Retro Comic Recap: Master of Kung Fu #60

 Good morning,

Today I'll discuss the sixtieth issue of The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover depicted Shang battling Razorfist and Pavane, as other foes from his past stood behind him on a giant chessboard, with Doctor Doom overseeing everything. The story was called "The Phoenix Gambit Part II: End-Game." The issue had a cover date of January 1978.

The tale began with Shang and Clive Reston flying to the tiny European nation of Latveria. As Reston flew the plane, he advised Shang-Chi to try and sleep off more of the drug that was still in his system (which had been administered by a drugged Reston last issue). Shang's thoughts soon turned to his father, Fu Manchu. He saw himself and his father walking in a melted polar ice cap, watching dragon eggs hatch.

One of the hatchlings quickly grew into a full-sized adult dragon. Manchu was saying that he could not die, but he would continue to have new sons to kill the old ones. Just then, the large dragon breathed flames at Shang-Chi, which awoke him from his dream. The burning fire from the dragon was just the fever from his illness. 

Shang had woken up just minutes before the plane landed a safe distance from Doom's castle. He and Reston had no sooner debarked when they were attacked by Shaka Kharn, Manchu's reincarnated ancestor. Shang-Chi knew that this had to be a trick, remembering that he had slain Kharn in battle. After a brief conflict, he realized that both Kharn and Reston were robots.

Shang-Chi continued on toward Doctor Doom's residence. An armored knight on horseback rode to meet him as he reached the open drawbridge. Shang grabbed the knight's electrified lance and threw the rider from its mount. The knight turned out to be his old enemy, Shockwave, who was yet another robot.

Shang's anger grew as he ventured further inside the castle. He fought more foes who were standing behind him, and continued to fight as he walked up a staircase where his former foe and sometimes ally, Shadow Stalker, was waiting for him. After defeating his rival, a wall panel slid back to expose the Prime Mover and Doom, who had been engaged in their own contest.

Doctor Doom declared that Shadow Stalker was no robot and that Shang-Chi had taken a life. Doom explained that this was a game, and that his intended opponent was Shang's father, who had since been taken off the playing field (after escaping in deep space in issue #50). The walls in front of the Latverian monarch then closed, and Shang-Chi found himself in a chamber where his old opponents Shockwave, Pavane, Razorfist, Shaka Kharn, Shadow Stalker, and the killer robot of Mordillo entered.

During the conflict that ensued, Shang learned that the first Shadow Stalker dispatched by Doom was a robot and that he had killed no one. After his victory, Shang-Chi squared off against Doom, who was also a robot. Electronic feedback assaulted the Prime Mover, who was, in actuality, a brainwashed Reston. 

Shang-Chi grabbed his companion, and the pair jumped from the tower moments before it blasted off into space. After splashing down, Shang realized that they were in the River Thames and had never left London. He was able to knock some sense into Clive, and the duo recuperated later at a nearby hospital. Leiko Wu and Black Jack Tarr visited them, as they tried to piece together what was real and what wasn't from their encounter.

Wu reported that Doom had bought the Twickenham estate in Sussex, where Shang-Chi and Reston had just been. Tarr added that MI-6 agents had confirmed what Shang saw, but that the robots were missing, as was the tower rocket, which may already have returned to Latveria. The quartet was then interrupted by the arrival of a nurse who brought a get-well present.

Shang-Chi opened the box to find a small chess set. The chess pieces were of Shang and some of his friends and foes. The figure of Doctor Doom stood over the figure of Shang-Chi and laughed at his victory. While Shang and Reston puzzled over this, the Prime Mover complained about Doom's substitution of Reston, a move that assured his victory between them. 

This was a fun two-part epic. It kept the readers guessing as to what parts were fantasy and what parts were real. Even though Shang-Chi didn't face off against the real Doctor Doom, at least he understood the threat that the Latverian ruler posed to the world. I truly enjoyed this issue. It was also a nice introduction to readers who might not have been familiar with Shang's more notable rivals.

Well, that's all for now. Next up is the sixty-first issue of Marvel's Master of Kung Fu. Jim Craig returns to join forces with writer Doug Moench on a new tale. We'll check in on Sir Dennis Nayland Smith's assistant, Miss Grevill,e on her road to recovery, and meet a new villain. We'll also see Shang tempted by someone from his past. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.