Deron Generally
Deron Generally
Shang-Chi #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Art by Dike Ruan and Philip Tan
Colors by Sebastian Cheng
Letters by Travis Lanham
The Rundown: The Master of Kung Fu will discover that trying to live a quiet life will be difficult when there is unfinished family business knocking at your door.
Zheng Zu’s legacy is a long one and his rule over the Five Weapons Society brought him into a final deadly conflict with his son Shang-Chi. With the society operating from deep in the shadows, its current leader will find himself being challenged by another. In the aftermath of their deadly battle, a new leader will be chosen. One who has no idea what awaits him.
Shang-Chi is trying to live a quiet existence in the states. One that keeps him out of the crosshairs of some and the attention of others. Unfortunately, being a former Avenger, hero and badass makes you pretty accessible to people from your past and Shang-Chi will learn that the hard way when members of his fathers cult come knocking and reveal who is the new head of the order.
The Story: From its well-crafted beginning to its final reveals, Gene Luen Yang maanges to pack a lot of story into this first issue. What makes the book work is that it is effective in both bringing the reader into the world of Shang-Chi and also setting up personal stakes for the character that the reader can get on board with. As much spectacle as the opening of the issue brings, the story is about family and I am interested in seeing how that plays out in the next issue.
The Art: Dike Ruan and Philip Tan bring some awesome energy to the art in this issue. The flashback scenes are gorgeous, gritty and powerful. The modern day panels are lighter and filled with life and style.
Shang-Chi #1
