Good morning everyone,
Today's focus is the ninety-eighth issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover showed the titular character battling an unknown enemy in what appears to be an alleyway. The story was called "The Journey as Goal." The issue had a cover date of March 1981.
The tale began in London. Shang had just stepped out of a car driven by his colleague Clive Reston that had stopped near the home of an applicant for Mandy Greville's new school for the blind. Reston was going to visit his father, and the group would meet at Leiko Wu's flat at seven p.m. that evening.
Meanwhile, at a nearby airport, a stranger passed through customs. The only thing he had to declare was a news clipping that included a photograph of Shang-Chi. As Shang was about to escort the student, he thought back to the previous day, when Mandy burst through the door to the exercise room at Stormhaven with excitement over receiving her first application for the new school.
Sir Dennis Nayland Smith was proud of her and noted that Mandy's sister Melissa, was already preparing for their students. Melissa was laying down Braille floor tiles so that students could navigate the castle grounds more easily. Black Jack Tarr had already gone to pick up two students via car, and Reston and Tarr would pick up Christine Markham the next day. It was a good excuse for Clive to visit his father and for Shang to pick up some clothes for Leiko at her flat in town.
Shang-Chi had just been introduced to Christine when the stranger found Leiko's number in a phone book and then headed for a nearby alley to change into fighting togs. He called himself the Shadow Slasher. Shang and Christine went to Leiko's flat to pick up Wu's clothes. They would stay there until Reston arrived for them.
However, the duo had no sooner reached Leiko's front door, when a knife was thrown at them. Shang-Chi picked up the weapon and unfurled the message that had been tied to the blade's hilt. He explained to Christine that the sound hitting the door was not caused by him and told her to remain inside the residence until he returned.
Shang-Chi then ran to a nearby park in an attempt to drive the villain away from Christine. He soon met the Shadow Stalker, and their first bout ensued. Both warriors' skills were impressive, but the villain leapt away after only a few minutes.
Shang chased his opponent to an alleyway, only to find that he'd disappeared. He realized the danger and went to retrieve Christine. He decided that she would be safer at Reston's father's home. The pair went through a war reenactment on the way, but Shadow Stalker soon found them again.
Unfortunately, the boom of a cannon that was part of the reenactment left Shang temporarily deaf. He wasn't able to hear what a local bobby had to say when he asked him to keep his friend safe. The cop saw him as a potential criminal instead and ran after them, causing the duo to run for safety.
Christine warned her protector of danger from above after the Shadow Stalker had jumped atop a nearby tree. Their struggle continued across several trees until Shadow Stalker slipped away once more. Shang-Chi and Christine finally made their way to Reston's father's house. Clive greeted them, and Shang hastily asked his friend to keep Christine safe until he returned.
Shang crossed the street and soon began another conflict with the Shadow Stalker. Shadow Stalker wanted to prove that he was the superior one, but was defeated by our hero. He disappeared into another alleyway, and Shang-Chi returned to his friends.
Reston drove Shang and Christine to Stormhaven. He opened the car's trunk and was surprised to see that Shadow Stalker had stowed aboard. He engaged in battle with Shang-Chi once more, but was eventually weakened to the point that he could no longer stay conscious. After he fell, Shang asked Clive if they could transport the villain to the proper authorities by air. When asked why, Shang-Chi replied that some journeys weren't worth the rite of swift and easy travel.
This felt like another filler issue to me. Shadow Stalker had some potential. I could see him teaming up with foes like Zaran or Razorfist. Unfortunately, it seems like he severely underestimated his opponent. He was too focused on winning that he forgot to factor in his foe's strengths. Christine proved to be a worthy ally, and she also had some potential that could have been fleshed out more as the series went along.
Well, that's all for this article. Next time, I'll recap the ninety-ninth issue of Master of Kung Fu. A new ally returns to help Shang-Chi. There's also a threat that seems to be from the not-too-distant past. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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