Having received the 2nd omnibus this last week i dove into starting to read the 1st omnibus. I know that i could easily read through the entire omnibus in a day or two if i allowed myself. Instead i am controlling my urge and taking my time to slowly delight in each issue's endeavors, savoring the art and writing and remembering to place it all into the time when it was created.

This was the 1st series i know of which truly went inside the thoughts and actions of the hero as in depth as Steve Engelhart was attempting. This may have helped Shang Chi to stand out from the other comic books of the 1970's. Also while there were other heroes who did not have super powers Shang Chi is one of the few that goes into his fighting skills as a Master of Kung Fu showing just why he is so capable and triumphs over his father's minions. 

It is also interesting that in the coloring attempts were made (poorly as they were at the time) to showing different shades of skin tones as Shang Chi was colored differently than Fu Manchu and that Fu's army of assassin's all were shown in varying shades of white to yellow to orange suggesting  racial differences, possibly so as to not offend all Asians or to show diversity?

And since Engelhart was working with friends Starlin and Milgrom the fights were allowed to be more cinematic with few if no descriptions and captions and talking interfering with the "flow" instead allowing the art to flow and shine in the fights. Gulacy would take this even further and becomes a highlight and standard for the entire series through Craig, Zeck and Day.

Every issue carries something special to be enjoyed whether you are along for the writing or the artwork. The series is fantastic and a joy in every way and it only gets better as it progresses...