In the early 1970s America–and much of the world–had kung fu fever. On October 1, 1972 the TV show Kung Fu premiered and I was there for every slow David Carradine kick to some ignorant cowpoke’s head. Suddenly, the comics racks were filled with martial arts titles, and the best of them began right here. Master of Kung Fu (which would soon graduate to its own title) was the story of Shang-Chi, son of the infamous Devil Doctor, Fu Manchu. I was drawn in because of the kung fu connection, but the quality of the writing and the art, not to mention the pulpish undertones from the Sax Rohmer characters. Unfortunately, Marvel no longer has the Fu Manchu license, so the stories have not been reprinted yet. The original series lasted for well over a hundred issues, much longer than the fad that inspired it.
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