Good morning everyone,
Today's topic is the seventy-second issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed the titular character trying to evade an attack by his old enemy, Shockwave. The story was called "Traitors to the Crown." The issue had a cover date of January 1979.
The tale began with Sir Dennis Nayland Smith collapsing into Leiko Wu's arms as he arrived seeking the help of her and Shang-Chi. Their battered former employer explained that he'd been attacked by his nephew, Lancaster Sneed, who was also known as the villain Shockwave. His explanation came just as Clive Reston and Melissa Greville were on their way to visit Wu and Shang and were confronted by Smith's nephew.
Hearing about his old nemesis made Shang think back to the day at the London MI-6 office when Reston and Larner first informed him about Sneed. They explained how he'd been injured in an accident and was rebuilt with metal plates instead of plastic surgery. Sneed made a name for himself as a martial arts expert on the carnival circuit after coming up with an electrical exoskeleton that could generate shockwaves, hence his new moniker.
Shang-Chi also remembered his first encounter with Shockwave at the Oriental Expediters Limited storefront, a battle that left him with burns severe enough to hospitalize the young warrior. Their second battle ended in Shang's favor, as he was fortunate enough to push his opponent into a pool of water. He later learned that Shockwave had wanted to serve his half-sister, but was actually a pawn in his father, Fu Manchu's, schemes.
As he lay resting on Wu's couch, Smith admitted that his nephew now served MI-6. Meanwhile, Shockwave was overpowering Reston. He sent Greville to find their friends to help, and did his best to try and prevent his foe from going after them. While he did so, Smith explained how their former company had been infiltrated with madmen who had no issue with slaying fellow agents just because they feared they might know too much about their internal operations.
Just then, Greville burst into the room, pleading for help. Shang-Chi burst through the window to confront Shockwave once more. While their battle continued on the street, Greville started to realize which side would support them after Wu reminded her of how much their former employer had changed.
Shang was finally able to knock his rival to the ground. He evaded Leiko's gunshots as he retreated, swearing that he would return. Shang-Chi then ran to Reston's side to help his friend.
Black Jack Tarr was occupied at the time, hanging Frazetta works of art on the walls of his hotel room. He stopped his chore after Wu called to inform him of what had just happened. He had no sooner become aware of those events when his door opened. In front of him was the diminutive artificial menace known as Brynocki, who had clearly arrived looking for a fight, as he brandished an axe in one hand.
This was yet again another interesting issue. I sometimes wonder what would happen if Shockwave and Spidey's foe, the Shocker, ever teamed up to cause chaos. Shockwave is a formidable opponent, but after their first skirmish, Shang-Chi learned how to overcome his powers. The idea of their former agency turning rogue was also intriguing.
Well, that's it for this article. This afternoon, I'll tackle the seventy-third issue of Master of Kung Fu. Our heroes will return to Mordillo and Brynocki's unique island of horrors. We'll also follow the search in Britain for the reasoning behind Shockwave's attack. Until then, have a great day and don't forget to be kind to one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment