15 replies to this topic

[Brian Flagg]

Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu (MoKF) was a 1974-1983 Marvel Comics title with a spy element at its core.

Shang-Chi is an ex-MI-6 agent who now works for Sir Denis Nayland Smith (whom I could imagine being played by Laurence Naismith) and his independent agency, Freelance Restorations.

Freelance Restorations operates out of the UK, with their base being Nayland Smith's castle in Scotland and interacting often with MI-6 in London, where Shang's sinister sister, Fah Lo Suee, is a high-ranking official. Shang's father is the legendary Chinese crime lord, Fu Manchu, whom Sir Denis has been battling since the 1920s. The rest of the group includes Leiko Wu, Shang's love interest and a deadly warrior in her own right; Clive Reston, the son of a famous spy (James Bond?) who's struggling to emerge from his father's shadow; and Black Jack Tarr, Smith's aging but most loyal lieutenant. Later on we get the KGB defector, Dark Angel.

The book was fortunate to have writer Doug Moench (best known for his run on Batman) and artists of an extraordinarily high caliber. Paul Gulacy, Mike Zeck, and the late Gene Day were three of the great talents whose images supported Moench's often spiritual, Zen-like dialogue.

This spy element is what makes Master of Kung Fu such a good book. The tales aren't cut-and-dried and there's a quiet intensity throughout all the stories. There are Cold War intrigues galore, with many stand-out stories. My favorite is the two-parter in issues #108-109, where the crew must stop a KGB mole. There's a great fight in a cemetary and an imposter in the crew's midst.

What began as a Bruce Lee/Kung-Fu ripoff quickly transformed into a special series of stories that transcended the time and place in which it was created. It was almost entirely separate from the Marvel Universe of Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the X-Men and resided in its own world of international intrigue, and dirty double dealings rather than saving Earth from the latest alien threat. It's unlikely that MoKF will ever be reprinted in trade paperbacks due to trademark use of Fu Manchu so the only place to get the books would be at the back issue bin of your local comic store.

[Brian Flagg]

Further information:


The Shang-Chi Chronology, which attempts to place Master of Kung Fu in the Wold Newton Universe.

Circles and Mirrors, a look at the life of Shang-Chi as well as comments on the comic's writers and artists.

And another Bond-like cover, if only for the Rogeresque tuxedo on Nayland-Smith:

[Eric Stromberg]

One of the greatest comic books ever published in my opinion. This was one of the first books I latched on to as a young lad. Moench and Gulacy pretty much set the gold standard for writing and illustrating as far as I am concerned. A couple of years ago I met them (separately) at Comic-Con. They are still enthusiastic and working in the industry. Over the years they have rejoined creative forces on occasion, but it in my opinion never quite achieved this near perfect synergy between artist and writer.

The dream team put out a quite satisfying 007 book in 1995 called "Serpent's Tooth." Not easy to find anymore but it can be tracked down at conventions and the occasional comic store.

[Brisco]

Yeah, Moench and Gulacy are a great pair! I love what I've read of MOKF, but I havne't read nearly enough due to the annoying lack of trades. (When DOES Fu enter the public domain???) I loved Serpent's Tooth, which I think is the best comic book version of 007 to date. And the pair did some terrific Batman stuff together, too, including a great two-parter in the 80s that sets Batman on the trail of KGB spies in Switzerland and Gotham. I thought Sci-Spy was a bit of a letdown, given a great premise, but oh well; not everything can be a home run.

I also like how Gulacy used to put actors in his comics. If memory serves, Black Jack Tarr was Sean Connery, right? (Or am I thinking of Reston?) Gulacy drew a great Black Widow story for Marvel Bizarre Adventures in which she encounters a spy who's clearly played by Michael Caine--in his Harry Palmer get-up.

Fans of Gulacy's work should definitely pick up his art book, Spies, Vixens and Masters of Kung Fu. It's full of great stuff from all of these stories as well as notes from the artist about working on them.

His latest book, Time Bomb, is off to a pretty good start, too. It's a science fiction story with a very Bond-like hero and a few specific nods to Serpent's Tooth. (A similar introduction for the agent, and even a panel of a girl in a bikini swimming with a fish very reminiscent of the "title sequence" from that book!) Issue 1 is out now from Radical.

[Onyx2626]

First things first:

Ahoy Flagg! It's been awhile, I know, but who loves you baby?




This comic was one of my favorite Marvel Comics (I only read Marvel) back in old days, along with Daredevil and Iron Man. I was never into XMen, too many characters...

My father was a doctor in Pine Bluff Arkansas, and he would sometimes take me to the hospital with him when he made his rounds. They had a little shop in the lobby.

The shop had a revolving comic book display. My allowance only allowed me to buy two comic books (hence the name allowance).


This was the 70's guys, a price hike from 40cents to 50 generated gasps from the general young male populace, sometimes exploding into spasms of violence including vandalism, mayhem, lewd and unsavory behaivior like gang rapes and tearing the tags off mattresses.

My point is simply this: This particular comic, whose appeal was difficult to explain to the average person, appeased my attraction to all things Martial Arts and all things James Bond - neither of which I was allowed (there is that word again) to pursue at age 9 or 10.

remember: at this time all Bond films were rationed to the public via ABC Sunday Night Movie... sometimes with a pesky parental warning.

My exposure to 007 was via the ALBUMS (and yes my friends, the photos on said albums), which we kids were allowed to choose for dinner music.

I did not see a Bond movie until I was ten: It was DAF and my parents were out of town - thank God for babysitters.

I never thought I would read the name of Paul Gulacy being evoked. I was a fan of this man.

Edited by Onyx2626, 01 September 2010 - 11:07 AM.

[Turn]

I remember the series. Although I was a big comic fan at that age I was never interested in it. The only copy I ever owned was the large magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, which had a cover story on TMWTGG.

As someone else said, I thought it was just a Bruce Lee/karate cash-in thing. I had no idea there was a spy element to it all.

[David_M]

Does anyone know of a reason why Marvel doesn't have any collected editions of this title available? Like "Tomb of Dracula" it's one I ignored back in the day, but would probably really enjoy now.

[Brian Flagg]

Does anyone know of a reason why Marvel doesn't have any collected editions of this title available? Like "Tomb of Dracula" it's one I ignored back in the day, but would probably really enjoy now.

I mention trademark issues regarding Fu Manchu and other supporting characters in my initial post as why we're unlikely to see any reprinted MoKF collections.

I'm glad to know there are other fans of Shang-Chi here at CBn!

Eric Stromberg: I'm always pleased but pleasantly surprised when someone declares MoKF among their favorite comics; it's a sentiment I've heard more in recent years than during the book's heyday. I think we're getting more out of it as adults while still enjoying the action we loved as kids.

Onyx: Glad to hear from you! I still see you 'round here once in awhile.

As for those precious '70s memories and MoKF, I was a bit young to have read the book when Starlin and Gulacy were the artists, so my MoKF recollections come at the Mike Zeck--and my favorite--Gene Day era. Gulacy's work is gorgeous, though, and Doug Moench has long been one of my favorite writers. BTW, when I first started buying comics, they were 35 Cents.

Yesterday, I went to the only good comic store in town and bought twenty more isues of MoKF--and for cheap! I plan on having a Shang-Chi marathon this holiday weekend and will post any spy-related thoughts and items of interest.


For anyone wishing to venture into MoKF, I'd recommend the issues that got me into the book as a kid: issues #107-109, which is a cloak-and-dagger tale of defectors and dirty double dealings. The art by Gene Day is absolutely breathtaking and Moench is at his storytelling peak, as he's able to maintain the larger plot complications while weaving the adventure at hand. We witness Shang-Chi's growth a a person and how the concept fits into the story is effective.

Here's issue #108, the first one I ever bought, entitled "Chameleons":

[Brisco]

Did anyone else read that MOKF "reunion" story that Moench and Gulacy did about five years ago? I was really excited for it but thought it turned out to be a bit of a letdown. The art, however, was as spectacular as ever.

As someone else said, I thought it was just a Bruce Lee/karate cash-in thing. I had no idea there was a spy element to it all.

Happily, Paul Gulacy injects a spy element into almot everything he draws! Moench and Jimmy Palmiotti specifically write towards his Bondian tastes. I talked Bond with Gulacy at Comic-Con a few years ago, and he shared that he loved the Roger Moore-era excess and enjoyed the comic bookish craziness of Die Another Day, like the jetsled and the invisible car, which he pointed out were right out of Steranko Nick Fury books. He wasn't a fan of the more serious Daniel Craig direction; that wasn't his Bond.

[Turn]

Did anyone else read that MOKF "reunion" story that Moench and Gulacy did about five years ago? I was really excited for it but thought it turned out to be a bit of a letdown. The art, however, was as spectacular as ever.

As someone else said, I thought it was just a Bruce Lee/karate cash-in thing. I had no idea there was a spy element to it all.

Happily, Paul Gulacy injects a spy element into almot everything he draws! Moench and Jimmy Palmiotti specifically write towards his Bondian tastes. I talked Bond with Gulacy at Comic-Con a few years ago, and he shared that he loved the Roger Moore-era excess and enjoyed the comic bookish craziness of Die Another Day, like the jetsled and the invisible car, which he pointed out were right out of Steranko Nick Fury books. He wasn't a fan of the more serious Daniel Craig direction; that wasn't his Bond.

That's rather cool he admits to liking that era and isn't as inclined to have to say he likes the current era. I'd like to see an interview with him on this at length.

By the way, I really like your site. Keep up the good work.

[Harmsway]

I have to say this series appears to be pretty nifty. I'd never heard of it before. It's a shame there won't likely be a collection released anytime in the near future.

[David_M]

I mention trademark issues regarding Fu Manchu and other supporting characters in my initial post as why we're unlikely to see any reprinted MoKF collections.

Oops. Sorry, I missed that part. You'd think Marvel could go in and change all the Fu Manchu references to instead name one of the dozens of clones from comics and pulps, like Wu Fang, Wo Fan or Pao Tcheou.

Even if not, there still may be hope. Conde Nast recently gave the Doc Savage rights back to DC, who reprinted a collection of Doc stories written and drawn by MARVEL staff in the 70s (!), and Dark Horse is reprinting Marvel's "Conan" works now that the Robert E. Howard estate has given them the adaptation rights. So maybe whoever owns Rohmer's Fu Manchu would greenlight a reprint at a non-Marvel label.

But then I guess the problem is Marvel owns half the characters as original creations. Oh well...

[Brian Flagg]

I know that the Gulacy art gets the lion's share of the attention in MoKF retrospectives--it's beautiful work, to be sure--but for me, it's the Gene Day-as-penciller run (#102-120) when this book works its magic. No one could render backgrounds like Gene Day. Is it an odd compliment to say that he drew statues better than almost anyone else?

Day and Moench create a gothic, rain-drenched, and wonderfully dreary atmosphere that fits this book so well. Gene Day artwork coupled with Doug Moench's inner-looking Shang-Chi dialogue is just beautiful. Add Cold War intrigue, and we get one helluva read.

[Brian Flagg]

Here's a story that has an obvious James Bond connection:

Issues #34-35 (published in 1975) of Master of Kung Fu feature a mad inventor named Mordillo, who has an island with all kinds of elaborate funhouse-type deathtraps. Mordillo also has a dwarf-like robot named Brynocki, who's loyal to his creator to the, shall we say, extreme. Sound familiar?

MoKF artist Paul Gulacy, as mentioned already, is a huge 007 fan, so it would be easy to surmise that Mordiilo's island is based on Scaramanga's Island--which had a funhouse on it.

The logic is simple: Mordillo = Scaramanga and Brynocki = Nick Nack. Also, Gulacy's rendition of Fu Manchu was based on...Christopher Lee!

[Brian Flagg]

Here's a great blog entry called The Spy who Face-Kicked Me that explains the Bondian direction Master of Kung Fu was taking, complete with fantastic Paul Gulacy art. The blogger even mentions Ken Adam's brilliant set design and how MoKF emulated that. Fantastic!

I also managed to buy most of MoKF's entire run this past week.

[Brian Flagg]

From Master of Kung Fu #48, Fu Manchu's Arctic base inside a hollowed-out mountain is positively YOLTian in its inspiration:



The comics magazine Back Issue has two fine articles on Master of Kung Fu in issue #26: an interview with Moench and Gulacy and an article about a cancelled team up story with Shang Chi and the gang teaming up with Nick Fury's SHIELD to take on Fu Manchu and Yellow Claw in their South China Sea underwater base. Turns out that Gulacy LOVED Thunderball and wanted to do his own take on that epic underwater battle. I'm glad someone else besides me adored Thunderball's climactic undersea battle!

This article claims that at its peak during the Moench-Gulacy run, Master of Kung Fu was third bestselling title after The Amazing Spider-Man and Conan. That's a staggering achievement.