Retro Comic Revisisted: Marvel Comics Presents #8

Hello all,

Now it's time for me to recap the Master of Kung Fu story that appeared in the eighth issue of Marvel Comics Presents. The story was called "Crossing Lines VIII: Kills." The issue had a publication date of early December 1988.

While a battle blazed on in an island off the coast of Sardinia, Shang-Chi found himself face to face with the evil arms dealer Argus, who proclaimed that his girlfriend, Leiko Wu, was dead. Their initial encounter was interrupted by the arrival of Clive Reston and Black Jack Tarr. The villain retreated to his laboratory, followed closely by Shang. 

Several terrorists entered the melee, and Reston and Tarr were forced to return fire. Meanwhile, Shang-Chi stepped in front of Hashioka (whom he'd met earlier in Tokyo under the guise on arms dealer) just as a vial of acid was flung at him. He knocked Hashioka down and pursued Argus, who had fled down the corridor.

Shang-Chi soon saw that Argus was in a room where the very much alive Leiko was being held captive. Furious, he lunged at her kidnapper and beat him unconscious. He was reminded of what he was doing when Tarr and Reston arrived. They let Leiko go, and the two lovers embraced. 

Afterward, they left Argus and his minions to be picked up by the proper authorities. Leiko and Shang were taken to a hospital in Rome. Three days later, the group returned to Hong Kong. 

Back at the Oriental Expediters headquarters, Shang-Chi and Leiko were gathered at Xiao's headstone. She told Shang that the ring Xiao gave her had belonged to his late wife. They'd pretended to be lovers to help him change and distance Xiao from his past as a member of the Red Wolves gang. 

Meanwhile, reality was about to set in. Tarr and Reston watched Shang and Leiko while they talked about the fact that Shang-Chi's exposure to the virus that was contained in Argus's vial was potent. It appeared that his time was limited, but Shang wasn't about to let a single moment go to waste. 

This was certainly an interesting twist for long-time Shang-Chi readers and fans. I didn't think that the virus had been fully developed yet. I wanted to know more, but thankfully I didn't have long to wait. I'm glad that I finally understood Leiko's relationship with Xiao during Shang's absence. 

That's it for this article, but my next blog post will pick up where this storyline left off. It'll cover the one-shot Master of Kung Fu: Bleeding Black comic that came out in 1991. It's an 80-page epic that takes our heroes on a quest to resolve Shang-Chi's condition. On the way, they encounter a new foe and a well-known opponent from their past. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.