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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 8, 2020 20:45:56 GMT -5
Master of Kung Fu #125For the past ten years, he has had some of the best adventures that Marvel Comics had to offer. Too bad that is not the case here. Creative Team: Alan Zelenetz-eulogy, William Johnson-deathmask, Mike Mignola-embalmer, Alan Kupperberg-sweeping up the trash, Rick Parker-service bulletins, George Roussos-Pall Bearer, Denny O'Neil-Funeral Home Director, Jim Shooter-Nailing the coffin shut and dancing on its grave. Synopsis: Chi is in Honan, at Fu's now-not blowed up retreat. He whines and meditates and sees ghosts. He goes out to a garden, stares into a pool, picks up a turtle, tosses it into the water, then it turns into Gamera.... Donatello kicks Chi's tuchus, then Chi starts doing his Arthur Brown imitation... Then Chi walks into the middle of a kung fu film and fights people out of sync with the dialogue... Turns out, they are just actors in a Peking Opera show. So, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao? Chi macks ont he female of the troupe, while Leiko pines some more, in Stormhaven. Chi watches the drama, then it hits too close to home and he runs off. He takes a train north and then hangs out in a village, teaching kung fu. He has visions.... Chi fights the metaphor, wins, drinks some rainwater in a goblet, then goes fishing... Thoughts: Zelenetz is trying to be philosophical and metaphorical; but, the Tao Te Shang doesn't do anything for me and I have to wonder why they dragged out the series for 3 more, pointless issues?Why even put Tarr and Leiko in this to do F-all? Master of Kung Fu doesn't even go out with a whimper; just a fart in the wind. This is why I prefer to stick to series I enjoy, for reviews (I don't like to urinate all over comic stories); but, this is a thoroughly crappy end for what was one of the greatest adventure series of the 1970s and which was destroyed by Jim Shooter's ego. He couldn't reconcile with himself that Doug Moench was a vastly superior writer and that MOKF had better sell through than most of Marvel's other books; but, they wouldn't increase the print runs to see how big the audience might be. Instead, it was just a series of ego-driven arguments and unnecessary stress for those who were far more creative and could tell better stories without using the almighty grid. By this point in time, I am reading very few Marvel titles (pretty much just X-Men and even that was only for 5 more issues). Thankfully, Jon Sable, Freelance had arrived, and American Flagg would be debuting soon and there was this weird black & white magazine, called Nexus, that looks kinda cool. Next time, "Ding-dong, the witch is dead..." and Doug Moench comes back to Shang Chi, though it sucks to be Leiko.
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Post by brutalis on Aug 8, 2020 20:57:11 GMT -5
Such a sad ending for Shang being put to bed back in his Panama's and fighting, of all things, a giant turtle and Shaw Brothers rejected stunt wannabe's. It's like Zelenetz hadn't bothered to research any of the great Moench/Gulacy/Zeck issues that all made MOKF such a wonderful series.
These last issues are horrendous and read like poor Conan the Barbarian scripts. Nothing of Shang Chi the character is present anymore. A very poor death for what was once the very best series at Marvel.
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Post by berkley on Aug 8, 2020 22:17:07 GMT -5
yeah, I stopped buying or reading the series after Moench left and have never bothered looking for back-issues of those last few comics.
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Post by kirby101 on Aug 9, 2020 9:15:13 GMT -5
I remember not being disappointed that it was ending, as much as I loved the series, it felt like it was a mercy killing at that point.
As Bob Hope would say, thanks for the memories Cody.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 9, 2020 11:16:42 GMT -5
Not done yet; we still have the 8-part Marvel Comics Presents story, from Doug (though not Gulacy) and the Max mini-series, which reunited Doug & Paul, though I'm not sure it was the masterpiece of old.
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Post by berkley on Aug 9, 2020 17:40:01 GMT -5
I totally missed the Marvel Presents story as it came out at a time when Marvel was completely off my radar. I think I have the back issues now but haveen't read them yet.
I found the Max series was disappointing in comparison to the classic 70s Moench/Gulacy MoKF but there were some very good things in it. I thought that at times Gulacy's artwork wasn't looking its best - either I didn't like the inker he teamed with or his style had changed - but there were still some beautiful sequences. Te story felt a bt hurried - I think it could have done with a few more issues to give it a bit more depth. But I have a feeling I might like the whole thing better upon a re-read as my hopes for it at the time were so high it would been nearly impossible to fulfill them.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 10, 2020 6:12:45 GMT -5
I totally missed the Marvel Presents story as it came out at a time when Marvel was completely off my radar. I think I have the back issues now but haveen't read them yet. It makes the Zelenetz-Johnson short run look like a masterpiece. One of the biggest disappointments I felt in all my comics-reading days. I did like the Bleeding black special that came out a few years later, though, if only because of the Dan Day art (evoking his brother Gene's) and the resolution of the plot twist that the MCP book left us with. It's as if Doug thought "woah, that first serial really didn't work; let me correct that". Bleeding Black might have been meant to be serialized too, as it is cut in small chapters... but I guess Marvel preferred to use MCP to present stories about Speedball and solo X-Men.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 11, 2020 23:00:44 GMT -5
Marvel Comics Presents #1-4Wolverine's opponent on issue #4 looks familiar.....naw, he's dead! Creative Team: Doug Moench-writer, Tom Grindberg-pencils, Dave Cockrum-inks, Augustin Mas (1-3) & Michael Heisler (4)-letters, Petra Scotese-colors, Terry Kavanagh & Michael Higgins-editors Synopsis: (Part 1) A figure in stereotypical dress pilots a skiff to a pier, climbs out and enters a city... The figure walks quietly through streets, but others seem interested in him. He comes to a flophouse to spend the night and people with weapons creep in. They attack and Shang Chi stands revealed and kicks their collective butts. He spots a figure in a suit and chases after him. He chases him to a building, with Oriental Expediters on the window. He trails the man inside and finds a familiar face... Chi and Leiko get reacquainted. They then surface and find Black Jack Tarr waiting. (Part 2) Chi suits up in new duds.... Tarr now heads Freelance Restorations, with Nayland Smith (just called Sir Dennis) having retired. The guy who lured Chi plays footsie with Leiko. Reston smokes and chokes. Chi isn't feeling happy. he later goes for a booty call with Leiko; but, she is "occupied." Chi goes off to pout. He is awakened by a sound and finds masked intruders dragging off Leiko, while Xiao, the "occupier," gets sliced. Chi follows but they are gone. He finds Tarr and Reston firing at a rapidly departing car. He informs them that Xiao is dead. (Part 3) Chi searches for Leiko in Hong Kong harbor. The piers, that is, not the water. He has no joy and meets up with Tarr, who also came up empty. Tarr fills him in on the new game of counter-terrorism and asks Chi to infiltrate a group called the Red Wolves... Chi tells him to get stuffed. He just wants to find Leiko. Tarr guilts him, telling him that Xiao was the one who brought them there. he lost a wife and child to a Red Wolves bomb and wanted to destroy them. Now he is dead. They head back to Oriental Expediters and find Reston with an itchy trigger finger and a present... Chi agrees to join them in their plan, but is wary. (Part 4) The target is a man named Argus, an arms dealer who seems to have united factions to create bigger customers. Chi rejects Tarr and Reston and goes to find his own contact, Shen Kuei... Meanwhile, Leiko tries to escape, but gets knocked around. Chi and the Cat listen to Tarr's briefing. They leave the junk and head for the docks and see it explode behind them... Thoughts: So, after 32 pages, we have had mostly exposition, a little action, and Leiko is still playing damsel-in-distress. Not up to Doug's previous standards. Chi apparently learned to be an a-hole, Tarr can't run an intelligence operation without Nayland Smith holding his hand, and Reston is smoking and drinking. Makes me want to continue. The art is the saving grace. Tom Grindberg was one of the many Neal Adams clones and worked for him at Continuity, plus some Batman, including the Bride of the Demon graphic novel. I've always liked his work, clone or not, provided he has a good inker and Cockrum knows what he is doing. Not so sure about Doug. I don't know the exact Marvel & Rohmer Estate relationship timeline; but, I get the impression it was over at this point, which would explain why Nayland Smith is absent and only called Sir Dennis, while Fu Manchu is only referred to as Chi's father. We have Shen Kuei back, but no word on Juliette. The terrorist angle is a nod to the world of the time. Doug name drops Syria's Assad, and Iran's Khoemeni, and also makes veiled reference to Libya and the US bombing which quieted his activities down, after the death of his young daughter. This is pre-Gulf War; the Soviets were withdrawing from Afghanistan, beginning in May, Iran-Contra had blown up for the Reagan Administration; but, it didn't hurt Bush in the election, especially after Dukakis was made to look foolish. Doug faces the same problem that Eon Films did, with the Bond movies-no villains. Terrorists are a lower grade threat when you've had a Blofeld or a Fu Manchu. I bought the early issues of MCP for this and I was disappointed then and still don't think much of it now. Meanwhile, Chris Claremont seems oblivious to the fact that Razorfist was killed and the later version consisted of brothers with blades on opposite arms, not both. I see the editors are falling down on their job. Pretty much falls in with my opinion of Marvel editorial at this time, which is why I barely looked at their comics, beyond Classic X-Men and those were ten year-old stories. Quite frankly, I wish Chi had remained in obscurity. This is is like a bad reunion album from a band that broke up and went their separate ways, but does a new album and tour for a quick cash grab. I mean, Doug, the guy who got Fu Manchu out of the yellow coloring, refused to bring up the mother, is penning a story where Shen Kuei and Shang Chi are going to pose as Yakuza. Despite Hollywood, two Chinese men are not going to pass for Japanese. 4 installments to go.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Aug 12, 2020 5:27:21 GMT -5
Thoughts: So, after 24 pages, we have had mostly exposition, a little action, and Leiko is still playing damsel-in-distress. 4 x 8 = 32 I don't know the exact Marvel & Rohmer Estate relationship timeline; but, I get the impression it was over at this point, which would explain why Nayland Smith is absent and only called Sir Dennis, while Fu Manchu is only referred to as Chi's father. They seem to have dispensed with the "featuring supporting characters created by Sax Rohmer" line they used to run, so you're probably right. Doug name drops Syria's Assad, and Iran's Khoemeni, and also makes veiled reference to Libya and the US bombing which quieted his activities down, after the death of his young daughter. What was Doug's daughter doing in Libya? Meanwhile, Chris Claremont seems oblivious to the fact that Razorfist was killed and the later version consisted of brothers with blades on opposite arms, not both. Razorfist had a previous appearance with two blades, when he fought the West Coast Avengers alongside Shockwave and Zaran in WCA #11, so any error was probably down to Steve Englehart or Al Milgrom, who also drew MCP #4's hideous cover.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 12, 2020 9:03:08 GMT -5
Math error due to writing this late in the evening; since corrected. I kept thinking it was 3 issues, as that was my original plan to cover this; but, the storyline crosses 8 issues, Quite frankly, it's already padded beyond the plot.
It was Muamar Gadaffi's daughter, Hanna, who was killed (although there is some conjecture about her death or if she even existed). On April 15, 1986, President Reagan ordered a military strike on Libya, after a bomb was set off in a discotheque in Germany. Despite CIA intelligence that the bigger threat was Syria, the strike was ordered against Libya, with Gaddafi marked as a target. the European NATO nations opposed the strike plans and France denied clearance to fly through their airspace. The UK supported the move and F-111 fighter bombers took off from bases in the UK, navigated around French airspace and bombed targets in Libya, including Gadaffi's home. He was unharmed, though 2 sons were confirmed as injured. He claimed the raid killed his young daughter, who he had allegedly adopted (records released after his government's downfall bring much that was believed about her into dispute). The US was lambasted by the world press and Gadaffi's reputation of fighting US imperialism was strengthened. However, it was popular in the US, where US media did little to question the validity of the strikes. The US and Libya had been playing a game of chicken in the Gulf of Sirte. Libya claimed it as territorial waters, while the US claimed only the 3-mile limit and sent warships in it to deliberately provoke Libyan response. Combat Air Patrol fighters shot down two Libyan Su-22 aircraft that were on an intercept course with the fleet.
I was in NROTC, at the time, and the fleet exercises were major talk within the unit. After news of the bombing, a protest was set up inside the Armory, at the Univ. of Illinois, with a doll inside a casket. However, this being the Reagan 80s and conservative Central Illinois, the protesters didn't get much support and the university kicked them out of the building (80s students were pretty pathetic protesters, compared to the previous generation). The closest anything came to a real incident was when one of our Marine options said something and was called "baby killer" by a protester. One of his cooler-headed fellow midshipmen grabbed him and maneuvered him away from the scene, before he hit anyone and lost his scholarship for being an idiot. Brawling, however "justified," was frowned upon rather sternly. As potential officers we were expected to exercise greater restraint and remain cool under pressure; not to mention we took an oath to defend their right to protest the actions of the government, which we took more seriously than some current office holders.
John Buscema's rendition of Razorfist loses a lot of the presence that Gulacy gave him, as he is bulkier, but usually in long shots. Also, the colorist does his costume in a paler blue, rather than the deeper blue from MOKF. Personally, I hated that Madripoor stuff, as Claremont was a poor Milton Caniff. The Wolverine stories were improved when they went back to explore his past, though the frontier one was really only notable for Sam Kieth's gonzo rendering (which was a welcomed change from most of Marvel) and Barry Windsor-Smith's Weapon X, though that got confusing in the middle and everyone thought the bald guy was Xavier.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 12, 2020 21:56:15 GMT -5
Marvel Comics Present #5-8Creative Team: Doug moench-writer, Tom Grindberg-pencils, Dave Cockrum-inks, Michael Heisler-letters, Petra Scotese-colors, Terry Kavanagh-editor Synopsis: (Part 5) Chi takes out the Yakuza couriers, who beg for their lives, which doesn't sound like the Yakuza. Chi takes the money to the warehouse for the arms and runs into some weirdo in a speedo and cloak, who doublecrosses him to sell to a bigger buyer. Chi tells him a deals a deal and deals out some pain... The weirdo sold the arms for drugs and plans on using Chi's money to buy them back and resell to the Yakuza, after framing Chi for stealing the money. He gets a knife in the back of Shen Kuei. They will need to sell the drugs. Meanwhile Leiko is subjected to torture and racism. Love the fact that "slant" is okay with Marvel, but "witch" has to be substituted for a similar word. Our classy guy, Argus, goes out and talks to his German scientist, who has a bio-weapon. Argus Fs with him. Meanwhile, some terrorists play paintball. (Part 6) Chi & Cat sell the drugs to some young Yakuza wannabe punk and then call Tarr to airdrop some crates to pass off with the drugs. The punk loads them on a ship, which blows up. Score one for Narcotics Interdiction! The boys go to see the real Yakuza, who asks if they have the money, showing he was in on the arms pawning for drugs, since he is supposed to be buying weapons, according to previous info. They pay off the dude and the weapons are released for transport. Chi and Shen Kuei link up with Tarr and Reston, who reveal Argus is a hard line right winger who has set this up so that he can show a terrorist threat and get large appropriations to go after Communist states and satellite countries in some Domino Theory fantasy. (Part 7) The boys tail the arms to the airport, where they are loaded on a private charter plane. Clive bluffs his way into finding out the plane's destination, which is Sardinia, meaning a Rome Nato conference may be the target. on the flight, Chi thinks of Dark Angel, but we are left hanging about her fate. They land, spot an islet that is likely Argus' base and Chi and Cat head off without the Britishers. They find the base and spot Argus with Hashioka, the Yakuza dude; so they are partners in all of this. I'm lost but don't give a fling ff.......... Hong Kong Phooey and Spot sneak in but get caught by a guard, with the wonkiest firearm I ever saw, which he fires, without hitting anything. Argus sounds the alarm, Leiko hopes it is Chi and Tarr and Reston are inbound on a helo. A guard takes aim with a shoulder-fired Surface-to-Airm Missile (SAM), but Chi knocks his aim off and he just hits the tail section and Tarr and Reston bail out over water. HKP and Spot open up the Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu and settle on page 81, for the Shanghai Aim High Kick Attack and mop up terrorists. HKP gets inside to find Rosemary, the switchboard operator; but, Argus is waiting for him. No sign of Sarge or Inch High, Private Eye. (Part 8) Sarge and Inch High crawl out of the water, grab some firearms and start mowing down the Hair Bear Bunch and the Cattanooga Cats. Hong Kong Phooey faces Argus, who stands between him and Rosemary. Actually, lets change that. Argus is now the Hooded Claw and Leiko is Penelope Pitstop. Sarge and Inch High arrive and The Claw unleashes bullets and run. The Hair Bear Bunch and Cattanooga Cats are down, but, various goons who fought Jommy Quest turn up. HKP goes after HC, who grabs the bio-weapon and threatens our hero. Hasioka turns up with the Chan Clan and interrupts things. Hooded Claw throws the bioweapon and HKP kills Hashioka. HC runs and Hong Kong Phooey chases. He finds Penelope Pitstop dead and loses his s@#% and uses the Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu to beat the ever loving snot out of the Hooded Claw. HKP is about to administer the deathblow when Sarge rushes in and stops him. Penelope lifts her head and is alive. Race Bannon turns up with the Scooby Doo Gang, Spped Buggy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids and Funky Phantom to mop up. Hong Kong Phooey and Penelope Pitstop return to Hong Kong and visit Xiao's grave. Leiko explains she didn't love him and he gave her the ring as a sign of atonement, as he was a Red Wolf, before his family was killed by one of the group's own bombs. Tarr and Reston confer and Chi has anywhere from a week to a year to live, from the bio weapon. Thoughts: This thing is a hot mess. Doug lost the thread about issue 3 and I was confused by issue 5. This plan of the villains twists back on itself more than a politician facing bad press and dropping polls. Leiko is only there to suffer, Tarr and Reston are useless until the cavalry is needed and Shang Chi is a one man wrecking crew, until he isn't, so everyone else can come blundering in. No word about Juliette and Dark Angel is also name dropped without a fate. Why? Why even bring them up if you aren't going to address it? Chekov's Gun and all that. This is why I checked out of any further Shang Chi until the Max series. I also dropped MCP, as Wolverine was crap, this was bad, Man-Thing was Gerber trying to recapture the past, with Iran-Contra, and the rest was forgettable. I had better things to spend my comic dollars on. Next, the Master of Kung Fu: Bleeding Black one-shot, where Doug works with David and Dan Day, Gene's brothers. I have never read this before; so, this will be fresh. I hope it is better than this was. I will be skipping the Journey into Mystery two-parter, since it isn't Doug, but will look at the Marc Spector Moon Knight Special, since that is him, with his two best comic heroes. Then, the Max series. I will be skipping later forays into Heroes for Hire and Secret Avengers. If it ain't Doug, I don't care.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 13, 2020 17:03:51 GMT -5
Master of Kung Fu: Bleeding Blackthe cover was a wraparound... I take it that is Fu in the disco, in the upper left. Creative Team: Doug Moench-writer, David & Dan Day-art, Joe rosen-letters. Terry Kavanagh-editor. No color credit given. This is before Marvel was using computer coloring systems, though. Synopsis: The interior cover reminds us that Black Jack Tarr is running Freelance Restorations, Clive is a recovering lush, Leiko lost a hand, and Chi has 6 months to live. Chi meditates to try to fight the toxin within. Meanwhile, a man named Li Chun is attended by beautiful hand maidens, as he seems to have no hands. Leiko prepares tea, showing off her new prosthetic, which I assume is bionic. Reston is twitchy without his "fags," (cigarettes, not a homophobic slur). He and Tarr await a contact, who is murdered by Zaran. Tarr and Reston hear and rush toward the noise, but find only the dying man, who identifies Zaran. The man had been carrying a model of a pagoda, which is gone. Leiko brings Chi some tea and he admits that he is dying. Tarr and reston turn up and reveal that the man they were meeting was bringing them a map to a secret cache of elixir vitae... Zaran has that "map" and is in league with Li Chun, aka Shadow-Hand. Tarr, Reston and Leiko work to convince Chi that the elixir is his only hope and he has nothing to lose. Chi warns that others will be seeking the secret, as witnessed by Zaran's actions. he agrees. Chi goes to the Hong Kong wharves and a bar, looking for someone called One-Eye. of course, he is attacked; and, of course, he kicks hinder... He's not as efficient, though. He finds One-Eye, who tries to bargain for info, but Reston is behind him and has brought a double-barreled bargaining chip and One-Eye gives up Zaran's address. Chi goes there and finds him gone, but finds a check written by Li-Chun, identifying him as Zaran's employer. Zaran is with Li-Chin and he is ordered to help open the Reliquary, to reveal the secrets. Chi finds Li-Chun's estate and sneaks in, though some Dobermans hear him... Chi ruffs them up (sorry....) and Li-Chun tells his Playboy Bunnies to prepare his round bed. Chi sneaks in, spots the Reliquary, and opens it with ease... It reveals a labyrinth hidden inside a temple, as well as other rooms. Chi must find this temple. He also finds his father's ring and, inside a sliding compartment, an actual map of an island shaped like a serpent, with a volcano at the head, work notes and drawings of strange creatures. Li-Chun, after getting busy, answers a question about his motivation, which is to possess Fu's soul, via the elixir. Chi hears him returning and hastens to reassemble the Reliquary. he goes out the window, but spots he left a door open on the model and blows it shut, before ducking aside. Li Chin doesn't discover Chi's actions; but, outside, Zaran is waiting. Chi reveals he knows it is not the same Zaran, but a new one, who trained under him. chi responds with "Isn't that just like a Day Goer, bringing a knife to a Gung (Fu) fight!" They fight and it gets brutal and this Zaran is better and Chi is weakened... But guards interrupt and Chi escapes. He returns to the others and has his wounds treated. Li-Chun and Zaran succeed in opening the Reliquary and set off to the island to find the temple. Chi tells the others what he found. They search maps at the British Embassy and eventually identify the island, off the coast of China. On the island, a group of Si-Fan are partaking in a bizarre communion, when Li-Chun and Zaran turn up. Rather easily, Li-Chun wins over the Si-Fan. Reston secures a mini-sub and they determine the only place they can land is the midpoint of the island, which will mean an overland trek to the "head." Chi puts his PJs back on and he and Leiko join the others and load up. On the island, it turns out the Si-Fan aren't quite so trusting and when they learn the Reliquary has the secret to the entrance to the underground fortress, they attack. Li-Chun and Zaran are their Hucleberries. They kill and maim, then Zaran's loyalty is questioned but temporarily settled. Li-Chun knows he will betray him, at some point. They proceed. We also learn that Li-Chun was the keeper of Fu's genetic experiments and his master thought he was betraying him, which led to his current lack of hands... Li-Chun leads his party to the Head and Chi and the gang swim ashore from their mini-sub. Chi and Leiko do a bit of necking, then they head out. Chi reveals that the volcano is the entrance. Li-Chun reveals he already knew the location, but needed Fu's ring to open the entrance. Black Jack and Reston run into Si-Fan. Zaran puts on the ring, says "Friend" and enters. Chi and Leiko have to split up. Chi runs into a yeti and tries to show he is no threat, but it attacks anyway, so he fights. Zaran interferes and throws a dagger into it, but Chi stops him from administering a killing shot. He decks Zaran and makes peace with the Yeti, then helps treat his wounds. He leaves it and remarks he is dying. As he departs, he hears the yeti keening. Tar and Reston are carried, bound to logs, to Li-Chun and the fortress. Leiko catches up... Tarr and Reston are guarded by one of the three Bunnies and Leiko engages her in a pillow fight... but someone forgot the pillows. Leiko is kicking ass, but the other two show up and they all have coordinated cat suits and Leiko is down for the count. Chi finds the volcano entrance and the temple and gets caught in a trap. The yeti turns up and takes the longer path and substitutes the Reliquary on the throne and brings something to Chi. He brings him Fu's ring, which unlocks the trap and Chi tells him to stay, like a stray dog. Li Chun addresses the Si-Fan and calls for the prisoners to be executed. The Si-Fan still question his worthiness. Chi finds the throneroom, which the ring opens. He then tears down a tapestry and reveals a mirror, but it is one-way glass and Li-Chunsees him from the other side and smashes through and it is on. Chi is doing well, but is weakening, due to the toxin. Li-Chun gets the upper hand and the yeti attacks. Li-Chun knocks it onto spikes down below and Chi recovers and is POd. He whoops Li-Chun, snaps off the maces and leaves him helpless. The Si-Fan abandon him and call on Chi to prove himself. he uses the ring and unlocks the treasure. The crowd goes wild.... Chi rejects the treasures and trappings of his father, but drinks the elixir. He feels the power surge. he issues two commands, as the Si-Fan cheer. the first is to let Fu rest in peace and give up being assassins and the second to release the prisoners. They leave and then Chi smashes the bottle of the elixir, with no guarantee it has cured him... Thoughts: This is Doug on form and the length suggests it was originally commissioned for MCP, but they went with a collected volume, instead, clocking in at over 80 pages. David and Dan do their brother proud, though they weren't quite at his level. Few were. Still, it is a nice tribute to their late brother and I have to wonder if the comments about Reston giving up cigarettes isn't a nod to what helped kill their brother (Gene was a chain smoker). There is good old fashioned mystery here, nods to the Fu of Rohmer, without naming him. The indicia makes no reference to trademarks or copyrights of the Rohmer Estate; so, I think we can safely say that the license had probably lapsed before the MCP serial, 2 years before. That would preclude the use of Fu Manchu, Nayland Smit, Dr Petrie, and Fah Lo Suee, though they do use the name Si-Fan. I haven't been able to find a reference to a Si-Fan that predates Rohmer; so, I don't know how they got around that, unless the Estate never registered a trademark for the group, which in the novels was the tong to which Fu Manchu belonged. This is a better epithet to the series, than the Zelenetz story and certainly an improvement over the MCP mess. Next, Doug's two heroes, Shang Chi and Moon Knight, team up to face and old friend. One hint: Come on back for a double-deck of fun.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 15, 2020 15:36:50 GMT -5
Moon Knight Special #1That should have been a music showcase on tv, in the Marvel Universe! Hosted by Wolfman Jack Russell! That is one ugly cover! See, kids; this is what we mean when we bash the 90s! Creative Team: Doug Moench-writer, Art Nichols-pencils, Chris Ivy-inks, John Costanza-letters, Mike Thomas-colors, Joey Cavalieri-editor Wait, the blue alien Starman colored this? Synopsis: Moon Knight and Shang Chi air drop into a forest. Moon Knight uses his glider cape while Chi has a parachute, but no jump boots. Barefoot skydiving is not going to end well. They are attacked by robot drones and laser cannons. Moon Knight asks what Chi has gotten them into. Chi tells him he warned Moon Knight that this place was "unusual." The bat-like drones have audio functions and speak with a lisp! They also have motion sensors that allow them to avoid Moon Knight's darts. Chi leads him on into the forest, away from the drones. We flashback to the previous day, in London, with the worst rendering of Marc Spector I have ever seen. He is there to investigate missing funds and secrets, taken by a young trainee for his firm. His local man has arranged an interview with MI-6, who inform him that the trainee has fallen in with a mind-cult, The Golden Dawn. Shouldn't that be coming from MI-5 or the Special Branch? Marc learns no more, as it is covered by the Official Secrets Act, though he has his own ideas about classified materials. He goes to break in, at night, in his Moon Knight gear, and finds that the security system has already been bypassed and Shang Chi is already waiting for him, meditating. He tells him spirits are being taken and they are on an island in the South China Sea and for MK to follow. And we are back on the island, where they find a mini-pyramid, complete with attacking mummy's and graffiti... Let's see, what was that number......8-6-7-5-3-0-9....... Chi and MK kick bandages. Chi name drops Mordillo. No idea why an Argentine pantomime cartoonist is involved; but, we shall see. Chi recalls Tarr bringing him the mission, from MI-6 and informs him that Mordillo's Island seems to be at the center of this mind-cult, which may be programming future terrorists. In the present, Chi leads MK into the pyramid and the drones warn their master that the "thubjecth" are coming. Thufferin' Thucotath...th-th....!! In side, the find signs for the River Sticks ("But we glide right over it") and a robotic Chyron, who MK kicks into the water and they take his boat. Geez, all you needed were a pair of copper coins! Nice job, Karen! We cut to the HQ of the Golden Dawn, which looks like a cross between a demon, and a cat with a high collar. Inside, people get inspiring messages from the skeleton of Mordillo, with lines swiped from Frank Baum. The Pointer Brothers report in to their master... They seem so excited! Chi and MK arrive at the end of the line and head on up, while Big Boy points the way. A quick flashback shows MK reading the dossier and horning in on Chi's mission, who gives in when he hears that Moon Knight has a plane and parachutes. But no jump boots. Or helmets. And the mid-flight snack is a packet of saltines and a Sam's Cola. They trip a deathtrap, swiped from Raiders of the Lost Ark (who swiped it from Republic) and they kung fu and Khonshu their way through. They arrive at what looks like the Fizzy Lifting Drinks Room, where a brain pops out of the floor and gives the pair a piece of its mind... MK suckers the targeting system to fire the cannon into the bat drones and then has Chi kick out the support column, dropping it on its side, where it blows a hole in the wall. They proceed through, while Chi hides his amusement with Moon Knight. He thinks Tarr would love this guy. The spot a sign that leads them to the chamber with Mordillo's bones and the Pointer Brothers, and the start whooping like they...are...family. The Pointer Brothers turn out to be real people, inside the spikey suits and Chi and MK smash them around, while Mordillo's Bones tells the PB to smoosh them. The cult followers get confused by the violence and wonder how this leads to enlightenment, until a tossed PB reveals the Wizard, behind the curtain.... BRYNOCKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He reveals that the cultists are standing on trap doors ( he hits a switch that turns the panels transparent) with spikes underneath, so they can't move without being dropped on one. They start whining about wanting to go home. Bunch of sissy cultists! Not like the old days, when brainwashed sheep had guts! MK throws his baton, which knocks Brynocki away, while Chi launches a kick, which knocks his block off, causing it to land next to Mordillo's bones and explode... MK and Chi then tend to the sheep. The story is followed by pastiches of covers, with Moon Knight in different publishing eras... That is followed by Marie Severin and Michael Higgins poking fun at a Moon Knight movie.... Moon Blight recounts his origin, while the producer has other ideas... and the suggests other changes, like sidekicks, with Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy. Thoughts: Ugly cover side, and some wonky and over-rendered interior art, the story is pure fun and way better than the attempts to do Moon Knight, that followed (the Marc Spector, Moon Knight comic, which was then-on-going) was pretty decent, when it was Chuck Dixon and Sal Velluto, rather than Terry Kavanagh and Stephen Platt, in the latter stages). Brynocki always brings out the fun side of Doug's writing and this one was closer to the original Mordillo Saga than "Brynocki's Raiders," which was still pretty good. Nichols handles the jokes well, even though he missed the Tomyy Tutone gag in the phone number for Cleo, Queen of Denial! (so did Doug). The cameo by Big Boy was nice, reminding us where Brynocki comes from and telegraphing the reveal, like dropping Mordillo's name and the island vista wasn't enough, if you had read comics before Image. Don't care for Moon Knight being all armored up there; but, I never liked the alterations that followed the original regular series. The Fist of Khonshu gear was ridiculous enough. Brynocki would turn up again, a little over a decade later, in Dan Slott's Thing mini-series. That one was also a lot of fun. This was the kind of thing we needed more of, in the 90s; not foil covers and shoulder pads and pouches, and comic books that came across as excessive to Clint Eastwood.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 15, 2020 18:16:16 GMT -5
ps. I like the fact that Marie references both Dino Crocetti (aka Dean Martin) and Dino Manelli.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 16, 2020 16:00:31 GMT -5
Master of Kung Fu #1And the Matrix is slapped onto Shang Chi. As much as I am happy to see him out of his red PJs,, I'd rather see him pick a different movie figure to emulate, like Chow Yun Fat. He was cool without CGI or ridiculous dialogue. Creative Team: Doug Moench-writer, Paul Gulacy-pencils, Jimmy Palmiotti-inks, Richard Starkings & Comicraft-letters, Paul Mounts-colors, Axel Alonso-editor in name and rubber stamp. I mean, come on, like he was giving advice to Doug. Synopsis: France. We cal tell because the Eiffel Tower can be see from a manor house in the country, even though it's deep inside the city. Surprised a guy in a beret, with onions draped over his shoulders didn't cycle past. Anyway, Leiko is sneaking into said manor house with a contact, which is an obvious set-up; but, never let it be said that Doug was big on tradecraft. The ambushers come out and Leiko goes all Michelle Yeoh on their collective keisters. She's busy scribbling down names and eliminating chances at procreating and grabs a pistol in time to be surrounded and face the villain, in a dark cloak that she recognizes. Wonder who that might be? Meanwhile, somewhere in Asia, Chi buries a little girls doll halfway into the ground to teach her something, saying the ground is quicksand and the girl must rescue her. he then walks away while the girl learns that Chi can be a bit of a Richard, He walks past the latest addition tot eh Once Upon A Time in China series, though why Chines martial artists are wearing ninja hoods is beyond me. Back in France, someone called Moving Shadow (which sounds like a comedy about Lamont Cranston changing addresses) throws the biggest shuriken ever at Leiko's gun, while calling his master St Germain. Chelsea Quinn Yarbo gets her lawyer on the line, but says never mind, as she reads on. Besides, he's in the public domain and Fu isn't (yet). He smacks Leiko and she crumbles rather easily. Still sucks to be her. She's wearing gloves, so I can't tell if she still has a bionic hand. Meanwhile, Chi meditates in some kind of cave/temple, while some dude in stereotyped costume ties up his skiff and walks up the pier. Chi talks bollox while the figure in the coolie hat sneaks up on him. He has visions of Leiko dying, warning him the world is in danger. The shadowy dude pulls a gun on him. Chi kicks hi in the mush and the dude pulls off a Rollin Hand mask and reveals that he is Clive Reston. Clive begins to tell him of the Comte de St Germain, and we all settle in as the BS starts to pile up. Meanwhile, Leiko has a hand locked in a box that has scorpions released into it. Kind of an extreme nail treatment, but these manicure places offer some stranger services. Chi says they believe the Count is real, calling himself the Ghost, that he may be as immortal as Fu was, and he has the remnants of Fu's organization and an agent, Clive's wife is missing. Oh, and that's Leiko... Later, in Singapore, Tar and Reston are cornered, after their safe house is blown, while they waited for Chi to meet them. tarr doesn't think he is coming, which mean he will make a dramatic entrance on the next page. Okay, it takes three pages of gunplay for him to appear, then a 4th page for him to kick bootay and strike a pose (Vogue...) Chi sets fire to some leaking fuel and flash-fries the Millennial Dacoits. Thoughts: Hard to tell at this stage; but, Doug appears to be ignoring the MCP serial, as Lekio's left hand, the one that was chopped off, is the one locked into the box with a maze of scorpions. That in and of itself tells us who the villain is; but, Doug makes it sound like this St Germain is imitating Fu, or is a parallel. Gulacy is way more developed and consistent as an artist, though he isn't using the same likenesses as before, making the characters seem more generic. Palmiotti's inks are fine, though the whole color palate is rather flat, but I've always kind of felt that way about computer coloring, as generally utilized on Marvel books (and DC). It's just a tool; but, I think there are very few real color artists working in comics, using it. It seems more like computer technicians applying colors. Lot of set-up, stereotypical mystery. We know Marvel can't use the name Fu Manchu, yet, so we know that we won't see his name used here, which will probably be implied to be a false name, anyway. Even so, was anyone really buying into the Comte de St Germain being a substitute villain, a rival of Fu? The historical St Germain was a con artist who operated in Europe, in the 18th Century, a supposed alchemist, scientist, philosopher and alleged immortal. He may or may not have been the son of a Transylvanian prince, as he claimed, educated in Italy (or not). What is known is that he swanned about Europe, gaining patronage from the wealthy and powerful. He was noted in the French court of Louis XV, who used him on some diplomatic missions, while Casanova wrote of him entertaining through dinners with non-stop conversation. Legends and conspiracy theories grew about him in the following century, with tales of him being the Wandering Jew, having found the elixir of life, etc, etc. He was said to have worked with the magician Cagliostro, who in reality was Giuseppe Balsamo, a forger and con artist, himself. The Theosophists wove him into tales, with Madame Blavatsky claiming to have met him. New Age types have thrown him in with the rest of the "lost lore" group who had hidden knowledge that they can help rediscover. At B&N, we had a couple of those, right near David Icke's books about the world being controlled by a secret society of shape-shifting lizard aliens (I think he saw V too often) and Shirley McLaine recounting her past lives, as someone other than an attention-seeking fading film star. Doug, being well steeped in conspiracy stuff, throws him out there as a red herring, for Fu Manchu, as the stories of the Count fit right in with Rohmer's sketching of Fu Manchu; might have drawn influence from them; but, you can find a bunch of these types in Europe, from the so-called Enlightenment. Conspiracy theorists love to latch onto them, giving us an endless parade of Nostradamuses, St Germains, Cagliostros, Adam Weishaupts, Alistair Crowleys, Aga Khans, and the like, alongside Templars, Rosicrucians, Brotherhoods of Set, Freemasons, and Girl Scout Troops. Okay, maybe not the last one, but they are trying to manipulate the world with thin mint cookies. You can't just eat one! Not quite the atmosphere of old, but way better than the MCP serial and a welcome change to a lot of what was on the stands, in 2002 (for my reading tastes, anyway). The Max imprint proves pointless, in this issue, as Doug doesn't go the Garth Ennis route and have Chi sound like he walked out of a Tarantino film. I can only imagine if Tarantino adapted Master of Kung Fu for the screen.... "My name is Shang Chi, which means "The Rising and Advancing of the Mother-@#$%&*% Spirit." Followed by long shots of Leiko's bare feet, while Clive and Black Jack refer to Longstreet as a forgotten classic. Black Jack would be played by Samuel L Jackson, just to make the name ironic and let him excuse the liberal use of the N-Word. Personally, I always found the Max imprint to be a rather juvenile excuse to swear, compared to the Vertigo approach to more mature situations and language.
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