Shang-Chi and the Quest for Immortality (Family Comic Friday)

Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu is a Marvel character that is more aligned with mature readership than a figure of all-ages family fun. Created in the 1970s as Marvel's answer to the martial arts film craze brought about by the influences of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, Shang-Chi originally was the son of the global 'yellow menace' known as Fu-Manchu. Over time, the
controversial antagonist was replaced with a figure whose origin wasn't encased with a legacy of East Asian prejudices and hate. Shang-Chi's rebooted father, Zheng-Zu was no less evil or power hungry. Even more, he still wasn't a character for children as the leader of the Five Weapons Society was a gangster who had his hands in some very adult criminal activities such as gun running, human trafficking, and drugs.

Of course with the live action Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel wanted to produce a kid friendly graphic novel to introduce the characters to a broader audience. To do this, creator Victoria Ying set the story during Shang-Chi's childhood. Yes, Shang-Chi's father is still a heartless criminal leader who rewards loyalty over issuing parental love. Only now he's more of a passive character in which the young hero lives in the shadow of his father's approval. 

Ying makes another wise move by having the story focus more on the mythology of Shang-Chi's world as opposed to the dark criminal elements. In this book, Shang-Chi is on a quest to find a magical orchard that fruits could heal the boy's ailing father. In the midst of Shang-Chi's journey, he meets a mysterious hooded man who claims to be Shang-Chi's brother and the protector of other offspring who have been deemed unworthy of inheriting Zheng-Zu's criminal enterprise.

This graphic novel is a decent prequel to 2021's Shang-Chi motion picture. It opens Shang-Chi's eyes to his father's dark nature while also authenticating the myths of ancient China into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The story also shows how you can love someone even when they are imperfect, even when that nature is extremely vile.

Cruel parents seems to be a universal theme. Snow White, Cinderella, even The Simpsons show that parents are people too. And that means flaws. It's a complicated process to love someone who is supposed to love you back and yet sometimes in return mothers and fathers aren't capable of such kindness. Thus if this story opens up questions about parental abuse or neglect, it's my hope that parents and guardians are willing and equipped to address such complicated inquiries. Though I think the recommended age of 8-12 might be a bit too immature. 10-14 might be more appropriate.

A read that potentially could open many doors. Not just to some complex family ethics, but also to Chinese culture. The artwork is highly indicative of modern and classic Oriental styles. Plus, young readers are introduced to new characters that have entertained millions of Chinese children for millennia. If you are going to show Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to your family, this book could act as a good introduction to many of the characters as well as be a great follow up to a reader interested in learning the rest of the story.

I really thought this book was older than its 2023 publication date. It might have been due to come out when the movie did but was delayed due to COVID. But a 2 year hiatus? The book has a preview for a Ms. Marvel graphic novel I read and reviewed a long time ago. So maybe it was due to come out in 2021. Not sure. But it shouldn't interfere with the enjoyment of this book.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

With Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, we got an honest-to-god martial arts film. Originally, the main character was billed as Shang-Chi: The Master of Kung-Fu. I'm not that familiar with fighting styles, so I don't know if any actual kung-fu was used. But the viewers got a masterpiece. 

The Legend of the Ten Rings is set right in the middle of the MCU. Events start in San Francisco, which we've already explored thanks to the Ant-Man films. But as the plot progresses, the map expands to include Macau and then the mythical Chinese village of Ta Lo. In fact, when the main characters reach Ta Lo, the film becomes a beautiful work of art. There are mythical Chinese creatures (I loved the lion things!), Chinese culture, artwork, fashion, and much, much more. That second half of this movie was just breath-taking. 

That's not to say that this film was perfect. I did at times find myself getting bored, as I have with stale bits of superhero films. It wasn't Shang-Chi, who is to blame. It's an industry thing as a whole that has some elements which just seem to be getting old. 

The premise of the film is linked with the events of 2013's Iron Man 3. In that film, we learned that the Mandarin, the so-called leader of the Ten Rings was really a ruse. Instead of an Asian man, a drunken actor named Trevor Slattery was hired to create a diversion for a foe of Tony Stark's. Well, the real leader of the Ten Rings wasn't so happy about that...

Originally, Shang-Chi's father was the legendary dime pulp villain Fu-Manchu. The character, created by San Rohmer, was based on racist stereotypes with his long, straggly facial hair and hideous claws. That tendency to imprison white women in a number of masochist, demeaning ways didn't help things either. Marvel about 15 years or so ago, rebooted the origin of Shang-Chi from which the comics is now more in line with the 2021 movie. 

A thousand years ago, a Chinese warlord named Xu Wenwu obtained the magical 10 rings. These rings, which technically are bracelets, granted him immortal life along with a number of various powers. Looking to increase the power of his criminal organization, in 1996, Xu Wenwu attempted to breach the mythical Ta Lo. The man is stopped by the village's guardian Ying Li. The episode earns the mutual respect of both and the pair fall in love.

Xu Wenwu forsakes the rings during his marriage to Ying Li. Two children are born, Shang-Chi and his sister Xu Xaling. All appears bliss. However, Xu's past catches up with him, resulting in the death of Yin Li. Xu Wenwu bears the rings again, training his children to become assassins in revenge for their mother's death. However, Shang-Chi escapes his evil destiny, winding up in San Francisco under the name of Shaun.

Over time, Xu Wenwu begins to hear the voice of his fallen bride. The voice claims that if he can pierce a sacred barrier in the village of Ta Lo, the entire family can be together again. As Shang-Chi and his sister learn more of their mystical heritage, they prepare for battle with the forces of the Ten Rings to stop Xu Wenwu from his fool hardy quest which threatens to unleash hell on earth.

I know that there's a lot going on here. The story was complex, which is something many of the Marvel films have been missing lately. The martial art scenes were amazing. They were fluid, alluring and sometimes funny, like from a Drunken Master movie. When the theatrics appeared more like a typical comic book and not staying in the legacy of Bruce Lee, I got bored. 

I don't understand why this film didn't become the cultural touchstone for the Asian community like Black Panther did for the black community. Actually, I do. Blame COVID. Even though this 2021 movie made over $400 million in theaters, the crowds just hadn't returned yet. Heck, the crowds still haven't gotten back to pre-pandemic levels and if things continue the way they do, I don't think they will any time soon...

Lots of great actors. Michelle Yeoh, the reigning queen of Asian cinema who has taken Hollywood by force. Tony Leung was great as the villain. He's the actor that you've seen before, really like and just can't remember where you've seen him from previously. Relative newcomer (at the time) Simu Liu was great as the lead. But the actor who stole the show (and maybe my heart) was comedienne Awkwafina, who stole the show as Shaun's best friend Katy. Look, if Margot Robbie decides to hang up her harlequin costume, I would put my vote behind Awkwafina as the next Harley Quinn! But with all this amazing Asian talent, where were legends such as Sonny Chiba, Donnie Yen and the king of Hong Kong cinema, Jackie Chan? Maybe they'll be available for the sequel? 

Please tell me there will be a sequel...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #147

After several issues devoted entirely to the 'Siege of Darkness' storyline, there's an almost clean slate to the anthology series. Wolverine has been gone for a while and Danny Ketch bid adieu last issue. Taking over the Ghost Rider feature is the most punk rock of all the Spirits of Vengeance, the aptly named Vengeance.

A little about Vengeance. In human form, he's Michael Badilino. Former member of Special Forces, Badilino is a rough and tough New York City cop. Some think he's a part-time vigilante when he's not on patrol. Those guys don't know the half of it. 

There's a new killer on the streets of the Big Apple and it's causing Badilino's 'Ghost Rider' sense to go off. The murderer is meta-human called Psiphon, who gains power and endurance from feeding off the negative emotions of others. I think you can tell where this is going as Badilino is a big bad ugly and his alter ego, Vengeance is even meaner.

Unlike most other issues of this series, the Vengeance story is the only multi-parter. Falcon stars in a drama involving his day job as a social worker, an abused child and a string of arson cases. Native American hero, American Eagle is back in New York trying to save a pair of Indian teens who have run in with the wrong crowd in the big city. 

The last story involves those former Danny Ketch Ghost Rider allies, the Masters of Silence. This 8-pager is their last appearance in the Marvel Universe. But other than why I've gleaned from the Marvel Wiki, is about all I know about the story. It's forgettable.

I'm happy with the new Ghost Rider feature. It's a breath of fresh air. The American Eagle story keeps making me wish that Marvel would have made a fish out of water title with the character back in the 90s. And I loved- I mean LOVED that Falcon story. Powerful stuff that features Sam Wilson's true superpower- social justice. But gee, I wish I could have recalled that Masters of Silence story. They're such a stylistically appealing group of heroes. But obviously, they were grossly misused. 

3 out of 4 ain't bad.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #142

As mentioned previously in another review, the 3 multi-part stories all come to a close in this issue. I was happy with the Wolverine story's ending and that adventure was enjoyable overall. Ghost Rider's action-packed romp through New York and Hong Kong was good. But it lacked substance. I might have actually done a back flip with the Spellbounder story coming to an end.

What really makes this issue stand apart is the introduction of a character named Alex Grimmond. MCP has seen several new characters make their debut in its pages. But this may be the first and only time that a main character made their first and only appearance in any Marvel publication. 

Grimmond wants to join the 1400 Club. It's an elite association of assassins. Only 1400 killers can be a member at a time and the only way to gain membership is to kill the head honcho, the British accented Foreigner. 

This was a really good tale if only for the twist ending that I didn't see coming. I would have loved a follow up story to this. However, upon checking the Marvel Wiki, as of press time of this review, there has never been another appearance of Grimmond in another comic book from the House of Ideas. 

A great ending to a couple of stories. Another tale was okay. And we're done with a multi-parter that was terrible from almost the very first panel. The thing that makes me the most excited about this issue is that issue #143 is a complete clean slate of 4 new story segments.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #141

Guess who's starring in the single issue feature, again. Yep. It's Iron Fist. I swear, with having Wolverine, Ghost Rider and Iron Fist in every issue, the original concept of MCP being an overall anthology series of the Marvel Universe is essentially dead. 

On the flip side of this, change is about to come as the 3 multi-part stories are all in their penultimate segment phase. 

Wolverine discovers an inter-dimensional portal. If he can close it up, he'd get rid of those pesky aliens and hopefully free a bunch of islanders from mental enslavement. 

The Spellbounder story has been anything but spellbinding. I read this story but I mostly am just going through the motions with it.

The Ghost Rider/Double Dragon- I mean the Masters of Silence team-up, is just about to face the big boss. 

You know, if this entire issue had been an 90s arcade game, I think I would have been all over it. A Street Fighter type game with Ghost Rider, Wolverine and Iron Fist. Epic. Since these type of games were quartets, I wonder who the fourth character would be... Luke Cage? Punisher? Hellcat? I'd love to visit the alternate earth in the multiverse where this video game idea is a reality...

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars. 

Marvel Comics Presents #140

Wolverine is now officially teamed with Doc Samson. Recently freed from his mental enslavement by extraterrestrials, Samson is working to free other humans from their torments. But can the good doctor really be trusted?

The Ghost Rider story that pits him with the Masters of Silence is still action-packed. But that now seems to be all of the story. It's like a Double Dragon video game now. Just continual fighting until you get to the big boss.

I'm just not a fan of that Spellbinder story. This is not because the character is a female. Not at all. It's because the story bounces from reality to induced fantasy; often without warning. And I swear this is just a grown-up version of Rainbow Brite. 

And for our one-and-done story, guess who's back! If you guessed Iron Fist, give yourself a cookie! I mean it's not like the Marvel Universe has other characters or anything. Unfortunately, I don't really remember anything about it either. 

This issue is like a ski slope. You start off on the highest high. But as you make your way through the book, you keep getting lower and lower. Only this time its lowering in quality, not height.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Bruce Lee #1(2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Despite a very short career, Bruce Lee is a martial arts icon. Born in San Francisco, Lee was the child of British Hong Kong parents. Thus with dual citizenship, Lee was able to simultaneously operate in both Asia's burgeoning kung-fu cinema industry and classic American Hollywood.

Dying suddenly of cerebral edema in 1973, Bruce Lee's filmography is relatively short. Lee appeared in about 2 dozen TV shows and films as a child in Hong Kong before having to flee the region due to his hot-headed temper and ability to run afoul of the police. While in the states, Lee started to privately practicing his techniques while in enrolled in a Seattle university studying philosophy. 

After meeting his wife Linda Emery, Lee dropped out of college to open his own martial arts school in Oakland, Ca. Bruce started to appear in competitions and developed a strong following. During an exhibition, Lee caught the eye of producer William Dozier. Originally, the Batman '66 exec wanted to cast Lee as one of master detective Charlie Chan's children in a weekly mystery series. While that project never materialized, Dozier eventually cast Bruce Lee in the Batman spin-off, The Green Hornet with Lee playing the role of faithful butler/sidekick Kato.

The Green Hornet only lasted one season. Out of work, Bruce opened The Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. Lee believed that traditional martial arts were too restrictive. So he developed a system called Jeet Kune Do which incorporated weight training for strength, running for stamina as well as elements of boxing, fencing and other Western fighting styles. While the Chinese community wasn't exactly fond of Bruce's style nor his  willingness to teach Americans, the development of Jeet Kune Do opened Lee up to the next phase of his acting career- movies.

Because of his role on The Green Hornet, Lee attracted celebrities, athletes and tinsel town high rollers to his new school. Even though new film and TV roles were pouring in, Lee was not happy with being stereotyped in them. Also being robbed of a starring role and producer/creator credit on what would become the martial arts/Western hybrid Kung-Fu didn't help matters any. So Lee returned to Hong Kong where he learned that his role as Kato had shot him into super-stardom in his former home country. 

Bruce's first leading role was 1971's The Big Boss followed up by the immensely popular Fists of Fury (1972). Lee directed himself in his third venture, Way of the Dragon. American audiences really took notice of Lee's films and the growing popularity in kung-fu in general led to Lee returning to America. In 1973, Warner Bros.' Enter The Dragon sealed Bruce Lee's iconic status on celluloid. But it was his tragic and mysterious death while working on his final official film role, The Game of Death that cemented Bruce Lee's legend.

The death of Bruce Lee placed him up there with gone too soon movie icons such as James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. All three of these fallen stars have had numerous movies, documentaries, songs and more devoted to them. But neither Dean nor Monroe have ever had a comic book series created about them. 

In 1993, Universal Pictures released Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story in theaters. The bio-pic was extremely popular and it unleashed a wave of interest in Bruce Lee to a new generation of fans. Riding on that wave of nostalgia, Malibu Comics obtained the rights to craft a 6-issue miniseries about the adventures of Bruce Lee. 

Simply titled Bruce Lee, the comic book is quasi-autobiographical. It has Lee in a more modern set Long Beach California attempting to open his own dojo. Not able to afford his own place, Bruce works out a deal with a landlord where in exchange for free lessons, Bruce can use the site of an old bakery for free until he can get on his feet. Complicating matters is that Bruce's new business is right across the street from a a celebrity-run martial arts school whose training techniques are rather questionable; including use of steroids and the selling of cocaine.

In the first issue, one of the students of the rival school challenges Lee to a fight. Bruce mops the floor up with this guy. Disgraced and enraged, the rival master attempts to frame Bruce and his school by planting a dying man with a nearly empty syringe of some sort of drug on the floor inside Lee's academy. TO BE CONTINUED...

The story was written by Mike Baron. This wasn't Baron's first foray in writing a Bruce Lee related comic. While with Now Entertainment, Baron crafted the scripts for 1991's Kato of the Green Hornet mini and its 1992 sequel. 

While working on that sequel, Mike Baron teamed with Val Mayervik (Howard the Duck). A former assistant of Dan Adkins, Mayervik trained with P. Craig Russell. The embellished muscle mass of the characters and the shaded penciled effects of the artwork evoke the influences of both Adkins and Russell. Thanks to Mayervik's affiliation with the Bruce Lee project, Baron was able to achieve his dream of working on a series devoted not to a Lee character but Bruce the legend.

1994's Bruce Lee was not the only series based on the icon. In 2016, Darby Pop released a 4-issue mini titled Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises. It was co-written by Indestructible's Jeff Kline and Shannon Lee, daughter of the late martial arts actor! In that story, Lee didn't die but was instead transported to the modern day 2010s. With thugs and government agents on his trail, Lee must team with an old friend to solve the mystery of his disappearance and mysterious return. 

This issue was an interesting opening chapter. The interior illustrations of Bruce Lee are much better representations than from that on the cover. Though both the cover Lee and the one in this story also have that over-the-top mullet. The main villain is styled to resemble an older Chuck Norris with a Van Damme build. The dialogue, especially of the bad guys is very 1990s action movie fodder. But the story itself reads like the kind of film Bruce might have gotten to make had he lived into his 40s or 50s. Consider this a lost movie adaptation from an alternate earth in which the career of Bruce Lee was not tragically shortened. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #47 (Based on a Real Person) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Marvel Comics Presents #132

A new multi-parter starring Wolverine begins in this issue and I'm really excited about it for once. That's because Cyber, the one villain that actually scares the crap outta Logan, has returned! The X-Man is vacationing on an island paradise where he comes across a beautiful native being pursued by a blood cult! Not one to see a girl in distress, Wolvie attempts to play Superman and ends up in dank pit with his worst enemy- Cyber!

I really can't figure out the Ghost Rider/Cage team-up. On the surface, it's a crime noir mystery with Luke Cage trying to find the madman who killed an ex-flame of his. As we dig deeper into the onion, we find that Ghost Rider is trying to stop the demonic entity that is behind the motives of the serial killer. A being powered not by hate but love!

In the single issue story, Iron Man takes on an armored villain. Big surprise there...

Lastly, that horrible Iron Fist Vs. Hydra story comes to a close. This was an adventure that had a lot of promise. Yet poor use of back-up characters and really implausible plotting of Danny Rand made this an absolutely awful story that I couldn't wait for to end! Most people lament not wanting a story to end. How many people actually want something they read to conclude?

The Wolverine story has a lot of promise. The Ghost Rider/Cage story is interesting but also something I can't quite figure out. The Iron Man story was cliched. And finally, I can put to rest that Iron Fist tale. I'm going to rate this book a tad higher than I normally would if just for the mercy killing of that clunker of a kung-fu yarn.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Uncanny Origins #14

 Here it is, the final issue of Uncanny Origins. The subject of this closing chapter is the martial artist Iron Fist. The hero might seem an odd choice to star in the last issue but at the time of this issue's publishing, Marvel had just come out with a new Heroes for Hire series in which Iron Fist was the star. Unfortunately, like Uncanny Origins, that series didn't last very long either with only 20 issues produced. 

   The Iron Fist featured in this issue is the 70s version of Danny Rand. Filled with anger over the murder of his father and later tragic death of his mother, young Danny sought vengeance when he was taken in by the kung-fu mastering monks of K'un-Lun. While I don't mind this version of Iron Fist, I must say that I prefer the more zen-like Danny Rand whose been occupying the Marvel Universe for the past 15 years. 

   This was a good issue with a flawless story and that's all because it's written by 70's comic master Len Wein who returns to character he co-created. The art by M.C. Wyman was quite good too and I liked his work on this series a lot more than Marc Campos whose style was very 90s and by that, I mean that the proportions were all wrong. But I would have liked to have Dave Hoover, this series first artist, back to do an animated style take on the kung-fu hero.

   Regardless of any of my nitpicking, this issue did something that is a mark of great comic book crafting in general- it got me interested in collecting and reading the 90s Heroes for Hire series as well as possibly delving into the original 70s series that later fused Iron Fist with Luke Cage, Powerman in one of the collect buddy cop comics of all-time. 
   
   Sweet Holy Christmas!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

"Manga Claus"

WORTH CONSUMING!

This Marunas kid stole my idea. In 1994, I came up with Kung Fu Santa, and I’ve been developing parodies ever since.

Did this guy know someone I went to school with? How did he get my idea?!

Good book- appropriate for ages 9 and up. Nice use of limited color. Worth consuming, but gosh darn it, it’s my idea- so only 4 stars, the 5th goes to me!!!