Master of Kung Fu is one of the 1970s comics that people still talk about with affection.  Published between 1974 and 1983, it's way before my time as a comics reader, but I remember reading some of the issues as reprinted back-up strips in Action Force.  And pretty good they were, too.

Having said that, the last time writer Doug Moench and penciller Paul Gulacy worked together, the end result was Vertigo space opera SCI-Spy, which was really very bad indeed.  So I approached this Max miniseries with some scepticism.

Quite what it's doing in the Max imprint, I have no clue.  Nothing here would seem to even merit a PG+.  Maybe this'll become apparent in future issues.

The basic set-up of MOKF was that Shang-Chi was a martial arts hero, the son of Fu Manchu, who hooked up with British Intelligence to stop dad.  So it was half martial arts book, half spy story.   Anyhow, since we last saw him (and ignoring nonsense like Marvel Knights), dad has died and Shang-Chi has retired in order to go off and be peaceful in a monastery, as martial arts masters will tend to do.  But a new villain, Saint Germain, has inherited his father's empire, and Shang-Chi must return to action to help his old allies stop him.

And if that sounds like a generic sequel plot, then that's because that's exactly what this is.  Fine if you have fond memories of the original series and you're looking for more of the same, but a little disappointing if you were hoping for anything else.  It does have an unfortunate Dynasty: The Reunion feel to it.

It's much better than SCI-Spy, though - although formulaic, it's not too corny (scorpion maze torture scenes notwithstanding), and it's entertaining enough in its way.  But if you were hoping for anything strikingly different, you're going to be disappointed.

Rating: B-

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