 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Apr 1, 2011 - 7:36 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Jim Phelps
(Member)
|
I feel positively full of Neotrinitian Neglect with this thread, but where was I?
Oh, yes:
#90-91: "Triumphs of the Flesh"; "Gang War!" In the immediate aftermath of the "Golden Dawn" storyline, we get a low-key two-parter featuring Shang Chi and Leiko, who remain in New York City, where they get involved in a feuf between Chinese and Japanese street gangs. Tarr and Shang Chi have a touching scene of friendship as they part. Leiko and Shang also have a fine moment together.
Little is done with the Asian gang premise, though Shang does lots of pleading with the gangs but it's an ineffective plot device and does little for Shang's character. We are introduced to Leiko's diplomat brother, David, who has followed in his father's footsteps. There's some amusing graffitti on the Chinese gang's walls, like "Zeck", and something about [artist George] Perez' lousy eyesight. Issue #90 does have a memorable one-page scene where Shang Chi uses common sense logic to debate a traffic cop about a traffic signal, though.
#92: "Shadows of the Past!" Shang and Leiko in NYC still, this time they investigate a two-year occcurrence of a mysterious "monster" looting and trashing stores in Chinatown. Shang and Leiko venture into the sewers and find a lone holdout Si-Fan agent of Fu Manchu's residing there like one of those holdover Japanese soldiers who remained on Okinawa decades after WWII. The fanatic has trained a gorilla--the aforementioned "monster"--to do his bidding. Guess how that turns out? The action scenes are terrific, as Chi gets to battle an insane ape! Costumewise, Shang gets to wear something besides his usual red "pajamas." Here he sports a black turtleneck and flared white slacks. He will wear this a few more times, but the suits at Marvel frowned on any deviation from Chi's "super hero" uniform.
#93: "Midnight Wind" The New York respite ends with this issue, as Black Jack Tarr happens by the embassy while on a rescue mission for Melissa Greville's sister, Mandy--in her first appearance--who has been kidnapped by the sinister cult of Samisdat, a Soviet agent. The robed cultists live in a NYC castle and the battle takes place there. The castle, of course, is left burning in the New York night.
Tarr mentions that Sir Denis has started an independent agency--not yet named--and asks them to join. The difference between Smith's agency and MI-6 is that Smith would act on missions that affect their conscience, thus avoiding the "games of deceit and death" that Shang Chi despises.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Apr 27, 2011 - 5:26 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Jim Phelps
(Member)
|
#94: "Agent Syn's Nightmare" Everyone's back in Scotland at Sir Denis' ancestral home, located in central Scotland, the castle called Stormhaven. Nayland Smith gives Shang and Leiko (and the reader) a tour of the place. This issue establishes the formation of Freelance Restorations and is largely spent with the characters, giving a nice break and a chance to see the entire team interacting with one another. There is action, though, as an electronically-and-chemically-augmented assassin, Agent Syn, is sent by Samisdat to kill Mandy Greville. Syn is easily defeated by Shang Chi and then killed after being shot five times by Clive Reston. Reston and Chi also attempt to repair their damaged relationship and apologize to one another over Reston's tryst with Leiko and Shang's subsequent decking of Reston.
It's also good to see MI-6's "Man in South America", the portly Lyman Leeks, join Freelance Restorations. He deprograms the cult-brainwashed Mandy Greville. There's a touching scene with a grieving Dr. Petrie crying over a picture of his former wife, Karamenah, who helplessly watched her husband age over the years as she herself was kept young by Fu Manchu's Elixir Vitae. Overall, the coming together of the Freelance Restorations "family" is how I remember MoKF being during Gene Day's run as artist. The comfort of these characters between dangerous assignments is something I fondly recall from childhood and fleetingly during my early '90s reacquaintance with Master of Kung Fu.
There's also a two-page blueprint layout of Stormhaven castle! I love stuff like this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Apr 27, 2011 - 7:09 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Jim Phelps
(Member)
|
#97: "Lost Art" This one takes place at Stormhaven, with Smith hosting an oppulent "opening out" party as a way of introducing Freelance Restorations to potential clients. Reston and Tarr are away with a potential client, and Shang and Leiko remain behind. The caterers end up being a gang of art thieves, whose leader is the pompius Asquith, a guest at the party. Shang and Leiko dispatch the crooks, and all is well. Shang and Leiko have some touching and humorous moments together. Shang Chi is desperately seeking to regain his spiritual balance and Moench's dialogue is superb in this regard. There's extensive narration at story's start, as Shang flashes back to his various experiences. The first several pages employ a large paragraph of narration. Moench has long experiemented with panel layouts and Zeck accomodates this well. Day's inking, however, looks different than it has the past several issues. Don't know why. The panel creativity employed here was seldom seen in Marvel's books during the Jim Shooter reign, so it was nice to see it here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
_(cropped).jpg/230px-Jack_Kirby_(1982)_(cropped).jpg)
no? 
