Source: marvel.com

8. “The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven, Part 1”

Writers: Matt Fraction & Ed Brubaker
Artists: David Aja & Roy Allan Martinez

And now we are kicking off the book’s second arc in earnest and it is a banger. Danny has been called back to K’un L’un for a martial arts tournament fight between the titular Seven Capital Cities of Heaven, of which K’un L’un is one.

Meanwhile, we are slowly getting the story of Danny’s father Wendell Rand and his quest to become the Iron Fist decades ago. And I’m super invested in both stories! Maybe it’s the two writers but there’s no slack in this book anywhere to be found. Not in the writing, not in the art, nowhere, no how. It’s impressive.

By the end of the issue, we’ve met the other fighters, including Fat Cobra, the first opponent Danny will have to face. They do a good job of introducing a varied cast of characters who all seem dangerous and deadly, but in very different ways from Danny. It does not seem like it’ll be an easy fight.