Shang-Chi #3 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI No. 3, January 2021

Considering that this publication’s titular character was last seen haemorrhaging “sparkly” blood from a deep wound whilst on a boat heading towards the ghost of his dead father, the opening to this particular instalment of Gene Luen Yang’s “Brothers And Sisters” storyline probably had many readers pondering whether they had inadvertently missed an edition or two of the limited mini-series. In fact, apart from a single line in the comic’s introductory scrawl, which vaguely references the Master of Kung Fu previously ‘narrowly escaping death’ at the hands of his “long-lost sibling”, little seems to be made of the American author’s earlier plot until half-way through this twenty-page periodical, when Shang-Chi reveals his Jiangshi-inflicted wound is turning “crusty and white”.

Happily however, that doesn’t mean for a second that the beginning of this book is in any way unentertaining, as the California-born writer’s audience are given a brief glimpse of the Five Weapons Society battling it out against “the Eight Nations Invasion” during the final days of the infamous Boxer Rebellion. Fast-paced and packed with plenty of tension, this all-too short sortie into the fall of the House of the Deadly Sabre, not only shows how merciless Zheng Zu was when dealing with the failure of his subordinates. But also depicts just how utterly treacherous the sorcerer could be, even with his younger brother - the "gentle soul" Zheng Yi.

In addition, the notion that Shang-Chi is slowly turning into a vampiric zombie arguably greatly enhances the storytelling throughout by imbuing all the martial artist’s subsequent scenes with an added element of urgency, especially when it becomes clear that “Brother Hand” is also becoming increasingly susceptible to the verbal directives of his homicidal sister; “Then Shi-Hua speaks another command. I feel the sudden urge to push a button on my belt. But there is no button. The command wasn’t meant for me.” This seemingly terminal infection makes it abundantly clear that time is definitely not on the New Avenger’s side, and adds extra haste to the man’s fraught quest to discover his Uncle’s long-hidden secret shrine.

Also well worthy of highlighting are this comic's layouts by Dike Ruan and Philip Tan, who between them weave a mesmerising mix of modern-day events with enthralling flashbacks respectively. Tan's wholly unscrupulous Zheng Zu is particularly well-pencilled in this issue, with the tyrant's inner rage clearly on show for all to see when he realises he has chosen poorly in placing Commander Sabre as his field commander, and immediately slices off the dishonourable warrior's head.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI" #3 by Philip Tan & Jay David Ramos