Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings #6 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS No. 6, February 2023

Bringing both the Game of Rings multi-part narrative and “Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings” comic book series to a satisfying end, Gene Luen Yang’s twenty-page plot certainly must have wrong-footed a fair few of its Kung Fu fans, courtesy of some unexpected twists and turns. In fact, it’s probably difficult to decide which of this publication’s surprises is more shocking - Shen Kuei’s stomach-churning decision to scoff down the still-quivering remains of a Wyrmspawn, or the revelation as to just who is the leader of the cyborg-infested criminal organisation known as the Red Dot Collective.

Enjoyably though, these sense-shattering shenanigans aren’t simply crowbarred into the storyline just for the sake of giving its considerably sized cast something to do. But help add an extra dimension to some of the characters concerned, especially the likes of Cat, who demonstrates just how increasingly frustrated he is becoming by being continually outmatched by Commander Hand despite supposedly being the better warrior; “Frankly, it’s infuriating. You’re not stronger or faster or more skilled. Why should victory favour you?”

Similarly as solid is the pulse-pounding pugilism on show throughout this comic, with all the martial artists demonstrating some utterly insane abilities with which to either severely batter or defend against their opponents. Of course, at the centre of all these super-powered devilries lie the “mystical iron rings originating from Ta-Lo”. However, due to all the contestants having access to at least some of the Heavenly Weapons, the actual winner of the deadly tournament is debatably always in doubt – particularly after Kuei turns into a misshapen monstrosity following his disagreeable amalgamation with the spawn of the Wyrm of Desolation.

Unquestionably helping make this magazine a visual masterpiece are both Marcus To’s adrenalin-packed panels and Erick Arciniega’s atmospheric colours. Together the creative team genuinely provide this book with some stunning set-pieces, most notably the insanely fast fistfight between Shang-Chi and Cat, as well as the palpable heft to Red Cannon’s formidable hand-cannon. Indeed, many a perusing bibliophile will doubtless feel a chill of terror when Shen suddenly realises his mistake in aligning himself with a gruesome demon from a pocket dimension and is prodigiously pencilled momentarily showing that comprehension within an all-too human-looking eye.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS" #6 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson

Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings #5 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS No. 5, January 2023

Rather energetically explaining the tragic origin of the ten rings, Gene Luen Yang’s storyline for “Game Of Rings” surely must have ‘hooked’ this comic’s audience with its exhilarating mixture of pulse-pounding pugilism, and unhappy flashback to a time when the Jade Emperor despairingly ordered the death of the god-hero Nezha. Indeed, there’s barely a dull moment to be found inside the American author’s twenty-page long plot, as Shang-Chi battles both a maggot-infested demonic Leiko Wu and treacherous Shen Kuei for ownership of the legendary Ten Rings; “What happened to partnering until we’re the last two left!?!”

Foremost of these fights are the Master of Kung Fu’s titanic tussles with his former lover. Now an unwilling host of a spawn of the Desolation Wyrm, the possessed MI-6 agent provides a suitably dangerous opponent for Commander Hand to face, especially when he’s equally occupied keeping the Cat from inadvertently plunging to defeat through a ground-based portal, and this palpable threat to the Chi-Meister’s success genuinely helps raise the tension between the combatants as they rapidly exchange seismically-powered blows.

Equally as engaging as this book’s all-out action though, has to be the emotional drain experienced as Shang-Chi desperately tries to reach inside Leiko Wu’s head and help her battle the fiendish monster controlling her. The woman’s eventual exorcism of the grisly mind grub arguably adds an extra element to her previously somewhat unsympathetic character, whilst some genuine sadness is generated in the character's final scene when she willingly departs “maybe the only one I trust at all” with a tearful kiss and admits that the British Intelligence Service were entirely wrong to have stolen the “set of ten mystical iron rings” from the head of the Five Weapons Society in the first place.

Impressively adding plenty of jaw-breaking “HWOK” and sense-shattering “SHINGGG” to this publication’s proceedings are Marcus To’s layouts, which somehow manage to cram an awful lot of punches, kicks and throws onto each individual sheet. In fact, the sheer sense of speed created by the artist’s clever use of small panels depicting all the intense drama, really helps sell the breath-taking pace of the furious fisticuffs on show - whether it be Red Cannon cold-bloodedly falling upon an otherwise distracted Yokozuna Tak, or the leader of the Red Dot Collective savagely blowing a hole straight through an astonished Ghost Maker with his formidably-sized hand-cannon.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS" #5 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson

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

Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings #3 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS No. 3, November 2022

Quite heavily borrowing from King Arthur’s legendary tale of “The Sword in the Stone”, Gene Luen Yang’s plot for Issue Three of “Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings” certainly seems to depict the titular character at the summit of his close combat powers as he single-handedly infiltrates the headquarters of MI-6 in London, England and retakes the Heavenly Weapons of Ta-Lo which were previously stolen from him. Of course, to succeed against the likes of Tinkabelinos Hardleg and the disgusting Wyrm of Desolation, the Master of Kung-Fu admittedly still needs to ‘tap into’ the formidable energies of his mystical iron rings. But even this remarkable feat is accomplished with breath-taking ease, especially as the deadly bands are supposedly entombed within a block of rock similar to how Excalibur was ‘protected’.

Happily however, such effortlessness doesn’t debatably detract too much from the spine-chilling tension generated by this comic’s central antagonist, the grisly grub-like Wyrmspawn, which quite terrifyingly burrows itself straight down poor Clive Reston’s throat and subsequently exudes suckers through the secret agent’s bleeding eyeballs; “I’m fine, Jack, Just feeling a bit… Lonelyyy!!!” This horrific transformation genuinely seems to be a bit more gratuitous than the New York-based publisher’s usual fare and coupled with Tink’s unacceptably frank expletive early on in the comic, undoubtedly makes the periodical live up to its “Teen+” rating.

Furthermore, for those Shang-Chi fans long-enough in the tooth to remember the martial arist’s “first friends” from the mid-Seventies, the American author’s penmanship manages to give the likes of Black Jack Tarr and Leiko Wu plenty of ‘spotlight’ too. Indeed, the British secret service’s latest Director brings some much-needed humour to this twenty-page publication’s perilous proceedings, courtesy of a wicked face palm when his fairy friend from Avalon decides to elaborate upon her mystical solution to their dilemma with a “Once upon a time” story-telling session.

Nobly assisting Yang in his endeavour to depict a gripping yarn is Marcus To, whose ability to visualise Brother Hand’s sheer quickness of motion with his pencilling repeatedly steals the show. Likewise, the Canadian illustrator does an excellent job in projecting all the slimy grotesqueness of the writhing Wyrm of Desolation, as well as the raw magical momentum available to whoever successfully bends the Ten Rings to their will.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS" #3 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson

Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings #2 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS No. 2, October 2022

Absolutely steeped in both nostalgia and treachery, this continuation of “the epic new era of Shang-Chi” most probably mesmerised the vast majority of its audience with the return of Leiko Wu and riveting re-tread of the Master of Kung Fu’s “early days as an MI-6 agent." Indeed, Gene Luen Yang’s penmanship of “Old Friends” is so highly evocative of the martial artist’s adventures during the Bronze Age of Comics, that it’s arguably a shame this twenty-page periodical’s battle against Carlton Velcro and his gun-toting goons isn’t somewhat longer.

Foremost of this narrative’s ‘hooks’ has to be the way the American Author wastes very little time getting his cast to assemble inside the professional criminal’s formidably-sized grotto at the gulf of Lions in southern France. This sequence contains a plethora of “James Bond” type tropes which really help maintain the plot’s old school atmosphere, whether it be a scuba-swim down a secret underwater tunnel, a dash across a single-tracked rock-bridge where one wrong step will send the protagonists plummeting into a panther-packed ravine, or a lavishly furnished living quarters crammed full of ornately-armed minions.

In addition, the tense, action-packed fight scenes arguably help distract the audience from the burglary taking place in the Appalachians by a group of red-costumed ninjas. This attempt to capture the Ten Rings isn’t given anywhere near the limelight thrust upon Shang-Chi’s rescue mission. So when it's brought to a truly shocking conclusion at the very end of the publication, it’s perfidious revelation is debatably all the more startling; “Agent Black Jack Tarr to MI-6. I have the rings. These bloody things better be worth the trouble.” 

Of course, such successful storytelling would not be possible without the engrossing layouts of Marcus To, whose pencilling of a certain former Freelance Restorations operative against some truly-demonic looking guardian statues is flesh-crawlingly disconcerting to say the least. The Canadian artist also does a first-rate job in portraying the angry anguish felt by “The Chi-Meister” when he realises he’s been played for a total fool by his old friends, and the determined look in the hero’s eyes now he realises they disappointingly regard the new Commander of the Five Weapons Society as an enemy.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS" #2 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson

Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings #1 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS No. 1, September 2022

Proudly proclaimed by “Marvel Worldwide” as the start of “a bold new era” for the Master of Kung Fu, Gene Luen Yang’s script for Issue One of “Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings” arguably doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to involving its titular character in pulse-pounding pugilism and deep-rooted treachery. For whilst this twenty-page periodical’s plot does contain a brief sedentary sojourn to a crazy golf course so as to show the martial artist wooing current girlfriend Delilah Wang, the vast majority of this comic is crammed full of sizzling laser beams, deadly-sharp giant blades and gun-toting Hydra goons.

Indeed, straight from this book’s opening, where a pair of ill-thinking Warriors of the Deadly Hand unwisely attempt to interact with Ta-Lo’s mystical iron weapons, its American author appears determined to ensure that the reader is persistently kept ‘on the edge of their seat’ with a series of well-penned, dramatic occurrences involving some of Brother Hand’s most notorious opponents; “Makes you wonder -- If he’s got these, why isn’t the Five Weapons Society in charge of, well… everything..?! 

Perhaps foremost of these ‘guest appearances’ is that of William Young, who not only makes a surprising, savage attack upon “the Chi-Meister” whilst the Supreme Commander is busy putting. But also ‘enjoys’ a throwback comment to one of his early battles as Razor Fist when Doug Moench’s co-creation got one of his formidably-sized blades stuck in a statue. Sadly, this epic tussle only lasts a dozen or so panels. However, its brevity is actually crucial to Yang’s storyline, as the now heavily-bearded mercenary was supposed to delay Shang-Chi long enough for Lady Iron Fan’s winning bidders to successfully steal the Ten Rings.

Admirably adding some extra “Klunk”, “Hwak” and “Whump” to this publication’s proceedings is Marcus To, who amongst other positives, somehow manages to prodigiously pencil the absolutely lethal Heavenly Weapons with a disconcertingly deadly personality all of their own. In fact, coupled with the sheer amount of colourfully-attired assassins being brutally clobbered, as well as the Red Dot’s gruesome demise, and it’s debatably hard to imagine what else a bibliophile could expect from the Canadian artist inside a Kung Fu comic.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS" #1 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson