate them for a job well done. 

Collectively, however, considering that more could’ve and should’ve been done to celebrate Iron Fist, it falls short of expectations. Danny may have survived his greatest battle, but having to scan the QR code to finish the story and the uncertainty of his future as the Iron Fist dampened the mood quite a bit.

OVERALL GRADE: B-

The IRON FIST 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.