Hi everyone,
Today's topic is the one hundred and ninth issue of Marvel's monthly comic book The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed five images of the titular character, all in a row, with the last one appearing to have knocked down several lit candles. The story was called "Chameleons." The issue had a cover date of January 1982.
The tale began with Shang peering at a cage that held a chameleon. He seemed to be lost in what he saw, and it looked like Shang was actually battling the reptile at one point, before reality took over. The chameleon belonged to Dark Angel (whom Shang-Chi met at the end of the last issue). She was staying in a flat that had been provided by Sir Dennis Nayland Smith. Her only request was the terrarium and its habitat.
Angel, Leiko Wu, and Shang were on their way to Smith's townhome in Mayfair. There, they saw Smith and Black Jack Tarr engaged in reminiscing, as Clive Reston sat by himself, until he noticed the beautiful new stranger who had accompanied his friends. Once everyone had been settled, Smith began with their order of business.
He gave Angel a new identity as Mia Lessing and stated that their guest had revealed several spy cells in Britain. She replied that she preferred Freelance Restorations because they had no affiliation with MI-6. The Rumanian native likened that organization to the KGB in some aspects. She went on to say that the mole was a double agent named Winston Markham, who was supposed to meet his contact at the Regency Street cathedral later that day.
Reston, Shang-Chi, and Leiko joined Dark Angel on the mission. A while later at the cathedral, Angel was kidnapped by Markham. Reston and Shang had to fight off several false nuns and worshippers to make their way outside. There, Wu was waiting in a sports car. Her friends piled in, and they sped off in hot pursuit of the bus that Angel had been taken to.
Shang-Chi leapt onto the side of the bus for a few moments before it crashed into a nearby building. The gunman who'd just fired at him then fled with Angel and Markham into an alleyway. Reston and Leiko drove to her aid, with Shang close behind on foot. They were able to save her from being taken to a waiting truck and nabbed Markham as well.
At Smith's estate, the double agent admitted that he did what he did for money. After he was taken away, Dark Angel said that the group that was trying to enter their chemical projects used a local pet shop as a front. Smith understood that was why Angel asked for a terrarium, which came from the same business and was a building whose layout she was quite familiar with.
Later that evening, a restless Shang-Chi found Dark Angel skulking around. She tossed darts at him before fleeing. Reston soon noticed her disappearance, and the two of them drove to the pet store. Shang-Chi explained on the way that the kidnapping had been a ruse.
The duo had no sooner made their way inside the establishment when they were attacked. The battle was brief, but one that our heroes once again emerged victorious from. Afterward, Shang discovered the real Dak Angel, who had been tied up in a closet. The one they'd met was a KGB duplicate, which made Shang wonder about what was real in his life and what wasn't.
This was an interesting tale that injected a bit of Cold War mystique that was popular at the time. It would have been nice to know more about Markham and Dark Angel's backgrounds, and I wasn't surprised at all that Reston fell for her, especially since he and Wu and Melissa Greville were no longer romantically linked to him. Aside from the brevity, I still found this to be another enjoyable issue.
Well, that's all for today. Tomorrow, I'll cover the one hundred and ninth issue of Master of Kung Fu. The group returns to Stormhaven Castle, where they encounter another old opponent, and a sporting hunt almost turns deadly. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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