Reviews
Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection Vol. 2: Revenge! by Frank Miller, Jo Duffy, Denny O'Neil
rayaan54's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
dbrooklyn's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
captwinghead's review
3.0
I enjoyed the stories written by Mary Jo Duffy and the first 70% of this book is pretty fun.
Then the art changes and the writing took a turn for the.. angry? Like, Luke was just angry and smashing things all the time. Surprisingly, it got progressively more racist with random, drugged out and drunk civilians treated Luke like crap because he's black. Then a random "don't do drugs" message across 3 separate issues. Lo and behold, the writer at the end of this book is Dennis O'Neil, most famous for his Green Arrow arc where Roy Harper becomes a drug addict. I was wondering how they managed to shove in some really uncomfortable racist moments and a really unsympathetic view of drug addiction - there's my answer. That Green Arrow arc owed quite a bit of its popularity to the fact that it was one of the first big comic stories to discuss drug addiction - but it didn't do it with any sympathy or understanding for the those that suffer from it.
Here, we have the only representation of drug addicts as a guy who's so high he gets himself gravely injured and annoys PW and IF by making them try to look out for him; then the racist guy that Luke has to take outside and then DW - good old DW who realized that he didn't need drugs, he's high on life. I get it - it was the 70s. People didn't have any sympathy for people who inconvenienced them by needed help but, it just sucks to see that the message spread was that anyone who falls off the wagon should be shunned because they're "disgusting". No wonder so many addicts are afraid to ask for help.
So, anyway, the first 70% is a blast. It's fun and campy and everything Marvel used to let their books be before the 90s came along and everyone had to be grumpy, angry and fight each other all the time. The last 30% was just a muddled, angry, misguided and confusing mess.
Then the art changes and the writing took a turn for the.. angry? Like, Luke was just angry and smashing things all the time. Surprisingly, it got progressively more racist with random, drugged out and drunk civilians treated Luke like crap because he's black. Then a random "don't do drugs" message across 3 separate issues. Lo and behold, the writer at the end of this book is Dennis O'Neil, most famous for his Green Arrow arc where Roy Harper becomes a drug addict. I was wondering how they managed to shove in some really uncomfortable racist moments and a really unsympathetic view of drug addiction - there's my answer. That Green Arrow arc owed quite a bit of its popularity to the fact that it was one of the first big comic stories to discuss drug addiction - but it didn't do it with any sympathy or understanding for the those that suffer from it.
Here, we have the only representation of drug addicts as a guy who's so high he gets himself gravely injured and annoys PW and IF by making them try to look out for him; then the racist guy that Luke has to take outside and then DW - good old DW who realized that he didn't need drugs, he's high on life. I get it - it was the 70s. People didn't have any sympathy for people who inconvenienced them by needed help but, it just sucks to see that the message spread was that anyone who falls off the wagon should be shunned because they're "disgusting". No wonder so many addicts are afraid to ask for help.
So, anyway, the first 70% is a blast. It's fun and campy and everything Marvel used to let their books be before the 90s came along and everyone had to be grumpy, angry and fight each other all the time. The last 30% was just a muddled, angry, misguided and confusing mess.
discocrow's review
5.0
It's Power Man and Iron Fist, what's not to love?
This is the second collected volume - my library didn't have the first, so I just sort of jumped in in the middle of things. A basic understanding of the characters and the arc of their plots is enough to cover your bases to dive in. Yes, there are bits of backstory that would be helpful, but overall...? You know what you're getting into, and what you're getting into is delightful.
I love these characters so much. I love their interaction, the humor in their dialogue, and their overall devotion to each other, their friends, their loved ones, and what is right. These stories are easy to digest, and altogether great. There's the first introduction of Sabertooth and Constrictor, the saving of Moon Knight, and the hilarious crossover with Daredevil. So good.
So, yeah, these two are the best partners in comics for a reason. This volume is just a taste of that.
This is the second collected volume - my library didn't have the first, so I just sort of jumped in in the middle of things. A basic understanding of the characters and the arc of their plots is enough to cover your bases to dive in. Yes, there are bits of backstory that would be helpful, but overall...? You know what you're getting into, and what you're getting into is delightful.
I love these characters so much. I love their interaction, the humor in their dialogue, and their overall devotion to each other, their friends, their loved ones, and what is right. These stories are easy to digest, and altogether great. There's the first introduction of Sabertooth and Constrictor, the saving of Moon Knight, and the hilarious crossover with Daredevil. So good.
So, yeah, these two are the best partners in comics for a reason. This volume is just a taste of that.
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