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LOG IN Forgot Login? Register General Discussion • Trading Post • Non-Film Score Discussion  Profile • Preferences • Community Rules • Help/Contact • Search Board Search Terms:  Search Within:  topics posts since 2019 2018 posts 2017 posts 2016 posts 2015 posts 2014 posts 2013 posts 2012 posts 2011 posts 2010 posts 2009 posts 2008 posts 2007 posts 2006 posts 2005 posts 2004 posts 2003 posts 2002 posts 2001 posts 2000 posts users  search tips  You must log in or register to post.   Go to page:  1 2 3 4 5 6 7      Non-Film Score Discussion: MASTER OF KUNG FU: Moench, Gulacy, Zeck, and Day    FIRST   PRIOR   1 2 3 4 5    NEXT   LAST   Last Post   Posted:   Sep 25, 2010 - 7:27 AM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) From what I've read in the few available articles, Gene Day's innovative artwork was not appreciated by Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter. Day was moved off of MoKF and onto the more conventional Further Adventures of Indiana Jones, the artwork was on Day's drawing board when he died. Doug Moench relates his own interactions with Shooter, who had a load of insane and destructive ideas for Marvel and it was this that led to Moench and a slew of other high-grade talent to leave en masse to DC, which proceeded to kick Marvel's ass, creatively speaking, for the next decade. It's a shame that Doug Moench wasn't able to finish Master of Kung Fu, as the book was cancelled just three issues after this, Moench's last story for the book's original run.    Posted:   Sep 25, 2010 - 8:03 AM     By:   Gordon Reeves   (Member) Be Glad, Be VER-ry Glad Department: … you were spared the sorry spectacle of having to actually lived through the profoundly poisonous, (non)creatively-destructive Shooter era. If it didn’t totally obliterate what Marvel had accomplished in the sizzlin’ 60s, it came damn near to. In fact, we have a general suspicion amounting to a specific certainty it’s lethal legacy STILL hasn’t totally abated. The House of Ideas' spirit pretty much did die.    Posted:   Sep 25, 2010 - 8:17 AM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) Be Glad, Be VER-ry Glad Department: … you were spared the sorry spectacle of having to actually lived through the profoundly poisonous, (non)creatively-destructive Shooter era. If it didn’t totally obliterate what Marvel had accomplished in the sizzlin’ 60s, it came damn near to. I did live through it, Neo! I only write like a pre-teen. Sincerely, Jim Phelps (age 39) P.S. I must get that FUTURE DAY book! Thanks for posting that! Here's a Star Wars comic illustrated inside and out by the remarkable Gene Day, which made an impression on "young me":    Posted:   Sep 25, 2010 - 8:33 AM     By:   Gordon Reeves   (Member) I only write like a pre-teen. COME NOW.    Posted:   Sep 25, 2010 - 12:16 PM     By:   MikeJ   (Member) Hey, that's pretty cool about STAR WARS #68... I didn't know Day did the interiors for that issue as well. I had pretty much bailed on the book after the Infantino/Day issues, which were gorgeous.    Posted:   Sep 25, 2010 - 12:42 PM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) Hey, that's pretty cool about STAR WARS #68... I didn't know Day did the interiors for that issue as well. I had pretty much bailed on the book after the Infantino/Day issues, which were gorgeous. Day and Tom Palmer did the art for that two-part story in issues #68-69. Tom Palmer makes a lot of artists all that much better. Most kids I knew hated the Infantino artwork on Star Wars, but it was the first time I saw his work and I associated it with those early Star Wars issues, which I still like. The book got better when David Michelinie, Walt Simonson, and Palmer were the creative team in the #50s and #60s. I might be sick to death of Star Wars movies, but the comics--including the strips--are still enjoyable. Back to Master of Kung Fu: I read issue #39 tonight; it's the showdown with Cat! BTW, Moench and Gulacy won an Eagle Award in 1977 for issues #48-51 of MoKF.    Posted:   Sep 25, 2010 - 9:49 PM     By:   MikeJ   (Member) With the recent trend of motion comics, I'd love to see someone revisit Moench and Gulacy's work some day and adapt them to motion comics. MOKF #39 as a motion comic would blow my mind. Dark Horse Comics produced a STAR WARS CRIMSON GUARD comic book a number of years back, with great Paul Gulacy artwork. And someone did have a go at turning some of that into a motion comic that used to be featured on their website. It was quite awesome.    Posted:   Sep 26, 2010 - 1:24 PM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) I made my regular visit to my local comic book shops and, at one of them, came across a run of DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU. Doug wrote several Shang Chi stories in this mag and they were usually self contained and did not seem to be connected with what was happening in Shang Chi's own book. The artwork for many of those stories was by Rudy Nebres, a staple of CREEPY and EERIE and both Marvel and DC. I'm going to be picking some of those back issues up for posterity. Did you ever get these? I'm surprised at how many times I've run into DHoKF mags in my comic store visits. One place has them for about $30.00 a pop whereas another has them about $12-15 in less-than-amazing condition. I've never owned one but I get the impression that there are articles in addition to the comics--separate continuity from MoKF--in these mags? One of the covers that amused me is issue #12: Look at that: Not a hair out place on ol' Rog!    Posted:   Sep 26, 2010 - 2:43 PM     By:   MikeJ   (Member) That cover is hilarious! I think that's one of the issues I'm picking up. The store owner hadn't finished grading them so I had the chance to go through and pick the ones I wanted and I'll pick them up soon.    Posted:   Sep 27, 2010 - 8:31 AM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) I think the apex of their collaboration is probably issue #39, which has the big fight between Shang Chi and the Cat. I think it's the only issue of the series where Gulacy inked his own work and it's just amazing to look at. I just read issue #40--twice. It introduces disgraced agent--and Marlon Brando lookalike-- Jim Larner into the proceedings. Larner is re-enlisted at Nayland-Smith's orders to help "ferret out" a mole in MI-6. Gulacy inking his pencils is a thing of beauty and I think that this issue begins the Moench-Gulacy duo's peak. We get a highly cinematic story with beautiful layouts and a deeply-involving story that's just getting started. Moench's ability to keep both old and new readers engaged in what is a multi-layered and involving storyline is perfect for the comic medium. because exposition is necessary in every issue and yet the writing does this while never taking a step back, so to speak. The narrative always moves forward--I'm having a blast reading these.    Posted:   Sep 29, 2010 - 5:23 AM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) Here's a blog entry detailing the similarities between Enter the Dragon and Master of Kung Fu. http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/08/exploitation-friday/    Posted:   Sep 29, 2010 - 9:05 AM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) After a fill-in tale in #41 drawn by Sal Buscema, issue #42, "A Clock of Shattered Time" is a return to the larger story at hand, the mole in MI-6. I like the intrigue-within-intrigue, where Larner and Reston give Shang Chi information on a "need to know" basis. Great use of Shang Chi's ass-kicking by Shockwave, whose identity is a secret thus far. The fight is spread out throughout the book in a "flash forward" manner. It's right out of the Kung Fu TV show. Gulacy's back on the art and receives co-plotter credit. I know there's a Steranko influence, but I also see bits of John Severin's style, too; particularly when Gulacy's inking his pencils.    Posted:   Oct 3, 2010 - 12:28 PM     By:   MikeJ   (Member) I started picking up my DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG-FU back issues at my local comic book shop this weekend. Can't buy them all in one shot because these are mostly in Fine condition, a few high grades and not easy to find. One of them was priced at $40 but the store owner is a friend of mine. And it goes without saying I'm a good customer...    Posted:   Oct 4, 2010 - 6:10 AM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) I started picking up my DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG-FU back issues at my local comic book shop this weekend. Can't buy them all in one shot because these are mostly in Fine condition, a few high grades and not easy to find. One of them was priced at $40 but the store owner is a friend of mine. And it goes without saying I'm a good customer... I was at my own comic store yesterday and darn-near bought several of these (for about $12.00 each) but the condition was iffy. The other comic place had DHoKF in better condition but for wildly-inflated prices--$30-80! Are the articles in these mags any good? I get the impression that DHoKF tried a mix of print articles and comics.    Posted:   Oct 4, 2010 - 7:54 AM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) The epic Fu Manchu storyline has begun! Each issue from #45-#50 is told from the point of view of a specific character: #45 Shang Chi: "The Death Seed" #46 Clive Reston: "The Spider Spell" #47 Leiko Wu: "Phantom Sand" #48 Black Jack Tarr: "City on the Top of the World" #49 Sir Denis Nayland Smith: "The Affair of the Agent Who Died" #50 Fu Manchu: "The Dreamslayer" There's lots of great action in the journey from Switzerland to the Arctic base where Fu Manchu's latest diabolical plot will unfold. During this storyline we get: car chases, witty one liners--especially those from Clive Reston--Chi's usual philosophical musings and amusing manner in disposing of a sumo henchman, Black Jack Tarr's earthy expressions and his comradery with disgraced agent, now back in the fold, Jim Larner, and above all, the treachery and oneupsmanship that is the spy game. Leiku Wu's narration in her story is poetic, but Clive Reston's entry finds the lad really coming into his own. He tosses off one liners with Conneryesque cool that will make any fan of 1960s Bond movies smile in knowing appreciation. Chuckle-worthy cover that doesn't undermine the greatness of the story within:    Posted:   Oct 4, 2010 - 10:53 PM     By:   MikeJ   (Member) DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU was usually a mix of 75% Comics and 25% articles, as I recall. They usually had a lead feature like MASTER OF KUNG FU, IRON FIST or SONS OF THE TIGER. Many scripts by Doug Moench. Lots of cool covers by Neal Adams, including some cool takes on the martial arts trends in movies at the time, with the likes of David Carradine from KUNG FU, Bruce Lee, even James Caan from THE KILLER ELITE. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadly_Hands_of_Kung_Fu The MASTER OF KUNG FU stories were usually self contained and did not seem to feature any of the characters from the regular series. The meat and potatos were served up in the regular series, in my opinion. Mr. Phelps, I think you're coming close to the end of Gulacy's run as artist on MASTER OF KUNG FU.    Posted:   Oct 5, 2010 - 8:19 AM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) Picked up issues 84-85 of Marvel Team Up because Shang Chi is in them. They're the last two parts of a four-issue story that includes Black Widow and Nick Fury. These were done in 1979 and written by Chris Claremont, who was at his peak in the Uncanny X-Men run with John Byrne. While I like Claremont's work from this period, he's no Doug Moench. It also doesn't help that then-President Jimmy Carter is rendered in the story; I much prefer the Prez being mentioned but not outright the actual man in office. I also like Shang Chi existing separately from the rest of the Marvel Universe. However, the Team Ups were only $2.00 a piece, so what the heck. Thanks for the info on DHoKF. Wikipedia, of course!    Posted:   Oct 5, 2010 - 8:53 AM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) Mr. Phelps, I think you're coming close to the end of Gulacy's run as artist on MASTER OF KUNG FU. Issue #50 is Gulacy's last, so the end is near. He does draw #51's cover and some afterwards, including iconic covers for #64 and #67. Jim Craig takes over the art chores and actually did some good work, depending on who's inking him. Tartag's inks were IMO too heavy but in terms of MoKF, if Moench is scripting, it's all worthwhile, regardless of the artist. I do like Mike Zeck's run, which starts around #63. Paul Gulacy's cover for MoKF #51 is a beauty: Oh, look! Another "startling new step"! IMO Jim Craig's artwork for #51's interior looks a bit Gulacyesque.    Posted:   Oct 5, 2010 - 4:16 PM     By:   MikeJ   (Member) I don't think it was til much later that writers at Marvel figured out how to use Shang Chi with their other super powered characters. Some guys, like Chuck Dixon, handle it better than others. But in the 80's, it seemed kind of silly to drop him into a Marvel Team Up or Two In One. Shang was used well in MARVEL KNIGHTS, which was mostly made up of characters that rarely teamed up with other people and I seem to recall Dixon even trying to bring Fu Manchu into the mix but it got derailed by the Rohmer estate. It feels like there was at last one more Gulacy art job on MOKF after issue #50. Something he did layouts for but someone else finished his work. I just can't think of the issue #... The artwork definitely improves when Zeck picks up the pencils and is joined by Gene Day.    Posted:   Oct 6, 2010 - 8:59 AM     By:   Jim Phelps   (Member) Issues 45-50 certainly have a 1960s James Bond nod to them, don't they? Paul Gulacy is an admitted Bond admirer--the Connery Bond, naturally--and has mentioned how he likes the grandiose bases like the hollowed-out volcano in You Only Live Twice. Fu Manchu gets a doozy of a secret base with a version of the hollowed-out mountain in the Arctice. Those construction crews must've froze their butts off building that place! Finished #49 last night. If Larner is dead, then I'm hugely disappointed! Guess I'll have to wait until tonight and issue #50. BTW, I highly recommend MoKF fans to read Back Issue #26, which has two fine articles on Master of Kung Fu: an interview with Moench and Gulacy and an article about a cancelled team up story with Shang Chi and the gang teaming up with Nick Fury's SHIELD to take on Fu Manchu and Yellow Claw in their South China Sea underwater base. Turns out that Gulacy LOVED Thunderball and wanted to do his own take on that epic underwater battle. I'm glad someone else besides me adored Thunderball's climactic undersea battle! This article claims that at its peak during the Moench-Gulacy run, Master of Kung Fu was third bestselling title after The Amazing Spider-Man and Conan. That's a staggering achievement. If you can't find a hard copy, TwoMorrows Publishing has a download version for a mere $3.00 http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_100&products_id=628     Non-Film Score Discussion: MASTER OF KUNG FU: Moench, Gulacy, Zeck, and Day    << < 1 2 3 4 5  > >>  Go to page:  1 2 3 4 5 6 7   First Post    General Discussion • Trading Post • Non-Film Score Discussion  Profile • Preferences • Community Rules • Help/Contact • Search Board You must log in or register to post.   Go to page:  1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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