Good afternoon,
It's time for me to discuss the one hundred and twenty-fourth issue of The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed Shang squaring off against a trio of spear-wielding warriors. The story was called "Retribution!" The issue had a cover date of May 1983.
The tale kicked off in an inn in Talsienlu, Tibet. A quartet of natives were upset by Shang's wish to stay there for the night before he went off to find Minva Konka mountain. It took a brief fight for the proprietor Joba Garuda to accede to Shang-Chi's wishes. After winning the battle, he was given lodgings and tea.
Shang set off in the morning with provisions provided by Garuda. Meanwhile, back at Stormhaven Castle in Scotland, Leiko Wu and Black Jack Tarr wondered how their friend was faring. Wu missed him greatly, and Tarr did his best to reassure her that her love would come back.
Shang-Chi continued his climb and prevented a red fox from devouring a small white rabbit. The cold and snow set in once he reached higher elevations, and Shang-Chi stopped to rest and meditate for a while. Eventually, he came across a Mani file and added a stone to it. Moments later, a tall furry creature known as Migou stood in his way.
The beast said nothing, but allowed Shang-Chi to pass. After the moon rose in the sky, Shang reached his destination: the monastery of Rache Churan. He encountered resistance in the form of a pair of guards at the front door, but was easily able to defeat them.
Shang-Chi ventured further inside the complex until he reached a man named Thugben Sung, who was surrounded by more warriors. Sung spoke to Shang telepathically and informed him that his father, Fu Manchu, had been tutored there. The monks surrounding Sung were descendants of Manchu's disciples and rose to defensive positions.
Unfortunately, this was a conflict that Shang-Chi did not win. Afterward, he was brought before Sung once more. The old man held his attention as he thought about his father. Later, Shang left and continued on.
He'd been advised not to enter the caves of wisdom, and Sung encouraged him to dive down to the earth in retribution for slaying his father. Shang-Chi was about to fall until Migou reached out a hand to save him. He then ascended to a cave, where an unknown and unseen presence told him to seek out his father's grave. That could help him find what he wanted to know.
This was the second-to-last issue in the monthly series that showed any of the supporting characters. The story had become a solo quest of Shang's for discovering his meaning and purpose. I understand the writer Alan Zelenetz's intent, but the writing was also on the wall, and it was obvious that this title wasn't bound to last much longer. Another well-inked issue by Mike Mignola.
That's all I have for today. Incidentally, this is my 200th retro comic book blog article. I hope that you've enjoyed reading them as much as I've enjoyed re-reading these classic comics and writing about them. Rest assured, there are a lot more articles in the works.
Tomorrow's topic will be the one hundred and twenty-fifth issue of Master of Kung Fu. This double-sized issue wraps up the monthly series, as Shang continues on his quest and moves on to the next chapter of his life. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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