Retro Comic Recap: Master of Kung Fu #27

 Hi everyone,

Today, I'll be discussing the twenty-seventh issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed the titular character engaged in battle with a half-dozen attackers. The tale was called "Confrontation." The issue had a cover date of April 1975.

The story started on a rooftop in New York City, where Shang-Chi toppled a television antenna with one strong kick. He used the downed antenna as a bridge to traverse from one rooftop to another until he came across a flagpole with a rope tied to the top. Shang then used the remainder of the rope to slowly descend. 

As he did so, Shang-Chi thought back to his recent encounter with a man in Times Square who had been distributing religious leaflets. The man offered Shang a pamphlet moments before he was struck by a knife that had been thrown from afar. As he fell, Shang-Chi glimpsed the dragon pattern on the hilt of the blade and recognized it as a type of weapon commonly used by some of his father's Si-Fan assassins. He knew that the fatal blow was meant for him instead of the stranger. 

Shang then braced his foot against the building and swung backward, using his momentum to launch into a window and an abandoned office. He then left the room and headed for the elevator. Pressing the down button, Shang continued on toward meeting with his father once more.

At his father's New York headquarters, seven cloaked men sat around a table waiting for the arrival of Fu Manchu. Their leader soon arrived and greeted his council of seven. He warned them of the dangers posed by his daughter and the ruby eyes of the golden scorpion. Manchu also emphasized the importance of relying on his own eyes. 

Meanwhile, Shang-Chi had reached the first floor of the high-rise. He had no sooner stepped into the hallway when an armed security officer yelled at him to stop. He said that he had orders not to let anyone into the building after hours and drew his service revolver. Shang disarmed the officer with one kick and used another neck pinch to send his opponent into unconsciousness.

Shang then pushed the up button, sending the elevator car to a higher floor. He opened the elevator doors and climbed down the cables to the bottom. Another strong kick made an opening in a stone wall into a secret portion of Manchu's New York facility. 

Moments later, Fu Manchu was reminding his council that both his father and daughter were enemies, when Shang announced his presence overhead. He dropped the dagger that had slain the man he'd met in Times Square, knowing that he was its intended target. Manchu ended the conversation by saying that the time for words had ended, and with a clap of his hands, the council of seven stood, ready to take on their leader's son.

The ensuing battles were impressive, as each council member took on the intruding Shang-Chi. However, none of them proved to be much of a match for Manchu's son. Afterward, Shang was granted an audience with Manchu. He led his son into his laboratory, where they discussed their perspectives of good and evil. Fu Manchu informed Shang-Chi that his father had survived the explosion (of the pyramid in the last issue) and now controlled a fair number of his Si-Fan warriors. He warned that there would be war unless his son killed him.

Although Shang had expressed interest in ending his father's life before, he knew that he could not make that choice then. He professed his desire to slay evil instead. Shang-Chi left knowing that nothing had changed between them, and wondering if his father had lied to him yet again. 

Even though this kind of seemed like a fill-in issue, with artwork by guests John Buscema and Frank Springer, I still felt that it fit in well with the overall storyline. Shang had his opportunity for revenge against his father, but chose not to take any action in that regard. It also showed more of his moral compass, as he fought an inner battle against slaying him and feeling genuine remorse for the stranger who had died in his arms at the beginning of the story. Writer Doug Moench is the one person who really had a grasp on this character.

Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll recap the twenty-eighth issue of Master of Kung Fu. Shang-Chi will reunite with Black Jack Tarr, Sir Dennis Nayland Smith, and Clive Reston. We'll also learn what happened to Fah Lo Suee and the ruby eyes of the golden scorpion, and see the return of another opponent who just popped up a few issues ago. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.