Shang-Chi and Judo Master

 Three masters of their disciplines, locked in combat.  Hopefully the illustrator of this issue would be well versed in depicting martial arts action.  I could tell that was the case in some of the Shang-Chi and Iron Fist adventures I've read, and it was always appreciated.

Manhunter and Shang-Chi

 

It always makes a big difference when comic artists illustrating expert fighters have really done their homework.  When the reader sees a character like Shang-Chi or Iron Fist using actual martial arts moves, it adds a lot to the effectiveness of the scene. Hopefully this issue would contain plenty of such sequences.

Plastic Man and Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu

 

When we last saw Plastic Man on this blog, he was  training Ms. Marvel in STF #4598.  I thought that he might go for a little training himself.  Who better to teach him than the Master of Kung Fu himself.

Plastic Man and Shang-Chi first met in STF #4062...

Shang-Chi and Plastic Man

 

I enjoyed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, so when I saw that director  Destin Daniel Cretton was involved with American Born Chinese, another comic-based property on Disney+, I decided to check it out.  I'm halfway through the series and I am really enjoying it.  It has an interesting story, engaging characters, and fun supporting roles by recent Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Key Huy Quan. 

This is another cover in which I had a bit of de-cluttering to do before I added in any new elements.  Here a look at the behind the scenes process: 

Bronze Tiger and Shang-Chi

 

I think that the Suicide Squad movies both missed an opportunity by not putting The Bronze Tiger on the team.  The Suicide Squad comic was where I really got to know Ben Turner as a character and it would have been great to have seen him brought to the big screen.  I don't know if there will be a third movie, but with Rick Flag out of the picture, the cinematic Squad could use a character like The Bronze Tiger to act as a moral compass.

Master of Kung-Fu and The Phantom Stranger

 

I'll be checking out Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings when it hits Disney+ later this month.  I am looking forward to it after it had such a positive reception.  I waited for Black Widow and didn't feel like I missed much - other than the introduction of Yelena, it's pretty filler and skippable for a Marvel Movie.  The early reviews for Eternals do not fill me with confidence, and despite an Oscar I thought Nomadland was deadly dull, so I'll be waiting on that one too.  I think the next movie to actually get me to a theater will be Spider-Man: No Way Home - if the studio ever stops delaying it!

Master of Kung-Fu and Blue Beetle

 

We should start seeing some promotion for Shang-Chi and the legend of the Ten Rings soon, and I am looking forward to getting a better feel for the characters and plot of the upcoming film.  I know the movie will be straying from Shang-Chi's comic book origin, so I don't really know what to expect from the movie version.  Other than the plot revolving somewhat around a martial arts tournament, very little has been revealed about the story that will be told.  I can't wait to see what surprises may be in store. UPDATE:  Perfect timing, the first trailer has just been released!  It doesn't reveal too much plot wise, but it looks to have some awesome action and combat scenes. Awkwafina is doing her sassy best friend thing, which should be fun to watch. 

I am glad to use the artwork of Bronze Age comics legend Rich Buckler here.  I was lucky enough to pick up an original piece of his a while back (the strip is illustrated and signed on the back by Buckler and inker Joe Sinnott, (despite the Larry Lieber credit on the front):

Master of Kung Fu and Man-Bat

 

It looks like Marvel is making up for lost Covid time and the second half of 2021 will be jam packed with content - four movies in addition to as many Disney+ shows.  This means we will be seeing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sooner than I thought (September 3).  Hopefully that means that publicity will kick into gear soon and we will finally get to see some footage in the form of a teaser or trailer.

Heppy to feature the work of Mike Zeck here.  Here's a sketch by him that I picked up several years back:

Master of Kung Fu Vs. Storm Shadow

 

News about Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been somewhat sparse.  Other than some casting and a bare outline of the plot (and a few unconfirmed rumors), next to nothing solid has leaked about the production.  I saw one distant photo of Simu Liu and Awkwafina shooting a scene and a blurry long distance shot of a movie set, but little else.  That's not a bad thing, I feel like I already know too much about the upcoming Black Widow.  It's nice to go see a movie with no preconceived notions as to what is going to happen.  We'll get a trailer or teaser in the next few months, hopefully nothing too spoilery.

Master of Kung Fu and Wildcat

 

Bob Haney was clearly a Wildcat fan, which explains why he made multiple appearances in the pages of The Brave and The Bold.  I always liked when he would show up, and didn't realize until years later that Haney was breaking DC continuity by featuring Ted Grant in Earth One stories.  Eventually, DC just considered his stories to be taking place on Earth-B and let him have his own little corner of DC Comics all to himself.  An elegant solution, I must say!

Master of Kung-Fu and Bruce Lee

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will finally bring the true Mandarin into the MCU.  Most comics fans did not like the bait and switch fake Mandarin from Iron Man 3, so it will be interesting to see how the character is handled now that Marvel Studios is giving him another shot on the big screen.  Collecting the ten rings, each possessing its own power seems a little similar to the Infinity Gauntlet, so I wonder if they will change that up at all.  Most interesting is the rumor that The Mandarin will be revealed as Shang-Chi's father, replacing Fu-Manchu from the comics version.

7 Soldiers of Victory and The X-Men (& 3 More Tales!)

DC's 100-Page Giants always felt like a "full meal" of a comic to me.  You had the big main course, then a couple of sides featuring lesser used fan favorites and finish up with a tasty golden age reprint.  I would complete my reading fully satisfied every time.

The Maxx & Wolverine / Shang-Chi Vs. The Flash

The Flash and Supergirl teamed up on TV this week and it was just what I needed after Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice.  While the big theatrical release had a lot to like in terms of visuals, It was mostly a depressing affair about people who did not like having to be superheroes.  While the TV team up may have been limited budgetarily, it was nice to see the heroes enjoying themselves, even when the chips were down.  Plus, their Flash didn't have a man-bun.

Katana and Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu

Well, it has been announced that DC is cancelling Katana. I'm glad that they took a chance with her but maybe the timing was just off.  Perhaps if DC had given Katana more time to shine in the pages of Justice League of America and in the Beware the Batman TV series, interest in a solo series would have been greater.

I wasn't a huge fan of martial arts comics growing up, but I did like Shang-Chi because he was rooted in the Marvel Universe and could interact with their heroes and villains.  The great artwork didn't hurt either.  Artists like Gil Kane, Mike Zeck and Paul Gulacy produced some very memorable covers for the character
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Batman and The Master of Kung Fu

Out of all of the martial arts characters that came out during the 70's, two really rose to the top: Iron Fist and Shang-Chi, The Master of Kung Fu. Iron Fist of course was a cross between a martial artist and superhero, so that was cool to me. Shang-Chi, on the other hand was a straight up martial artist, inspired by the likes of David Carradine's TV Kung Fu character. The neat thing was that he was still set firmly in the Marvel Universe and would appear with Spider-Man, The Thing and others.