Issue(s): Iron Fist #11, Iron Fist #12, Iron Fist #13
Cover Date: Feb-Jun 77
Title: "A fine day's dying!" / "Assault on Avengers' Mansion!" / "Target: Iron Fist!"
Credits:
Chris Claremont - Writer
John Byrne - Penciler
Dan Adkins - Inker

Review/plot:
Hey man, this is what it's all about. Great story and characterization by Claremont, awesome art by John Byrne, a fight with the Wrecking Crew...

...an appearance by Captain America...

...and... well, Boomerang.

They can't all be winners. Still, refreshingly good stuff after slogging through some real clunkers.

The Wrecking Crew take Misty Knight hostage and force Iron Fist to attack Captain America.

But instead Fist and Cap lure the Wrecking Crew into the Avengers' "Danger Room", which is on the Thor setting.

We've seen in the past that other heroes were getting ideas and equipment from Professor Xavier, and the Avengers have definitely had a training room prior to this, but this seems to be the first time they call it a Danger Room.

Boomerang's trick boomerangs are definitely camp, but he's actually a good opponent for Iron Fist.

Boomerang is said to be a hired killer sent after Iron Fist.

In a sub-plot, Ward Meachum is hunted down and forced to quit Meachum, Inc. by Joy Meachum's assistant Davos, who subsequently declares that it is time to seek his vengeance on Iron Fist. Davos will turn out to be the Steel Serpent.

Danny and Misty have a fight around her taking an assignment to infiltrate a criminal organization. And former IRA member Alan Cavenaugh is still running around as well.

Brief cameo by Matt Murdock and Heather Glenn at the beginning of issue #11 (and that's Jim Shooter and Roger Stern in the background).

Here's the opening scan from issue #12, which may also contain a Shooter/Stern cameo (see the comments).

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 2

Chronological Placement Considerations: Iron Fist #11 has some sneaky importance - it actually depicts the scene with Jean Grey getting out of the hospital. Jean's next appearance is in Uncanny X-Men #104.

If the monitor scene with Daredevil beating up "Shooter" is really meant to depict Mr. Hyde, this should take place after Daredevil #141-143, which overlaps these issues in publication dates.

References:

• Colleen's father has been in the hospital since his run-in with Angar the Screamer in Iron Fist #1.
  
• Iron Fist mind-melded with Colleen in Iron Fist #6.
  
• The Wrecking Crew fought the Defenders in Defenders #19.
  
• The Wrecker subsequently appeared alone, mind-controlled by the Puppet Master, in Fantastic Four #168.
  
• Iron Fist met Iron Man in Iron Fist #1.
  
• Captain America sees that Iron Fust has been accused of two murders: Harold Meachum in Marvel Premiere #18, and Bill Hao in Iron Fist #9.
  
• Boomerang previously appeared in Tales To Astonish #81-84 and Tales To Astonish #86-88.
  
• Ward Meachum is hunted down by Davos based on crimes revealed in Iron Fist #9-10.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Essential Iron Fist vol. 1

While the cocept of Iron fist and Cap against the Werescking crew is great in theory, I have plenty of problems with it.

First off, Cap acts amazingly stupid in order for them to have their misunderstanding fight.

Second, the avengers don't have a "danger room". One of the handbooks tried to explain it away by saying it was equiptment created by Tony Stark that was being tested before sent to the X-men. Ok, then why did it have a "Thor" sequence if it was going to the X-men? (rhetorical question)

third, the Wreaking crew are thor level villains who just battled the defenders. Sorry but they should not get beaten by two unpowered heroes, even with a "danger room" to help. This was the early beginnings of depowering the Crew.

Kveto, the Avengers DO have a training room, though. We first saw it in Avengers 66.

That's fine, but it's not a "Danger room". The Avengers have never, to my knowledge, refered to it as such (outside of this comic)

They referred to it as a "Danger Room" in one other issue, Captain Marvel 54, which fnord linked to.

Ok

Then,I do wonder why the handbooks went to such elaborate lengths to explain the name "Danger room" away.(You'll find it in the Wrecking crew entry)

Aside from the Danger Room, does anyone else wonder when Jean became a gourmet chef? Did I miss that? Has anyone ever complemented her cooking before?

Aside from all that, that is one kick-ass panel where Cap shows up. I know that's not who I want to find standing over me, mad.

Hey, she's a Silver Age heroine. Of course someone compliments her cooking.

She does say in her back-up feature in X-Men #57 (i have it reprinted in Cat #4) that she's "not exactly the domestic type", though.

Misty could have been delivering that line ironically, as well.

BTW, is it me or did Jean suddenly become a lot more, I don't know, maternal, compassionate,gentle, after she returned in X-Factor? I can't think of any scenes where Jean was either in a maternal role or displayed great compassion before she returned in X-Factor. (The possible exception is X-Men 129, when she talks with Kitty but as Scott points out, that's because she's the most normal looking of the heroes present.) I have to wonder if this was in some way a reaction to Maddie becoming a mother, the X-Men/Alpha Flight crossover where Maddie becomes a healer, etc.- like there was some sort of competition between Maddie and Jean to see who could be the most maternal/compassionate/etc.

The Jim Shooter and Roger Stern cameo is really interesting because they appear in both Iron Fist #11 and #12, in relation to Daredevil's appearance both times.

In issue 11, they are in the background behindMatt Murdock and Heather Glenn, and in issue 12, a TV news report shows Daredevil beating up Shooter while Stern watches on, terrified. I believe that Shooter had just taken over writing Daredevil when these issues were published. One of the more elaborate visual in-jokes that Byrne has done.

Whoa, Boomerrang was gone for 10 years.

david banes: Considering his new costume and the fact he actually uses boomerangs now, I'd say it was time well spent.

Daredevil's beating up Shooter on the monitor? I'd always thought it was Mr. Hyde... Now I feel silly.

I've added the scan with the Shooter/Hyde monitor scene. I think Aaron is right that it's Shooter because of the (hilarious) image of Stern that is included, but it does look like Hyde, too.

I've also added a note in the considerations in case it was meant to be Hyde.

Before the comments above, I'd never realised Boomerang had not appeared for so long before this. In some ways this was Claremont or Byrne bringing back a forgotten Silver Age villain. Presumably Byrne designed his standard costume as it debuts here?

Can Someone in the Marvel Hierchy for the love og God get the WRECKING CREW on the Silver screen. These Cats are the AC/DC of Supervillian groups! Even a small cameo fight sequence with their tough guy rhetoric and kick ass powers would suffice!

As far as placement goes, this is actually the second time Jean gets out of the hospital since becoming Phoenix, right? To make everything work, she has to get out of the hospital in X-Men 101, travel to the American southwest for Marvel Team-Up Annual #1, get injured in the Marvel Tales reprint of Marvel Team-Up 53, and go back into the hospital, still in X-Men 101, to come out here.

All of that is said in the appropriate entries. Not sure what you're asking here, Andrew?

Sorry, I wasn't really asking anything. I was just summarizing it all in one spot and expressing incredulity at the complexity of it.

Ok, you said "As far as placement goes" so i was worried i had something out of order. Agree it's nutty! ;-)

I'd Love to show up with a case o beer and a bottle of Anejo Tequila just to watch some of you mentally joust chronological nuance! As far as Jean Grey, I.believe she learned to cook in order to keep the Phoenix force satiated and may soon be seen on an episode of Chopped :)

Ha! I do remember Jean making pancakes after Onslaught, baking a cake in Claremonts Xtreme X-men and baking the cake for the xmens graduation.

While I agree that Boomerang is a good match-up for Iron Fist, Hawkeye would be a more natural adversary, drawing out Hawk's competitive side in showing who is a better marksman and weapon master. Strange that no writer picked up on this (that I know of, of course).

Howard Mackie DID have Boomerang go up against Hawkeye in Avengers Spotlight 27 but Clint defeated him with just two arrows, as fnord complains in that entry.

@Michael- Thanks for pointing that out. Pretty disappointing, considering the material that could have been mined from that throwdown.