Hi everyone,
Today I'm writing about the fortieth issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover depicted Shang battling a man who held four knives in one hand. The story was called "The Murder Agency." The issue had a cover date of May 1976.
By now, Shang had returned to London and went to Whitechapel, the MI-6 headquarters. He stormed into Sir Dennis Nayland Smith's office and expressed his outright anger at being sent on a mission that almost ended in a man's death. He explained that Juliette was last seen in the arms of her lover Shen Kuei, and that he'd destroyed the documents that were recovered, noting that the paperwork belonged to the Chinese government.
Smith countered that the papers did belong to the British government and contained information about the biggest threat to the country and perhaps the world. He asserted that Doctor Petrie could vouch for that. By this time, Shang was so tired of the deceit and deception that he no longer cared what he was told. He quit the service right there and then.
Afterward, Black Jack Tarr approached Shang-Chi. He told him about the agents who were being murdered, and asked for his assistance in tracking down the mole who was responsible for their murders. He was able to persuade his comrade to join him on the trek to Leiko Wu's flat, where Sir Denis was supposed to provide them with additional information.
When they arrived, Tarr and Shang-Chi found Leiko being held captive by four gunmen. Naturally, they intervened to save their friend. Three of the intruders fled. Tarr went after them, while Shang stayed with Wu. He asked Leiko what the gunmen were after. She replied that they wanted information. Wu was about to rendezvous with their mole to learn more. It was a dangerous mission, with very little chance of success, but she was determined to proceed with it. She also shared that she'd met with Clive Reston and told him that she and Shang-Chi were in love.
Shang was taken aback by those words, probably because they'd just met rather recently. Wu obviously thought that her feelings were not the same as his, and gently excused herself to head for the airport. Before departing, she told Shang-Chi to have Tarr re-enlist Larner, saying that Tarr would know what she meant by that. She apologized and left quickly. Shang stood alone with his thoughts in the empty apartment for several moments.
Tarr returned a few minutes later, stating that the gunmen had escaped. Shang told him that Leiko had left and gave him her instructions about Larner. He noted that Larner was removed from the service a year ago, but made the trek to his residence with Shang-Chi. A short drive later, they arrived at Larner's apartment.
The man known as Larner was busy imbibing in liquid courage when Shang-Chi and Tarr entered. He was hesitant to agree, because he'd been branded a traitor, and felt that Leiko let his love Jennie die on a previous mission. Tarr refuted the claim, stating that Larner was drunk.
Larner went on to add more details about what had happened after Jennie's death. He said that he and Leiko escaped from an attack on a gunrunning boat via a speedboat. Unfortunately, Leiko had been hit in the shoulder by a bullet and fell from the boat. Larner left her behind, which he felt was why he was considered to be a bad risk and a traitor.
Tarr literally tried to slap some sense into Larner and said that they eventually rescued Leiko. Larner had been dumped, but now they needed him back. Clive Reston then entered the apartment and explained the high-risk mission that Wu had just embarked upon.
Reston added that Wu now loved Shang, just moments before the conversation was broken up by the sounds of gunfire from outside the building. A grenade was then tossed into the room, and it went off seconds later. Several armed strangers entered and engaged in a fight with the British agents. Larner still had enough firepower to hold some of them off, while Shang-Chi exited out the back. He caught up with an opponent who brandished a knife. Shang bested him in combat and tried to save him from falling to his death, but was only able to grab part of his jacket before his foe's hold gave way and he dropped to the street below.
Inside one of the jacket pockets, Tarr found a business card for a company named Oriental Expediters, with an address in Soho, London. It was presumed to be a front, but the quartet decided to pursue it anyway, not knowing the full dangers that they might face. Shang was not happy with the possibility of more deceit, but it seemed that he couldn't escape it at that point.
This was another enjoyable issue. Larner was a good character, although he did look very similar to Reston. Casual fans might not have been able to distinguish the two, but regular readers knew their differences well enough. This was the start of Shang-Chi and Leiko's relationship, which would continue to evolve over the years of the title's run.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll recap the forty-first issue of Master of Kung Fu. Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito join writer Doug Moench in creating an adventure from Shang's past. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment