Retro Comic Recap: Master of Kung Fu #106

Good afternoon,

Today's focus is the one hundred and sixth issue of The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover depicted the titular character squaring off against the one identified last issue as Carlton Velcro, in front of a statue with many arms and a circular base around her. The story was called "The Assassin Master." The issue had a cover date of November 1981.

The tale began in the Surrey, London home of Shang-Chi and Leiko Wu's former rival, Pavane. The proprietor now treated the pair as her guests, and they tied the man who called himself Razor Fist to a chair (after he'd burst in and attacked them in the previous issue). Shang removed the weapon from the villain's hand before the questioning started.

The assassin revealed that the other Razor Fist was his brother, and that they were not twins, nor were they related to the original Razor Fist in any way. He went on to say that they'd been in an accident, which Pavane assumed was arranged by Velcro to create more efficient models of his most effective assassin. She, Shang-Chi, and Leiko learned that their old foe was headquartered on a small island in the Marquesas.

Pavane opted to remain where she was, preferring to stay retired as long as her colleagues took out their common enemies. Wu and Shang returned to Smith in London, where they filled him in on their encounter at Pavane's home. Smith agreed to let Leiko and Shang-Chi face this threat alone.

It wasn't very long before the pair parachuted down onto the island of their enemy's stronghold. Velcro had anticipated their arrival after noticing that the Razor Fist that they'd apprehended had failed to contact him at the interval that was previously arranged. Shang and Wu brought samurai armor with them, which helped them to defeat the ground troops and breach the compound.

As Black Jack Tarr and Clive Reston waited on board a ship in the harbor, Leiko and Shang made their way to the other Razor Fist. He was surprised to learn that Velcro was responsible for the original Razor Fist's demise. It seemed that he'd been led to believe that fatality was the heroes' fault, but was tragically gunned down by the leader who'd deceived him.

Shang-Chi eventually faced off against his old nemesis. He shed his armor and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, a battle that Shang emerged from victorious. Shang-Chi hauled the unconscious despot from the burning citadel, and he and Wu rejoined their comrade on the boat, where they reaffirmed their love for each other and marked the end of another successful mission. 

I enjoyed this two-part storyline, but I wished that we had had more background on Velcro's revival, as well as the two Razor Fists. It was a nice touch having each assassin wear a weapon in opposite hands, as if they were two parts of the original villain. This issue also resolved any lingering tensions between Leiko and Shang-Chi that may have existed from the previous storyline. 

That's all for now. Next time, I'll recap the one hundred and seventh issue of Master of Kung Fu. Doug Moench, Gene Day, and inker Armando Gil return to craft a solo Shang-Chi story. Our hero embarks on another mission in a new locale and fights a battle that resembles conflicts of olden times. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.