Good morning,
Today's topic is the seventieth issue of The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The Pat Broderick-drawn cover depicted the titular character evading traps in a kind of murder mansion. The story was called "Home to Die." The issue had a cover date of November 1978.
The tale began outside a stately manor in Long Island, New York. Shang and his friend Black Jack Tarr were standing in front of the residence. It appeared that it was a place that Tarr was familiar with.
Shang-Chi thought back to three days prior, when he and Tarr met at Buckingham Palace. Tarr conveyed news from Sir Dennis Nayland Smith that a Chinese scientist wanted to defect to Britain. The scientist was visiting New York and Washington, D.C. Smith wanted Tarr to escort the scientist back to Britain, and Tarr chose Shang as his partner for that mission.
Tarr went on to say that he didn't really need a partner, but showed Shang-Chi a picture of members of the Black Demon sect who were most likely after the scientist. Shang agreed to join him. They arrived in New York a week early because of a message Tarr received on the day that Smith proposed the mission to him.
The note was sent by a woman named Anna. Tarr said that he was going to town the next day to see her for the first time in thirty years. He pulled out a locket that he'd given her, and began to reminisce about their days working together for the British Secret Service in Hong Kong. They eventually fell in love and were together until her disappearance. Tarr wondered what had happened to her. He was broken out of his nostalgia by Shang reminding him of the rain that was now starting to fall.
The duo went inside the house, and were soon trapped inside by the Black Demon sect. Several warriors and traps awaited them. After overcoming the first few obstacles, Shang-Chi noticed a camera watching them. Tarr remembered where the electrical cables were installed, thinking that cutting them could prevent from being spied upon. Shang kicked the wall panel, exposing the cables that Tarr then cut.
However, there were still more dangers in store for Shang-Chi and Tarr in the mansion. Meanwhile, a pair of CIA agents were checking on the scientist named Chow. Local authorities were convinced that the scientist was a real Chinese defector. It appeared that the CIA was privy to more details than that.
Back in the New York mansion, Tarr and Shang battled their way to a monitor room. There, they interacted with the sect's leader, who seemed to hold Tarr's long lost love Anna hostage. Neither hero was about to surrender, and the fights continued until they finally encountered the masked villain, who was none other than Anna herself.
She claimed that Tarr had chosen his work over her, stating that she'd just wanted a normal life. She made the best of it, but later had a better offer from the other side. Tarr was stunned by the truth of her words. Afterward, he stood outside with Shang-Chi. The locket that he'd shown his companion was something that now meant nothing to him. Tarr tossed it into the waters below, knowing that the house was no longer home.
This was an interesting one-off story. We rarely got to know much about Black Jack Tarr, and it was a nice insight into his background before becoming involved with Shang and company. I wished that writer Doug Moench would do more of this type of tale in this title, maybe as a backup or second story. Guest artist Pat Broderick's art here was just as impressive as it is during his runs on titles like The Micronauts and Doom 2099.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll recap the seventy-first issue of Master of Kung Fu. That issue takes up where the recent Hong Kong epic left off. Shang has returned from that mission and reunites with Leiko Wu. We'll also see what happened to their former MI-6 commander. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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