Age Of Ultron Vs. Marvel Zombies #4 - Marvel Comics

AGE OF ULTRON VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 4, November 2015

When at the start of this comic James Robinson writes about “the end of the world… terrors” which await those foolish enough to oppose “the iron will of... [Battleworld’s] god and master, Victor Von Doom” he probably never considered one of them, besides the Deadland’s living dead and Ultron’s automaton utopia Perfection, to actually be his script for Issue Four of “Age Of Ultron Vs. Marvel Zombies”. In fact the Manchester-born author probably felt he had done a thoroughly competent job of cramming this twenty-page periodical full of ‘brain-eating’ battle as the technologically enhanced zombie-cyborgs of Magneto finally break through Salvation’s Ionic Energy Shield and start hungrily eating its inhabitants.

Sadly however it is extremely doubtful whether any of this concluding instalment’s 31,220 readers garnered too much enjoyment out of a storyline woefully bogged down by the sort of technical gobbledegook that sees the Human Torch, Wonderman and the Vision merge themselves together into “a greater mind… that needs to be conducive to Ionic Energy” so as to ‘absorb the consciousness of both Ultron and the zombies'. Indeed Hank Pym’s straight-faced and supposedly tense explanation that Simon Williams’ “pixie dust” is at the heart of the problem, as well as the solution, is not only astoundingly surreal but heartbreakingly cringeworthy for a mini-series which initially sounded so very full of promise.

Equally as poorly handled is Robinson’s penmanship surrounding the fall of Salvation to “Ultrons-zombie-whatever –they-are’s”. Magneto’s excitement “about all the people I’m going to eat” disappointingly never fully manifests itself within the narrative despite the “combined meat ‘n’ metal… monstrosities” eventually breaking through the settlement's protective barrier and consuming any living flesh which they can get their grisly clawing hands on. For every time it seemingly appears that the plot is finally about to focus upon the carnage being caused by the living dead, such as a zombified Abomination chomping into a Hydra operative, the action is frustratingly replaced by close-ups of Ultron’s creator feverishly tinkering in his lab.

True Steve Pugh desperately tries to inject the proceedings with plenty of (un)life with his dynamic depictions of gruesome terror as the robotic ghouls munch their way through the human community’s population. But even these wonderfully animated double-splash offerings by the British artist are interspersed with tedious flashback sequences drawn by Paul Rivoche and John Rauch, or worse pitiful panels portraying the likes of Jim Hammond and the Vision sentimentally saying goodbye to their loved ones before they sacrifice themselves.

Writer: James Robinson, Artist: Steve Pugh, and Colors: Jim Charalampidis

Age Of Ultron Vs. Marvel Zombies #3 - Marvel Comics

AGE OF ULTRON VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 3, October 2015

It would be interesting to know whether Editor “Magnanimous Mark” Paniccia had any hand in the fact that Issue Three of “Age Of Ultron Vs. Marvel Zombies” starts rather unpromisingly with the desperately scrawled sentence “It’s worse than we thought”. For despite all of James Robinson’s assurances that “the battle lines will force everyone into two camps -- zombies verses robots” and that “they’re definitely at war” this bitterly disappointing publication's narrative not only depicts a unified Ultron-Zombie host threatening Jim Hammond, the Vision and Wonderman. But one which actually consists of “the worst of both” forces following the adamantium-alloyed automaton’s experiments to combine “the inorganic and the dead”.

To make matters even worse for this twenty-page periodical’s dramatically declining 36,388 readers however, the former “Superman” writer doesn’t even provide this ‘possible intriguing merger’ with much ‘screen time’ and instead decides to regale any bibliophiles foolish enough to have bought this “Secret Wars” tie-in title with uninspiring insights into Hank Pym’s desperate attempts to understand how “the Pym of this domain done built hisself a compoota rowbot man”, Simon William’s love for a female Iron Cross incarnation, Agatha Harkness’ adoration of the green and gold-garbed “creation of order” and a thirteen-panel discussion between Ryoko and “the original Human Torch” as to their understandable concerns surrounding her “synthetic” pregnancy.

Unfortunately, all of this disinteresting exposition is actually the highlight of Robinson’s storyline when compared to the British writer’s inclusion of a lengthy flashback to “the Town o’ Timely” from whence this mini-series’ gun-slinging Wasp originated from. Just why Starman’s co-creator felt it necessary to subject his audience to six shockingly dire pages deliberating over a dancing girl’s rise to infamy as one of the “people with a stupid plan ta overthrow ol’ man Roxxon ‘n’ his whole darn outfit” defies logic and clearly suggests that the author’s much lauded “really cool twist” for a mini-series probably wasn’t all that great in the first place.

Likewise, Steve Pugh’s strength clearly lies in illustrating “reanimated hordes [who] crave live flesh”, as opposed to depicting people enjoying a 'sedentary' existence, as the former “Strontium Dog” sketcher provides some terrifically disturbing pictures of a zombified Magneto, Super Skrull and Sabretooth throughout this comic. Sadly, such ‘eye candy’ is though shamefully scarce as the majority of this magazine’s script instead concerns itself with events transpiring within the Deadlands sanctuary of Salvation; sequences which clearly failed to inspire its artist to deliver nothing but the most mediocre of visualisations.

The variant cover art of "AGE OF ULTRON VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES" No. 3 by Francesco Francavilla

Age Of Ultron Vs. Marvel Zombies #2 - Marvel Comics

AGE OF ULTRON VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 2, September 2015

It is entirely plausible that James Robinson didn’t read the “Marvel Worldwide” pre-publication advertisement for this “Secret Wars” tie-in mini-series, as the plot to Issue Two of “Age Of Ultron Vs. Marvel Zombies” disconcertingly differs quite substantially from the claim that “in the southern wastes of Battleworld, two unholy factions wage never-ending war” with one another. Indeed the Eisner-award winner’s narrative actually goes so far as to depict “the genocidal robotic armies of Ultron” agreeing a peaceful alliance with the “rotting, flesh-eating corpses that lies just to the East” and even ends with a splash page of the adamantium armoured automaton shaking hands with a zombified Magneto; “In that case, I think I speak for all of us when I say… You have a deal.”

Such a stupefying cessation of the “unending war” inevitably means that the vast majority of this twenty-page periodical instead focuses upon Hank Pym’s arrival at the nirvana Salvation, and an incredibly lengthy exposition by Wonderman, Jim Hammond and the Vision as to how they built the settlement using the “ionic energy that we extract from Simon Williams and then synthesize”. The Manchester-born writer even finds the time to rather clumsily script a rather uncomfortable scene which unsubtly portrays the prejudiced attitude of America’s Old West by having the Human Torch’s oriental partner Ryoko challenge Ultron's three-piece suited inventor when he refers to her a Celestial…

So tedious a storyline doubtless distressed many of this comic’s 40,483 readers, especially when the first dozen or so promising panels of “Strange Bedfellows” depicts a puritan Punisher dancing “a merry jig” against a horde of “flesh-eating, super-powered living dead” whilst lopping off their heads and limbs indiscriminately. This marvellous sequence, full of bloody carnage, biblical rhetoric, and plenty of swordplay is as adventurously action-packed as any “Marvel Zombies” devotee could wish for, and it truly comes as an almighty blow that the black-garbed Protestant swashbuckler is sizzlingly silenced mid-sentence by “Ultron Unit 432.622A, designated communicator conduit for Lord Ultron.”

This comic’s artwork is also somewhat agitating in its composition. For whilst “critically-acclaimed artist Steve Pugh” competently draws the bulk of its content, Tom Grummett, Drew Hennessy and Jesus Aburtov provide all of the artificially-aged flashback illustrations, and arguably demonstrate just how lifeless and rather monotone the British penciller’s work appears when coloured using modern-day techniques.

The variant cover art of "AGE OF ULTRON VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES" No. 2 by Alex Maleev

Age Of Ultron Vs. Marvel Zombies #1 - Marvel Comics

AGE OF ULTRON VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 1, August 2015

Whilst on paper the idea to produce a “Secret Wars” mini-series based upon an amalgamation of two of the most successful “Marvel Worldwide” franchises published during the Modern Age of Comics may well have seemed like a good idea, James Robinson’s script for Issue One of “Age Of Ultron Verses Marvel Zombies” inevitably runs out of steam once the adamantium robots and undead initially come together. Indeed, considering just how easily the mechanical monsters plough through the putrid walking zombified remains of the Vulture, Bullseye, Stilt-Man, Sabretooth and Mole Man, it is momentarily hard to imagine just where the British writer’s narrative can go next?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the disappointing answer is backwards. For having demonstrated just how easily Ultron’s brethren can dispatch the super-villainous living cadavers, this twenty-one page periodical’s plot suddenly transforms itself into a storyline which would not look out of place within a “What If ?“ magazine by having Hank Pym’s creation “muse how things might have differed” if, having gained cognizance as Ultron-1, “he hadn’t immediately killed his ‘father’...”

Admittedly the subsequent series of flashback sequences drawn by Ron Garnett and Matt Milla, and predominantly consisting of double splashes, doubtless proved diverting distractions to this comic’s 78,646 readers in June 2015. The battle sequences explaining how a combined army of Ultron-5 and Ultron-6 versions” of the mad robot sent “the other heroes of Earth… screaming to their graves” are well worth the magazine's cover price alone, especially as this 'turn of events' is additionally influenced by the idea that “a young Dane Whitman” never “infiltrated Ultron-5’s Masters Of Evil to warn” the Avengers and “turn the tide of his first attack…”

Ultimately though “A Stranger Came To Town” is meant to be about events taking place on Battleworld, yet sadly when Robinson’s script finally does return to the ‘present day’, and Steve Pugh takes back ownership of the artwork, it is clear that this comic book’s implied promise of ghouls verses automatons has disappointingly been replaced with a rather uninspiring story about a ‘Wild West’ version of Pym being banished to “the robot domain” for creating a “clockwork mechanical man”; “Got no mind why I went ta the trouble, neither… ‘cause where I’m goin’, they aint got much use fer snake oil.”

The regular cover art of "AGE OF ULTRON VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES" No. 1 by Carlos Pacheco

Marvel Zombies #4 - Marvel Comics

MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 4, December 2015

Described by “Marvel Worldwide” as containing an Elsa Bloodstone who is both “out of bullets and out of hope”, it’s hard, having read this concluding instalment to the “Secret Wars” mini-series, not to also feel that the Monster Hunter is additionally out of narrative as well. For whilst Issue Four of “Marvel Zombies” does ultimately determine the fate of the Shield (wall) Commander and “the child she swore to protect to salvation”, it only does so after a laboriously long conversation between the storyline’s primary protagonist and this Battleworld’s “different version” of her father.

Indeed for almost half the length of this twenty-page periodical the “Dupe effect” dad does little but batter and bicker with his “quick-witted” daughter as the “zombified version of Ulysses explains just how he has “pried” the Bloodstones from the corpses of “every duplicate of my line.” Admittedly parts of this 'monologue' are surprisingly dramatic, such as when Elsa matter-of-factly beheads her baleful parent for suggesting they form a “team-up” against a fast-approaching “full horde deployment” of “Rotters”, or her skeletal adversary bites off her hand when the soldier attempts to snatch back “the childhood you stole from me.”

But in the main Simon Spurrier’s flashback scenes depicting the various members of the “House of Bloodstone” wandering to their deaths having simply followed “this… funny feeling”, or worse, the “coiffured” killer taking his overly inquisitive wife Elise “down in the cellar” to “see what your daughter’s been learning” are sadly seemingly included to do little more than pad the comic out; “Monsters fiends oh no God he let it lay eggs in my brain… they ate my mind ohhhh help me help us help usss.”

Even Kev Walker’s usually bold strongly-defined artwork appears to occasionally suffer throughout this book, as several of the British illustrator’s panels contain some worryingly inconsistent, almost rushed sketches of the comic’s central character and the undead, increasingly hungry Mystique. The former “2000 A.D.” penciller’s pacing is equally as capricious at times as well, especially towards the end of the story when suddenly almost every sheet contains just two or three pictures for seemingly no obvious reason other than they need to be quickly filled with something…

Writer: Simon Spurrier, Artist: Kev Walker, and Color Artists: Guru-eFX

Marvel Zombies #3 - Marvel Comics

MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 3, October 2015

Despite this third part of Elsa Bloodstone’s “Journey Into Misery” containing some extremely “recognisable [“Marvel Worldwide”] characters reimagined as decomposing cerebravores” and at times portraying more zed-killing action than even a “Shield Section Commander” can stomach, it is quite possible that many of this title's (declining) 34,629 strong audience failed to find Simon Spurrier’s narrative an entirely satisfactory read owing to its rather tiring wordiness. Indeed for large swathes of the twenty-page periodical little actually occurs apart from Ulysses’ daughter conversing with either a captive Deadpool, whose brain the zombies have been consuming “every day for two years, since they nabbed” the Merc with a Mouth “offa the Shield”, or the mysterious “little munchkin” who has accompanied the Monster Hunter throughout her ‘pilgrimage’.

Much of this dialogue is undeniably necessary in order for the former “BBC” art director to finally start answering some of the many questions his storyline has raised, such as the identity of the bandaged ghoul who has been fervently following her. But it is also used to explain, in some significant detail, just how Elsa’s relationship with her famous father came to an ignoble end and the Bloodgem-empowered immortal finally died. These flashback sequences, whilst morbidly interesting, are continually used by the British novelist to break-up the comic’s action and as a result often frustratingly interrupt an otherwise enthralling series of dynamically-charged panels.

Just as cumbersome is Spurrier’s rationalisation as to why Mystique, the Constrictor and Crossfire, amongst several others, are intelligent zombies. It makes some sort of logical sense that now the flesh-eaters have “extra smarts” they are able to ration themselves to “a sliver” of Deadpool’s brain every day in order help stave off “the hunger”. But just how did the ravenous Undead make such a discovery in the first place when ordinarily their gut reaction is to simply consume the entirety of their prey at one sitting?

Fortunately in many ways, Kev Walker’s tremendous artwork more than makes up for any deficiencies found within this issue’s storyline. In fact some of the wonderful zombified cameos the Leeds-based illustrator depicts are arguably worth the cover price alone; especially those of the Mole Man rising from the depths in front of a determined “Purrrincess Presumptuousness” and then later a cave-dwelling Morbius, who receives a lethal head-butt for his troubles; “Bleh!”

Writer: Simon Spurrier, Artist: Kev Walker, and Color Artists: Guru-eFX

Marvel Zombies #2 - Marvel Comics

MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 2, September 2015

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly for a book “packed with [the] festering, corrupted, undead versions of your favourite Marvel characters” this second “Secret Wars” instalment of the popular “Marvel Zombies” franchise didn’t even make it into the top fifty best-selling comics of July 2015 and as a result only 39,148 readers got to initially enjoy Elsa Bloodstone’s continuing journey across “a wasteland full of indescribable horrors”. Such an oversight has arguably deprived many a bibliophile of some of the best ‘creatively evil’ supervillain cameos seen throughout the publisher’s “Battleworld” tie-ins, with writer Simon Spurrier’s ability to weave these colourful ‘walk-ons’ within a tale filled with “putrid wads of horror” and “incredible action” being beyond doubt one the highlights of “Journey Into Misery”.

The two “convenient moveable snack[s]” early chance meeting with a decaying, paralysed M.O.D.O.K. certainly proves an entertaining encounter. For despite the AIM engineered monstrosity having “melted into his own electrics” the living corpse still retains ‘some weapons which are active’ and thus of use to the wanderers. In addition it is hard to imagine a more indignant end to one of Stan Lee’s co-creations than being rolled downhill by the “unflappable” Shield Commander and blown-up in the resultant explosion; “Ow ow ow ow. M-Moribund… organism… d-designed only f…for cannibalism…”

Somewhat less humorously written but infinitely more ‘icky’ is the female monster-hunter’s confrontation with a “dried out” Carnage, a pair of “dupe effect” Sauron zombies and a rather sinister-looking undead Constrictor. Indeed the unflappable Brit’s swift decapitation of the alien symbiote and the creature’s resultant revival due to its “ssscab” being broken is a particularly gross and yucky moment; possibly only surpassed by the grisly sight of several living heads on spikes smelling Elsa's stealthy approach to Mystique’s campsite on account of the wallhead’s “meatstink!”

All of this blood, mutilation and dismemberment is wonderfully drawn by Kev Walker, with the Leeds-based artist’s stomach-churningly detailed putrefying M.O.D.O.K., complete with writhing diminutive limbs, proving to be especially well-pencilled. Possibly less successful however is the illustrator’s gun-toting Ranger Worthington from “Shield-section seven-niner.” Sporting a sort of bizarre flattop hairstyle, wings and a long grey trench coat, the battle-weary Angel simply doesn’t look right, even though the X-Man is clearly wearing an almost identical ‘uniform’ to that of Bloodstone.

Writer: Simon Spurrier, Artist: Kev Walker, and Color Artists:Guru-eFX

Marvel Zombies #1 - Marvel Comics

MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 1, August 2015

Published as part of the “Marvel Worldwide” “Secret Wars multiverse crossover” mega-event “where pieces of the main Marvel Universe, Ultimate Universe, and several other alternates are melded into a Battle World”, it is hard to imagine a title with so dislikeable a main protagonist as Simon Spurrier’s portrayal of Elsa Bloodstone. For whilst this mini-series’ hard-nosed section commander of ‘The Shield’ is a cold-hearted alternative version of Dan Abnett’s co-creation, the female monster hunter is as unsympathetic and apparently uncaring as one can be, and even goes so far as to tell one of her fatally wounded understandably distraught soldiers that “you will show no weakness. Blubbing is not allowed.”

Admittedly a lot of this character’s “hardass” attitude to her companions’ woes is actually superficial showmanship and would seemingly stem from an exceptionally harsh and cruel childhood at the hands of her father, the immortal Hellfire Helix imbued Ulysses Bloodstone. But having been exposed to the razor-sharp teeth and claws of “a lowly piranha-gibbon” at the tender age of seven still doesn’t really excuse Angry Lady’s insensitive and callous attitude towards “Shuttup”, an apparently petrified “amnesiac urchin-boy who will quite possibly turn out to be a despicable monstrosity”.

Fortunately the British comic book writer’s narrative contains so very much more than the gloomy childhood ‘flashback’ scenes of the one-time Fearless Defender and instead swiftly strands Elsa “two hundred miles south of The Shield” with “lots and lots of zombies” between her and safety. Such a grave predicament provides Spurrier with plenty of opportunities to have Bloodstone battle the ever-hungry Undead, and also simultaneously tap deeply into Mark Millar’s extremely popular “Marvel Zombies” mythos.

In fact “Journey Into Misery” contains some truly excellent cameos from a handful of the meta-series’ most recognisable super-powered walking dead, such as a sinisterly decomposed “sssuuupeerior” Doctor Octopus and the leader of “the Legions of the Red Terror”, as well as the cause of Bloodstone’s trials and tribulations, the demonic humanoid teleporter Azazel. Arguably the highlight of the “2000 A.D.” author’s storyline however has to be the weaponless commander’s confrontation with the truly hideous-looking unstoppable Juggernaut. Not only does Cain Marko disgustingly try to lick his prey to death, on account of the ‘living corpse’ having no lips, but the event also causes Elsa’s Helix shard choker to activate for the first time and literally fry the empowered mutant zombie to pieces.

Kev Walker’s artwork conveys all this grisly death and destruction masterfully, with the Leeds-based penciller’s slightly cartoony, though well-detailed clean-lined drawings, proving to be very reminiscent in style to that of the “critically acclaimed” “Preacher” storyteller Steve Dillon. Indeed the former “Magic: The Gathering” collectible card game illustrator’s depictions of Azazel, Doctor Octopus and Juggernaut are outstanding, and clearly shows the artist’s “Marvel Zombies 3” and “Marvel Zombies 4” pedigree.

The regular cover art of "MARVEL ZOMBIES" No. 1 by Greg Land

Master Of Kung Fu #4 - Marvel Comics

MASTER OF KUNG FU No. 4, October 2015

Having endured this anti-climactic concluding instalment to Shang-Chi’s “Secret Wars” mini-series, many readers will arguably wish that writer Haden Blackmore had somehow managed to find a way “to pass up on an opportunity to flesh out a new corner of the Marvel Universe”. For whilst his “Battleworld” narrative is successful in “revolving around martial arts and the supernatural”, the former “LucasArts” producer’s uninspiring final premise that the long-time enemies of the Emperor’s “disgraced son” would actually aid him in his ‘mission’ to become Zheng Zhu’s better, just because he admits he “sacrificed his honor” for the sake of rival and former love Red Sai (Elektra), is implausible nonsense.

Certainly it is hard to imagine anyone who hates the true “Master Of Kung Fu” as much as Daniel Rand-K’ai has been depicted doing throughout this storyline, suddenly channelling their own life-force into their arch-nemesis’ dying form just because the ailing combatant admits he “only killed” Iron Fist’s Master to stop the Emperor from murdering an entire martial arts school. As the unlikeable wielder of the mystical living force says himself at the time of this unconvincing revelation “He should have found another way. He could have killed his father instead…”

Dubious plotting and questionable motivations aside however, the computer games “creative director” does arguably produce something of a memorable confrontation between Shang-Chi and his parent within the final third of this comic book. In fact for close to eight pages it is hard to disassociate Blackmore’s new version of Jim Starlin’s co-creation from the old, as the master of Wushu goes toe-to-toe with Zheng Zhu and uses all manner of fighting techniques in order to eventually outwit the evil tyrant…

Admittedly Steve Englehart’s extraordinarily skilled warrior from the Seventies never manifested unearthly magical proficiencies such as “the power to harden my hands into the mortal blade” or “to force all of my most painful memories into the mind of another…” But considering within this ‘alternative universe’ martial artists are bestowed with “a wide range of powers and abilities” like “intangibility and even shape-shifting”, such an extreme variance to the original ‘powerless’ Shang-Chi is just about tolerable.

Perhaps slightly more bearable than the script to “Master And Apprentice” is the action-packed artwork of Dalibor Talajic. The Croatian penciller’s panels depicting Rand-K’ai and Red Sai’s all-too brief battle with this comic’s “battered and exhausted” main protagonist is full of dynamic movement and rather well-drawn. Unfortunately though the same cannot be said for the illustrator’s portrayal of the Emperor’s ultimate battle with his son in the Thirteenth Chamber, with parts of "the Final Battle", such as Shang-Chi’s application of the “Lost Hope” technique upon his father’s brow, appearing rather amateur-looking at best.

Writer: Haden Blackman, Penciler: Dalibor Talajic, and Inker: Goran Sudzuka

Master Of Kung Fu #3 - Marvel Comics

MASTER OF KUNG FU No. 3, September 2015

Writer Haden Blackman clearly had a lot of fun scripting this third instalment of Shang Chi’s adventures upon “Battleworld”, as within the space of its opening few pages the ex-creative director of “LucasArts” fulfils a genuine ‘love of intermixing’ by integrating “a wide range of reimagined characters” into his “Secret Wars” tie-in book… and what an incredible assortment of “Marvel’s martial artists” he has selected too, with some being “not… immediately obvious or expected.”

Indeed it is clear that the GLAAD Media Award-winner has scoured the roster of “Marvel Worldwide” characters in order to populate the kingdom of K’un Lun’s “Ritual of the Thirteen Chambers”. For not only do obvious choices such as “wise T’Challa of the Panther Clan”, “Master of the Iron Fist, Rand-K’ai” and Karnak “from the House of Terrigen Mists” appear as competitors. But so too do the likes of the “mysterious Drew, weaver of the Spider Cult”, the “noble Creed, leader of the Tooth and Claw” and “Shattered Spector, mercurial Master of the Faces of the Moon”. In fact even the “savage Lord Namor” resurfaces “from the Halls of Atlantis after years of self-imposed seclusion” in order to fight for the opportunity to be Emperor for the next thirteen years.

Equally as impressive is that despite their daunting number artist Dalibor Talajic somehow manages to redesign every one of these major “Marvel” personalities into someone who both ‘feels familiar’ but is also “wholly new”. Something ‘which is exactly what Blackman had apparently hoped for when writing the mini-series’ storyline. However due to time constraints, many of these figures are regrettably reduced to little more than fleetingly brief cameos in two double-splash illustrations which occur at the very end of the comic.

These montages, whilst dynamically drawn by the Croatian penciller, provide nothing but a tantalising glimpse of these semi-familiar faces, with supposedly formidable opponents such as the Black Panther unceremoniously being laid low by the Master of King Fu within mere moments. Only a bearded Sub-Mariner is awarded any genuine ‘screen time’ during this early phase in the martial arts tournament and rather dishearteningly, even Namor’s frantic under-water fist-fight is cut inauspiciously short by Shang-Chi somehow transforming his hands into steel blades (similar to those of the villainous Razor Fist) and rather bloodily puncturing the Atlantean’s lungs with them.

Writer: Haden Blackman, Penciler: Dalibor Talajic, and Inker: Goran Sudzuka

Master Of Kung Fu #2 - Marvel Comics

MASTER OF KUNG FU No. 2, August 2015

In many ways “Master’s Son” could be viewed as being worringly similar in narrative to a typical episode of the 1972 American martial arts television series “Kung Fu”, as the comic’s entire storyline seems to focus upon the titular character’s desire to elude a confrontation with his people’s oppressive authorities. However whereas the ABC drama’s hero tried to avoid conflict and violence as a result of his spiritual training and genuine desire for a peaceful life, Haden Blackman’s incarnation of Shang-Chi shuns oppression and adversity because he’s a drunken coward. In fact all “the disgraced son of Emperor Zheng Zu” wants to do is “drink away his pain in anonymity.”

Such a disagreeable, dishonourable depiction of Jim Starlin’s co-creation is difficult to like, especially when so clearly able a fighter simply stands by and allows one of his teenage rescuers to be bloodily gutted by the maniacal Laughing Skull. Indeed there really isn’t much to admire about the unshaven, unkempt alcoholic at all, as he first soundly bests all of the Outcasts who saved him from his father’s thugs, whilst mocking each one for being “slow and sloppy”, and then destroys any hope which they had for a ‘better brighter (Battle)world’ by graphically telling them how he would torture, main and finally execute them all if he were to do the Emperor’s bidding.

As a result when the expert in “nine of Zheng Zu’s legendary ten techniques” does finally admit his fears, decides he must compete for the throne in the thirteen chambers and therefore begrudgingly asks his ‘surviving students’ to “take me as your Master”, it is hard to feel anything more than revulsion for this prospective saviour of K’un Lun.

Unfortunately the vast majority of the Writer’s Guild of America Award-winner’s supporting cast are equally as unlikable, with supposed “honourable protector of K’un Lun”, the Iron Fist Rand K’ai proving to be as much of a despicable ruffian as the rest of his Emperor’s minions. Even the one-eyed Outcast leader Callisto shows her true colours by betraying the location of her teammates’ secret hideaway to Zheng Zu’s entourage in order to obtain “acceptance into the ten rings.”  

Fortunately Dalibor Talajic does occasionally bring some enjoyment to the proceedings with his well-animated fight sequences and his interesting re-imaginings of classic “Marvel Worldwide” villains, such as a vagabond Bullseye and severely chastised Razor Fist. However the quality of the Croatian artist’s illustrations lack consistency and at times appear a little too stiff-looking and anatomically awkward.

Writer: Haden Blackman, Penciler: Dalibor Talajic, and Inker: Goran Sudzuka

Master Of Kung Fu #1 - Marvel Comics

MASTER OF KUNG FU No. 1, July 2015

Openly ‘boasting’ upon its splendid Francesco Francavilla front cover that it contains “Shang-Chi in a tale of Kung Fu madness and mastery” this “Secret Wars” tie-in title certainly provides “Marvel Worldwide” comic book collectors with an interesting “wide range of reimagined characters”. Indeed this ‘warped’ world of K’un-Lun, where the whiskered martial arts expert is both a wanted murderer and ‘down and out’ drunkard, is initially a disorientating topsy-turvy read.

However having navigated Haden Blackman’s wonderfully written opening, which despite his insistence on using the odd profanity is a mesmerizingly good narration chronicling the creation of the kingdom’s ‘thirteen chambered trial by combat’, these once familiar people and their ‘all-new’ alternate personalities soon settle into the customary age old conflict of hero verses villain. Thus, having established the ‘reinvented’ Shang-Chi as a park vagrant and somewhat soiled son of the evil Emperor Zheng Zu, the former “Batwoman” co-writer swiftly introduces the inebriated warrior’s obvious arch-rival, the belligerent Razor Fist; who in this incarnation “can chop off a man’s head with his bare hands.”

Such a classic confrontation, especially with a disconcertingly different Typhoid “Typhus” Mary additionally thrown into the mix, should always result in a memorably violent fist-fight… And Blackman’s storyline certainly does not disappoint as an overconfident and arrogant tyrannical ruler’s bodyguard, as well as his two formidable female companions, are soundly thrashed by a humorous smart-mouthed Shang-Chi over the course of the next few pages; “I am sorry, legendary Razor Fist. I truly meant to let you hit me. But I am so drunk I can’t even control my own reflexes.”

Less successful, though still mildly entertaining, are some of the other more recognisable inhabitants of this “Battleworld”, many of whom seem to have banded together to create a somewhat ineffective oriental version of the Morlocks. Thus a bald Kitty Pryde, Caliban, Callisto, Wolfsbane and Fing Fang Foom-like Lockheed the Dragon, all make contributions to the story with varying degrees of success.

Any action-orientated title, full of karate chops, kicks and agile gymnastics will arguably ‘live or die’ depending upon the quality of its artwork. Fortunately Dalibor Talajic’s pencilling is certainly competent, for the majority of his illustrations at least, with the Croatian’s fresh interpretation of a quite different Shang-Chi proving to be especially well-drawn. However several panels suffer from the artist’s somewhat sketchy simplistic style and habit of using blank featureless backgrounds, most notably those featuring Shadowcat and the other “undesirables”.

The variant cover art of "MASTER OF KUNG FU" No. 1 by Butch Guice