Hello there,
Today's topic is the eighty-third issue of Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed the titular character, with a snake and a familiar face in the background. The story was called "Warriors of the Golden Dawn Part 1: The Phoenix and the Snake." The issue had a cover date of December 1979.
The tale began with an excerpt from the journal of Fu Manchu. Shang's father developed a new work of art, in the shape of a pentagon with a snake in the middle. When it was done, he walked out to his balcony and observed his soldiers sparring below.
After several moments, he snapped his fingers to draw their attention. Everyone ceased what they were doing and turned to praise their leader. Manchu raised his talisman and asked that the Si-Fan, Phansisgar, Thugee, Hashishin, Templar, and Leopard cult members hear him. He announced that all of those warriors were now brothers, belonging to the Order of the Golden Dawn.
Back at Sir Dennis Nayland Smith's ancestral castle in Scotland, Clive Reston was lamenting the fact that the leopard cult now had the original information packet and Smith. He wondered how they knew about the packet's location. Lyman Leeks noted that his clues should only have been obvious to Smith, Doctor Petrie, and the doctor's wife, Karamenah, who was believed to have been deceased for quite some time. The doctor was also rumored to be out of commission.
The attention then turned back to Manchu. He opted to meditate in his pool, as his loyal servant Ducharme provided him with the elixir vitae that continued to extend his life beyond that of most mortals. He smoked and started seeing visions. One apparition was that of him leading men on horses to triumph. Another showed Manchu working towards his goals of success. The third vision was that of an offspring born twenty years before, one that could interrupt his quest. Manchu's visions were not entirely pleasing to him, partly because he felt that his child should have been born in the middle of his plans.
While Melissa Greville wallowed in guilt for allowing Smith to be kidnapped, Manchu was meeting with his daughter, Fah Lo Suee. She presented her father with a gift: Zaran, the weapons master. Zaran faced Shang-Chi three times and was defeated each time. When asked how his son was doing, Suee replied that he was in confusion. Manchu remarked that Shang's spirit was in the greatest stage of possible growth.
Manchu then called for one of his Thuggee warriors, for Zaran to prove his mettle against. Zaran was defeated easily. Manchu called Zaran unworthy, but allowed him to stay, so that he could attempt to improve himself.
As Leiko Wu and Shang packed for their next mission, Manchu moved on to another chamber. This one contained several people who had been kidnapped. These individuals from the United Nations had been implanted with electrodes and experimented upon. Meanwhile, his next subject was on his way.
Smith was being led to a room by several leopard cultists. They finally stopped and removed his blindfold. Smith was stunned to see Petrie's wife, Karamenah, standing in front of him. She explained that Manchu's elixir vitae had both preserved her life and reversed the aging process.
At midnight, Manchu left his abode and wandered to another building. Once inside, he descended in a lift and walked to a pool. He cast gold into the water and watched as several brightly colored orbs began to rise. He bid them to venture out into the night skies, and marveled at their brilliance as they did just that. Meanwhile, Shang-Chi and Wu were continuing their conversation about why they ever wonder why. He commented that wondering might be somewhat akin to being born anew, or seeing old secrets through a new pair of eyes.
Fans finally got their wish: Fu Manchu was back! Writer Doug Moench moved toward the supernatural in some of his Manchu storylines, and this particular one was no different. It was interesting to see how all of his warrior sects had now been combined under the same umbrella. There was no need for competition or in-fighting between groups. I wasn't surprised to see Suee ally herself with her father once more, but I didn't expect to see Zaran fall so far so fast. He was initially very confident in himself, but it seemed like each loss to Shang-Chi made him weaker internally.
Well, that's all for this post. Next time, I'll recap the eighty-fourth issue of Master of Kung Fu. It's the second part of this story arc. The focus will be on Shang and Black Jack Tarr as they encounter more of Manchu's soldiers. We'll also learn more about what Karamenah's been up to since Smith saw her last. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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