Retro Comic Recap: Master of Kung Fu #74

 Hello,

Welcome to my 150th comic book blog article! Today's topic is the seventy-fourth issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed Shang and his rival Shockwave battling several different robots, including one that looks similar to longtime Marvel villain Ultron. The tale was titled "Brynocki Triumphant." The issue had a cover date of March 1979.

The story picked up right where the previous issue had left off. Leiko Wu and Shang were on the run from a giant dragonfly ship that was shooting laser beams at them. The craft was piloted by their old enemies, Shockwave and Brynocki. The pair had arrived on Brynocki's island to rescue their comrade Black Jack Tarr, who was the villains' prisoner. 

Tarr had just awoken and saw that his friends were in trouble. From his vantage point in the giant skull before them, he knew that he had to do something. Tarr found a giant laser cannon nearby and was able to fire it at the dragonfly vessel, causing damage to its body. The craft quickly crashed back down onto the island surface. Brynocki carried the unconscious Shockwave outside and then abandoned him once he saw Shang-Chi and Leiko approaching.

While the two heroes were trying to figure out how to assist their fallen foe, Clive Reston was investigating Melissa Greville's disappearance at Sir Dennis Nayland Smith's family manor in London. He noticed an empty picture frame that served as an escape tunnel. Meanwhile, a pair of masked men approached his former employer, who had dozed off in front of a cozy fire.

Shang went to find Tarr, who was about to attempt removing Shockwave's helmet, when the villain awoke and struck out defensively at him. Shockwave confessed that he had to kill them because he was ordered to by higher-ups within MI-6. The ones who gave him that command were the ones that he really wished to slay. 

Brynocki observed this from above, realizing how Shockwave's mental state had deteriorated. He flew off after ordering more robots to attack the island's intruders. Waves of thug-drones then surrounded Shockwave, Tarr, Shang-Chi, and Wu, who were forced to work together to defeat them.

While the quartet was headed toward a generator that might be able to stop the robots if it was put out of commission, Smith found Greville imprisoned in the same room of his London home that he had just been escorted to. He informed his captors that Reston would be looking for them, but was told that the entire house had been compromised by MI-6. It seemed likely that Reston would soon be a fellow captive.

As Shang and Wu were focused on defeating the robots, Tarr and Shockwave made their way into the complex. Once inside, Shockwave used his suit's power to try and create a strong electrical discharge. The resulting blast knocked out most of their opponents. It also cleared an escape path; however, not all of their foes had been harmed.

A pair of robots flanked them, while Brynocki flew above, trying to prevent the intruders from escaping. Shang-Chi tore part of Shockwave's costume and kicked him into the water so that he would not be electrocuted. He then followed the rest of his friends as they each made their own splashdowns.

Reston found his missing comrades, just as their rival revealed himself. It was none other than Ward Sarsfield, who had just been promoted to lead MI-6's Project: Sinking Ship. He stated that it was his responsibility to flush out the unimportant members of their agency.

Back off the coast of Mordillo's island. Shockwave, Tarr, Wu, and Shang decided to go underwater. There, they could defeat the remaining robots while waiting for their pickup plane to arrive. What they didn't know was that Brynocki had even more dangers in store for them. 

With each issue, I found myself enjoying Mike Zeck's pencil art more and more. His artistic style is perfect for a storyline like this. It allowed him to be very creative in conjuring the opponents that Shang-Chi and his friends encountered on the island. I was also surprised to learn who the mastermind behind the MI-6 program that was eliminating supposedly "rogue" agents was. He was a character that writer Doug Moench had yet to give much substance to.

Well, that's all the time I have for this post. Next up is the seventy-fifth issue of Master of Kung Fu. We'll find out just what terrors await our heroes underwater. We'll also gain some insight into Shockwave's history and just what Sarsfield had planned for his former colleagues. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.