SI: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #3 - Thoughts and Spoilers

[Tien Long]

Hey all, just thought I would offer this month's write-up on the last issue of the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu miniseries. As a whole, I really enjoyed this issue, yet it took me about two readings to get the full flavor of it. Indeed, what interests me the most about this issue is its multi-layered nature. Shang displayed various different aspects of himself in this story, which I hope that I'll get a chance to touch upon in this review. In any case, here we go:

- The biggest gripe I had last month was the fact that Shang had turned into some six-armed spider creature. At the time, I felt kind of frustrated, since I thought the idea was cliche and worn out. I've seen Spider-Man mutated into a six-armed creature before. HOWEVER, when I first read the preview and thoroughly read the issue, the idea REALLY started to appeal to me. Having six arms meant that Shang could pull off his lightning fast strikes even quicker. Seeing his hand techniques reminded me of the barrage of punches that one sees in a fighting manga, or the fast chain punching of Wing Chun practitioners. I have to say, the idea of "sticky hands" seemed very appropriate in this case . Bottom line, Shang having six arms didn't make the fight look stupid or silly. It made the fight look BETTER.

- While Shang having six arms was cool, mutated spider creature Shang looked pretty damn awesome! Watching as he pounded away at Ai Apaec, leading him towards the fire, was nice.

- The inner struggle scene against the spider mutation was a very powerful scene. In context of the two previous issues, this was the culmination of the fears and "bad dreams" that Shang was experiencing. I liked the tension that existed between Shang and this spider mutation, as well as Shang's eventual triumph over it. His declaration that the Master of Kung Fu serves no King, Queen, or god was a very strong affirmation. However, the phrase, "The light of chi, in my tantien..." really resonated with me. Yes, Iron Fist helped Shang out a lot, but I still see it as a display of Shang's emotional, mental, and spiritual fortitude.

- I remember last month Anthony said that regular, normal Shang-Chi would make an appearance. I'm glad to see that he did. Moreover, I'm glad to see another aspect of Shang's personality shows up in this issue, most notably during his last fight with Ai Apaec. Now, we've seen the tactic of a hero toppling over the foundations of a buiilding to take down an enemy before. But, I was glad that it was included because it demonstrates that Shang has a tactical and strategic mind. Though he may not be up tp the level of Batman or Captain America, Shang can be very crafty when need be.

- Again, there were many great Shang lines in here. This one stuck out to me the most however. During his final encounter with Ai Apaec who says that he will die, Shang says,"Perhaps so monster. But perhaps not. Let us discover the truth together." That spoke volumes to me. In one sense, you can see it as representative of the classic literary trope of a hero facing and embracing his fate, whatever that may be. However, for a Buddhist like me, the line seemed remnisicent of a concept called "Thusness." Life is neither good, nor bad, positive nor negative. It can be filled with the most wondrous of joys or the most crushing of tragedies. Life can be all of these things. Life simply is thus. Therefore, one accepts whatever life brings.

To me, in that scene, Shang represented that idea. Whatever life brought, however the cards may turn, Shang was ready to not only face it, but also not be afraid of it.

- Ha, my letter ended up in the letter's page. Pretty sweet.

Egads, sorry for the exorbitant length of my post. Again, great series. Would definitely like to see an ongoing with the Master of Kung Fu. (Now, if there was only a way to get Secret Avengers # 18 here in Hong Kong)

[antony]

I was starting to wonder if anyone around here had read it ;) Glad you liked it, Tien! Sorry for such a brief post, but I need to pack for a business trip; suffice to say, it's good to know someone picked up on all those points, including, yes, the "zen" attitude to the final confrontation.

[vitruvian]

This whole miniseries was awesome, and I'm glad to see that Shang-Chi seems to be getting a big push in multiple titles within the MU. Not to mention that Ai Apaec is getting used from the Osborn mini. Always nice to see the Immortal Weapons too, of course. In fact, about the only thing I don't like about Spider-Island or this part of it is the villain at the very center of the story.

[Geno]

I thoroughly enjoyed this mini as well. It really is nice to see Shang get more of the spotlight recently, especially in Secret Avengers and the Spider-Island event. Prior to this, he did have a minor role in the Shadowland event, but one that pales in comparison to what Dan Slott, Antony Johnston and co have done here. Not to mention the quality of the event as a whole is astounding as it is, taking what seemed like a very ridiculous concept and crafting it into a gripping plot. As a Spider-Man fan, Spider-Island has been a real treat in that regard, and as a Shang-Chi fan it's been a real blessing.

Sticking on topic, I too liked the dialogue in this finale. It really helped characterize Shang without lending to stereotypes and cliches. The inner struggle was also very reminiscent of Shadowland: Spider-Man, where Shang fought against Mr. Negative's corruption. Like that scene, his struggle here really magnified his strength of will. I believe Shang's the only character to have undergone a nearly complete spider transformation and maintained autonomy from the Queen (not only that, but still being able to focus on fighting Ai Apaec). The fighting and characterization in this series just works so well to show off what Shang-Chi is about, and in combination with his involvement in the main Spider-Island story and Secret Avengers, could very well put him on the map again.

Dammit Marvel, make a MoKF ongoing and you can have all my money!

[Leocomix]

One of the best tie-ins and they were all strong.
It was true to teh character (philosophy), style (martial arts) and the crossover (spiders) with great use of Ai Apaec.
I don't know if the idea was from the writer or editor but I liked both idea and execution.

[stewart48]

It really was a good book, and any book that uses any of the immortal weapons is OK in my book.

[antony]

I don't know if the idea was from the writer or editor but I liked both idea and execution.

It was a genuine collaboration. Naturally the majority of it was down to me, but both Dan and Alejandro gave invaluable help to make it a better book that tied in closely with Spider-Island and made good use of other characters.

[Chuckles]

I really enjoyed this mini-series, and will definitely be buying if there's another.

[Zcorck]

One of the best tie-ins and they were all strong.
It was true to teh character (philosophy), style (martial arts) and the crossover (spiders) with great use of Ai Apaec.
I don't know if the idea was from the writer or editor but I liked both idea and execution.

QFT!
This was such a good read, would definitely love more on Shang-Chi in this style!