So apparently Christopher Priest could always write. This issue of Power Man and Iron Fist makes me wish I had the rest of the series, or at least Priest’s work on it. The really strong part about the comic is how well Priest paints the ranges of characters’ motivations. When S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to blow-up the Beyonder’s fortress, they aren’t necessarily bad–just like when the Falcon essentially puts them up to it.
But when Iron Fist realizes it’s wrong, he’s definitely the good guy. I never knew the series was so packed with guest stars–besides the two main characters, there’s Fury, Falcon, the Beyonder and Captain Hero (a DC hero trapped in a Marvel universe)–but Priest makes it clear it’s Luke and Danny’s book.
Obviously, being a Secret Wars II crossover hampers it a little, but there’s a lot of good stuff going on here. Lots.
Boy oh boy. Aside from the Secret Wars tie in scaring me away, that is possibly one of the worst covers I’ve ever seen on a comic book. It’s no wonder that Priest doesn’t work in comics anymore. With all the handicaps this book seems to have, why bother?