Shang-Chi: Appreciation 2020

[Tien Long]

Always good to have a Shang-Chi comic.
Not a fan of the costume though.
Best one yet has been his Avengers red & black suit.

I've been okay with the red and black suit. It's functional and good for a fight. There's been an inconsistency in how it's been depicted at times though. Sometimes it's skintight:



Other times a little loose and baggy:


Ultimately though, the design feels bland. Yes, the color scheme works. Red and yellow are trademark Shang-Chi colors plus they're auspicious colors in Chinese culture. At the same time, there could be some other design elements in there. something that makes Shang unique.

[Tien Long]

As for the new costume, it reminds me a lot of the Southern Kung Fu uniforms out there:




I think it's functional. There aren't any sleeves to impede movement. (Plus it allows Shang to rock his guns ). It has elements of Chinese culture as well.

Still, the dragon scales? Hmmm, I don't know about that. Of course, the dragon is a huge part of Chinese culture, but has Shang been associated with dragons in the past? Plus, I would have had the wrist bands yellow.

In any case though, I'm willing to give this new costume a chance.

[Tien Long]

So who is Dike Ruan, the new artist for the Shang Chi miniseries? First off the bat, I gotta clear up the name. "Dike" are separated into two syllables and pronounced "Dee Kuh." Secondly, I'm impressed with his work. Check it out:







Great stuff here!

[Hypestyle]

at least from now on he's not going to be barefoot anymore. That particular conceit is rather cringe-worthy now. I'm also not interested in a cameo by the first outfit. save it for a video-game skin.

[Frontier]

So who is Dike Ruan, the new artist for the Shang Chi miniseries? First off the bat, I gotta clear up the name. "Dike" are separated into two syllables and pronounced "Dee Kuh." Secondly, I'm impressed with his work. Check it out:







Great stuff here!

Reminds me of a mix between Mahmud Asrar and Sara Pichelli.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Master of Kung Fu #26 Mar 1975
"Daughter of Darkness!"
In a restaurant in El-Khârga, Egypt, Lord Robert Greville talks to Sir Denis Nayland Smith.
He relates a dream in which a bewitching woman appeared to him
and promised that he would unearth the Golden Beetle of the pharaoh Seth-Amon.
She left him a ring, which he found the next morning.
Smith tells him that his father, Shan, encountered this same woman—Fah Lo Suee, daughter of Fu Manchu—
that her wiles nearly destroyed him, and that she cannot be trusted. Greville will have none of it.
Smith also says that he is looking for Fu Manchu, who seems to be shadowing his daughter.
Unbeknownst to Smith, Fu sits at the next table, disguised by a hood.

Shang-Chi arrives at the restaurant to meet Smith, but a group of Si-Fan assassins has followed him, disguised by robes.
Shang-Chi senses the presence of his father and tells Smith so.
Fu stands up and drops his hood. The assassins burst through the windows to cover Fu's escape.

The ensuing scuffle fails to convince Greville that he should leave Seth-Amon's tomb alone.
After all, Fah Lo Suee has become his muse. He leaves.
Shang-Chi remembers his first meeting with her:
Fu Manchu introduced his half sister and left them alone.
She observed, flatteringly, that he was being trained as a master assassin

and then said that a day might come when the both of them might want Fu dead ....

In a nearby library, Smith finds mention of the Golden Beetle.
The pharaoh thought that it could hypnotize anyone and thus gave him ultimate power over his subjects.
Smith realizes that Fah Lo Suee wants the Golden Beetle, specifically its ruby eyes, to have the same power.
He also realizes that Fu has come to Egypt to keep his daughter from getting that power, which could be used against Fu himself.

Armed with this new information, Shang-Chi and Smith go to Greville's lodgings but get no answer at his door.
Shang-Chi climbs through a window. He finds a Si-Fan inside, who is also looking for Greville
but gets thrown out the window for his trouble. Shang-Chi finds a map to the dig, so he and Smith go there.

Inside Seth-Amon's pyramid, Fah Lo Suee leads Greville to the crypt, which he has breached only that day and has not yet surveyed.
She finds the box with the Golden Beetle inside, but someone has pried out the ruby eyes. Shang-Chi and Smith arrive.
Smith reluctantly admits that he too fell under Fah Lo Suee's spell years ago,

and he does so again ... as six Si-Fan burst forth from sarcophagi!
Fah Lo Suee orders Greville and Smith to protect her from them, so Shang-Chi

must not only fight them, he must also protect Greville, Smith and reluctantly his half sister.

Script by Doug Moench, pencils by Keith Pollard, inks by Sal Trapani.

[Agent Z]

Shang-Chi's director Destin Daniel Cretton has been tested negative for coronavirus.

https://deadline.com/2020/03/shang-c...on-1202885191/

[Holt]

SHANG-CHI #1 (OF 5)
GENE LUEN YANG (W) • DIKE RUAN WITH PHILIP TAN (A)
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
Design variant by Jim Cheung
VARIANT COVER BY INHYUK LEE
VIRGIN VARIANT COVER BY INHYUK LEE
VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
HIDDEN GEM VARIANT COVER BY RUDY NEBRES
SNEAKER VARIANT COVER BY TBA
THE MASTER RETURNS!
An ancient and evil secret society has stayed in hiding since the death of their leader, Zheng Zhu. But now his successor has been chosen to shift the balance of power in the world…Zheng Zhu’s son, Shang-Chi! Witness the Marvel Universe’s greatest fighter return to a world of death and destruction he thought he left behind long ago…and discover the secrets to Shang-Chi’s past that will change his world forever.
Don’t miss out on this epic tale of family, betrayal and justice as the incredible team of Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese), Dike Ruan (SPIDER-VERSE, BLACK CAT) and Philip Tan (UNCANNY X-MEN) launch a new chapter in the legend of Shang-Chi!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

[Blind Wedjat]

I think I dig it. It certainly looks unique and if it sticks it may make him stand out.

[Tien Long]

A couple of thoughts:

- Alright, getting to see more of the costume. Okay, it could work. Still, I'm iffy on the dragon scales. And though I'm glad Shang isn't bare footed, the pants could have been a bit longer. The boots are a nice look though.

- Reading the solicit, I'm smiling. Because I've been touting a storyline where Shang-Chi reluctantly has to take over his father's empire for years! Posted it several times on these boards AND mentioned it in passing to a Marvel editor a couple of years ago when taking a bus at the Port Authority. Lo and behold, here we are! Marvel, thank you for listening.

Looking forward to that advancing and rising of the spirit this June everyone!

[Tien Long]

Just a couple of random Shang-Chi thoughts:

- I'm liking the potential of this Shang-Chi series. A guy who spent most of his life denying his legacy now has to take it. The emperor's son has finally taken the throne. The thing that he fought against, now he's it's leader. How does a person who's pretty calm, centered, and peaceful deal with becoming the head of an army of assassins, cutthroats, and psychopaths?

Oh my god, the stories from this would be beautiful!

- If Shang becomes leader of Zheng Zhu's empire, that catapults him to a top position of power within the Marvel Universe. I could see him standing on even ground with rulers like Black Panther, Namor, or Dr. Doom. I could see him engaging in wars for Asian territory against the Hand or possibly invade K'un Lun, to fulfill some former scheme from his father. Or maybe he tries to turn his father's empire into a force for good? Make the world a better place? And he still comes into conflict with the Avengers, X-Men and Krakoa, and Black Panther and Namor.

Yes! We gotta see this happen!

[Holt]

I think I dig it. It certainly looks unique and if it sticks it may make him stand out.

Agreed. I like the dragon scales.

[Hypestyle]

Just a couple of random Shang-Chi thoughts:

- I'm liking the potential of this Shang-Chi series. A guy who spent most of his life denying his legacy now has to take it. The emperor's son has finally taken the throne. The thing that he fought against, now he's it's leader. How does a person who's pretty calm, centered, and peaceful deal with becoming the head of an army of assassins, cutthroats, and psychopaths?

Oh my god, the stories from this would be beautiful!

- If Shang becomes leader of Zheng Zhu's empire, that catapults him to a top position of power within the Marvel Universe. I could see him standing on even ground with rulers like Black Panther, Namor, or Dr. Doom. I could see him engaging in wars for Asian territory against the Hand or possibly invade K'un Lun, to fulfill some former scheme from his father. Or maybe he tries to turn his father's empire into a force for good? Make the world a better place? And he still comes into conflict with the Avengers, X-Men and Krakoa, and Black Panther and Namor.

Yes! We gotta see this happen!

Shang should disband the Ten Rings empire. no need to be even the figurehead leader of a criminal network if you aren't proactive in ending the criminal activity.

[9th.]

I've been okay with the red and black suit. It's functional and good for a fight. There's been an inconsistency in how it's been depicted at times though. Sometimes it's skintight:



Other times a little loose and baggy:


Ultimately though, the design feels bland. Yes, the color scheme works. Red and yellow are trademark Shang-Chi colors plus they're auspicious colors in Chinese culture. At the same time, there could be some other design elements in there. something that makes Shang unique.

This is my favorite as well, it fits him well

[Snoop Dogg]

I like the modern look but the new costume kicks tons of ass and is way more appropriate for the main character of a story.