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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 19, 2019 16:30:35 GMT -5
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19Arn Fist, as they say in the deep South. Creative Team: IF-Claremont & Nebres, SOT-Mantlo, Perez & Abel, Archie Goodwin-edits Archie writes an article suggesting readers write their congressmen for a ban on fluorocarbons in spray cans, because of damage to the ozone layer. Well, that's a start; but, as subsequent decades proved, their were other issues at hand that were even worse and they still can't get action, because money talks louder than sense. Iron Fist- Claremont tells me I am Iron Fist. No, really; he says "You are Iron Fist." So, if that's true, I'm going to get out of the green and yellow pajamas and put on more sensible clothes. Actually, Danny's already in sensible clothes, sitting around moping about it being his birthday and he hasn't had anyone wish him Happy Birthday in 11 years. Geez, get over it dud; so your parents were murdered in cold blood and you were lost in a hidden realm that pops into another dimension for a decade. Waa! Move on, dude! Danny hears a scream and finds a young woman encircled by a pack of people, acting like a gang rape is about to go down, when Dany jumps into the middle to defend her... He whoops everyone, including a cop, then covers up the girl, who wakes up, sees his dragon tattoo and starts screaming about Dhasha Khan (Chaka's brother, I presume) She runs off, Danny Tackles her and pins her down, which doesn't look any less rapey than before. he takes her to Prof. Wing and Colleen lends a hand. The girl tells them her name is Jade (and she is in love with Race Bannon...) She apologizes for flipping out and Danny utters the name Shou-Lao, the name of the dragon who granted him the iron fist and Jade has heard of him and says she was sent to find Danny, though she can't remember by whom. Some goons break in and attack and Danny opens up the HKBOKF and turns to Chapter 41, kicking the crap out of strange gangs who circle around young women, in New York parks, and proceeds to chew bubble gum and kick ass, but runs out of bubble gum. Colleen forgets that she can kick ass, too, and gets tied up in a bolo. IF punches a guy in the chest, with the Iron Fist and he and Jade fall through a portal to hell (a hell, not necessarily THE HELL), where Dhasha Khan waits, for IF to fight for her soul. DK blinds IF and sicks his goons on him. COMEON REF; ARE YOU BLIND? ? GET A SEEING-EYE DOG!!!!!!!!!!! FIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Articles follow, with one about some 23 year-old master in my neck of the woods who puts on a stunt show, followed by a history of karate, that is a mix of folklore and history, which is followed by an ad for Count Dante. So, one long line of bullshido. Which is followed by an article by Val Eads, debunking this crap and Count Dante. Dante and members of his Black Dragin Fighting Society, took part in a legit competition, where they wore Japanese gis and belts, in a kung fu tournament, and got their clocks cleaned, as none of them seemed to know anything about actual kung fu techniques or anything other than charging at people, yelling, and throwing groin shots. It didn't go well for the students of the "Deadliest Man Alive!" And yet, Marvel is still happy to take advertising revenue from them. SOT-Bill Mantlo and George Perez come out of a kung fu movie, and see that carl Douglas was right, while some kid reads the current issue, where he is probably at the page where he sees himself reading about himself, reading about himself.................. George has an Avengers to draw and Mantlo needs a hair cut, when Bob Diamond brushes past. Then the rest of the cast and Mantlo goes to get a drink, while Perez hopes he can get home before rain comes and ruins his artwork. The SOT are at each other's throats, as Bob accuses Lin-Sun of making time with Lotus. Abe tries to play ref and gets sucker kicked over a pommel horse. he gets up, takes off his amulet and walks off to find a better gig (preferably one written by Don McGregor). Lotus storms out, then Bob yells some racial slus (more actually, as he already went with "You little yellow...") and it's on... They fight and pent up hatred gets let loose, and they stop fighting, drop the amulets and leave. Then, they are found by some Puerto Rican dude, who puts them on and White Tiger is born. Thoughts: Iron Fist is confusing, but okay. It's the opening chapter and we are thrown into a mystery. Nebres makes it look nice; still hate the second person narration. Sons of the Tiger starts out with a meta in-joke, which isn't particularly funny, but was a Marvel mainstay (and DC did it, too). Then, we get a total personality switch so we can have heroes fight in one of the more contrived dust ups in marveldom, then out of left field, we get a new hero; a true superhero, which is what Mantlo wanted, from the start. Story isn't much; but, perez has come a long way, though some pages are sharper than others. Far closer to the Perez we know. Funny about Marvel putting out an expose of Count Dante and his Black Dragon Fighting Society school, while still taking money to hawk his BS course, in a fine comic publisher tradition.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 19, 2019 18:21:21 GMT -5
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #20Cue the Chuck Norris memes......... Creative Teams: IF- Claremont & Nebres, White Tiger- Mantlo, Perez and Abel. Synopsis: Iron Fist fights soom goons, while blinded, does the Kung Fu flashback to his Master Po teaching him to fight blind and then whooping the goons. Dhasha Khan is POD and sicks Silver Dragon, a woman on him and she smacks him around, until she pulls off his locket, with pictures of his parents and she falters in the face of love, then Danny and Jade are back in the real world, with everyone wanting to burn the witch... Then Danny's mother turns up, in a vision. It's demon trickery and Danny defeats it, then defends Jade and seems to win; but, she says is missing the firebird's soul (I think she means the transmission, 'cause without it,a Firebird isn't going to go far). White Tiger- Some gang punks break into a train lot, and get a new initiate, a kid, to distract the guard, so they can knock him out. they then proceed to tag the trains with their name (Nomads). The guard is still awake and reaching for his gun, when he gets a boot to the face. They then put the gun in the lid's hands, to fully initiate him and destroy his future, when a surprise comes along... The Tiger proceeds to kick ass, until running up against one who learned martial arts in the Army, in Nam. they square off, as another outflanks WT, with a knife at the ready. WT spots him as he leaps, catches him and bodyslams him, then blocks a strike by the black belt gang banger and takes him out. Then, the kid points the gun at WT and says he has to shoot or the Nomads will get him and his mother... The guard hits him with his nightstick, before he can shoot again. The kid goes down and doesn't move. he is dead. WT punches the guard, then leaves. White Tiger leaves and comes to an apartment, then a strange feeling comes over him and he turns into Hector Ayala (any relation to hercules Ayala?) who doesn't remember a thing. Meanwhile, Lotus packs up and leaves the brownstone, leaving Bob on his own, as she and Lin-Sun head off to a new life. Abe is at the airport, getting ready to board a plane to Morocco, when a mysterious woman spots him and says he will do. She fakes a trip and switches suitcases with him. Meanwhile, hector stumbles into his home and passes out, dreaming of the Sons of the Tiger and the White Tiger. he is awakened by his sister who wants to know where he was. he tries to lie and gets caught in it. He goes to breakfast, with his mother, hen the police show up, having trailed a suspect in a gang killing to the address. Thoughts: Only had the two stories, for this one. Iron Fist is more esoteric, psychological weirdness, with Danny fighting his mother, who is a demon and crazy stuff going down. Nebres makes it all kind of dreamy, with his soft feathered art. White tiger sees the SOT go their separate ways, leaving us Hector Ayala, who seems oblivious to having been the White Tiger. Perez is starting to cook now and Mantlo actually delivers a pretty good story; the kind of thing the SOT has been missing. I have no proof; but, I am left to wonder if Hector's name wasn't inspired by Puerto Rican pro wrestler Hercules Ayala (Ruben Cruz), who came to the US mainland in the early 70s and was trained by Angelo Savoldi to be a wrestler. he worked for a time in the WWWF (Vince McMahon Sr's earlier version of the WWF, before selling out to Vince Jr). That would be around this time frame. He then returned to Puerto Rico, which had a thriving wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council, of which one of the owners was Bob Marello, aka Gorilla Monsoon, one of the wrestlers and office guys of the WWWF. Several Puerto Rican wrestlers worked in New York for Vince Sr, including Carlos Colon and Jose "Invader #1" Gonzales (the man who murdered Bruiser Brody, in the locker room, in Puerto Rico, and got away with it). Much of this is contributed by Perez, who wanted a Puerto Rican hero, whose parent came from Puerto Rico. There was a large Puerto Rican population in New York, in the 70s, as heard in the Rolling Stones song "Miss You," and the character Chano, on the tv sitcom Barney Miller. The elements of gang life are very strong and feel authentic, as this is how street gangs operate. The terrorize neighborhoods and recruit kids as soldiers, destroying their lives; or, else, victimize them until they join a rival gang, for protection. Somehow, this seems more of Perez's influence than Mantlo. Both were from New York; but, mantlo was from brooklyn and Perez from the South bronx, and I suspect he knew of more dangerous neighborhoods than Mantlo. definite step up from previous SOT stories.
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Post by profh0011 on Aug 20, 2019 10:44:36 GMT -5
Quite a few times over the years, I felt that George Perez' comics were WAY more violent and hard-hitting than most others, and I felt this had to be the influence of his growing up in a really bad neighborhood. Somehow, no matter how high-tech and high-fallutin' the books were he worked on, that never really left his work-- not even when he was doing WONDER WOMAN.
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Post by mikelmidnight on Aug 20, 2019 11:39:06 GMT -5
Sons of the Tiger starts out with a meta in-joke, which isn't particularly funny, but was a Marvel mainstay (and DC did it, too). Then, we get a total personality switch so we can have heroes fight in one of the more contrived dust ups in marveldom, then out of left field, we get a new hero; a true superhero, which is what Mantlo wanted, from the start. Story isn't much; but, perez has come a long way, though some pages are sharper than others. Far closer to the Perez we know. I regret that Marvel hasn't treated White Tiger very well. I always liked him more than Sons of the Tiger, although admittedly my memories of the series was very dim and I didn't recall how awful they were until I read your analyses (although to be fair, when they came out I might have been too young to appreciate how awful they were).
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Post by brutalis on Aug 20, 2019 12:59:54 GMT -5
With all of the reboots and such within the MU, I would really like to see a revamped modern Sons of the Tiger with Hector Ayala and Lotus as full on members of the team along side Lin, Bob and Abe. Place Blackbyrd as their contact/friend on the force. Done properly it might redeem the Tiger Sons (and daughter) while making them street level heroic legends of the inner city along the lines of DD and the Punisher and Like Cage in dealing with gangs and gangsters and their like. just put them in better outfits please...
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 20, 2019 18:45:55 GMT -5
Master of Kung Fu #38Time for the Cat! Creative Team: Doug Moench-writer, Paul Gulacy-pencils, Dan Adkins-inks, Annette Kawecki-letters, Petra Goldberg-colors, Marv Wolfman-edits Synopsis: Chi is in Hong Kong, where we see a Siamese cat fend off other alley cats, who have cornered it. Chi intercedes and scares off the mob and moves on, while the Siamese follows, at a distance. We learn, via flashback, that Chi has been asked by Nayland Smith to stop a man called the Cat, who threatens an agent of theirs, who is trying to obtain documents that the Cat controls. Chi refuses, stating documents are not worth death and a man such as Smith describes will only be stopped with death. Leiko convinces him to protect their agent and preserve their life. In Hong Kong, he heads for a nightclub, the Jade Peacock. there he finds a sultry Anglo singer... Chi listens to her song and thinks back on his parting with Leiko. His revelry is interrupted by the singer, who sits down to talk with him. he gives the passwords and she responds with the reply. She is Juliette, Smith's agent; but, says that she is in no danger from Shen Kui, the Cat. They are interrupted by some guys who call Chi "white one" and attempt to interfere and end up unconscious on the floor. Juliette takes Chi to her dressing room, to talk in private and an observer runs off and reports to Shen Kui. Juliette reveals to Chi that Shen Kui is her lover. Chi then decides to leave; but, is interrupted by more of the gang. However, Shen Kui arrives and claims Chi for himself. the leader of the gang raises objections. Chi and Shen Kui fight together, against the gang... Together, they defeat the gang, then square off. Juliette comes in and tries to stop Shen Kui, telling her that Chi was leaving, to return to London; but, the Cat says her love was false and he intends to kill Chi. Thoughts: Tremendous issue, filled with atmosphere and great characters. Juliette is world weary and in love, yet there is a tragedy surrounding her. Shen Kui is made fearsome, before he appears, by how others perceive him. Excellent writing from Moench that uses character exposition to tease the villain, giving him weight when we do see him. he makes a dramatic entrance, then we see that he is at least the equal, if not superior to Shang-Chi. Gulacy is firing on all cylinders, playing with camera angles, reflections, light and shadow; all kinds of visual tricks. His uses of models has become more pronounced as Juliette is obviously based on German actress Marlene Dietrich.... Dietrich had that same quality, as she became a film and cabaret star in Weimar Berlin, then fled Germany when the Nazis came to power and lived in exile. She was sultry and dabbled in gender roles, appearing in masculine attire as well as feminine, oozing sexuality of a fluctuating nature. Gulacy captures that in visuals as Moench does in dialogue. Both are women who have seen and done too much, yet still bring love. This is my second favorite storyline of the Moench & Gulacy run, as this gets deep into character, both Shang-Chi and the lovers, Shen Kui and Juliette. Considering this is only a two-parter, these characters cast a long shadow, which made their subsequent returns inevitable. I suspect the fight scenes, in the bar, may had had some inspiration in Way of the Dragon, aka Return of the Dragon, where Bruce Lee helps defend a restaurant owner from a Mafia protection racket, which culminates in a fight, at the Colosseum, in Rome, with Chuck Norris. It's not a distinct connection; but, there is similar staging.
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Post by profh0011 on Aug 21, 2019 16:48:57 GMT -5
One of my favorite issues. This was right about the time I started buying them as they came out.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 21, 2019 16:54:55 GMT -5
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #21The savage world of martial arts bullshido! Let the lore commence! Creative Teams: Iron Fist-Claremont & Nebres, White Tiger-Mantlo, Perez and Abel, Archie Goodwin-edits Archie's editorial points to the cinematic uses of weapons vs the reality in martial arts training and practical use in combat. The reality is that most were never used significantly, beyond spears and swords and those rarely as depicted in katas. Spearmen were not trained to spin spears around their body; just to stick them in an opposing soldier, in a formation, on the battlefield. Everything else is just showmanship. Synopsis: Letters pages have missives from Fred Hembeck and the Comic Journal's Kim Thompson. Thompson is a bit more forgiving of the weaker stories here than he was, in general of Marvel's output, in later reviews for TCJ. IF- iron Fist and Jade are back and everyone is gone and the place destroyed. then, a horde shows up, overwhelms Danny and has him pinned down, waiting for an axe to fall, when he is saved by an archer... Danny gets a respite and fights, has a flashback to his training (wonder where they got that idea) and then back to the present, where he beats the horde. The archer is the Bowman (Dave? I'm afraid, Dave...). He aids the Firebird. More fighting follows, a new dead guy gives exposition, Danny is still in the land of the dead and Bowman slashes him from behind. A weapons article follows, with excerpts from newspapers about crime incidents involving nunchucks and shuriken. What follows is a basic description of weapons of several cultures, with some corecct and some incorrect info. It says India wasn't noted for "martial arts" weapons, then mentions the Bundi Dagger and the Kris knife. The Bundi Dagger,, as featured in Archie Goodwin & Walt Simonson's Manhunter, is actually called a katar. It is a punch dagger and was not usually 2 feet long, as the article (and comic) indicates. Most were no bigger than a Bowie knife, in terms of the actual blade... India did have many different exotic weapons; but, they were not used in martial arts schools, so they remained relatively unknown to those reference books. Like most cultures, they had well tested swords and spears for real combat, and all manner of theatrical and ceremonial weapons, designed for visual effect more than practical use. Most cultures had the same basic weapons: sticks, blades, spears and bows & arrows. Sticks are the most basics, whether it is a bo or quarter staff, to give some reach and weight. These were both walking sticks and defensive weapons, mostly for those too poor to have deadlier weapons. Blades range from knives and daggers to swords. swords were usually the province of the wealthy and the professional soldier, especially nobility, in both East and West. Knives were common in lower classes, where it was often illegal to have swords. Most were practical utilitarian devices, from basic farm work to meat cutting. In other places, blades such as machetes were used for cutting sugar cane or other crops. Spears were also the weapon of the commoner, as most armies used the lower classes as spearmen, since the basic use is just to stick the pointy end into the enemy. The length was both to keep the enemy at a distance and protect against cavalry charges, which were the real heav assault of the ancient world. Spears grew into pikes and halberds, which combined a spear with an axe blade. Axes were common as both a field weapon and a basic tool of the commoner. Finally, bows & arrows and slings allowed missiles to be fired at a distance. Archer formations made up armies and hunters used bows to claim game. Everything else is a variation on this. Most so-called martial arts weapons are fairly impractical on a battle field and were rarely used in open combat, especially so-called ninja weapons. There is more overactive imagination than historical use at heart, here. However, there are cultures that did develop real martial arts techniques around practical weapons, such as Japanese aido and kendo and Filipino escrima, which involves fighting with paired sticks, knives and machetes. Iado and kendo were part of the training of the samurai and escrima was part of the training of Filipino warriors and was used to deadly effect in fighting colonial masters, both under the Spanish, the US, and the Japanese occupation army. The name "Leatherneck" for the Marine Corps comes from the use of leather "stocks" a collar, that was worn around the throat to protect against slashing blades. The Marines and the Army fought Filipino rebels during US control of the islands, with bloody consequences on both sides. The same Filipinos proved deadly guerrillas, while fighting the Japanese. In fact, Filipino martial artist Dan Inosanto taught Bruce Lee escrima and kali techniques, including the use of the nunchaku (which is Okinawan). A review of the book, Secrets of the Samurai follows. The article author concedes they have no expertise to evaluate the accuracy of the info in the book. It was from Charles Tuttle Press, which specialized in translations of Asian writing and philosophy and their books were usually good works on the subject, about as accurate as the original material might have been (which is always a dangerous assumption). It is followed by an article about folk weapons and how they grew from common items, with a bit of imagination, with a loaded handbag shown as a modern extension of the idea. White Tiger-First, the most famous early George Perez splash page........ ...where George tries his hand at Will Eisner's technique. Hector Ayala is being taken in for questioning, despite his mother and sister's protests, when the amulets start glowing. he feels the change coming on and fights his way out of the apartment, diving out a window. In the darkened alley, he transforms into White Tiger, takes down uniformed cops and leaves, while being spotted by the Prowler. Meanwhile, Abe is on his flight to Casablanca. He's been in the john, getting sick, while the film Casablanca plays. He returns to his seat, walking past a group of Doick Tracy villain rejects. They kill the stewardesses, then break into the cockpit and gun down the flight crew. Abe reacts and they attack him, while grabbing for the suitcase that was switched with his, last issue. he kicks ass and then learns that the switched case has a costume in it. then, we are reminded that the flight crew is dead and the plane is not under control. Meanwhile, Bob Diamond is still all "boo-hoo" over Lotus and signs up to do a turkey of a film, in Canada. Back in the Bronx, White Tiger is pursued and meets up with John Romita Jr's first contribution to comics... Prowler suspects WT is in earnest, based on his protests and his own history. We learn that Prowler is now married and was a Big Brother to the murdered kid (killed by the security guard who hit him with his nightstick). WT has the edge in skill, while Prowler makes up for it with gadgets. Down below, the detective turns up with news that the watchman confessed to accidentally killing the kid and that White Tiger tried to stop him. he also said the guy didn't know Hector Ayala's name. Prowler stops resisting and explains that he believes WT, just as the cops get up there and say he is innocent. they keep guns pointed for safety. WT vaults over the side and lands safely in an alley, then switches back to hector, who has no idea what is going on. We are then teased with the next debut... Thoughts: the iron Fist story is just as, if not more incomprehensible than the previous Shang-Chi serial and just as focused on esoteric mumbo-jumbo. The whole psychological/supernatural gimmick if fine for a story; but, 6 issues of it is overkill, especially when none of it makes any sense, even on a metaphorical plane. It is verbal wanking, with visuals that don't really tll a tory, except people attacking one another, then surprises that aren't reality. It's like a bad magic show and I was done with it by the third installment of Golden Dragon and it is worse here. moench at least had a real central mystery, while Claremont seems to have absolutely no plot in mind. White Tiger continues to be exciting and far better than the Sons of the Tiger ever were, while Abe, the only interesting member of that group, gets some fun. I didn't idly make the comparison of the hijackers to Dick Tracy, as they have names like Brow and Mole, while their visuals match the description, ala Dick Tracy. Only real problem is why Abe was sick enough to miss the bulk of Casablanca. That comes out of left field. The tease for next issue is the debut of Jack of Hearts, the costume every Marvel artist hated to draw. Mantlo will fall in love with him, for a while. This is Perez's last issue, as his growth here will lead to more high profile gigs. Kieth Giffen will turn up next issue, to debut Jack of Hearts. Kieth had even further to go than George.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 21, 2019 17:40:55 GMT -5
Master of Kung Fu #39Our real cover........ Creative Team: Doug Moench-writer, Paul Gulacy-pencils, Dan Adkins-inks, Annette Kawecki-letters, George Roussos-colors, Marv Wolfman-edits Gulacy is listed as co-plotter, with this issue. Last issue had a co-credit of Moench & Gulacy as "story/art", but, no mention of Gulacy co-plotting. Synopsis: Shen Kui, the Cat, and Shang-Chi, the......um.........marmoset? Vole? chinchilla? I don't know..............face off and Chi says they have no quarrel. he was sent to protect Juliette, not kill Shen Kui and if she loves Shen Kui, then Chi has no purpose. Except, Shen Kui is jealous and a butthead, and says Juliette's love was false, so he is going to kill Chi and her; so, Chi has to fight. however, the gangsters who run things at the Jade Peacock are POd that their activities are being interrupted and call a halt to things, allowing Chi to dive out a window, with Juliette. Shen Kui stops the gangsters from shooting them and says they are his and the gangsters agree. Shang-Chi and Juliette stop near a pier and he says they will secure the papers and head back to London. She says she is staying and that she can convince Shen Kui of the truth. he says, "Fine, whatever..." and they leave. meanwhile, in London, Leiko practices katas and Clive Reston whines like a little...... Leiko slaps him, then they embrace. Back in Hong Kong, Juliette points Chi to the junk, where the papers lie. he swims out, bonks some guards on the head. he then confronts the dude with the papers and takes them, though he is told they came from Chinese sources and Smith was trying to steal them. he has already broadcast their content. Chi rips up the paper and throws them over the side, as he leaves. They reveal a secret... Fu Manchu has resurfaced. Chi returns to Juliette and Shen Kui turns up and it is on! The fight is brutal and equal. Then, when Juliette cant stands no more, she puts a stop to it... The morons are shaken out of the fight and Shen Kui takes Juliette away to tend her wounds and repair his relationship, letting Chi go. he ends up going home with the Siamese. So, stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Nayland Smith! Thoughts: Amazing ending to an incredible story. This had everything: passion, atmosphere, mystery, violence, love, tragedy, and probably the best fight scene in comics, outside of Kirby. Shang-Chi and Shen Kui are mirror images and evenly matched. Both are stubborn fools who fight because of stubborn pride, not causes or principles. Shen Kui is jealous of Shang-Chi being with Juliette and Shang-Chi smarts over being called "white" and "Britisher." He feels he is Chinese, though to Shen Kui, he is gwailo. Shang-Chi is not above hurt pride. truth be told, he is mixed race which makes him tainted in the eyes of Chinese society, which could be just as racist as the West. Only pure Chinese are considered to be more than barbarians. No matter the society, it seems none are immune to fear and ignorance. Juliette shocks the men out of their death fight and proves to be the strongest of them all, which is part of why she is such a great character. She is not a poor victim, is not a fool in love; she is a mature woman who sees reality far better than the men around her. This issue also sets up the next, epic storyline, which will play out over several issues. It will be the grand finale to the Moench & Gulacy team, until they return to Shang Chi, in 2002. Meanwhile, get ready for Murder Agencies, Shock-Wave, Fah Lo Suee, Larner, and Fu Manchu. It will be an epic of changing narratives and one-upmanship. it will be grand (with a bit of a scheduling hiccup, to interrupt the flow, of course).
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 22, 2019 15:04:54 GMT -5
Thought f doing this as a separate thread; but, figured I'd just do it as a post here: the cinematic inspirations of Master of Kung Fu. Now, we already know the literary origins, with Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu novels, though that really only factored into the earliest stories. It quickly became apparent that the series was taking a lot of visual inspiration form film and tv. So, I want to explore some specifics. 1. Kung Fu (tv pilot movie) The movie tells the story of Kwai Chang Caine, a mixed-race man who was a shaolin priest, who was forced to flee to America, after killing a relative of the emperor. The series helped launch the kung fu craze, in the US and both this series and Iron Fist. When the tv series got going, Marvel tried to get the comic rights to do it. They were turned down; and, instead, ripped it off. Both series used flashbacks to show martial arts training, that was then applied to the current fight, as seen in the series. Both were given wise mentors, ala Master Po (Keye Luke). Both series also swiped the folkloric depiction of the shaolin, as most shaolin priests were not martial artists. Caine is further represented in one of Gulacy's early stories, with a character that is drawn to specifically mirror David Carradine, with a moustache added. 2. Mask of Fu Manchu- There were older Fu Manchu films and there was a serial (Drums of Fu Manchu); but, this one was more directly drawn from one of the novels. It is notorious for both Boris Karloff in yellow face, plus outright racist content, which angered the Chinese government. The film presented many visualizations of Fu's experiments, some of which informed the freaks seen in early stories (especially Deadly Hands stories). It also features Myrna Loy as Faj Lo See, Fu's daughter, which was picked up by Moench & Gulacy as a third party in the war, with shifting loyalties. Some really cool deathtraps and stuff in the film, grand guignol performance by Karloff. This is probably the most seen of the early era Fu Manchu films; certainly the most notorious. 3. Face of Fu Manchu In the 1960s, with the success of the Bond films, producer Harry Towne put out a series of Fu Manchu films, starring Christopher Lee. The bulk of them are decent to downright horrible; but, the first, Face of Fu Manchu, is excellent. The series turns Fu into more of a Bond villain, though still in a yellow peril mode. The time frame is supposed to be around the 1920s, though women's fashions are pure 60s. Nigel Green is the only decent Nayland Smith, who with Dr Petrie, chases after Fu to stop his scheme to gas an entire British village, a secret base under the Thames, and a final showdown in Fu's Chinese fortress. Features Tsai-Chin as a very sexy Lin-Tang, Fu's daughter, which did much to influence how Fah Lo Suee is portrayed under Moench. This is the acme of the series, as each subsequent film is worse than the last. Castle of Fu Manchu nearly broke Joel and the Bots, on MST3K, and Blood of Fu Manchu is arguably worse. This and Vengeance are the best, with Brides of Fu Manchu having a few moments. Fu is greatly aided by Si-Fan assassins, who are all in black Chinese peasant garb and red sashes, carrying swords and guns. 4. James Bond- The Bond films set off the spy-fi craze, which influenced both the Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD series (Kirby beginning and Steranko glory days) and Master of Kung Fu. Dr No was a Fu knockoff, even under Fleming; but, the film presents him as a technical genius, as well (mostly there in the book, as the film is relatively close to the novel). Goldfinger set the tone for the Bond villain, with the grandiose schemes, like robbing Ft Knox. Not much is directly taken, other than gimmick vehicles. Thunderball is notable both for underwater action and the opening teaser with the jetpack. That film did more for jetpacks than Buck Rogers and they will turn up in the upcoming Fu Manchu epic. You Only Live Twice gives us the grandiose villain's lair, with the massive attack on it, which factors into both Carlton Velcro's complex and Mordillo's island, plus Fu's future fortress. The film also added to the fantasies of ninjas as super-commandos, plus giving it a modern weapons mix. Man with the Golden Gun, specifically, influenced the plot of the Mordillo saga, as Scaramanga has a dwarf henchman, a gimmick home (on an Asian island), and kidnaps the hero's girl. 5. Enter the Dragon This film, more than any other, influenced Master of Kung Fu, as depicted by Moench and Gulacy. Bruce portrays a shaolin who is recruited to infiltrate a martial arts tournament on a private island, owned by a drug lord. He plays both spy and kung fu hero, as he fights below ground, in the drug lab, and above ground, in the tournament and in han's chambers. Han is another Fu-style villain, but one who gets physically involved. 5. Game of Death Bruce takes on modern clothing and fights a criminal gang, then goes through a gauntlet of adversaries, each more dangerous than the last, in a house of death. It culminates in the unknown, portrayed by Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Gulacy pushed to get Shang-Chi out of the pajamas and into an action suit, which he does, on Mordillo's island, and in the Fu epic; but, editorial always forced Chi back into the kung fu garb. 7 Way of the Dragon/Return of the Dragon Bruce protects a restaurant being shaken down by mafiosi, culminating in a fight with Chuck Norris, at the Roman Colosseum. The film is noted for the climcactic fight, plus the fights around the restaurant, which Moench & Gulacy used a couple of times. 8. Fists of Fury Bruce battles Japanese karate school bullies, but is most notable for featuring scenes with nunchucks (also seen in Enter & Return), as seen in the most recent battle, with the Cat. You can bring up others, such as 5 Fingers of Death, which set off the kung fu craze, in theaters, plus various Shaw Brothers films . As we will come to see, Terry & the Pirates was also an influence, as Moench will do a big epic that is an homage to Caniff.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 23, 2019 15:17:31 GMT -5
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22One of the best non-Neal Adams covers of the series, by Kenn Barr. Creative Teams: IF-Claremont & Nebres, WT-Mantlo, Kieth Giffen & Ric Rival; Archie Goodwin-edits George Perez provides one last White Tiger piece, on the interior cover... Letters pages have missives from Ralph "Not the Karate Kid" Macchio (the future Marvel editor) and another from Kim Thompson, who praises Perez's art, while taking a shot at the Spanish artists at Warren. Well, maybe not a shot, per se, though he seems to have been one of the Warren readers who got tired of the Spanish artists who permeated Warren, at the time (and who came cheaper than US artists). Personally, I like illustrative styles and they work well in black & white printing; but, I get what he is sayin, with Perez's more dynamic style. Archie announces Perez has left White Tiger to work on Fantastic Four, which will include some really nice visuals, as Perez starts demonstrating his ability to handle team books. Giffen is introduced as having worked on War of the Worlds (a fill-in issue) and Woodgod, in Marvel Premiere. Giffen had yet to take over Defenders. Iron Fist- Danny is dead/not dead, fights himself, wakes up in a strange bed, is told how Jade became the Firebird..... The Firebird is the soul of humanity and it will die if not returned to Jade's body. She, Danny and Bowman go hunting for it, fight some baddies and face Silver Dragon... Next, an article on the historical origins of kung fu, though much is folklore, a problem when trying to rite histories of martial arts styles, as much was passed on orally, rather than documented. next, a review of the book Cinema of Vengeance, examining martial arts and samurai films. Then, there is an article about fighting women, by female contributor Val eades, who did the folk weapon piece, last issue. She discusses Wing Chun, the style named after a buddhist nun who founded it, according to legend, which has been maintained through history. Later, Michelle Yeoh would star as Wing Chun, in the film of the same name, directed by Yuen Woo-Ping (excellent film, by the way). She also discusses the Avengers tv series, Queen Boadicea, and integration of modern martial arts schools, with women being allowed in competitions. White Tiger- J Jonah Jameson is being taunted by an exclusive about the White Tiger, in a rival paper. meanwhile, Hector Ayala's family worry about him, as he is still missing. We find him on a rooftop, reading the article. he soon transforms back and gets sick... Hector still has no memory of what occurs when he becomes WT. He sees the photos of WT and the amulet and recognizes it as the one he wears. He then realizes he is WT. Finally, the memories come. meanwhile, at the police precinct, the detective discusses with his boss why he let WT go and realizes he has seen the amulet before, on Bob Diamond. they are interrupted by Blackbyrd, who turns up. Meanwhile, Abe is plummeting to his death, still. Well, actually, they are climbing, until the dead pilot slumps and they start to dive. Abe gets him out of the chair and takes over and successfully lands the plane, since this is a comic and it's a piece of cake to land a 747 with no flight experience. Back in the Bronx, Nestor Ayala comes home from one of his 3 jobs (3 jobs? Hey, mon; the Hedleys are pleased!). he is interrupted by White Tiger, who tells him his son is fine and not a murderer. WT then disappears back to the roof, where he whines about his life, as Hector and smashes a wall, then gets blasted from behind. Lin-Sun looks for employment and cries in his coffee, to Lotus. Nestor comes home, tells his family about meeting Tigre Blanco (White Tiger) and Hector's sister starts putting 2 and 2 together. meanwhile, WT battles his attacker, who stands as judge, jury and executioner... Thoughts: Enough already with Iron Fist! Two boring serials where nothing happens is more than I can take. It's the same formula with each chapter: Iron Fist fights some version of himself or another close to him, is told he is dead or is not and has visions of his past. It doesn't progress as a story; just spins its wheels, to fit 6 installments. Decompression isn't a modern thing. The basic story, of Danny helping locate and restore the Firebird, is worth maybe 2 or 3 issues. Nebres makes it look good; but, it's not worth it. White Tiger continues to be intriguing, as Hector is now aware of his split personality/form. Others are seeing connections. Still not sure what is happening with Abe; but, I can say that Mantlo has seen Airport '75 too many times. A 747 is a very complex aircraft. It is one thing for Abe to try to maintain level flight, with instruction; landing is a whole 'nother thing. Plus, we get a belly landing, with no casualties! Only in comics. Lin-Sun is unemployed and whining; so, Abe continues to be the only really rounded character of the bunch. We get the debut of Jack of hearts, who was a favorite creation of Mantlo's, as he put him in the Hulk and Iron Man. I always liked the character, after first seeing him in the Hulk; but, he isn't the deepest character in the world, even later. he is a great visual, though artists hate that elaborate costume. We are pretty much in superhero territory now, with only the barest connections to martial arts. really, the only time this feature had strong martial arts connections was when Frank mcLaughlin drew it and used real techniques. The rest of the time, it was a basic adventure series with pseudo-martial arts. Nothing wrong with that, so long as the story remains interesting. This installment is a bit schizoid, with the split stories, which kind of fits Hector's mental state.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 23, 2019 16:14:19 GMT -5
Master of Kung Fu #40Creative Team: Doug Moench-writer, Paul Gulacy-art, Annette Kawecki-letters, Petra Goldberg-colors, Marv Wolfman-edits Gulacy does pencils and inks. Actual cover... Synopsis: Chi has returned from Hong Kong and dramatically quit from the service of Nayland Smith. he accuses him of lying to him and playing his Games of deceit (cool phrase for a title, don't you think?) he storms out. Tarr comes to him to appeal for his help. Agents are being murdered and there is a mole. Leiko is in danger, which spurs Chi into helping, despite his feelings. Tarr nails one in the chest; but, the other has Leiko at point blank range. Chi dives and gets her down before bullets can hit her. Tarr is able to shoot him, through a door, with his S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum. A third fires from cover, pinning Tarr down, as the remaining goons flee. tarr pursues, while Chi makes sure Leiko is okay. They part, as leiko heads out to meet Agent D, their mole in the enemy camp, facing almost certain death, her faith shaken in the love of Shang-Chi. Tarr returns, having lost the killers. Chi tells him of Leiko's parting and her sugegstion that the recruit ex-agent Larner, which angers Tarr. larner was booted from the service. he calls Shang-Chi "Chinaman" one too many times and Chi reacts, in anger... ...though he is really angry at himself, for letting Leiko leave and not expressing his feelings. Chi and Tarr head out from Mayfair and come to a more humble place, where they find the booze-soaked flat of Larner, who has words for Tarr... Larner's love was killed on a mission with Leiko and he blames her. They were on a mission, near Portugal and Leiko was wounded, knocked off an escape boat. Larner left her for dead and was drummed out of the service as a liability, a drunk, and a coward. He and Tarr exchange insults and Tarr slaps Larner to bring him out of his drunken haze, when Clive Reston pokes out his own drunken head. He's been drowning his sorrows, since learning Leiko is on a death mission. The little pity party is interrupted by gunfire and a grenade. Masked men show up to survey their handiwork. They run into Chi's fists of fury and Tarr's Magnum. Larner even lends an assault rifle to the proceedings. Chi tries to stop one from going over a railing and fails and they go to question one of the others; but, they are all dead. One has a card for "Oriental Expediters." Larner sees it as a trap and argues with Tarr. Thoughts: Explosive beginning to the epic saga that will unfold. Moench and Gulacy play with the narrative, at the beginning, with both the recap of Chi quitting and telling off Nayland Smith, to Tarr recruiting him to investigate the murders of their agents. Chi is conflicted, but aids his friends, then parts badly with leiko, because he can't admit he loves her. he is still very much a boy in a man's body. It causes anger in him and anger is an emotion that permeates the story. Larner is a drunken ex-Agent, grieving for his lost love and swimming in guilt for leaving Leiko behind. he bears resentment to Tarr and Smith; but, mostly hates himself. Reston is there soaking up booze for his own guilt and emotional pain and they make quite a pair. Larner, visually, is based on marlon Brando and Gulacy really refines the likeness well. Chi favors Bruce Lee, though the likeness is kept more generic. Reston is looking more Connery every issue. Tar seems familiar though i've never been able to fully pinpoint an exact model, though he bears some resemblance to british actor Jack Watson.... Watson had been a bodybuilder and fitness instructor in the Royal Navy, during WW2. he generally played rugged NCOs and physical parts, as well as tough, hard men. He can be seen in such films as The Wild Geese, the devil's Brigade, The Hill (with Sean Connery), This Sporting Life (with Richard Harris), Tobruk, The Four Musketeers, North Sea Hijack, the Sea Wolves; and, on tv, in Coronation Street, The Avengers (The silent Dust and the Living Dead), the Talisman and the mini-series Masada. It's not a close likeness; but, there are certain angles, especially with Marr's moustache. However, Watson was fair haired and didn't have the hooked nose. Gulacy and Moench gave Tar a bit of a makeover, from when he began, educing him, a bit, in height, then increasing his hair, to where he seems to have a bit of an odd comb-over, suggesting a possible head injury, in past (or a creative hairdresser). Very intriguing so far, as we have moles and counter-moles, assassins and we learned that Fu Manchu had been spotted, in last issues documents. Can Chi save Leiko? Who is Agent D? Who is the mole in MI-6? This definitely makes you want to stick around!
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 23, 2019 16:20:28 GMT -5
In the one panel above, Tarr's expression reminds me of Edward James Olmos; but, Olmos wouldn't get his breakthrough role until appearing in the play "Zoot Suit," in 1978 and as Capt. Castillo, on Miami Vice, in 1984 (or Blade Runner, in 1982). At this point, he had done a few minor roles in 1970s police shows, like Cannon and Kojak, as such characters as Chicano #1, Paco, and Chico. Not a great era to be a minority actor.
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Post by profholt82 on Aug 23, 2019 16:32:44 GMT -5
That top right panel...holy moly! Paul Gulacy was leaving very little to the imagination.
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Roquefort Raider
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 23, 2019 18:05:21 GMT -5
Master of Kung Fu #40Synopsis: Chi has returned from Hong Kong and dramatically quit from the service of Nayland Smith. he accuses him of lying to him and playing his Games of deceit (cool phrase for a title, don't you think?) he storms out. Tarr comes to him to appeal for his help. Agents are being murdered and there is a mole. Leiko is in danger, which spurs Chi into helping, despite his feelings. Tarr nails one in the chest; but, the other has Leiko at point blank range. Chi dives and gets her down before bullets can hit her. Tarr is able to shoot him, through a door, with his S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum. A third fires from cover, pinning Tarr down, as the remaining goons flee. tarr pursues, while Chi makes sure Leiko is okay. They part, as leiko heads out to meet Agent D, their mole in the enemy camp, facing almost certain death, her faith shaken in the love of Shang-Chi. Tarr returns, having lost the killers. Chi tells him of Leiko's parting and her sugegstion that the recruit ex-agent Larner, which angers Tarr. larner was booted from the service. he calls Shang-Chi "Chinaman" one too many times and Chi reacts, in anger... ...though he is really angry at himself, for letting Leiko leave and not expressing his feelings. Chi and Tarr head out from Mayfair and come to a more humble place, where they find the booze-soaked flat of Larner, who has words for Tarr... Larner's love was killed on a mission with Leiko and he blames her. They were on a mission, near Portugal and Leiko was wounded, knocked off an escape boat. Larner left her for dead and was drummed out of the service as a liability, a drunk, and a coward. He and Tarr exchange insults and Tarr slaps Larner to bring him out of his drunken haze, when Clive Reston pokes out his own drunken head. He's been drowning his sorrows, since learning Leiko is on a death mission. The little pity party is interrupted by gunfire and a grenade. Masked men show up to survey their handiwork. They run into Chi's fists of fury and Tarr's Magnum. Larner even lends an assault rifle to the proceedings. Chi tries to stop one from going over a railing and fails and they go to question one of the others; but, they are all dead. One has a card for "Oriental Expediters." Larner sees it as a trap and argues with Tarr. Thoughts: Explosive beginning to the epic saga that will unfold. Moench and Gulacy play with the narrative, at the beginning, with both the recap of Chi quitting and telling off Nayland Smith, to Tarr recruiting him to investigate the murders of their agents. Chi is conflicted, but aids his friends, then parts badly with leiko, because he can't admit he loves her. he is still very much a boy in a man's body. It causes anger in him and anger is an emotion that permeates the story. Larner is a drunken ex-Agent, grieving for his lost love and swimming in guilt for leaving Leiko behind. he bears resentment to Tarr and Smith; but, mostly hates himself. Reston is there soaking up booze for his own guilt and emotional pain and they make quite a pair. Larner, visually, is based on marlon Brando and Gulacy really refines the likeness well. Chi favors Bruce Lee, though the likeness is kept more generic. Reston is looking more Connery every issue. Tar seems familiar though i've never been able to fully pinpoint an exact model, though he bears some resemblance to british actor Jack Watson.... Watson had been a bodybuilder and fitness instructor in the Royal Navy, during WW2. he generally played rugged NCOs and physical parts, as well as tough, hard men. He can be seen in such films as The Wild Geese, the devil's Brigade, The Hill (with Sean Connery), This Sporting Life (with Richard Harris), Tobruk, The Four Musketeers, North Sea Hijack, the Sea Wolves; and, on tv, in Coronation Street, The Avengers (The silent Dust and the Living Dead), the Talisman and the mini-series Masada. It's not a close likeness; but, there are certain angles, especially with Marr's moustache. However, Watson was fair haired and didn't have the hooked nose. Gulacy and Moench gave Tar a bit of a makeover, from when he began, educing him, a bit, in height, then increasing his hair, to where he seems to have a bit of an odd comb-over, suggesting a possible head injury, in past (or a creative hairdresser). Very intriguing so far, as we have moles and counter-moles, assassins and we learned that Fu Manchu had been spotted, in last issues documents. Can Chi save Leiko? Who is Agent D? Who is the mole in MI-6? This definitely makes you want to stick around! Absolutely gorgeous art in that issue. My first run of Master of King Fu is in black and white, and as with Colan and Palmer on Dracula, I think it works better than with the four colour process.
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