Retro Comic Revisited: Marvel Comics Presents #7

Good afternoon all,

I'm making some time to discuss the Master of Kung Fu story from the seventh issue of Marvel Comics Presents. The tale was titled "Crossing Lines VII: Hooks." The issue had a cover date of late November 1988.

The story began on a busy highway, as a car driven by Black Jack Tarr was following an arms dealer's truck. He, Clive Reston, Shen Kuei, and Shang-Chi were hoping that the vehicle would lead them to the villain Argus. They soon learned that the next leg of their journey would be by air once they reached the Tokyo airport.

Reston found out by talking to a member of the grounds crew that the plane that had loaded the last shipment from the truck they had been following was bound for Sardinia. He and his friends were on a commercial flight to that destination within the hour. Shortly after arrival, they saw that the crates were being placed on a boat, which looked like it was headed to an island not far away.

Kuei and Shang acquired access to a boat, while Reston and Tarr were planning to find a helicopter. They had no sooner landed on the island when Shang-Chi and Kuei noticed that Hashioka was speaking with the man named Argus. It seemed apparent that the two were business partners. The heroes were about to try to find a way to sneak in when a guard spotted them and opened fire.

The noise of the machine gun caught Argus's attention, just as he was speaking to his captive, Leiko Wu. By then, Tarr and Reston had arrived via helicopter and joined the fray. As the violent conflict outside continued, Shang found a way inside. He was confronted by Argus, who told him that he should have heeded the warning conveyed when he'd sent Shang-Chi Leiko's severed hand, and proclaimed that because of his recklessness and stupidity, his girlfriend was dead.

This was the most action-packed chapter of this storyline to date. It seemed inevitable that a conflict would arise between Argus' forces and Shang-Chi and his companions. I was beginning to wonder if the drug and gun running were merely fronts for larger criminal intentions. I also wanted to know more about the character called Xiao and his larger role in the whole affair.

Well, that's it for this article. Later today, I'll discuss the final part of this series. You can peruse the other stories in this issue if you wish until then. Have a great Saturday, and don't forget to be kind to one another.