Thursday, November 9, 2017

Master of Kung Fu #126

   Sigh. I had high hopes for this comic.

   After all, it features the all-too-rare return of Shang-Chi, the heroic son of Fu Manchu whose original series in the '70s was a real favorite.

   As part of its "Legacy" program, Marvel has been peppering us with "update issues" focusing on various heroes who've been out of the limelight, including Power Pack last week and Master of Kung Fu right here.

   (Of course, completists will have to pick up this issue to keep their collections intact.)

   Then I heard that former pro wrestler C.M. Punk was writing this issue, and that gave me hope, because he's a well-established, long-time fan of comic books - and quick-witted, too.                                      

   But the story is just... ok. Titled "Shang-Chi's Day Off," it focuses on some odd characters, lots of humor, a silly villain and an odd plot involving training animals to fight - it never quite gets beyond the level of being just a series of gags.

   The art by Dalabor Talajic is very good, with a nice gritty feel to the proceedings - but it's not enough to lift this one-shot above the status of being a basic fill-in issue.

Grade: B

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