Hi everyone,
Today I'll be recapping the twenty-eighth issue of Marvel Comics' The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The title showed Shang squaring off against the Shadow Stalker once more as patrons of the supermarket that they occupied tried to stay out of their way. The story was called "A Small Spirit Slowly Shaped..." The issue had a cover date of May 1975.
The tale started inside a Times Square penny arcade. Shang-Chi was wandering the entertainment hall, trying to understand the purpose of the many illuminated, noisy machines around him. A few minutes later, a car carrying Black Jack Tarr and Clive Reston arrived outside the arcade. The duo stepped out of the vehicle and went in to find their friend.
Tarr and Reston soon located Shang and informed him that Sir Dennis Nayland Smith had been kidnapped. Reston showed him a hollow bamboo tube that had been found in Smith's room. Shang-Chi opened it and found a message for him, asking him to have a conversation under the tree where a little spirit was slowly shaped. Although his friend thought that his father, Fu Manchu, had taken Smith, Shang realized this was not the case.
Shang-Chi then thought back to a time eight years prior at his father's Honan, China retreat, when Shang's father ordered him to the courtyard, where he would meet someone familiar to him. That person was his half sister, Fah Lo Suee. Suee reminded him that being the offspring of Fu Manchu was all that one could hope to be, and never a sibling to anyone.
Shang did not yet understand, but his sister did not expect him to. She then showed him a small bonsai tree. Suee pointed out how its beauty mirrored that of the larger tree that they sat under. She asked Shang-Chi which tree was more beautiful. He couldn't decide, noting that the larger tree's beauty was overwhelming in size and grew freely, while the smaller tree's beauty was more intimate and could be held in the palm of a hand. Suee agreed that there was beauty in things both large and small, and that his spirit must be shaped as it grew, and its beauty would continue to evolve over time. Fah Lo Suee asked her brother if he would let himself be affected by time and the changes of seasons, or by the hand of man. Before departing, she reminded him that time and changing seasons had been known to hold evil, and advised him to choose wisely, knowing that one day he would be called upon to carry that choice.
He informed his friends that it was his sister who had sent the message. It led Shang to believe that Smith had been taken to his father's complex in Honan, China. Reston, Tarr, and Shang-Chi were soon en route to rescue their comrade. During the plane trip, Shang explained that during his last encounter with his father that Fu Manchu had declared himself innocent by circumstance. He went on to tell his son that part of the Si-Fan had broken off and became loyal to the one who owned the golden beetle's ruby eyes, which were said to have hypnotic abilities. Manchu asserted that Suee owned those baubles, leading to a potential war between father and daughter.
The trio soon arrived in China. Minutes after debarking, Shang-Chi separated from his traveling companions and entered the Honan retreat on his own. He overpowered the few guards he saw and soon found himself standing in front of his sister Fah Lo Suee, who now occupied the throne that their father had previously sat in. She led him to the chamber where the large bonsai tree still remained.
Shang convinced Suee to talk business. She explained how she had used the golden beetle's ruby eyes to persuade several of her father's Si-Fan warriors to side with her. She then asked her brother which side he would choose. Shang-Chi opted not to pick one of the two sides that he considered to be both evil. With a clap of her hands, Suee then summoned her own soldiers to attack Shang.
One of the warriors was the one known as Shadow Stalker (whom Shang had encountered several times before). He asked Shang to stand with his back to him, so that they could guard each other. Fah Lo Suee was not surprised by their loyalty and commanded her remaining troops to kill Shang-Chi and the Shadow Stalker. It was a spirited battle, one that was won by Shang and Stalker. Afterward, Shang-Chi asked his companion why he chose to fight with him. Shadow Stalker replied that they could take on any opponents when they joined forces. While the tall warrior sought to end the lives of Fu Manchu and Fah Lo Suee, Shang sought only peace. Shadow Stalker went off on his own after telling Shang where Smith had been kept.
A short while later, a mighty kick from Shang-Chi broke open the chamber door where Smith had been held prisoner. Smith and Shang headed toward Suee's quarters just before Reston and Tarr arrived on the scene. Suee was nowhere to be found, but she had left the rubies behind. Shang took the jewels and smashed them with his fists, ensuring that no one would ever be hypnotized by them again. He then left the stronghold with his friends, thinking about how the fortress was much like the arcade in New York City. Both venues were places of games that he did not understand.
Although penciler Paul Gulacy was absent from this issue, I thought this was a well-woven tale by writer Doug Moench and artists Ron Wilson, Aubrey Bradford, Ed Hannigan, and Sal Trapani. It moved the storyline of Shang and his family further, and we got to see more of the Shadow Stalker, who wasn't quite the enemy that most of us initially thought he would be when he was first introduced.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll recap the fourth and final giant-sized issue of Master of Kung Fu. That issue will feature the debuts of both a new villain and a new supporting character. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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