Special Marvel Edition has been a reprint comic until now. The first four issues reprinted stories about Thor, and the following ten issues reprinted stories about Sergeant Fury and his Howling Commandos. Now, in the 15th issue, a new series is beginning, "The Hands of Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu". That's a mouthful. I'll shorten it to "Master of Kung Fu" in my posts, and if you're one of the lucky readers who lives near me I'll call it "Mokfu" in spoken conversation.
Marvel itself took a long time to decide what to call the series. As recently as two months ago the Bullpen Bulletin page announced an upcoming series called "Fu Manchu". I suspect it wasn't just a name difference, it was a different direction. Fu Manchu is the main supporting character in the first few issues, but it's possible that he was originally planned to be the main character.
Fu Manchu is a character created by the novelist Sax Rohmer. Thirteen novels were written about him from 1913 to 1959. Stan Lee attempted to acquire the rights to use the character for years, but it was Roy Thomas who finally succeeded in the negotiations. Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin were the two creators who decided what to do with the character, even though they only remained involved for a few issues (Steve Englehart five issues, Jim Starlin two issues).
The comic's main character is Shang Chi, a son of Fu Manchu who was never mentioned in Sax Rohmer's novels. As such, the character belongs to Marvel, not to Sax Rohmer's estate. Fu Manchu and other characters from Sax Rohmer's novels appear as supporting characters in Master Of Kung Fu. In later years Marvel's rights to Sax Rohmer's novels expired, so the characters disappeared from the comics. Fu Manchu was no longer featured, and Shang Chi only spoke of "my father", without naming him.
There are hints of the TV series "Kung Fu", which was popular at the time. Shang Chi is said to be half Chinese, half American, although his appearance in the comics looks pure Chinese. When Paul Gulacy took over as the artist, Shang Chi's appearance was adapted to make him look more like Bruce Lee.
Special Marvel Edition #15
Title: Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Jim Starlin
Villain: Fu Manchu
Regulars: Denis Nayland Smith
Shang Chi has just turned 19, and he's lived all his life in his father's secret palace, hidden in the middle of New York. He's been trained all his life, and now he excels in his education and his fighting skills. Fu Manchu sends him on his first mission in the outside world. He has to kill Dr. Petrie, a man Fu Manchu describes as pure evil.
Shang Chi fulfils his task unquestioningly. Then he meets another man, Denis Nayland Smith, sitting in a wheelchair. He tells Shang Chi that Dr. Petrie used to be a good man, and that it's Fu Manchu who's evil.
This little speech, backed up by brilliant artwork from Jim Starlin, is almost enough to convince him. He goes and speaks to his mother, who confirms that it's the truth. Then he challenges his father. Fu Manchu allows him to leave, but tells him that from now on they will be enemies.
Avengers #118
Title: To the death!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Bob Brown
Avengers: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Swordsman
Defenders: Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, Sub-Mariner, Hulk, Valkyrie, Hawkeye
Villain: Dormammu, Loki
Regulars: Mantis
Guests: Watcher, Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Countess Valentina, Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Medusa, Spider-Man, Black Bolt, Triton, Gorgon, Luke Cage, Ka-Zar, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Doctor Doom, Dracula, Warlock, Thanos
This is Chapter Eleven of the Avengers/Defenders War.
That's a great splash page with all of the Avengers and the Defenders, plus Mantis. The cover only shows nine of the heroes. Can you see which five are missing?
Now that he has the Evil Eye, Dormammu knows that Loki tried to betray him. He imprisons Loki in a fiery cage.
The Avengers and the Defenders enter the Dark Dimension to face Dormammu, while the Watcher passively observes. Back on Earth (and the nearby planets) other super-heroes battle with the demons created by the merging of the two universes.
Dormammu defeats all of the heroes, except for the Scarlet Witch. She hexes the Evil Eye. Dormammu is sucked into it, and then he's blasted through Loki's mind. This returns Loki's eyesight, but at the same time it drives him mad.
Everyone returns to Earth. Doctor Strange wants to use the Evil Eye to free the Black Knight from his stone prison.
Defenders #11
Title: A Dark and Stormy Knight!
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema
Avengers: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Swordsman, Black Knight
Defenders: Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, Sub-Mariner, Hulk, Valkyrie, Hawkeye
Villain: Loki
Guests: Mantis, Nick Fury
According to the splash page, this is Chapter Twelve of the Avengers/Defenders War. I prefer to think of it as an epilogue. The war is over and the villains have been defeated. Now it's just a matter of cleaning up.
Doctor Strange uses the Evil Eye's power to restore everything to the way it was before Dormammu used it. He removes everyone's memory of the events, with the exception of the Avengers and his fellow Defenders.
The Defenders return to Doctor Strange's sanctum sanctorum. Doctor Strange searches for the Black Knight's soul, but it's gone. Suddenly the Defenders are sucked into the past, to Jerusalem in the 12th Century. The Black Knight is fighting in the Crusades. They free King Richard the Lionheart from a dungeon.
Prester John, who we last saw in Fantastic Four #54, comes back from the future to take the Evil Eye for himself before he first held it. My brain hurts.
The Black Knight thanks the Defenders for freeing him, but he wants to stay in the 12th Century and serve King Richard. That's very noble of him, but hasn't he considered the temporal paradoxes of inserting himself as a super-hero into the past? The Defenders return to the present day.
Hawkeye decides to leave the Defenders. Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer and the Hulk say they want time alone, but they'll return if needed. That leaves Doctor Strange and Valkyrie behind. It's Doctor Strange's home, and Valkyrie has nowhere else to go.
I've decided to declare the Defenders non-canon from next issue onwards. The problem is Doctor Strange. If you compare his solo comic with his appearances in the Defenders, it's obvious that they aren't the same character. In his solo comics he's the Sorcerer Supreme, and in the coming months his power level will increase to godlike proportions. In the Defenders he's a flying superhero with a cape who fires power blasts from his hands.
Captain America and the Falcon #168
Title: And a Phoenix shall arise!
Writer: Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella
Artist: Sal Buscema
Villain: Phoenix
This is a fill-in issue with a plot by Roy Thomas and the script by Tony Isabella. I wonder why. Is Steve Englehart having trouble keeping up with his schedule? Whatever the reason may be, don't worry, he'll be back next issue.
Captain America is feeling very anachronistic, a World War Two relic who has no place in today's society. His moping is disturbed when he's attacked by a new super-villain called the Phoenix. Captain America deliberately insults the Falcon, calling him useless, so he can pursue the Phoenix by himself without putting his partner at risk.
The Phoenix captures Captain America and reveals that he's Baron Zemo's son. He wants revenge for his father, who was killed by Captain America in Avengers #15. The Falcon wasn't fooled by Captain America's pretence, and he arrives to rescue him. The Phoenix dies in a vat of acid – dare I say it? – seemingly.
Captain America blames himself for keeping World War Two battles alive.
The Incredible Hulk #170
Title: Death from on high!
Writer: Steve Englehart, Chris Claremont
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Villain: monsters
Regulars: Betty Ross
This is yet another comic this month where Steve Englehart has defaulted; Chris Claremont had to write the script for his plot. However, there's now an explanation. The letter page states that Steve has had to take time off because of a personal crisis. That can happen to anyone.
Here's some simple maths: assuming a constant acceleration of 32 feet per second squared, Bruce Banner will hit the ground at 11,000 miles per hour after an eight mile drop. Simple? Not for me. I probably learnt how to calculate things like that when I was in school, but I've forgotten now.
What's important is that Bruce Banner changes to the Hulk at the last moment and shields Betty Ross from the impact.
They land on an island inhabited by giant monsters. The Hulk fights with them to protect Betty. When he sees a rescue plane approaching he leaves Betty for the pilots and leaps away by himself.
Hero For Hire #16
Title: Shake hands with Stiletto!
Writer: Tony Isabella
Artist: Billy Graham
Villain: Commanche, Shades, Rackham, Stiletto
Regulars: Claire Temple
Commanche and Shades want Luke Cage to join their protection racket. In return they say they'll help him find Rackham and clear Claire Temple of Phil Fox's murder. Luke accepts.
They find Rackham, but they're attacked by a vigilante called Stiletto. Rackham kills himself rather than be arrested. Commanche and Shades are arrested. Mrs. Jenks is killed by falling rubble, but before she dies she confesses to Phil Fox's murder.
Amazing Spider-Man #127
Title: The Dark Wings of Death!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Ross Andru
Villain: Vulture
Regulars: Mary Jane Watson, Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn
Guests: Human Torch
Mary Jane Watson has witnessed a murder outside her apartment. Peter Parker encourages her to go to the police, but she refuses.
The murder was committed by the Vulture for unknown reasons. Afterwards the Vulture tries to kill Mary Jane as the only witness. Soon after that he attempts to kill a university lab assistant called Chrristine.
Harry Osborn is becoming ever more insane, calling himself the Green Goblin.
Fantastic Four #141
Title: The End of the Fantastic Four!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: John Buscema
Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Medusa
Villain: Annihilus
Regulars: Wyatt Wingfoot, Susan Richards, Franklin Richards, Agatha Harkness
The Fantastic Four and Wyatt Wingfoot are floating helplessly in the Negative Zone. They're sucked into a planetoid and wake up in a dungeon. Annihilus reveals that he's already captured Agatha Harkness, Susan Richards and Franklin Richards. Annihilus is growing weaker, and he needs Franklin's energy to recharge himself.
The Fantastic Four manage to defeat Annihilus, with the Thing using his battle cry: It's clobbering time!
Agatha Harkness uses a spell to send everyone back to the Baxter Building. Franklin is glowing and approaching critical mass. Reed Richards fires an experimental gun at him, which turns his brain off, leaving him a vegetable.
The others are disgusted with Reed and walk away. It's the end of the Fantastic Four. Again? I forget how often this has already happened.
Thor #218
Title: Where pass the Black Stars there also passes Death!
Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: John Buscema
Villain: Black Stars
Regulars: Odin, Balder, Sif, Tana Nile, Silas Grant, Krista
Odin orders Thor, Sif, Tana Nile and Silas Grant to travel to Rigel to aid the Colonisers. Silas Grant? What good can he possibly do? He's probably not even as strong as me. Balder asks permission to accompany them, and his wish is granted.
The Colonisers leave Rigel, and their planet is shattered by the Black Stars. The comic's title is delayed until page 10.
The Black Stars are five planets with a sun in the middle that travel round the universe destroying planets and converting them to energy. To me that sounds like a third-rate Galactus, but I'll wait until next issue to see how the story develops.
Title: Life be not proud!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Don Heck
Villain: Kerwin Broderick, Dark Messiah, Ramrod, Angar, Terrex
Kerwin Broderick tells Daredevil that he wants to be made the King of Los Angeles. Moon Dragon assisted him, but now he doesn't need her any more. He has control over the four beings she's formed: Dark Messiah, Ramrod, Angar and Terrex.
Daredevil and Moon Dragon are knocked unconscious by Kerwin's stun ray. When they wake up, Moon Dragon is barely alive. Daredevil leads her to a machine that can regenerate her. She restores his eyesight so that he can operate the machine.
Terrex is walking through the city, draining the life out of everything and everyone he passes. Dark Messiah has placed a force field over the city. Daredevil and Moon Dragon return to the surface. Moon Dragon turns Dark Messiah back into his weak human form, but she says she can't do it to the others.
Black Widow is jealous of the way Daredevil is looking at Moon Dragon. Hypocrite! She had her hands all over Paul Carson last issue.
Daredevil asks Moon Dragon to make him blind again, because his eyesight is preventing his radar sense from working. Daredevil and Black Widow defeat Ramrod. Then Terrex arrives, carrying the triumphant Kerwin Broderick in his arms.
Iron Man #65
Title: The Cutting Edge of Death!
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: George Tuska
Villain: Dr. Spectrum
Regulars: Happy Hogan, Pepper Hogan, Roxanne Gilbert, Eddie March
Guests: Luke Cage, Thor, Jarvis
Iron Man fights against Dr. Spectrum in his badly weakened state. At the same time, Dr. Spectrum and his power prism are arguing with one another. Dr. Spectrum drills a hole in the ground, and Iron Man follows him into it.
The prism speaks to Iron Man, revealing its origin. It used to be an ambitious Skrull called Krimonn. He failed in an attempt to overthrow the emperor, so he was punished by being trapped in a prism and put in a rocket to travel through space for all eternity.
The prism was sent to Earth by the Gamesmaster, and the text box says we saw him in Avengers #69. I didn't remember anyone with that name, so I went scurrying to that issue. Ah ha! He means the Grandmaster! Mike Friedrich got the name wrong. The Grandmaster was already involved in the creation of the Squadron Supreme from Avengers #69 to Avengers #71.
Still trapped in the prism, Krimonn could only act through symbiosis with a human host. He chose the politician Dr. Obatu. When held in Obatu's hand he could perform powerful feats, using Obatu's will power. Now Krimonn thinks that Obatu is too weak for him. He takes control of Iron Man.
Eddie March rings Avengers Mansion to request help. Thor arrives to challenge Iron Man.
Meanwhile, Happy Hogan reveals to his wife Pepper that Tony Stark is Iron Man.
Adventure Into Fear #19
Title: The Enchanter's Apprentice!
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Val Mayerik
Regulars: Jennifer Kale, Joshua Kale, Andy Kale, Howard the Duck (unnamed)
This is a landmark issue, and more than that, it's a damn good story. So good that I felt tempted to use an even stronger swear word. Just look at the splash page. I'm not saying that it looks like Steve Ditko, but it has the same madness as Ditko's artwork in his best years. This continues for a few pages, after which Jennifer Kale wakes up and finds out it was all a dream. Except it wasn't a dream. Reality, dreams and fantasy are merging into one. When everyone goes back to bed, Korrek, the warrior prince of Katartha, emerges from a jar of peanut butter in the kitchen.
Be warned! That's what happens when you don't put the lid back on a peanut butter jar. Or a jam jar. Or anything. You know it makes sense!
Korrek goes rushing upstairs to slay Jennifer, thinking she's the sorceress Zhered-Na. He's scared away when the other members of Jennifer's family arrive.
The wizard Dakimh, who we last saw in Adventure Into Fear #15, appears and explains what's happening.
Is it clear now? I thought not.
Dakimh invites Jennifer to become his apprentice. Back in Dakimh's world, his castle is invaded by a group of warriors from different worlds.
Man-Thing follows Korrek through the swamp. Korrek thinks he's an enemy and attacks him. Man-Thing isn't harmed, but he doesn't retaliate. They sit together and talk. Sort of. It's a one-sided conversation, because Man-Thing can't talk.
Then a duck walks out from the shrubbery. He's not named, but all true Marvel fans know that he's Howard. They follow the sounds of a commotion, and they find demons rising out of the swamp at the construction site where an airport is due to be built.
I can't begin to say how good this comic is. Do you want me to swear again?
Tomb of Dracula #15
Title: Fear is the name of the game!
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Gene Colan
Regulars: Blade (flashback)
Kills: Two men (total 22)
Embraces: One woman (total 8)
Dracula is writing his memoirs. Who for? Does he think he'll die one day, and he needs a record of his life?
He writes about a hunter who shot him down as a bat after he rose from the dead last issue. Bullets can't kill vampires, so he killed the hunter.
After this he witnessed a man throwing his wife off a cliff to her death to prevent her divorcing him. Dracula found her barely alive, so he made her a vampire, and she took revenge. That's Dracula's good deed for the month.
Dracula remembers meeting a man called Orphelus a few years ago. He claimed to be 1700 years old, a Roman soldier who stumbled on a pool of blood that granted eternal life. He said he wanted Dracula to take him back to the pool to rejuvenate himself, because he'd grown older after years away from it. Dracula agreed, because he was also interested in the pool. When they arrived, Orphelus used a mystical amulet to destroy the pool, because he thought that nobody deserves to live forever.
In 1969 Dracula was attacked in his castle by a Scotsman. It's a long way from home to be wearing a kilt! The Scotsman staked Dracula, but before Dracula died he killed the Scotsman. He lay down in his coffin with the stake still in his chest, where he remained for three years, until Clifton Graves freed him in Tomb Of Dracula #1.
This is an interesting issue, telling four unrelated short stories.
Werewolf by Night #12
Title: Cry Werewolf!
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Gil Kane
Villain: Hangman, Committee
Regulars: Lissa Russell, Philip Russell, Buck Cowan
I have to say, I like this month's cover, drawn by John Romita, even if it doesn't match the story. It often happened that the writer gave the cover artist a rough idea of what would happen, but by the time the comic was written the story had changed.
The Werewolf frees himself from the Hangman's noose by biting through the rope. The Hangman flees, pursued by the Werewolf, but the Sun rises and he becomes Jack Russell again.
Phillip Russell gives in to torture and tells the Committee where they can find Jack Russell. In the evening Jack Russell is kidnapped by two members of the Committee, but they left it too late; as they drive away with him, the Sun sets and he becomes the Werewolf again. He searches for the Hangman and follows him back to his lair. The Werewolf defeats the Hangman and lets the girls escape. The Hangman is trapped under fallen beams and begs to be killed, but the Werewolf lets him live.
Ghost Rider #3
Title: Wheels on Fire
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Jim Mooney
Villain: Satan (flashback), Witch-Woman
Regulars: Daimon Hellstrom, Roxanne Simpson
This story continues from Marvel Spotlight #12. Daimon Hellstrom has rescued Ghost Rider and Linda Littletree from Satan, but only for his own selfish interests. Instead of taking them to a safe place he drops them in the desert.
Linda has lost her magic powers, because Satan has deserted her, but she tells Ghost Rider that he has enough power to create a bike out of Hellfire.
Wow! What a bike! This is what makes Ghost Rider visually the coolest character in Marvel comics. He's even cooler than the Silver Surfer.
Only Ghost Rider can ride on the bike, so he has to travel to the nearest town to get help. Unfortunately, he's too far away and not fast enough. At dawn he turns back to human form and the bike disappears beneath him. He crashes onto the freeway, and he wakes up in hospital.
Roxanne Simpson was abandoned on the highway Marvel Spotlight #12. The leader of the motorcycle gang, Big Daddy Dawson, takes her back to his room, hoping to sell her to Johnny Blaze for ransom. At night Ghost Rider finds him and kills him.
The issue ends with Ghost Rider fleeing from the police. It happens a lot.
Strange Tales #171
Title: March of the Dead!
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Gene Colan
Villain: AIM, Baron Samedi, Zuvembies
Brother Voodoo is invited to Haiti by the owners of an electronics factory. They say that their factory has been attacked by undead creatures, zuvembies. Huh? What's a zuvembie? They look like zombies to me. What's the difference? A short online search gave me the answer. They really are zombies, but the word zombie has been banned by the Comics Code Authority, so they have to be called something different. The new name has to be similar enough to zombie that it's obvious that zombies are meant. What a load of rubbish!
Brother Voodoo is overwhelmed by the zombies – I'll call them whatever I want, CCA! – and taken underground. He finds himself in an underground lair of AIM. The zombies are fakes, they're local villagers who have been captured and hypnotised to work for AIM. They want Brother Voodoo to lead the zombie army, but he escapes. He frees the men from hypnosis and destroys AIM's lair.
Non-Canon comics published this month:
Marvel Team-Up #16 (Len Wein, Gil Kane)
Astonishing Tales #21 (Tony Isabella, Dick Ayers)
Conan the Barbarian #33 (Roy Thomas, John Buscema)
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