Comics pre-eminent star of martial arts action -- Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu -- is back. If Moench and Gully's seminal Master of Kung Fu successfully tapped into the Bruce Lee kung fu craze and popular James Bond spy flicks, then their revamped MOKF will appeal to the folks who are packing the seats for the latest Jet Li flick, or "Mission Impossible" sequel.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
You really can't go home again,
By
This review is from: Shang-Chi (Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu) (Paperback)
When I became a certified comics fan in the late 70s, there were two comics outside of the "mainstream" superhero fare that I loved. One was Howard the Duck, a satirical comic about politics and society. The other was a comic about family, albeit one in which the father was the ultimate evil and the son had been raised to be the perfect assassin, who then rebelled against his father. Of course, Master of Kung Fu also had the big action sequences as well as secret service intrigue as well, but I suspect it was that idea of the son not exactly wanting to follow in his father's footsteps that a psychiatrist would have a field day with if I ever found myself on the couch.Marvel's recent successes on the movie screen along with the burgeoning market for graphic novels has them looking to the past for their future. They also, obviously, believe that since the audience that grew up on these comics are older, that such audience also wants their return to be "mature" as well, and to that end Marvel has a new line of comics called "MAX" to distinguish comics with "mature" themes. I've only read two of the MAX titles--the original creators returning to my favorite books, Howard the Duck and Master of Kung Fu, and I'm starting to think ol' Tom Wolfe was right, and you can't go home again. It's not that Master of Kung Fu (subtitled "The Hellfire Apocalypse") isn't well done. Moench and Gulacy are a wonderful team and the intervening years have not diminished their ability to portray in flat panels the fluidity and excitement of a martial arts epic. But something is missing, and I think it's the cliffhangers and surprise of the monthly comic. Collected together in this graphic novel, the monthly wait to see just how Shang-Chi, Weiko Lu, Clive Reston and Black Jack Tarr were going to get out of this dire calamity is gone. But even then, it wasn't that cast, nor Fu Manchu, that drew me to the comic, but the ancilliary ideas, just as it isn't James Bond or Blofield that brings you back to 007, but the gadgets. "The Hellfire Apocalypse," although it tries hard, is warmed over kung fu--there's nothing in this book that we haven't seen time and time again since Moench and Gulacy took their leave of us 20 years ago. It makes me wary to re-read any of those 1970s/1980s originals, to see if my memory has failed me and that those comics weren't as great as I remember.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Could Have -- Should Have -- Been Great, But Misses The Mark,
By
This review is from: Shang-Chi (Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu) (Paperback)
This is a project that should have been a new classic, but falls well short of that mark by a misguided and ultimately failed attempt at pandering to the perceived wants of current comics readership.This book features two superb craftsmen returning to the title where they earned their reputations 30 years ago. Think of O'Neal and Adams reuniting on Batman, or Claremont and Byrne going back to the X-Men. Anticipation warms the heart and gets the blood pumping. You know it will never be as good as you remember, but certainly it'll be much better than most of what's offered on the bookshelf today. Unfortunately, that didn't prove to be the case, and sadder still, it could easily have been otherwise. The work starts off strong, with Moench's taut pacing and spot-on dialogue, and Gulacy's strong storytelling steering your eye, and then it veers terribly off-course. The introduction of Morgan Spetz and his Omega team of over-muscled/under-dressed WWF cast-offs jars the book from "realistic" spy thriller to virtual parody. The Spetz subplot seems completely forced and doesn't ring at all true to the rest of the piece, even as a failed attempt at comic relief. It's like Moench submitted his original script to Marvel and the editors convinced him he needed these steroid-popping oafs to attract the 12-year-olds (who shouldn't be reading this "Mature Audience" title in the first place). Their inclusion slows the pace to a crawl and dumbs-down the plot, leaving the reader with a sour aftertaste of disappointment and frustration at a glorious storytelling opportunity lost. Unlike the original source material that still resonates in the minds of collectors 30 years later, this current offering is cranial candyfloss, empty intellectual calories that will have completely faded from your memory before your next meal. It's a good Saturday afternoon read, but unlikely a book you'll ever pick up again.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
MEDIOCRE WRITING, GREAT ART,
By popular culture lover (Travelers Rest, SC United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shang-Chi (Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu) (Paperback)
As most fans know, this team produced a (justly) critically acclaimed "Master of Kung Fu" comic in the 70's. Too bad their legacy regarding Shang-Chi is tarnished by this tale.While Gulacy's art is dependably excellent, Moench's plot and scripting are hackneyed. The fights seem forced and endless. Do these stories need action and conflict? Sure. Was this the way to do it? No. You'll want to take a pass on this one unless you're a real disciple of Gulacy.
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