Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun #1: Kung Fu Hustle

Lin Lie isn’t having the best time in his young life. His arm hurts every time he uses his powers, his senior hates him, the girl he likes barely notices him, he can’t control his chi, and worst of all his older brother Lin Feng has toppled the Seven Heavenly Cities in an effort to unleash an ancient war god hellbent on taking over the world.Time to put those Iron Fists to good use. 

I’ll admit that I was never the biggest fan of Lin Lie as Iron Fist. The few issues of Swordmaster I read didn’t really endear me to his character, and overall I felt his becoming Iron Fist was an overcorrection to a problem that didn’t really need solving. Seeing that this decision to appease overseas mobile game partners resulted in Danny’s already established successor Pei being thrown to the wayside, and you might be able to understand my indifference for this character. That being said I’m a sucker for a good martial arts movie and this is poised to deliver on that front.

Yifan Jiang continues the story that started with Danny’s death in 2024 and continued on through various series until now. Despite having been handed the reins from other writers, Yifan successfully manages to keep things cohesive in this introductory issue for readers like myself who may not have followed the ongoing narrative up to this point. Lie’s concerns about living up to Danny’s example are a bit basic, but they serve as a solid foundation for his ongoing development. His connection to the main villain also gives him a bit more to chew on as the two have conflicting views of how they saw each other growing up; Lie with reverence and awe for his older brother, while Feng had resentment for the younger. There are teases of other characters who will join the fight who hopefully will have moments to shine.

Paco Medina’s art, while standard, makes for fine visuals of this narrative. Given the characters involved the action isn’t quite as exciting as it should be, but I assume that will improve as the story moves along. Ceci de la Cruz’s colors are bright and help showcase the more mystical elements of this corner of the Marvel Universe.