Welcome to my Master Of Kung Fu issue by issue review blog. The ARCHIVE is down below.
Shang Chi, the Master Of Kung Fu, was first published in the comic book 'Special Marvel Edition' #15 (Dec 1973) and was such a hit he took over the book with issue #17. The comic was retitled 'The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu', and ran until #125 (June 1983).
In 1972 Marvel Comics had the rights to Sax Rohmer's Dr. Fu Manchu and seeing how popular David Carradines Kung Fu television program was Marvel chose to make a Kung Fu comic. First brought to life by Steve Englehart & Jim Starlin, long time writer Doug Moench took over on #20. The series had a number of wonderful artists following Starlin, beginning with Paul Gulacy on #18, followed later on by Mike Zeck and Gene Day.
While Marvel owns Shang Chi and continues to publish him (in 2011 he had major roles in Spider-Man and the Secret Avengers comics), Marvel lost the rights to the some of the Sax Rohmer supporting cast so they have been unable to reprint these wonderful 70's/80's comics.
My hope is at some point in the near future Marvel will regain the rights to at least reprint the series in it's Essential line, and since at the height of the early 70's Kung Fu craze Shang Chi was published in 3 regular series I put together a reading order that makes sense to me , and this blog explains my choices plus gives me an excuse to re-read this great comic.
So this blog is me BEGGING that when Master Of Kung Fu is reprinted PLEASE reprint in a logical readable order!
Here's my master list -
ESSENTIAL MASTER OF KUNG FU Vol #1
524 pages
Special Marvel Edition #15, 16
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1
Master Of Kung Fu #17
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #2, 3
Master Of Kung Fu #18 - 21
Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu #1
Giant-Size Spider-Man #2
Special Album Edition: The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #4 - 9, 11
Master of Kung Fu #22
Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu #2
Master of Kung Fu #23 - #25
ESSENTIAL MASTER OF KUNG FU Vol #2
530 pages
Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu #3
Master of Kung Fu #26 - #28
Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu #4
Master of Kung Fu #29 - #35
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #12 - #14, #16 - #18
Master of Kung Fu #36 - #41
Master of Kung Fu Annual #1
ESSENTIAL MASTER OF KUNG FU Vol #3
565 pages
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #29, #31
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #32 (Shang Chi only appears on one story page)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #33
Master of Kung Fu #42 - #52
Marvel Two-In-One #29
Master of Kung Fu #54, #56 - #58, #55, #59 - #63, #65 - #69
Note - Master of Kung Fu #53 is a reprint.
MOKF #55 is a fill in & interrupts a 4 part story it should be printed afterwards.
MOFK #64 is a fill in. Since it interrupts an 8 part story #64 should go in Essential #4
ESSENTIAL MASTER OF KUNG FU Vol #4
598 Pages
Master of Kung Fu #64
Marvel Team-Up #84, #85
Master of Kung Fu #70 - #98
ESSENTIAL MASTER OF KUNG FU Vol #5
Master Of Kung Fu #99 - #120
ROM #38 - #39
Master Of Kung Fu #121 - #125
What If? (Vol 1) #16