shaxper
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Posts: 22,872
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2015 14:34:02 GMT -5
Master of Kung Fu #27  "Confrontation" writer: Doug Moench Pencils: John Buscema inks: Frank Springer letters: John Costanza colors: Janice Cohen editor: Len Wein grade: B+ While I now understand that Wein was editing the entire Marvel Universe as of last issue and not just this title, I still wonder if he and Moench had sat down and discussed this title at all, as there's been a remarkably different tone and a lot more ambition in the title as of last issue (when Wein took over). And it makes sense, as Shang-Chi's quick take-over of the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu title suggests he was a major seller at the time. In many ways, this story begins like any other, with Shang-Chi coming face to face with yet another sad aspect of Western civilization (evangelism), only to have a mysterious figure hurl a dagger at him from the shadowy distance (seriously, why does Fu Manchu keep trying this method?), but the story soon heats up as the events of last issue, which easily could have worked as a forgettable stand-alone, have now set in motion a major long-term plot point for the series: Fah Lo Suee is moving in on the family business, taking over portions of the Si Fan and using them against Fu Manchu. If that weren't interesting enough, we FINALLY get a major heart-to-heart between Shang-Chi and Fu Manchu and, though a tad stilted, it's nearly everything we'd been hoping for, including Fu Manchu coming clean about his own view of the world that justifies his actions, as well as his true feelings for Shang-Chi in a whopping four pages of dialogue, culminating in him inviting Shang-Chi to kill him where he stands. Somehow, it doesn't come off quite as satisfying as I would have hoped; perhaps Moench doesn't quite understand these characters enough yet to make a moment like this truly sing, but then he does something far better. He has Shang-Chi step out into the alleyway and inform us that: I mean wow. Moench's Fu Manchu is GOOD, and I get the sense that Moench is finally ready to advance Shang-Chi's spirit and development in response. Though I still don't love this series yet, this was absolutely a step in the right direction. Also, I positively enjoyed this moment:  Fu Manchu's Sanctum Sanctorum. VERY cool. Important Details: - Does this mark the end of the Council of Seven, or will Fu Manchu just get a new table and promote seven new underlings? I really enjoyed the concept, even if we only saw it here and in Giant Size #1. plot synopsis in one sentence: An assassination attempt is made on Shang-Chi once again, an innocent is killed instead once again, Shang-Chi seeks vengeance once again, and, in infiltrating his father's Council of Seven, he learns that Fah Lo Suee is moving in on Fu Manchu's Si Fan organization and ultimately has a major hear to heart with Fu Manchu, only to finally realize it was all a lie. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on May 4, 2015 16:16:34 GMT -5
Regarding the council of seven: here as in Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu novels, such a council was sometimes supposed to be very important (especially in the very first novel, as I recall) but in the end it was all about Fu. He didn't need those guys.
Besides, very soon, MoKF will cease to be about Shang-Chi's continuous opposition to his father's plans; Fu Manchu will still be the villain of the series, but like Galactus or Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four his appearances will be limited to a few very important storylines. And that's when the series exploded, as far as I'm concerned!
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Post by cromagnonman on Aug 30, 2016 4:53:57 GMT -5
Wha, no updates for a while?
Ive been reading this series as well, im due to read #34 next.
Unfortunately, the last few issues have not been great. They have decided to turn it into a secret agent/spy comic and shang chi doesn't have a lot to do. And a lot of the inner monologues have gone, which is a pity. The artwork, even the Gulacy stuff, has dropped in quality too.
The last decent issue i read was #28. I did think #27 had some cool character moments, we saw a more human side of Fu Manchu. And some profund questions to ponder were thrown at the reader.
Hoping it picks up again soon!
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,872
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Post by shaxper on Aug 30, 2016 6:42:01 GMT -5
Wha, no updates for a while? Thanks for bumping this old relic back up  I put this thread on hiatus while working on Doug Moench from the Beginning since the two will eventually overlap. I hope to get there by December, actually, and then we'll be seeing more Shang-Chi reviews once again. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2016 8:24:22 GMT -5
Master of Kung Fu #27 "Confrontation" writer: Doug Moench Pencils: John Buscema inks: Frank Springer letters: John Costanza colors: Janice Cohen editor: Len Wein grade: B+ Also, I positively enjoyed this moment: Fu Manchu's Sanctum Sanctorum. VERY cool. That's my favorite art panel in the Master of Kung Fu anywhere; because it is drawn perfectly and one of the most impressive art piece ever. |
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Post by cromagnonman on Aug 30, 2016 16:41:54 GMT -5
Wha, no updates for a while? Thanks for bumping this old relic back up I put this thread on hiatus while working on Doug Moench from the Beginning since the two will eventually overlap. I hope to get there by December, actually, and then we'll be seeing more Shang-Chi reviews once again. Good man. I was hoping this thread would give me some idea of when this series starts getting good again but i guess ill have to press on blind for the time being! |
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Post by brutalis on Aug 30, 2016 17:23:17 GMT -5
Thanks for bumping this old relic back up I put this thread on hiatus while working on Doug Moench from the Beginning since the two will eventually overlap. I hope to get there by December, actually, and then we'll be seeing more Shang-Chi reviews once again. Good man. I was hoping this thread would give me some idea of when this series starts getting good again but i guess ill have to press on blind for the time being! All depends on how much you enjoy Gulacy inked by others. His artistic layout skills explode from 30 on but without inking himself it at times loses something. You just have to look deep. The Mordillo story line is Moench finding his "voice" for Shang and beginning to work out stronger plot lines. The story's continue picking up there after and with a round of art from Jim Craig (which i enjoyed)the book starts to grow stronger and then Mike Zeck comes on with issue 68 when the series really becomes something special where story and art combine creating something unique along the lines of Tomb of Dracula in being a series that is consistently strong yet functions mostly outside of the Marvel universe. |
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Post by Phil Maurice on Aug 30, 2016 17:39:22 GMT -5
Good man. I was hoping this thread would give me some idea of when this series starts getting good again but i guess ill have to press on blind for the time being! There are some terrific set pieces created by Moench and Gulacy in Issues 29-39 before the epic "Dream Slayers" arc, which runs through issues 40-51. I experienced a similar ennui to that which you describe following issue 51 and the departure of artist Paul Gulacy (who would nonetheless provide a few tantalizing covers during that period). The series seemed to lose its focus and footing until the arrival of permanent artist Mike Zeck, who provided considerable steam to a flagging title. But it was with the addition of legendary inker Gene Day in issue 76 that the book really began to fire on all engines again. IMHO, of course. ETA: It appears Brutalis appreciates Jim Craig's (spotty) contributions a bit more than I do. He's a fine artist, but doesn't seem to have been a good choice for a monthly title. The letters pages offer several mea culpas for fill-ins and reprints during his brief tenure and ultimately, he seems to have been little more than a place-holder for a more committed penciller. No slight to his talent; he was perhaps not so good a fit, and I agree whole-heartedly with the balance of Brutalis' assessment. |
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Post by berkley on Aug 30, 2016 19:34:12 GMT -5
Good man. I was hoping this thread would give me some idea of when this series starts getting good again but i guess ill have to press on blind for the time being! There are some terrific set pieces created by Moench and Gulacy in Issues 29-39 before the epic "Dream Slayers" arc, which runs through issues 40-51. I experienced a similar ennui to that which you describe following issue 51 and the departure of artist Paul Gulacy (who would nonetheless provide a few tantalizing covers during that period). The series seemed to lose its focus and footing until the arrival of permanent artist Mike Zeck, who provided considerable steam to a flagging title. But it was with the addition of legendary inker Gene Day in issue 76 that the book really began to fire on all engines again. IMHO, of course. ETA: It appears Brutalis appreciates Jim Craig's (spotty) contributions a bit more than I do. He's a fine artist, but doesn't seem to have been a good choice for a monthly title. The letters pages offer several mea culpas for fill-ins and reprints during his brief tenure and ultimately, he seems to have been little more than a place-holder for a more committed penciller. No slight to his talent; he was perhaps not so good a fit, and I agree whole-heartedly with the balance of Brutalis' assessment. I think both Dan Adkins and Pablo Marcos preserved most of the qualities I admire in Gulacy's art, but yeah, when Gulacy inks the odd issue himself the art seems to jump to another, even higher, level. I like Jim Craig, but agree that his style did not suit the book's ambience. Zeck suffered from inconsistent inking until Gene Day came along, though I did enjoy the issues Bruce Patterson inked in his very clean style. When Day took over as both penciller and inker it rivalled the Gulacy era, for me - and I'm a huge Gulacy fan who will often buy comics that otherwise wouldn't interest me just because he's the artist. |
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Post by brutalis on Aug 31, 2016 8:22:44 GMT -5
They say your favorite version of a comic is the 1st you see. For Master of Kung Fu the 1st version i saw was by Jim Craig, issue 61 and then in almost the same week i found issue 62. It was those 2 issues that had me begin searching out back issues and finding the earlier Starlin and Gulacy goodness. But that Craig issue provided something beyond the usual superhero acrobatics. Looking back now you can tell that he was told to emulate Gulacy in style to maintain that "look" which was created. I agree Craig couldn't handle the monthly output but he did continue a certain kind of look for Shang and the gang that if not accurately portraying Kung Fu movements was still stylized and different from say Spider-man's kind of fights. it was that movie type of street action that captivated my attention and drew me into wanting more of Shang Chi.
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Post by rom on Sept 9, 2016 13:25:01 GMT -5
Excellent thread. Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu is my all-time favorite comic series, ever. I've been a fan since the early '80's. The stories were great, and though the series seemed to initially capitalize on the "Kung Fu" craze of the eary/mid '70's, the series truly improved in the later issues. As a whole, the series is an amazing combination of kung-fu, espionage, with a strong emphasis on noir. I especially like the sequences that take place at night. This is definitely one of the most underrated Marvel comic series of all time. I definitely associate the late Gene Day's art with this series more than any other artist, since I really started collecting the title around the time he started the artistic duties. Though I liked the earlier issues with Paul Gulacy artwork, I was a huge fan of the later GD issues - his run was the pinnacle of the series, IMHO. Superb, and Day really utilized light & shadow to great advantage. Some of his two-page spreads were so impressive, they should be framed in a museum! In fact, Day is probably my favorite comic book artist - despite having a relatively small body of work. He was definitely a hero to me as a kid, even though I wasn't as much of an aficionado of comic art then as I am now. It's a huge tragedy that Day passed at the young age of 32 - at the prime of his career. Ironically, at the time I don't know if I even heard about this. I remember reading MOKF & realizing he wasn't doing the art towards the end of the series, but at the time I wasn't collecting all of the issues due to not being able to always get to the news-stand (limited funds & too young to drive at the time). I think there was a letters column somewhere that mentioned the sad news, but I never had that issue. And, since this was pre-Internet, if you didn't read this in a publication or talk to someone who knew what happened, news like this would sometimes pass you by. I actually found out a lot more about Day in the early part of this past decade, when I read a superb & informative blog which focused on his short but mighty career & included some great art, some of it quite obscure - here's a link: ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2010/11/original-art-stories-gene-day-in-his.html It's interesting to speculate on what Day would have produced if he had lived; I feel his art would have improved as time went on - which is saying a lot since those MOKF issues were superb to begin with. Apparently, before he suddenly passed he was scheduled to work on a Batman story - which would have been amazing. Hell, if he had taken care of himself he may still be working today. Very tragic. |
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Post by Phil Maurice on Sept 9, 2016 13:51:44 GMT -5
It's a huge tragedy that Day passed at the young age of 32 - at the prime of his career. Indeed. It puts me in mind of another Marvel legend, Joe Maneely, who likewise left us at the too-young age of 32. The "What ifs" surrounding that luminary are equally intriguing. Regrettably, I wasn't reading MoKF at the time Day was doing his seminal work, but I was awed by his incomparable inks in Marvel Two-In-One and The Avengers. He brought a polished, dazzling flare to everything he touched. Experiencing his MoKF for the first time recently was a real treat, and since I've yet to complete the series, it's still delivering! |
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Post by rom on Sept 12, 2016 15:55:29 GMT -5
It's a huge tragedy that Day passed at the young age of 32 - at the prime of his career. Regrettably, I wasn't reading MoKF at the time Day was doing his seminal work, but I was awed by his incomparable inks in Marvel Two-In-One and The Avengers. He brought a polished, dazzling flare to everything he touched. Experiencing his MoKF for the first time recently was a real treat, and since I've yet to complete the series, it's still delivering! I'm collecting all of the MOKF Omnibuses (the 2nd one is scheduled to come later this month). And, I am really looking forward to Omnibus #4, which should focus on many/most of the Gene Day issues. These will look truly extraordinary on high quality paper & remastered printing/color. |
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Post by chaykinstevens on Sept 13, 2016 6:21:10 GMT -5
It's interesting to speculate on what Day would have produced if he had lived; I feel his art would have improved as time went on - which is saying a lot since those MOKF issues were superb to begin with. Apparently, before he suddenly passed he was scheduled to work on a Batman story - which would have been amazing. Hell, if he had taken care of himself he may still be working today. Very tragic. Gene Day would indeed have been amazing on Batman. The closest we got was Detective Comics #527 (cover dated June 1983), which featured a cover by Gene and a story written by Doug Moench and drawn by Gene's brother Dan in a similar style. Jason Todd was shown to have a Shang-Chi poster on his wall in one panel. |
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Post by rom on Sept 13, 2016 20:59:08 GMT -5
It's interesting to speculate on what Day would have produced if he had lived; I feel his art would have improved as time went on - which is saying a lot since those MOKF issues were superb to begin with. Apparently, before he suddenly passed he was scheduled to work on a Batman story - which would have been amazing. Hell, if he had taken care of himself he may still be working today. Very tragic. Gene Day would indeed have been amazing on Batman. The closest we got was Detective Comics #527 (cover dated June 1983), which featured a cover by Gene and a story written by Doug Moench and drawn by Gene's brother Dan in a similar style. Jason Todd was shown to have a Shang-Chi poster on his wall in one panel. Agreed - GD would have been incredible on Batman - what could have been.... Here's a link to that great Batman cover: dc.wikia.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_527 |
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