The Strange Case of Shang-Chi (Giant-Size Master of Kung-Fu)

[knight_moves]

It's Shang-Chi's birthday! Do you think he'll treat himself and get a cookie cake, or maybe just take the day off and watch a couple movies he's been meaning to get to?











So this is pretty much Shang's plot this story. He gets attacked by assassins, there's a lynched Shang-Chi dummy they show him--it's pretty insensitive of Fu Manchu, to be honest. Good on Shang for cutting them down, but I can't help but think there's gonna be a New Yorker cover over people finding all these lynched Shang-Chis around town.



Meanwhile, Fu Manchu has a yin-only conference table... with a THRONE... and I know people take issue with him being a card-carrying villain instead of a sympathetic antihero who wants his dead wife back? But c'mon. That's great. Ken Adams would be proud.



Meanwhile, Shang fights a... gay American Gladiator. Big swing, I can dig it.

Finally, fed up with the whole thing, Shang goes to confront the Devil Daddy.

Comments

[cygnia]

Ducharme: yeah, whatever... *tokes up*

[deh_tommy]

Silent council? For fudges’ sake, Krakoa’s government named themselves after FU-MANCHU? How evil can you get?

[scorntx]

It's okay! It's not evil when a Mutant does it!
(well, maybe the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but they're just being ironic!)

[thanekos]

There are 40+ years between this story and HoX/PoX, " (Adjective) Council " is not so unique a form of name that one would be necessarily be referencing a previous instance in using it, and you didn't get the Krakoa one's name right (Quiet, not Silent.)

(If Fu Manchu's group here has a proper name, it would clearly be " Council of Seven " - " my silent council " more immediately seems lowercase.)

[deh_tommy]

In this case I was just joking. I know it’s just coincidence, but if I had a nickel and all that.

[scorntx]

That's got to be so aggravating in the henchman business when the boss calls you up to the big meeting and claims he wasn't really being serious with all his previous schemes.
"So if everything up 'till now was just dicking about, why did you threaten me and my family with death by scorpion pit?"
"Motivation. Also, it was funny."

[knight_moves]

It's moments like these that separate the true hencher from the riff-raff.

[skjam]

Another bit of symbolism/stagecraft:

The "yang" pillar in the conference table blocks direct line of sight for some of the council members to Fu Manchu, and vice versa. This creates a blind spot which makes it easier for Shang-Chi to pull off his trick.

[full_metal_ox]

Good catch on your part and artistic decision on Gulacy’s (as well as a touch that Walter Gibson and Jim Steranko might appreciate.)

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Yeah, I noticed and was wondering about that...

[full_metal_ox]

So did the sewer rats learn anything from observing the Kung Fu Fighting?