Retro Comic Recap: Master of Kung Fu #122

Good afternoon,

It's time for me to discuss the one hundred and twenty-second issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed Shang knocking an opponent through the window of a shop that had several masks on display. The tale was titled "The Madhouse." The issue had a cover date of March 1983.

The story began with Clive Reston admiring several masks on display at a store in Piccadilly Circus as he lit a cigarette. He was looking for a man who was flipping a coin in his hand. Once he located his contact, the two descended a staircase and entered a pub before reaching a backroom that was guarded.

Clive found himself sitting before a bald man at a desk who'd asked to hire him to find a person who'd escaped a mental institution. Reston was handed a photograph and instantly recognized the man known as Carrington Scullers. Scullers was a former MI-6 agent who tried to kill Leiko Wu once, back when she and Reston were still an item.

She fired at him, which caused Sculler to exit through a window. The couple was eventually chased to a farm, where Reston was finally able to catch his foe off guard. Reston was glad to accept the case for Freelance Restorations and for a bit of personal redemption.

Back at Stormhaven Castle in Scotland, Shang-Chi's half-sister, Fah Lo Suee, had just arrived from the London MI-6 office to inform Sir Dennis Nayland Smith and his companions about Sculler, who had worked for both that agency and the KGB. At the same time, Reston went to another bar to find his former colleague. He walked into a trap and was struck from behind.

Suee's words were enough to convince Shang and Wu to find Reston and assist him. The next morning, Reston awoke groggy in a car that was parked right outside Stormhaven's front door. When he entered, he was surprised to see several mental patients, all of whom were being observed by Scullers himself. 

Clive fought his way through several rooms before being joined by Leiko and Shang-Chi. Another battle ensued before the truth was revealed. They were actually in an asylum that had a wooden backdrop in front that mimicked the entrance to Stormhaven Castle. It turned out that the man who'd hired Reston on this mission was Scullers in disguise. Shang took his drugged friend in his arms and took him outside with Leiko close behind. As they walked off, they were observed by a man in clown makeup who was flipping another coin in his hands.

This was Doug Moench's last script for this monthly title. Ernie Chan's inking saved the artwork on this issue. It was an okay story, but I felt like it was a bit incomplete. It felt kind of rushed, or maybe half-thought-out. Moench had already moved on by the time it was published, so I guess they had to go with what he'd left behind in this case.

Well, that's all from me for today. I'll kick off tomorrow with a recap of the one hundred and twenty-third issue of Master of Kung Fu. Shang returns to the US to find someone that we haven't seen in this series since it began. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.