Retro Comic Recap: Master of Kung Fu #89

 Hello everyone,

Today's topic is the eighty-ninth issue of Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed Shang squaring off against his father, the evil Fu Manchu, inside a strange craft. The story was called "Warriors of the Golden Dawn Part 7: The Dragons." The issue had a cover date of June 1980.

The tale began as Manchu climbed a ladder leading toward his escape craft, as Shang-Chi and the unconscious Leiko Wu were left behind on the World Trade Center rooftop in the background. Shang made a leap for the rope ladder, while his friends Black Jack Tarr and Sir Dennis Nayland Smith worked feverishly to stop the nuclear bomb they'd found in a New York City sewer from detonating.

Tarr managed to remove the trigger wire, but Smith warned that there could be a backup detonation wire. If that was the case, all they could do was to wait out the timer. Meanwhile, Shang was determined to end his father's plans to become the "celestial" Fu Manchu. The mimosa he'd inhaled (last issue) had slowed him somewhat, but not enough to be completely ineffective in battle. 

A swift kick by Shang knocked out Manchu's pilot.  The servant landed against a console, moving a lever forward, and drove the craft toward the surface below. Shang-Chi leapt free of the flyer just before Manchu arrived at its door and summoned several glowing orbs down to Earth. The orbs solidified and slowly opened. Inside them were bizarre-looking creatures that didn't look like anything else in this world. 

Shang-Chi presumed that the aliens he then battled were his father's genetic experiments. While he and local law enforcement fought off the intruders, Wu awoke to find Shang gone, and Smith and Tarr tensely counted down along with the bomb's timer.

Manchu also waited for the explosion, which did not happen. Tarr and Smith were successful. The evil dictator wondered why there was no explosion, moments before Shang-Chi burst the glass of his vehicle and made his way in once more. While his comrades began looking for him, Shang stood face to face with his father. He thought about all that had transpired recently (as shown in issues 80 to 88), before striking Manchu. 

Shang then lashed out at the ship's controls, damaging them perhaps irreparably. He jumped out of the open portal to safety. It appeared that his father was not so lucky. The craft made a fiery descent into the waters below. As Shang-Chi reached solid ground, he looked at the Statue of Liberty behind him. It was a symbol of freedom, but Shang knew that none of us were truly free. He decided to weep for her, for himself, and for all who were now hopefully free from his father. 

Although the story and pacing felt a bit rushed at times, I still think that this was a satisfying conclusion to this storyline. It appeared to be the end of Fu Manchu, but we've said that before, haven't we? There were still some loose ends to be tied up, which I was confident would happen in due time. 

That's all I have for now. Next time, I'll talk about the ninetieth issue of Master of Kung Fu. Shang-Chi will rejoin his comrades, and they'll share what they learned during their conflicts. Shang will stay in New York as a new storyline begins. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.