Issue(s): Power Man & Iron Fist #66
Cover Date: Dec 80
Title: "The Jade Tiger!"
Credits:
Mary Jo Duffy - Writer
Kerry Gammill - Penciler
Ricardo Villamonte - Inker

Review/plot:
Nightwing Restorations is asked to steal a stolen Jade Tiger statue back for its original owner.

Unfortunately, the new owners have employed Sabretooth and the Constrictor to guard it.

Despite their best efforts (and allowing for the fact that Colleen keeps her sword in its sheath), they are defeated, with Misty getting stuck in the vault and Colleen badly scratched up by Sabretooth.

So Power Man and Iron Fist are called in to help.

Sabretooth is depicted as being especially ferocious and deadly.

Iron Fist basically defeats him with a sucker move after barely holding his own the whole fight.

There's a comical scene where Power Man tries to mimic some of Iron Fists ninjutsu moves while hiding from the Constrictor's electrical coils, but it doesn't really pan out.

The statue itself is described as feeling "almost alive". More on that in a few issues.

Earlier, Luke returns to Times Square, carrying a new vending machine.

But Harmony accidentally causes him to drop it.

I guess just about every issue of Power Man & Iron Fist has a scene with Danny working out with Bob Diamond. But he very rarely joins in for the rest of the plot.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - early Sabretooth appearance

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Iron Fist fought Sabretooth previously in Iron Fist #14
  
• The Constrictor brags about how his electric coils nearly defeated the Hulk. That's not how i remember it from Hulk #212. I remember the Constrictor getting trounced.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Sabretooth Classic #1

Byrne stated in a 1980 interview that Sabretooth was indeed Wolverine's father, and that they'd have a final battle in X-Men in 1981 that would kill Sabretooth for good.

Jo Duffy apparently claimed dibs on Sabretooth, since he'd first appeared in the predecessor series to her book, which is why Sabes doesn't show up in an X-book until 1986 (the month after PM&IF was cancelled, in fact), despite Byrne and Claremont's big plans for him.

Duffy also had dibs on Colleen Wing, cutting short her romance with Scott Summers, and I presume a desire not to tread on Duffy's toes may may account for Claremont never again using Warhawk except in a PM&IF story that killed off the character.

just a great fight issue, lots of fun. And Iron fist continues to kick Sabretooths butt (last time he was blind when he beat him)

Sabretooth is such a wimp. His career consists of losses to iron fist (several times), power-man, spider-man, the black cat, Misty Knight (who crippled him) and a draw with daredevil.

I guess he switched to Wolverine because everybody else was too tough for him.

The art by Gammill is above par compared to the rest of Mary Jo Duffy's run. Consistent good art like this would probably have boosted the title.

The big problem with PM&IF seems to be that 1) the balance needed between the kung fu and blaxploitation genres, 2) subpar implementation of the Hero for Hire concept, and 3) the supporting cast of Colleen Wing and Misty Knight are not normal enough to ground the title heroes into reality, something I consider to be very important.

The Constrictor-Sabretooth team is something I really like. It's an effective partnership as their powers complement each other.

Just fyi, you accidentally refer to Iron Fist as "Iron Man", when you talk about him knocking Sabretooth out with a sucker move.

Thanks Dermie. Fixed it.

"The Constrictor brags about how his electric coils nearly defeated the Hulk. That's not how i remember it from Hulk #212. I remember the Constrictor getting trounced."

In his defense, would you admit to getting beat up all the time or would you outright lie about it?

For Constrictor, getting beat by the Hulk or the Heroes for Hire is nothing to be ashamed of. Being defeated by NFL Superpro, however, is grounds for entering the Federal Witness Protection Program, or shedding all traces of one's life and rebuilding one's reputation working for mobsters a long way from the States, maybe Capetown or Sydney.