Good morning,
Today's topic is the one hundred and seventh issue of Marvel Comics' The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed SHang squaring off against an armored opponent who was brandishing a trident as they fought atop what appears to be the head of a sculpture. The story was called "A Painless Result of Having Lived." The issue had a cover date of December 1981.
Shang had begun his meditation journey aboard a ship that was bound for Naples. He refused any food for ten days. On the tenth day, he started seeing visions, and he asked questions of those apparitions for inner clarity. He disembarked at the port and was about to end his fast by purchasing roasted chestnuts from a street vendor when a young boy came running up to him with a cablegram.
The message was from Sir Dennis Nayland Smith, who had a mission for Shang-Chi. He was to go to a place called Segretti's at the docks of Rome and speak to a mermaid. The directive was to retrieve an operative referred to as Dark Angel. Shang boarded the last train bound for Rome for the day and, unfortunately, postponed his nourishment until that journey was over.
Shang's arrival at Segretti was not welcomed by all. He encountered some mild resistance, which he easily overcame. He then saw the man with a mermaid tattoo on his arm, who was his contact. They talked about Dark Angel, who was rumored to be an assassin.
His contact then pointed him toward a boat before disappearing. Shang-Chi crashed through the top window and spoke to the elderly gentleman inside. The man was merely looking for his daughter and led Shang to the coliseum. They had no sooner set foot outside the legendary arena when the old man was struck by knives and killed.
The assailant was a masked, armored man who carried a trident. He referred to himself as Sata. Sata claimed that his work was now finished and ran into the arena. Shang-Chi followed him, and a battle ensued. At one point, it seemed like the two warriors were engaged in conflict like the traditional matches of centuries past.
After things returned to normal, Shang knocked his opponent down, who then fell and was subsequently impaled by his own weapon. Shang-Chi left the arena and lashed out in hunger, only to see the person known as Dark Angel standing behind him. She told him that the old man was her father, but that he'd sought to betray her to Sata for evil and money. The two went off to have breakfast before seeking shelter from the storm.
This was an interesting one-off issue. Sata was another new villain, and it would have been nice if we'd had a bit more backstory about him. Dark Angel also felt like a bit of a rushed character. I liked the visions that appeared during Shang's meditation and the reflection back to the days of Roman gladiators. A good yarn, but it could have been expanded upon a bit more.
That's all for today. Tomorrow's focus will be the one hundred and eighth issue of Master of Kung Fu. Shang-Chi and Dark Angel return to the United Kingdom. We'll learn more about this supposed assassin and see Shang and company engage in another conflict. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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