Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Omnibus, Vol. 3

Master of Kung Fu Omnibus

by Doug Moench, Mike Zeck (Illustrator)

Shang-Chi continues to have his deadly hands full with foes like Shockwave, the sinister Agent Syn and the weapons master Zaran! But will his mastery of kung fu be enough to overcome monstrous menaces and the mindless minions of Mordillo? He thought he'd seen the last of his most bitter enemy - but an unholy resurrection will bring Shang-Chi face-to-face once again with his fearsome father Fu Manchu! And the family reunion will get even more bitter when Shang's sister, Fah Lo Suee, renews their sibling rivalry. There'll be gang wars, death cults and mind-blowing martial-arts mayhem on land and on sea! What if the Master of Kung Fu fought on the side of Fu Manchu? Collecting MASTER OF KUNG FU (1974) #71-101 and WHAT IF? (1977) #16.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Adventure, Action, Graphic Novels Comics

704 pages, Hardcover

First published March 14, 2017

About the author

Doug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok. Moench has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics and many other smaller companies; he has written hundreds of issues of many different comics, and created dozens of characters, such as Moon Knight. In 1973, Moench became the de facto lead writer for the Marvel black-and-white magazine imprint Curtis Magazines. He contributed to the entire runs of Planet of the Apes, Rampaging Hulk (continuing on the title when it changed its name to The Hulk!) and Doc Savage, while also serving as a regular scribe for virtually every other Curtis title during the course of the imprint's existence. Moench is perhaps best known for his work on Batman, whose title he wrote from 1983–1986 and then again from 1992–1998. (He also wrote the companion title Detective Comics from 1983–1986.)

Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.

Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man if you love martial arts and comics then This is the series for you to read. Great fight scenes and good martial arts Main character. Good art throughout the series. Recommended

[OmniBen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review)
Oh, Paul Gulacy isn't on the book anymore, I see. Dang! Oh well, I'll give this Mike Zeck guy a go... Holy hell, he is fantastic. And he does the WHOLE BOOK! Hot damn! I still miss Paul Gulacy's more atmospheric tones, although talk about a more than capable replacement.
That said, Volume 3 doesn't quite live up to the mastery of volume 2. Zeck kills it on the art, though (once you get passed the god awful Shang Chi in Wonderland type disaster at the start (god only knows what Doug Moench was smoking for that one, things pick up and soon hit their stride. it does veer away from the street level smorgasbord occasionally for some less than stellar superhero-esque histrionics of the day, but ultimately delivers an outstanding collection of comics that belongs on any self respecting comic book readers shelf. Praises to the team of Moench, Zeck and Day for some memorable and magnificent storytelling. 4/5


OmniBen.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very close to giving this 4 stars, mainly because of the first half of the book, which features a multi-part final confrontation with Fu Manchu. In the best mystical/spy/action story, it was well paced, exciting, and closed out with an emotional meeting of father and son.

After this event, the book changes course, wherein the characters no longer work for MI-6. This allows Moench to change up the subtext of the adventures, which is good, because the spy stuff was feeling overdone. The stories aren't as epic or world-ending but it gives Moench a chance to develop Shang-Chi as he goes through an internal conflict of trying to reach a state of peace, but at every turn of his life is met with violence. A philosophy and struggle that many can relate.

Zeck's art is excellent. It's a little more "standard" comic, meaning he doesn't have quite the creative panels that Gulacy had but anatomy is perfect and story-telling is just as good, if not better. The inking varies up front and then settles the second half of the book, with a slightly rougher look than Zeck's modern stuff.

The What If? included has an ending that is probably the most realistic and fits the character perfectly. This series has this strange mix of espionage, mysticism, and philosophy, and there is nothing else like it. Definitely the best volume of this series so far.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is where this series caught its second wind. After Paul Gulacy left as artist, the series seemed to flail around for a bit, but once Mike Zeck and Gene Day came on, it found its footing again.

And while the art is spectacular and absolutely compliments the words, it is absolutely the writing of Doug Moench that is the highlight here. It's interesting, because the martial arts action is virtually all Zeck and Day, but the lead ups are all Moench who is careful to set up the philosophical framing at the beginning of each issue, then carry it through as the theme.

It's rare to find any popular comic book series from one of the Big Two companies that went this introspective. It's fascinating to explore the inner world of Shang-Chi's thoughtful mind as much as it is fun to watch him kick ass. And it's something that I feel every writer since Moench has either ignored, or has been incapable of carrying on. It's a shame, because it truly elevated the quality of this series head and shoulders above much of the other product Marvel was producing at the time.

[Jack Stubblefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing how well done Shang Chi is. By the point of this arc, I had stopped reading MoKF back in the day. When I picked up Omnibuses vol's 1 & 2, I knew I was going to pick up Vol. 3. With the passage of time, I'm trying to figure out why I stopped reading Shang Chi. I would definitely recommend Volumes 1-3 in this omnibus series. Anxious to see what they do with Shang Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Univers . . .

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories continue to be pretty good although we are retreading old themes a bit. The art is clean and well-executed, but somehow just can't match the raw, ugly ambition in Gulacy's work from previous issues. I was a little let down by the 100th issue as the extra length seemed to make it drag and Gene Day had not yet got his footing as an artist instead of an inker. Excited to see how all of this picks up in the final volume. Despite all the negative things I have to say, this stuff is much better than 90% of the super hero stuff coming out at the same time.

[Michael Emond · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot to love about this series and this omnibus. I must admit this series was never on my radar growing up so I never read a Shang Chi story until the Epic Collections started to come out. Sadly, Marvel gave up publishing those so I turned to the omnibus to keep reading these compelling stories. Marvel doesn't have the rights to some of the characters in these stories (e.g. Fu manchu - Shang Chi's father) so these omnibuses may be the only time they are ever reprinted...or at least for the next decade or so.

One thing in this collection is Mike Zeck takes over the art. And he is quite wonderful. With Gene Day inking him he is the perfect artist for this series with his kinetic style of art and ability to capture action. He is much more suited for this than Secret Wars - with all its sci fi and super hero art.

The stories by Doug Moench are thoughtful, exciting and a lot of fun. Much better scripted than many of the other Marvel titles of this time - even though there were some classics in this era. I will say, Doug has a tendency to overdo the verbosity at times (issue 97 is one that stands out) but he also crafts some great stories and really delves into the characters. I don't normally remark on this but the inclusion of the letter pages (included with all omnibuses) really is a fun read here because of some of the people writing in (Cat Yronwode as one example) and the back and forth between the fans and the editors. Really cool.

One nit pick is the brief cheating by Shang Chi's love interest Leiko with Reston. I hated how it was handled. Hated that she did cheat and that Shang Chi was mad at Reston and not her. It really didn't make any sense she cheated since she instantly regretted it and never interacts with Reston again.

I would also like to point out it is on the smaller size for Omnibuses (~690 pages) BUT I like the smaller size. I find 1000+ page omnibuses too big and hard to read (pick up).

Overall, a really great read. Highly recommended that you pick it up before it disappears forever (or for a long time).

[Jimbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What more can I say about Shang Chi, Master of King Fu. This is the third of four of the original series of stories--yes he is orange--sigh--yes there are cringe-worthy moments of a different time--the seventies, but the stories and the ideals that Shang-Chi spouts that remind me of a time when people cared more about others than the money they could make. A time when people worked hard and were proud of themselves for their accomplishments. Not quite so today.

Anyway, Great series, too bad the Fu Manchu thing was so prevalent in these books. It stifled a lot of what Shang Chi was and became.

I understand how it made the character more interesting to the readers of the time with all the old Fu Manchu movies and books, but it limited who he was.