Hi everyone,
Today's focus is the one hundred and seventeenth issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover depicted the titular character wrapped in the arms of a strange-looking alien, with other creatures and a very familiar shadow in the background of the temple that they were in. The story was called "Devil Deeds Done in Darkness." The issue had a cover date of October 1982.
The story began deep underneath a cemetery in England, where Fu Manchu had just extracted blood from his son Shang to help temper the potency of his elixir vitae. Things had gotten to the point that he'd built up a natural immunity to the serum without the addition of blood from his offspring to the mixture.
Meanwhile, in the Limehouse section of London, Sir Dennis Nayland Smith (who was kidnapped from Stormhaven Castle in Scotland last issue) was being led into a building where he was about to be taken into custody by Si-Fan warriors. He started resisting as soon as he heard the mention of Manchu's legendary assassin legion. Fortunately, he was spotted by a local police officer as he was dragged into the building.
Back at Stormhaven, Leiko Wu, Black Jack Tarr, Clive Reston, and Doctor Petrie were preparing to leave. It was now after midnight, and the eviction order (that was served in the previous issue) was now valid. They piled into a car and headed toward Reston's residence in London. After they left, the phone started ringing. Fah Lo Suee and Dark Angel were at London's MI-6 headquarters and were trying to inform Reston and company about what the bobby had just seen.
After his father had left the room, Shang-Chi began formulating an escape plan. He bit into a blood packet that was above him, hoping that would draw the attention of rats in a nearby cage. Shang moved his foot just enough to open their cage and set them free. The rodents swarmed toward him and were hungry enough to bite through the bonds that had held him to the table.
Shang-Chi was finally free! He made his way into another room where his father was busy mixing potions. Manchu admitted that he held the deed to Stormhaven and that he'd escaped their last encounter by swimming to freedom. Death Dealer was lurking behind the duo and waited patiently for his moment to strike at his weakened opponent.
His battle with Shang took them outside the room and down into the waters below. Death Dealer escaped by ascending a staircase, with Shang-Chi close behind him. Shang was then attacked by more alien creatures concocted by his father. He battled three of them in a conflict that ended in the cemetery grounds. Afterward, Shang-Chi watched his father and Death Dealer escape via helicopter before going to rejoin his friends.
At Reston's flat, Wu answered the telephone. Suee finally was able to contact them and share where Smith had been taken. The group left the apartment moments before an explosion rattled inside. Wu spotted Shang and rushed to assist him. We then saw Smith bound in a chair and being tormented by a pair of masked men.
Shang-Chi awoke in a hospital room. Leiko informed him that he'd been given a blood transfusion after observing that he was severely weakened and had lost a lot of blood. Tarr and Reston had taken Petrie to a local hotel. While Wu dozed, Shang got up and left the room. Minutes later, he was accosted by Dark Angel.
Angel accused him of slaying Suee's bodyguards, Kimba and Bolo (who passed away last issue). Their melee was broken up by Wu, who pointed her pistol at Angel. Angel had accused Shang-Chi of abducting his half-sister, a deed that was actually committed by the lookalike that was spotted in the photo assemblage from the playing cards (as shown last issue). Shang was neither surprised nor stunned by this news. Leiko advised him to take a nap and that they would reconvene at the bookstore in Picadilly Circus in the morning.
Shang-Chi tried to rest, but was soon woken by another one of his father's monsters. After defeating it, he saw a false eye pop from its socket. Inside it was a message from Manchu, asking his son to come home to return his blood to him.
Afterward, Shang walked away. He confirmed the meetup with his friends in the morning in his mind, and opted to go to a home without a house where he could possibly sleep and dream to face the dark and dreaded morning with new eyes. We then saw a blind man walking down a street, declaring that it was a beautiful day.
More pieces started to fall into place in this issue. I wasn't surprised to see more of Manchu's alien monsters, although I wondered why he was fixated on them. The fact that he was the owned Stormhaven's deed was an unexpected touch. This wasn't the first time the villain tried to create a new son that would bow to his whims, and I guess we'll have to find out just how effective this new threat is.
Well, that's all I have for today. Tomorrow, I'll cover the one hundred and eighteenth issue of Master of Kung Fu. The double-sized issue is the end of this storyline. All parties come together for a final showdown. You won't want to miss it! Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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