Hi everyone,
Today I'm starting another classic comic book blog series. This one will begin with Special Marvel Edition #15. The first fourteen issues of this title were reprints of earlier stories featuring Thor and Nick Fury, respectively. This was the first issue of the title that had all-new material. It focused on Shang-Chi and included supporting characters that were originally created by Sax Rohmer. The issue was written by Steve Engelhart and drawn by Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom. It had a cover date of December 1973.
The story began with the titular character swiftly defeating several opponents. We learn that Shang-Chi is the son of the legendary Fu Manchu. The leader had honed his son into becoming a living weapon. He soon sent Shang on his first mission: to eliminate an elderly man known as Doctor Petrie.
Shang soon left his father's Honan, China retreat en route for the Mayfair section of London, England, where his target lay in bed. Shang crept in through an open window and was surprised hby ow old and feeble his target was. He struck quickly, fulfilling his mission. As the young assassin left, he was met by Petrie's friend, Sir Dennis Nayland Smith, who pointed his pistol at the intruder.
A swift kick knocked the gun out of Smith's hand. Smith then turned his wheelchair to the bed where his friend slumbered no longer. Shang admitted that he was Fu Manchu's son and that he was told that Petrie was evil. Smith revealed how Manchu had murdered one of his companions and had his underling named Tak mangle his leg during one of their encounters, showing the lad the damaged limb. Shang was shocked to learn this and fled the house.
Shang later spoke with his mother. He wanted to know the truth about his father. She would not lie to her son. She revealed that Fu Manchu had selected her to be the scientifically perfect mother of his child. She did not love Manchu, but she wanted a son who would one day be king.
The young warrior later went up face-to-face with Tak. The battle was impressive but brief. After his victory, Shang ventured deeper into his father's headquarters. He saw several of his father's experiments up close, including an angered gorilla who soon attacked him. The flame from a nearby brazier scorched the creature's back, and he ran downstairs in agony.
Fu Manchu then spoke to his son in person. He stated that his initial goal was to restore China to its former glory, but that the Communist revolution and the intrusion of Smith damaged much of that. He later rebuilt the Si-Fan by himself. It took 20 years, but he accomplished that goal. Manchu now stood alone in his plans of conquest. Shang saw the madness in his father and stalked off, just after declaring that when they met again, it would be as enemies.
At the time this story was conceived, Bruce Lee movies and the David Carradine TV series Kung Fu were incredibly popular. It made sense that martial arts and kung fu would be featured in comic books. Marvel and DC both capitalized on this trend. However, of the two publishers, only Marvel's Shang-Chi would stand the test of time decades later, and even had his own MCU movie a few years ago.
I first started reading some of the back issues and was captivated by the art and storytelling. Over the years, I eventually collected the entire run from 1973 to 1990. I'll cover each issue of this title, including the annual and 4 giant-size comics, as well as the stories from the first 8 issues of Marvel Comics Presents and the 1990 one-off Shang-Chi standalone comic book. I hope you'll enjoy reading these articles as much as I do writing them. You can buy the comics or trade paperback, or hardback collections if you want to learn more about these characters and their creators.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about Special Marvel Edition #16. This is the last issue before it was renamed The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu. In that issue, Shang will go up against a former friend for the last time. We'll also find out a bit more about Fu Manchu's intentions. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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