Hi everyone,
Today's focus is the forty-fifth issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover depicted Shang battling a pair of Golden Dagger members while his half-sister, Fah Lo Suee, looked on in the background. The story was called Part One (Shang-Chi): The Death Seed!" The issue had a cover date of October 1976.
The tale began in the Lausanne, Switzerland, home of a bomb manufacturer known as Tarrant. The proprietor wasn't there, but Shang-Chi and Clive Reston were face-to-face with Suee and Golden Dagger members Bolo and Kimba. Shang's sister ordered her companions to kill Reston and then her brother. A pitched battle began, as Suee observed each participant carefully.
Meanwhile, at Whitechapel Hospital in London, orderlies were scrambling to assist Sir Dennis Nayland Smith, who, his associate Doctor Petrie claimed had just been shot by Smith's nephew, Lancaster Sneed (aka Shock-Wave). After Smith was wheeled away, Petrie admitted to Sneed lying in his hospital bed that he was the one who'd shot their companion. He explained that he had to make it look like Sneed had pulled the trigger, and that their master had not yet arrived, but that he was sure to be pleased with their accomplishment.
The conflict in Lausanne raged on. Reston and Kimba rolled down a flight of steps as they fought. After landing, Reston looked up to see his opponent preparing to toss his golden daggers at him.
In another London hospital, Black Jack Tarr told his visitor, Larner, that he should be out in a few days. He was feeling better and wanted to know how his companions were faring. Larner replied that he hadn't heard any updates, but that he expected some news when he met with Smith. He added that Smith might send him to Switzerland to check on the bomb manufacturer Tarrant, whom he'd informed Reston about (in the previous issue).
While Shang squared off against Bolo in Tarrant's stronghold, Leiko Wu was bound and gagged and being driven by several men in a truck. The vehicle was on its way to Lausanne.
We then saw divers descending in deep waters until they reached a gigantic oyster. They then resurfaced to share the good news with their master, Fu Manchu. The ancient warlord was pleased with their progress.
Reston and Shang-Chi had just defeated the Golden Dagger soldiers when Suee held them at gunpoint. Moments later, a masked man entered the room. He was believed to be Tarrant, and Fah Lo Suee quickly reminded the latecomer that she was in charge of this operation. She went on to say that it was preferable to oppose Manchu, before revealing that his mole in MI-6 was none other than Doctor Petrie himself.
Back at Whitechapel, the doctor stood watch over the man he'd shot (last issue). He convinced the nurse on duty to take a rest. Petrie assured her that Smith would be in good hands.
Reston was resistant to believing Suee's news. She said that he may have already eliminated both Smith and Tarr. The news of Smith's incident had just been learned by his secretary, Miss Greville. Larner was by her when she got the call and demanded to know where their leader was.
At his base, Tarrant demanded that they leave at once. Suee wasn't going anywhere yet. She still wanted to know where Leiko was. Suee anticipated her arrival there at any moment, not knowing that she'd overtaken her captors and managed to escape the truck. Once she was free, Wu decided to check out the chalet and then the boat launch.
Larner arrived at Whitechapel just in time to prevent Petrie from stabbing his longtime comrade, Smith. He subdued the doctor and then advised the staff on duty to call for a full security detail and a psychologist. Larner wasn't about to believe that Petrie would willingly want to kill his good friend of many years.
By then, Suee was finally willing to leave, but not before she asked her half-brother if he would join her cause. Shang's answer was unchanged. Sueee then called for the death of Shang-Chi and Larner. Leiko showed up to interrupt those proceedings and soon left the house with her fellow associates.
A pitched battle ensued as Reston, Shang, and Wu fought their way to the dock. Reston reached the boat and learned that the masked man onboard, who called himself Tarrant, was actually their Swiss host Griswold. He was struck from behind by a masked gunman before he could do more. Shang-Chi and Leiko raced after them, but the boat sped away before they got there. The loud echo of a gunshot from aboard the ship made them fear the worst as they stood on the shore.
This was another fun, suspense-filled issue. Writer Doug Moench and artist Paul Gulacy are to be commended for their work on this storyline. Each issue in it focuses primarily on a specific character, but plenty of other supporting characters play important roles. This one fit in very well with many other action books of the era.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll recap the forty-sixth issue of Master of Kung Fu. That one concentrates on Reston. We'll find out what happened to him on the boat and how he's involved in this affair. We'll also learn what Fu Manchu wanted to do with the giant oyster and be introduced to yet another powerful adversary. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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