Good morning everyone,
Today's topic is the one hundredth issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed the titular character in a leaping pose, with faces of characters from the past and present in the background. The first page had a banner seemingly carved in stone that read "Red of Fang and Claw, All Love Lost." The issue had a cover date of May 1981.
After the splash page that featured Shang's father, the evil Fu Manchu, the first story, called "The Immortal Caravan," began. It was a tale from Sir Dennis Nayland Smith's memoirs. Back in 1932, he, along with Doctor Petrie and Lyman Leeks, was on a mission together in Cairo. Smith went on to check out a lead by himself.
His trail led him to Manchu's daughter, Fah Lo Suee. Suee tried to seduce the traveler, who had been led there on the provision that she would supply him with information about her father's plans. She admitted that her loyalty to the tyrant was due to the elixir vitae, which prolongs life. After Leeks and Petrie barged in on the conversation, she confessed that Manchu's schemes involved he elixir, three legendary immortality icons, and a group of Si-Fan warriors.
Suee then opened a curtain behind her, exposing the coffins that contained the remains of those legendary icons. Smith decided to take the place of the mummy after reporting its discovery so that authorities could find it. He stayed in the sarcophagus during the long trek to Manchu's hideout.
The destination was an ancient tomb in the desert. Manchu had assembled his faithful warriors and made promises of extended life to them. However, he was surprised to see Smith inside the final coffin that was opened. Manchu was struck by his daughter Suee moments before Petrie and Leeks arrived to free their friend.
A battle ensued, and Manchu and his daughter escaped in the confusion. The heroes eventually found their way to a tunnel that led to a landing strip. The trio then heard a loud noise, which was Manchu's plan. The villain got away again, but at least his plans had been foiled for the time being.
The second story was called "The Ancient Mystery." It took place during Shang-Chi's youth at his father's Honan, China retreat. The young boy was sparring with his tutor, who was providing a target and encouragement for the lad. He noticed the boy's growth in more ways than one.
Afterward, the duo walked to the courtyard, where Suee met her half-brother. She'd arrived with her lover, a man whom she called Phillip. Love was a strange concept to the youth, one that his sister said he might understand better once he'd gone out and explored more of the world.
Later that evening, a restless Shang-Chi heard his father and sister speaking loudly. He peered through a small hole in the stone wall and observed Manchu stating that punishment had already begun. Suee left, holding her head in her hands in sorrow.
Shang continued to train over the months. One night, his sister approached his quarters and advised him to remember what she'd told him about the outside world. Shang-Chi waited until she had left and ventured out once more. This time, he saw his enraged father, furious with his sister for having reincarnated madness and setting it loose on the world. He then ordered her to leave immediately.
The boy continued to grow and evolve, as most people do. One night, he came across an elderly woman whom he had never seen before. The woman confided that age was merely a state of mind before going off to hide herself. Shang followed the woman until he could see her begging his father for mercy.
Manchu gave the woman a vial to ease her suffering. She was very thankful for the gift. The next morning, Shang-Chi watched his sister in the courtyard. As she turned, we could see tears in her eyes.
The final chapter was titled "The Whitechapel Madness." It opened on a foggy London evening. Leiko Wu walked alone, while someone was watching from a nearby alleyway. Meanwhile, Shang-Chi, after having returned from his latest mission (as shown in the last issue), was being briefed by Smith and read up on the suspect who had already killed three women in London in recent days.
At the same time, Leiko had located a police officer before pursuing her follower. She soon heard the screams of a woman who was potentially about to be the Jack the Ripper clone's next victim. Wu was engaged in battling the would-be attacker just as Shang insisted that Clive Reston prep the helicopter so that they could aid her.
Wu fought well, even though she was injured by a slash in the side from the villain's blade. The noise caught the attention of the bobby that Wu had talked with earlier. The officer scared off the attacker, and Wu was sent to the hospital, where Shang, Reston, and Melissa Greville caught up with her.
After visiting Leiko, Melissa offered to be a decoy in the hopes of luring out the killer. Her screams soon alerted Shang-Chi to the present danger, which was a quartet of masked assassins. After defeating those foes, Reston pointed to a nearby building where the stalker had been holed up.
Shang followed the trail and was attacked from behind. Shang-Chi had the advantage in close quarters and eventually recognized his opponent as the man named Phillip, whom his sister had once brought home with her several years ago.
Moments later, Suee arrived from out of the shadows. She had a pouch containing the elixir vitae, which had sustained both her and Richard's lives for years. She explained that their father had turned her lover into a man who tried to recreate the crimes committed by the notorious man, infamously known as Jack the Ripper.
Phillip lunged at his former love, and she was forced to shoot and kill him in self-defense. She lamented his loss, knowing that he was too far gone to think of anything other than the twisted goals that had been implanted in his mind. She walked away just as Reston and Greville arrived, asking her brother to thank Smith and hoping that her brother had finally put an end to the evil that was their biological father.
I know that a lot of long-time fans were hoping that this issue signaled the return of Fu Manchu, but I know that it isn't always good to keep the same villains returning every few issues in the same comic book. I liked how the three tales were interconnected. I remember seeing ads in different Marvel comics for this issue when I was just starting to read their comic books. I thought the cover was intriguing, but it wasn't until many years later that I picked this issue up and could appreciate the art and storytelling on deeper levels. It showed more complexity to Suee's character, and showed us that she wasn't as cold and calculating as she might have initially been portrayed as.
Well, that's all I've got for today. Tomorrow, I'll recap the one-hundred-first issue of Master of Kung Fu. Shang catches up with Leiko during her recovery in the hospital. He'll also have a chance meeting with another patient, which leads to another adventure. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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