Hi everyone,
Today's focus is the one hundred and second issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung FU. The cover showed the titular character engaged in battle with several masked assassins underneath the statue of a winged dragon. The story was called "A Vision of Winter in Spring!" The issue had a cover date of July 1981.
The tale began in the south of France, as Shang-Chi was taking some well-deserved time off. He was there on behalf of Dame Renee de Peyraud, who had requested his presence. Ms. Peyraud operated a local refinery and was concerned by the International Data Interrogation and Control (IDIC) cartel's offer to reorganize their computer system, an offer that she rejected.
She was concerned that the group could take over their computer systems and proceed with their plans. After making her decision, the company was plagued with repeated accidents in its data net. Peyraud opted to close the refinery instead of letting those acts continue. She feared for her life, which was why Shang had been summoned.
Lord Burtonwil and Luciane D'Hiver were the first of Peyraud's personnel that Shang-Chi met upon his arrival in France. Both of them disagreed with Peyraud's actions and hoped that Shang would be able to convince her to reopen the refinery gates. He said that he would try, but made no promises.
The next morning at breakfast, Peyraud sat with the group, suddenly unable to see. While she was taken to her quarters, Shang-Chi walked away, feeling like he'd failed already. D'Hiver followed him to ensure that that wasn't the case. It became quite obvious, rather instantly, that the two were attracted to each other.
Later that evening, Shang-Chi stood guard outside Peyraud's quarters. He defended himself from a scorpion's attack, only to find that a fly had entered her room and that she was now paralyzed. Shang left again and walked down a corridor outside until he was struck from above.
Shang-Chi defeated his attackers swiftly. One of them removed his mask, revealing himself as Anton Paulve. Paulve had been jealous of D'Hiver's interest in Shang, and the two of them were then staring at a gun held by their associate, Kalougine. Another fight ensued, one that ended in Paulve fatally stabbing Kalougine.
Before more could be done, the pair heard the sounds of an alarm. They rushed back to the manor. D'Hiver explained that Peyraud had suffered a heart attack. The next morning, it was decided that the refinery would open. Shang was still determined to find the assassin, which he promised would be exposed the following morning.
That night, Shang entered the refinery by himself. There, he found Peyraud's doctor, Mister Lugash. He said that he'd had no choice. Then another person entered the fray. It was Luciane, or Diadem, as she now preferred to be called. She was wearing a tight bodysuit and had a green gem in her left hand that could emit destructive bursts of energy.
Diadem and Shang-Chi battled for a while, until Shang caught her from behind. She admitted her role with IDIC, and Shang confessed that his affection had temporarily blinded him. She was able to stun Shang-Chi with her weapon and kissed his cheek softly before escaping.
The next several pages were pin-up galleries. One page showed Shang in action, and the following two pages showed Shang's redemption of lost art. The last two art pages consisted of galleries of Shang's friends and foes. These were the last pages that Mike Zeck drew for this title, as he'd moved on to pencil the Captain America monthly comic.
This was an interesting filler issue from Gene Day and Peter Gillis. It was the first time in years that someone other than Doug Moench wrote a MOKF story. It went by rather fast, and you really had to pay attention to know all of the ancillary characters that were created. It was a fun story, and I liked the extra art pages, especially the rogues' galleries at the end.
Well, that's all for today. Tomorrow, I'll cover the one hundred and third issue of Master of Kung Fu. Moench returns with Gene Day, the new full-time penciler and inker on this book, for a new storyline. Shang and Black Jack Tarr take a sea voyage and run into a few familiar faces that we haven't seen in a while. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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