Master of Kung Fu Epic Collection: Weapon of the Soul (Epic Collection: Master of Kung Fu) Paperback – March 27, 2018

Brings back a lot of good memories of the 70s and 80s . Those were great times ! Great Movies and Music !

Being a comic fan for nearly 40 years, I've been waiting patiently for Marvel to reprint classic 70's era books like Master of Kung Fu. Patience has finally been rewarded with this excellent collection of Shang Chi's earliest color adventures. My only complaint; I want more! How about a reprint of Shang's black and white magazine run? It was successfully done for Savage Sword of Conan; so, why not Shang Chi?Furthermore, I would enjoy purchasing more 1970 period Marvel; especially the lesser known books. I thought Marvel was on the right track with Tomb of Dracula, but they stopped after one "epic" style collection (at least only one for the Kindle). In my opinion, the absolute best Marvel comics were published between 1970-1990. Within those two decades, Marvel had really found their strength and rhythm. I want titles like Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Heroes for Hire and the Punisher given full run reprints. And they have other comic gems from the era too numerous to list.Master of Kung Fu served two purposes: one good, being the ability to relive childhood memories while reading great stories with amazing artwork. I hope more Shang Chi is forthcoming. And the bad purpose: this standout 70's classic demonstrated how terrible today's Marvel comics are in comparison! Heed my advice Marvel, focus on bringing your old books back into circulation! Your current crop is weak at best, stomach churning SJW feminist dogma at its worst.

My first encounter with MOKF was in the 70's as a 7 yr old. My grandparents took me to a newsagents and let me pick something to read. I chose a half-sized MOKF reprint, whicch had issues 39-41 printed in black & white on newsprint. Black and white reprints were my favourite, because you got multiple issues for the price of one full colour one and you got to see the art in all its glory. 70's colouring and the printing was not very good; it often made line art difficult to see, let alone appreciate.For this reason, I wish these epic collections went back to plain black and white line art. It was fantastic to be able to pick up John Byrne/Terry Austin X-men, without colour.Gulacy's work on MOKF, particularly on #40, where he inks his own pencils, is his most beautiful work, truly spectacular and far better without colour, even with the clear modern printing. Hopefully, there'll be a second volume without any colour. Otherwise, this is just a cheaper version of the excellent omnibus editions. So 4.8, minus 0.2 for the colour.Moench's work on MOKF is truly masterful and you need to read years of it to fully appreciate it, much like Claremont's X-Men.

The ability to read comics in my interest and not keep a massive paper inventory is a major advantage for me. The digital book is great.

I remember the hype for Kung Fu when all the Bruce Lee movies where out. And everybody wanted more stuff. I love the early issues with Jim Starling drawings. As time went on it seem to have some great stories. Looking back now there are some issues with race & tone. But in the end it's still just great fun.

Kung fu, espionage, Fu Manchu all make for a enjoyably good comic.70s Marvel fans should like this book very much.

This collection is great as it took me back to a nostalgic time when all the kung fu and martial arts books were new. Iron fist and of course the precursor Shang chi This collection is wonderful as you will get to see what zJim Starlin eas up to before Thanos. This book is a must have for anyone who likes the martial arts genre and the man who started it sll Shang Chi the zmadter of kung fu

As stated above, the art style is past its prime. But the choice of motifs flow like a classic myth. I was not familiar with Shang-Chi until I bought this collection. I now understand why. While Marvel advertised the character to rival Bruce Lee, Bruce Lee's films have far more reach through culture than this. But hopefully, there are some elements here Marvel Studios finds salvageable for their film adaptation.

Probably the most obscure series to get an Epic Collection so far, the timing of this initial Master of Kung Fu volume probably has more to do with a limited reprint rights window than any particular clamour for it. Saying that, the series is certainly well-regarded by fans already in the know, so it's certainly no onerous task to have it now. Marvel tried a variety of martial arts material during the movie craze of the seventies, and best of these was Master of Kung Fu.The basic set-up is that protagonist Shang-Chi is not just a kung fu master of remarkable skill, no - he also has the misfortune to be the son of literary supervillain Fu Manchu, and the series begins as it realises his father's true nature and strikes out on a heroic path, leading the two to clash for the rest of the series. It's a wild concept for a book, but it certainly works. Fu Manchu is, much like in the original stories, an arch villain who orchestrates evil schemes from the background and always vanishes before he can be captured, and Shang-Chi is a stoic hero whose philosophy-laden narration captures the voice of the movies he was emulating. Both characters are certainly portrayals of their time, and I think for some they will both be a stereotype too far, but they are exceptionally well-portrayed for what they set out to be.The first couple of issues were the work of Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin, but those two stalwarts soon give way to the team that would truly come to define the series, writer Doug Moensch and artist Paul Gulacy. Under their guidance, the series becomes a series of quick-fire capers, kung-fu meets spycraft in a manner reminiscent of Enter the Dragon, released the same year the comic began. Gulacy feels free to play with form and layout, dotting the fight scenes with hallucinogenic splashes and mazes of figurework.Extras include original art by Starlin, contemporary ads for the book, a Roy Thomas editorial and a John Byrne spoof from F.O.O.M. This first volume is a great taste of a series not quite like anything else Marvel ever produced, and on the strength of it we can only hope the rest of the run will be similarly collected.

Epic editions are wonderful and at 20 quid or so, this was a cracking good read. I only know the stories via the old UK Avengers mags so it is great to see them in colour finally. The omnibus editions are always better so if you want the total Marvel experience then go for those but they are a lot heavier, this epic edition is a decent size but it can still be read as a normal paperback. The artwork was amazing throughout and the stories still a pleasure to re-read.

A real seventies classic at a great price.

Classic Kung Fu action from Starlin and Gulacy, among others.

Essa edição da excelente "Epic Collection" é imperdível para os fãs de Shang-Chi, Fu Manchu e dos grandes Steve Englehart, Jim Starlin, Len Wein e do excepcional ilustrador Paul Gulacy, que imprimiu um estilo único e inconfundível à série e ao personagem.