Seeing as Marvel Ultimate Alliance is at least partially responsible for the creation of this blog, I thought it would be worth noting that the sequel will contain 100% more kung-fu with the introduction of the Immortal Iron Fist. Having Luke Cage in the first one without the additional option for a Heroes For Hire team-up was one of the biggest failings of that game. I can’t wait to see the alternate costumes, especially since they seem to start with the worst designs first.

Like many people, one of the titles that got me to sample superheroes again was Iron Fist. The revamp was a textbook example of how to pull off the comic equivalent of a b-movie, and I don’t just mean that in the sense that it dealt with both pulp and exploitation themes. Iron Fist is one of those titles that seemed to draw a fair number of readers from outside the regular Marvel readership, justifying its continued existence by bringing fresh money into the company as opposed to just transferring it from one property to another.

Word on the street is that the team behind Iron Fist’s resurgence is stepping down en masse, to be replaced by hard-boiled writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Travel Foreman. I’m almost as into crime fiction as I am kung fu flicks, so I’m hopeful that Swierczynski brings it. From the sounds of it, he’s not immune to the charms of a well-placed kick to the face himself.