Writer: Haden Blackman

Artist: Dalibor Talajic

Inker: Goran Sudzuka

Colorist: Miroslav Mrva

 

It’s impossible to ignore the mega event that has taken over Marvel for the coming months in Secret Wars. With this, there are a slew of new series, spinning out of this universe changing event, and I am on board for every one. When looking to see the announced books, there were two that instantly stood out to me. The first will be revealed in next week’s review (building) and the other was Master of Kung Fu. This week, we got the highly anticipated issue.

Due to legal issues, Marvel hasn’t been able to publish any Masters of Kung Fu comics since the original run. Hell, reprints are even impossible due to the use of Fu Man Chu as a major character. Even though we’ve seen Shang Chi a decent amount, I’ve always wanted to get back to the book which brought him to the Marvel U. Here, we get a somewhat new take on the mythos, in a new world where several Marvel universe mythologies collide in K’un Lun (Ten Rings, The Hand, Iron Fist, etc). With this, and the use of many Marvel characters in new roles, any fan of Marvel history will be giddy with this story. In a K’un Lun where Shang Chi’s father rules with an iron fist, a drunken Shang Chi finds himself being hunted from various angles. Being saved from some characters we know in new roles (no spoilers), the future of the series looks to pit this group against a very famous Marvel martial artist and a “Hand-like” organization. Blackman is building a very fun story here, and this first issue had everything I wanted. A quick pace and just enough call backs to Marvel history without it getting gimmicky.

Talajic and Sudzuka do a very solid job with this issue. I love their facial work and expressive body language, as well as some excellent panel to panel storytelling. The shift in style when going into the history of K’un Lun  was a nice touch, incorporating traditional Asian styles with modern comic art. Even though I wasn’t totally blown away, I definitely enjoyed each page, and characters we were suppose to know still maintained what made them unique, while still being grounded into this new world.

Secret Wars is looking to be one of the most fun events we’ve had in comics in a while. With a first issue like this, I’ll be happy to follow along. This was a solid start to a story which could turn out to be excellent, and I’m excited to find out.

 

4 Rings out of 5

 

Reviewed by: Brett Israel