Good morning, friends,
Today's topic is the ninety-fourth issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed the titular character jumping to avoid an attack from a new villain. The story was called "Agent Syn's Nightmare." The issue had a cover date of November 1980.
The tale began with the mystery man from the cover being defeated in battle by Shang-Chi. He then wakes up from his dream. A man enters his chambers and asks Agent Synergon if he is ready. The agent then follows the man into another room, where his internal organs are scanned.
The bald, bespectacled scientist encourages Agent Syn and notices how his suit distributes chemically created adrenaline into his body. The agent is then led into a training course. It becomes quite obvious that Shang is his target. However, the reasons behind this have yet to be revealed.
Meanwhile, Shang-Chi, Leiko Wu, and Black Jack Tarr were arriving via helicopter at their former boss, Sir Dennis Nayland Smith's ancestral home in Scotland via helicopter. They had successfully retrieved their colleague Melissa Greille's sister, Mandy, from a cult group in New York. Mandy was still unconscious. Tarr felt remorse for what had happened to her, remembering simpler times when she was just a child.
On their way inside, Smith informed Shang of the updates that he'd made. A plaque outside the castle read "Freelance Restorations Ltd." He'd converted the family estate, which was once known as Stormhaven, into the headquarters for his new agency.
As the pair walked around, they soon came across Doctor Petrie, who was still recovering from Fu Manchu's brainwashing and lamenting the loss of his wife, Karamenah. They then came across Clive Reston, who was using the target range. Reston and Shang-Chi had fought over their shared love interest, Leiko, the last time they met.
Reston offered Shang his hand in friendship, which was quickly accepted. It seemed like they'd let bygones be bygones. Smith continued on with Shang-Chi, Leiko, and Reston as they toured the rest of the complex. It was quite an impressive setup.
The quartet soon reached the exercise room, where Tarr had retreated to release some pent-up energy by practicing with the punching bag. Mandy was upstairs, where she was reunited with her sister Melissa. Melissa tried to reconnect with her sister, as Lyman Leeks and Mrs. Haversham looked on. Mandy was very resistant and declared that she had no siblings.
As the days and weeks went on, the group became more accustomed to the castle's accommodations. Melissa spent some time in the computer center digging up more information about the Dawning Light cult leader Samisdat. He belonged to Rumania, which was part of the Soviet Bloc.
Leeks and Haversham continued to work with Mandy. However, their results usually proved to be futile. Leeks was convinced that the girl needed a shock to her system to finally realize the truth.
Agent Synergon continued to dream about battling Shang-Chi until one day, when he awoke and was informed that the time had come for him to leave London. He was informed by the scientist that he must eliminate Mandy before her hosts could get her to talk.
The night that Syn arrived at Stormhaven, he found and was able to disable the complex's photoelectric cell alarm and slip inside. As it so happened, Shang was restless that evening. He stood awake, wondering why he couldn't sleep, when he noticed a robed figure winding its way across the courtyard.
Shang-Chi tracked the being and soon found that it was Mandy, who attempted to kill Tarr while he slept. Shang rushed after her, while Leeks found Mrs. Haversham, who had been knocked out by the furtive Mandy. Shang-Chi ran into Agent Syn, who swiftly attacked him.
Leeks and Haversham went to awaken Smith and alert him that Mandy had fled. Tarr was hot on her trail, which wound up outside the same pool that Synergon and Shang were battling near. Syn fired a weapon, which Tarr leapt in front of, in an effort to save Mandy.
Mandy and Tarr fell into the full pool. The distraction was enough for Shang-Chi to subdue the new villain. Reston fired at Syn moments before he dove into the water, sacrificing himself. Afterward, Tarr and Mandy emerged from the pool. Seeing Tarr jump to risk his life to save her was apparently the shock that her system needed to consider reality.
After the story, we had a page of meditation quotes from Shang-Chi. That was followed by a two-page layout of Stormhaven. The next two pages were layouts of Leiko's flat in Soho, Reston's flat in the Chelsea area of London, and Fu Manchu's Honan, China retreat.
The bonus features were a nice touch, but I was more impressed by the actual story. Agent Syn's criminal career was extremely short-lived, but he was an interesting character. I'm glad that Mandy finally came to her senses, although it probably took longer than it could have.
Well, that does it for this article. Next time, I'll recap the ninety-fifth issue of Master of Kung Fu. We'll learn more about Samisdat and the Growing Light cult. Agent Syn may be gone, but he definitely wasn't forgotten. You'll see what I mean. Until then, have a great weekend, and don't forget to be kind to one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment