Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings #4 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS No. 4, December 2022

Probably best described as an amalgamation of the New York City-based publisher’s comic book events “Secret Wars” and “Contest Of Champions”, Gene Luen Yang’s narrative for Issue Four of “Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings” is crammed full of uncomfortable contrivances and all-too brief cameos from some of the titular character’s most nefarious past nemeses. Yet whilst all ten of the mysterious Game of Ring’s participants are implausibly whisked away to another dimension by a pair of “lion-faced gremlins” simply to set up the storyline, the vast majority of this periodical’s readers will arguably soon get caught up in the sense-shattering shenanigans it creates.

For openers, no sooner is the bemused Master of Kung Fu challenging his captors’ right to take the “mystical iron rings originating from Ta-Lo” from him, than he is fighting for his life against Doug Moench’s classic co-creation from 1975 – Darkstrider. This battle is wonderfully written, with the multi-limbed combatant being given plenty of false pride in his ability to fashion a web of dagger-fronted ropes, only to find his opponent less than impressed having witnessed Spider-Man do the same thing for real on numerous occasions; “Not to disappoint you, but I have a friend who shoots actual webs.”

Furthermore, Commander Hand’s inexplicable inability to call the outstanding nine rings back from the other competitors’ wrists to his one remaining one, suddenly provides all the supporting cast members with a chance of beating him – having all been defeated, sometimes repeatedly, by the “former ally of the Secret Avengers” in the past. This potential for disaster is raised quite early on, when Shang-Chi is saved from defeat by the intervention of his friend Shen Kuei, and therefore generates some much-needed tension when it comes to the supreme leader of the Five Weapons Society fighting against lesser challengers – especially when their rings are seemingly willing to strike at him unexpectedly, and without their new owners’ forethought.

Similarly as successful as this comic’s penmanship are its pencils by Marcus To and Erick Arciniega’s atmospheric colours. Admittedly, the Alberta-born artist’s bipedal brass lions will strike some in the audience as disconcertingly cartoonish-looking minions for “the most revered game administrators”. But there can surely be no doubting his ability to sketch a well-delivered drop-kick, ferociously fast assault or blow blocking parry when this plot’s dynamic action starts to heat up.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS" #4 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson