Deron Generally
Deron Generally
Shang-Chi #4
Marvel Comics
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Art by Dike Ruan and Philip Tan
Colors by Sebastian Cheng
Letters by Travis Lanham
The Rundown: Shang-Chi travels to the grave of his Uncle to find a cure for himself and learns a lesson that might save them all.
Shang-Chi and his siblings have made their way into the mountains seeking the grave of Shang’s Uncle. As they get closer to the mountain, they are attacked by its guardian. In a bid to give Shang time to escape, his siblings take on the beast. As they fight, Shang-Chi makes his way to the grave and begins the ceremony that will bring his Uncle back.
As his brother and sister fight the monster guarding the grave, the creature tells one of them the dark truth of their father’s plans for Shang-Chi. Plans that will bring destruction and death upon the world. As Shang communes with his Uncle’s spirit, he learns the truth of his death and how Shang’s wounds are connected to something deeper within him. Something that is closely tied to both his internal conflicts and the war with his sister.
The Story: What struck me the most about this story was its pacing and focus on character. The plot is well done and benefits from focusing on Shang-Chi’s current quest and the history of his family. There are some great plot moments throughout and the seeds of more conflict to come planted brilliantly in the issue. I was engaged with the dialogue and the connection between Shang and his Uncle and cannot wait to see how the information he gave Shang plays out.
The Art: The art was dynamic and both styles beautifully contrasted each other. The present story was filled with great action and atmosphere. The flashback story was filled with beautiful action beats and destructive energy. A great looking issue.
Shang-Chi #4
