1001 Assassins!

I must admit to having little knowledge of or exposure to the French combat sport known as savate, where one who engages in it uses both their hands and feet against their opponent in a combination of kicking techniques and boxing. Our western equivalent would seem to be the sport of kickboxing, though savate involves the use of shoes in sparring. (Beats me why kickboxers wear boxing gloves, since their bare feet are capable of inflicting the injury that gloves are designed to at least buffer; the "boxing shoes" that savate fighters wear also appear to provide a measure of protection for the bones in the foot.)

In comics, the poster character for the art of savate would of course be the French mercenary named Batroc, who's often met Captain America in battle but has also crossed paths with Danny Rand, the nimble and well-trained Iron Fist, whose fighting style is much different from Cap's and places a greater emphasis on martial arts. Batroc often puts up a good fight against Cap but seldom prevails despite his bluster and enthusiasm; but while Iron Fist would appear to have a greater repertoire of striking techniques than Batroc, combined with his own talent for placing kicks, I couldn't tell you which fighter would come out on top in a hand-to-hand match (though admittedly I'd have to have good reason for putting my money on Batroc).

One issue I thought might provide the answer would be their first meeting in Marvel Premiere, a title where Iron Fist got his start and kept a lock on for a little over a year. And given my curiosity on the matter, the cover seemed to have me in mind in making its pitch.

At the time of the story, Iron Fist has been framed for the murder of Harold Meachum, the man who had murdered Danny's parents in the Himalayas; in addition, Meachum's daughter, Joy, is firmly convinced of Iron Fist's guilt and has vowed to make him pay. Yet Iron Fist makes one more attempt to persuade her otherwise--only he's walked into a trap, set by Joy's uncle, Ward, who has hired an assassin especially suited to take down their mutual enemy--a man who even now *ahem* leaps to the attack.

With the stage set, you've already doubtless realized that it won't be cover artist Gil Kane illustrating this match, but Detroit artist Arvell Jones, who made his debut as penciller in this story and went on to illustrate issues of Invincible Iron Man. Working with scripter Tony Isabella, who has provided Iron Fist with a considerable range of specialized martial arts strikes both real and fictional, the two choreograph a reasonable contest between the characters--though with this being no mere contest but deadly business, Iron Fist eventually uncorks the weapon from which he takes his name.

The fight may indeed be over--but since Batroc has been known to have a "brigade" which is at his beck and call, the battle here is just getting started, particularly when it's evident that Batroc has once again adjusted upward the number of men who answer his call, this time to roughly the size of two battalions. Iron Fist is obviously skilled--but how can he stay on his feet against 1000-to-1 odds?

Answer: As we can see, he doesn't--unless he receives help once more from a mysterious killer who has stepped in before, a man who also happens to be the true killer of Meachum and who doesn't hesitate to spill blood this time. Yet his lack of mercy also forces Batroc to take a hand in stopping him--before Iron Fist lowers the boom and stops everyone in their tracks.

That's some ninja, able to turn the tide against hundreds of armed fighters who in the real world would simply move too fast against the two who impossibly hold their own against them--and on an unrelated note, I definitely wouldn't mind having an office the size of Joy's, where two fighters and a couple of battalions have ample room to thrash about. At any rate, before anyone can recover, the ninja spirits Iron Fist away in a cloud of smoke, to reappear across town--after which he vanishes on his own before he can be questioned by the one who needs to have answers from him.

As for Batroc, he has a few words for Ward Meachum concerning the amount of money he's owed--but with Batroc having failed to fulfill the strict terms of their agreement, he has no choice but to depart with only a pittance of that amount, though leaving a warning that Meachum and his niece would do well to heed.

(I couldn't help but notice that a number of men in Batroc's brigade were wearing what might pass for boxing shoes. If such was the intent, it was a nice touch, Mr. Jones.)