Marvel is slowly releasing their “Gang War” event books, and this week Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu: Gang War hits the shelves. It’s a three-issue tie-in, so how does Marvel pad it out? With additional Shang-Chi stories that couldn’t fit anywhere else!
Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu: Gang War opens in the past. Shang-Chi is being taught a lesson in tactics as he plays a game with his father. Shang-Chi is relatively young, yet gets a hard slap when he reveals his plan. It’s a lesson in being deceitful when at war, and it’s one he’ll need to cling to in the present.
Writer Greg Pak does a good job establishing the plotting and planning that goes into battle. One can rush in, but why not let the enemy come to you? That’s just one tactic Shang-Chi takes on in this issue, and it keeps the reader on their toes as they try to decipher what he’s up to. He must combat more than one threat as New York burns, and while it’s obvious he’s a good guy trying to simply protect the people in Chinatown, he’s also not stupid. He’ll do what he must to ensure he can fight.
Shang-Chi going full-ring power!
Credit: Marvel
Superhero fans will enjoy the Ten Rings battle at the start and a Spider-Man appearance. Caio Majado does a good job with the art, keeping things clean and easy to follow. There’s a slight cartoony edge to the art that suits the youngish Shang-Chi. Spider-Man looks great, although this book screams YA more than the premiere Marvel superhero book as the story goes on.
Overall, Pak nails this version of Shang-Chi, who is trying to keep his father’s once highly evil clan from destruction while also staying heroic. Fans who wanted more from Luke Cage and Tombstone teaming up with Spidey should also delight in their fight scenes later in the miniseries.
This collection also houses Shadowland: Spider-Man, Free Comic Book Day 2011, and Shang-Chi (2021) #1. This grab-bag of stories does a good job summarizing the point of view of Shang-Chi at modern Marvel. They all also contain Spider-Man, which connects well enough to the main story. Shang-Chi #1 is possibly the best of the bunch, as it kicked off Gene Luen Yang’s excellent run when Shang-Chi must take on his fathers gang and make the best of it.
Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu: Gang War is a fun trade paperback that doesn’t skimp on fight scenes. It leans into the war aspect of “Gang War” while setting up Shang-Chi to be stripped down and tested in a way he hasn’t for some time. It also contains three one-shots featuring Spider-Man and Shang-Chi, so you can’t go wrong there.
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