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With the demise of the original Iron Fist series, Misty made appearances in Powerman and then Powerman and Iron Fist. As one half of The Daughters of the Dragon, her next story with Colleen Wing was in this all ladies issue of Bizarre Adventures (March 1981). And bizarre adventure it is alright. We're introduced to an old college friend of Misty's, Angie Freeman, who has, unfortunately, become a vampire! Read on...


Misty doesn't really know what happened yet, but as time goes on she'll come to understand that Angie has used her vampire abilities to bring Misty under her control. She's preparing Misty as a sacrifice in exchange for the protection of the local community from criminals!


Right now Colleen would make a great partner for Blade the Vampire Slayer, but she has to go this one alone. Sure enough, Misty's all set to become the new vampire on the block. Colleen's martial arts kit is vampire slayer oriented, and against huge odds she goes into action.


Misty's strong friendship with Colleen gives her enough strength to fight back against Angie's influence. When Colleen is downed, Misty picks up the battle, and finally releases Angie from her vampire hell with an improvised stake through the heart, courtesy of her bionic right arm. Colleen finishes the job by beheading Angie's body with her samurai sword. Strangely, the heroines aren't appreciated by the local populace, who were happy being indebted to vampires in exchange for freedom from criminals. Not a bad deal, actually when you think about it. No wonder they're angry at Misty and Colleen.


The girls get a well-deserved break on some tropical island. But even though they could relocate their business there if they wanted, Misty feels obliged to return to New York and help the people whose vampire protectors she and Colleen vanquished.


Merging kung fu and vampire slaying seems like a good combination on the basis of this issue. I wonder if there were subsequent team-ups with The Daughters of the Dragon and Blade the Vampire Slayer. In keeping with the other comics featuring Misty Knight that Out Of This Word has looked at in the previous 5 posts, this story simply presents African American and white/Asian in harmony. Race hasn't been an issue in any of these stories. Misty is an example, at least from what we've examined, of a simple passive approach to racial integration in comics, showing members of different races happily integrated as members of some overarching category, be it human or American, that puts race in a subordinate position. It seems, from her personality and activities, that Misty Knight is as much a feminist heroine as one promoting racial harmony.

In the previous post on Out Of This World we saw Misty and Danny break up (Iron Fist 13). Remember that Misty had started rooming with Jean Grey? Well that connection eventually brings her into contact with the upper stratum of the Marvel Universe - godlike mutants, galaxy-spanning alien empires, etc. In such situations she's little more than a spectator, like here in X-Men 105 (June 1977):


Misty seemed to take all that in her stride. She even remained unfazed when Eric the Red got thrown into the mix, and abducted Lilandra before she and Misty really had any time to get acquainted:


It's a little too much for Jean's parents though:


Misty is definitely the most level-headed person left in the apartment, when Firelord returns looking for a fight:


A lot happens elsewhere in the universe in X-Men 106 & 107, and the X-men return safely to New York in X-Men 108. By now John Byrne has taken over the X-Men art from Dave Cockrum. Lilandra and the Professor are re-uinited, as are Misty and her cosmic room-mate, and all seems well:


Onto Iron Fist 15, the last issue in the original series and a Chris Claremont/John Byrne X-Men crossover, and we discover the nature of Misty's mission that she took following her break-up with Danny in ish 13 - to infiltrate the Bushmaster's operation, disguised as Maya Korday:


That plot line continues in Marvel Team-Up 63. Misty eventually breaks her cover and escapes from Bushmaster, only now he's that mad he wants her dead.


Misty eventually catches up with Iron Fist, but only after he's taken one heck of a beating from Steel Serpent, who's also stolen his power.


Marvel Team-Up 64 features both Misty and Colleen, as The Daughters of the Dragon, teamed up with Spider-man and Iron Fist:


Danny's helpless condition rekindles Misty's feelings for him. Colleen and Misty prepare to do battle with Steel Serpent, so that somehow they might be able to restore Danny's power to him.


Spidey soon re-engages in combat with Steel Serpent, but some intervention from Misty and Colleen is needed. Misty's bionic right arm comes in useful.


But it's Iron Fist himself who finishes the fight. Steel Serpent doesn't have the will power to control the Iron Fist, and is consumed by it. Danny reabsorbs his power and is restored to his former self.


So Misty and Iron Fist are an item again... for now. And here, in the final panel, is that piece of expert retcon that ties this all back to Misty's first appearance in Marvel Team-Up 1.


So what do we have with Misty Knight as a character? Not too much background given thus far - less than for Colleen Wing. Misty was a lady cop in the NYPD, who saved Colleen one time and they developed a strong partnership. Misty got her right arm blown off by a bomber, and had it replaced with a bionic arm. She and Colleen went into business as private cops, Nightwing Restorations, but with all their martial arts skills also became known as The Daughters of the Dragon. Misty sports an afro hairstyle, and is generally a stylish dresser. Misty is clearly comfortable in an integrated society - she has a mixed white/Asian business partner, a white room mate, and a white boyfriend. Race hasn't surfaced as an issue in any of  Misty's early appearances. So it seems that she is an African American character contributing to the diversity of the Marvel Universe. I've read suggestions that making her a kung-fu specialist puts Misty in the blaxploitation category, since kung fu was popular with African Americans in the 1970s, but I'm not fully convinced of this argument. Blaxploitation, as I understand it, exploits negative stereotypes of African Americans. Enjoying kung fu movies or being into martial arts doesn't strike me as having any negative connotations, and it doesn't seem to be much of an established stereotype either.

As a person Misty is sometimes cool-headed in highly stressful situations, but at other times will punch first and ask questions later. She's resourceful, intelligent, and extremely brave. She's sophisticated and beautiful. She's capable of warmth, but can erect barriers when necessary - she's learned how to survive. Ultimately we know very little of Misty's background at this point in her comics career, and she's really been mostly a support character, with the exception of those two issues of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu featuring The Daughters of the Dragon. Probably the most significant aspect of Misty's early appearances is her inter-racial romance with Danny Rand (Iron Fist). This occurs matter-of-factly, as something natural, normal, and not necessary to be remarked upon. So Misty's appearance in the Marvel Universe, from the point of view of racial integration, is an example of presentation of fait accomplis harmonious integration.