Master Of Kung Fu - Shang-Chi Appreciation 2023

[Tien Long]

Hi all. It's time for a new appreciation thread for Shang-Chi! Whether you have been a fan since the 1970s or just found out about him through his MCU movie, this is the place to talk about Marvel's Master of Kung Fu!

[Tien Long]

To get the ball rolling, here are some awesome images of Shang-Chi:

[Frontier]

Happy New Year to Shang and his fans !

[Tien Long]

Hi all. Just wanted to ask if anyone else read the one-shot? I'll offer something more extensive in the future, but I'll say that this was a satisfying end to Lang's run. Seeing a younger Zheng Zu was pretty deep in a way. I think a lot of people, Asians and Asian-Americans in particular, find their parents to be harsh and obdurate. But then you turn back the clock and see things when they were younger. You realize that they weren't always like that. That maybe something in the past, some ugly, nasty, harsh crap, turned them into what they are now. And then you start to sympathize.

This and Lang's farewell letter really were nice touches.

Regardless of what happens in the future, I'm glad to see that Lang brought Shang-Chi back in comics and established great stories and a good basis for future writers. Here's hoping we get to see more Shang-Chi for 2023.

[phonogram12]

Hi all. Just wanted to ask if anyone else read the one-shot? I'll offer something more extensive in the future, but I'll say that this was a satisfying end to Lang's run. Seeing a younger Zheng Zu was pretty deep in a way. I think a lot of people, Asians and Asian-Americans in particular, find their parents to be harsh and obdurate. But then you turn back the clock and see things when they were younger. You realize that they weren't always like that. That maybe something in the past, some ugly, nasty, harsh crap, turned them into what they are now. And then you start to sympathize.

This and Lang's farewell letter really were nice touches.

Regardless of what happens in the future, I'm glad to see that Lang brought Shang-Chi back in comics and established great stories and a good basis for future writers. Here's hoping we get to see more Shang-Chi for 2023.

Amen to that. I really dug this one shot.

[jwatson]

Master of the Ten Rings was a great issue. I have to say it really felt like a huge payoff for both of the mini series and wrapped things in a pretty nice bow. The feeling of family drenched throughout this had a big smile on my face and cousin Falo (or rather he good comedic relief) is just hilarious. I imagine him as the Gary from Legends of Tomorrow. lol. It was also really nice seeing the general family bond like with Zheng Zu and his brother.

This was really good payoff.

Some of my fave panels.

spoilers:

awwfamilyhug.jpg morefamilylove.jpg hefamilytoolol.jpg

end of spoilers

[Tien Long]

Master of the Ten Rings was a great issue. I have to say it really felt like a huge payoff for both of the mini series and wrapped things in a pretty nice bow. The feeling of family drenched throughout this had a big smile on my face and cousin Falo (or rather he good comedic relief) is just hilarious. I imagine him as the Gary from Legends of Tomorrow. lol. It was also really nice seeing the general family bond like with Zheng Zu and his brother.

This was really good payoff.

Some of my fave panels.

spoilers:

awwfamilyhug.jpg morefamilylove.jpg hefamilytoolol.jpg

end of spoilers

I liked those moments as well. Shang-Chi talking with his father's younger self was refreshing as well. Before he was the worldwide scourge Fu Manchu or driven leader of the Five Weapons Society, Zheng Zu could laugh around a table with family. Indeed, those displays of family were well done. Lang has shown that the title isn't just about Kung Fu. Hope that the next writer picks up on those threads.

[Tien Long]

Just been thinking about what Shang could do now that he has the rings. A key thing that has to be shown is his practice with them. Like any Chinese martial arts weapon, you can always improve through training. We've seen Shang do amazing feats with them already, but he could do so much more. The idea is for them to become an extension of himself.

Me, I'm hoping to see him use them a la the Tailor in Kung Fu Hustle:



Maybe use them to duke it out with the Hulk.

[Tien Long]

A couple of other thoughts:

Said it before in previous threads, but I'd liked to see Shang train up an elite group of warriors. As we've seen with Spider-Man, Shang-Chi is a teacher. Also, I think he's humble and he would want to share his knowledge with the next generation. More importantly, I think he'd want to change Zheng Zu's influence on the Five Weapons Society. Indeed, he did that with Esme and Takeshi when he stopped them from killing Zhilan because she was a mutant. He'd want to do that for everyone. Of course, he'd start out small. Hence, I could see him teaching a small group composed of members of each of the different houses.

Of course, there's tons of story potential there. Would the young members really want to change their ways? How would his siblings feel about this? Trust is a huge component in the Chinese martial arts. It cannot be given so casually. Yes, Shang would teach this new group how to take down 9 men single-handedly.

BUT, he'd still wait to tell them the secret of taking down 10 men .

Crossing the deadly hands of Kung Fu that we get to see that!

[Tien Long]

Hi all. Some other thoughts about Shang-Chi:

- Simu Liu gives a clue as to what might happen next with Shang-Chi https://geektyrant.com/news/marvel-s...than-you-think:

“I’m such a big fan of both the characters and the performers that play them, so any collaboration is an opportunity for me to work alongside someone who, in their own way, is breaking barriers and at the very top of their game. I think that’s what excites me the most as a performer, [and] also as a fan. And who knows, they might see something sooner than you think. We’ll see.”

A couple of maybe's and what if's in there. But more Shang-Chi anything in the MCU would be good.

- Said before that I'd like to see Shang use his rings like traditional Chinese weapons. I see him changing the rings from one weapon to the next. Would love to see Shang use his rings like the Chinese chain whip featured here:


- Here's a great variant cover featuring Sister Dagger for Marvel's AAPI heritage month. The variant cover is for Wolverine #33 and will feature a back-up story featuring Sister Dagger:

[Tien Long]

I've been more appreciative of the fight scenes from the Shang-Chi movie. Really digging this scene especially since it shows what the rings could do. The coiling and fluid nature of the rings is something I think we should see more of in the comics:

[Frontier]

I've been more appreciative of the fight scenes from the Shang-Chi movie. Really digging this scene especially since it shows what the rings could do. The coiling and fluid nature of the rings is something I think we should see more of in the comics:

This should've been the final fight of the movie, not the Kaiju brawl. And I'm not even a big fans of the rings versus true hand-to-hand combat.

[Hypestyle]

is the current Shang ongoing still publishing?

[Tien Long]

is the current Shang ongoing still publishing?

There currently isn't an ongoing Shang-Chi comic. I'm hopeful though. With Simu Liu's recent comments that something related to Shang-Chi will happen sooner rather than later, that makes me think that the character is in the conversation of the MCU. And if he's in the conversation of the MCU, that means he's in Marvel Comics' plans. So yeah, here's hoping that when the next MCU Avengers flick comes out with Shang-Chi, a new comic will come out too .

As for what Shang-Chi could be in the future, well, I've recently reread a majority of Lang's run. Here are some thoughts and story possibilities:

- Shang-Chi has a broad view of the world. Throughout Lang's story, Shang-Chi tries to reshape his father's organization. There are moments when Shang tries to make the organization more moral, especially in his dealings in the criminal world. I really thought that Shang-Chi trying to convince his siblings to accept his mutant sister was excellently done. Here, one sees the benefits of Shang's worldly view. Here is a guy who could have ended up like his siblings, blindly following his father. However, he left his father's grasp and developed his own ideas, whether that was serving as a spy in MI-6 or working together with Cap, Spidey, Iron Man, the Avengers, the X-Men, or the other heroes of the Marvel Universe. This worldview is something that should be explored more in the future.

- Shang-Chi struggles with his father's legacy. - Yeah Shang tries to take the moral high ground with the Five Weapons Society, but there are challenges. There is the organization itself. Siblings and soldiers want to get back to what Shang's father "intended." The Five Weapons Society operates in a world of criminal organizations and rivals. And finally, Shang's allies, like Cap, Spidey, and Iron Man still wonder if Shang can be trusted. Shang navigates these troubles, sometimes successfully and unsuccessfully.

- Zheng Zu is a complex character - I liked how Lang has added layers to Zheng Zu. He isn't some mysterious, "yellow peril" pastiche, but a person who had morals that were really shaped through trauma. There was the invasion of China from foreign powers, the loss of his brother, who really centered him, the constant threat of enemies on his family, and also his father-in-law who broke up his marriage with Shang's mother. So, one sees why Zheng Zu can be very harsh and cruel. He had good in him, but circumstances really affected him. There is a scene in Lang's run where Shang and his siblings honor what was good about Zheng Zu. I think that should continue.

- The Five Weapons - What's gotten a lot of attention are Shang's Ten Rings. I've spoken at length about their capabilities and my desire to see them in the future. Rereading the stories again though, I found out that there are other weapons, like sabres, daggers, and staffs that have similar origins to Shang's rings. Also, there are two rings that Shang is missing! Hopefully get to see that in the future!

- Lang's writing is cool, but could be better - Lang's writing on Shang was good. There were a ton of swerves and surprises in the story that added much complexity. However, I feel that at times the writing was functional and could have added more depth to the characters. It took a while for me to see Shang's characteristics, whereas for other characters, like Sister Dagger, her personality was instantly recognizable. There were a couple of scenes where I was thinking Lang is telling me, rather than showing me. There were "show me" scenes of course, but the "tell me" scenes were apparent.

So, yes, these are some of my thoughts concerning Lang's run. Overall, he added a ton of depth to Shang-Chi and his mythos and planted seeds for future stories. Crossing the deadly hands of Kung Fu that we see those stories!

[Tien Long]

Some other thoughts:

- Rereading the series made me appreciate Shang-Chi's siblings. Takeshi, Shi-Hua, and Esme are all cool. (We are getting that Sister Dagger one-shot soon. Looking forward to that). However, the character I feel has the most potential is Zhilan:



First, there is a ton of possibility with her mutant powers. She is able to turn music into hard constructs. For now, she uses a flute. But who said she had to stay confined to that? I'm thinking she can turn ALL forms of music into hard constructs. I could see her taking the music from guitars, drums, pianos, violins, etc. and using those to make constructions. Heck, go even further than that. I could see her taking any type of sound that has a rhythm and beat and using it to her advantage. Her walking through a bustling NYC street would offer her a HUGE source of material to work with. She probably has an affinity for all kinds of music considering what she could construct an assortment of items out of them. However, I think she prefers the melodies of her flute.

In terms of characteristics, I could see her as being most in-line with Shang. She was the one who tried to implement a lot of the reforms within the Five Weapons Society before Shang. She was cast out like him and thus is out of that Zheng Zu orbit like Shang. Finally, being a mutant, she could have some ties with Krakoa and the X-Men.

Can we see more Zhilan in the future? I certainly hope so!