Shang-Chi looks to defeat his sister and save his life. However, this could lead to the superhero turning into his own father.
Shang-Chi reunited with his younger sister, Shi-Hua aka Sister Hammer. Yet, it quickly went south when she poisoned her beloved brother. While trying to take his power, she brought back a project their father once worked on. This has to do with zombie-like warriors called the Jiangshi. When he escaped and fought them, one of them stabbed Brother Hand with his hand. Shang-Chi is about to be infected if he does not heal in time. He is called by his late uncle, Zheng Yi. Shang-Chi believes he will be the key to helping him defeat Shi-Hua and heal.
Takeshi aka Brother Sabre, Esme aka Sister Dagger, and Shang-Chi travel to his uncle’s tomb. As they enter the tomb, Esme says that she is hungry. Shang-Chi hands her a bar. She takes a few bites and has it snatched by a monster guarding the tomb. Enraged, Esme charges and battles the beast. Meanwhile, the House of the Deadly Staff is about to be invaded by a swat team. They think they have this handled, but Sister Hammer is few steps ahead.
The officers are shot by spears. Their bodies are then taken into the lab underneath the house. Esme continues battling the beast over her bar. She even gets mad when Takeshi wants to spare it. Esme and Takeshi hold back the large being as Shang-Chi continues his search. He finds a peaceful field with multiple highpoints. He then steps up lunch for his late uncle.
His uncle wakes up from his slumber and is grateful for his nephew’s actions. The pair greet each other with Shang-Chi revealing what is going on. Brother Hand also said that he no longer wants to be a part of his father’s world. He wants to travel to other places without fighting his father’s battles.
Uncle Yi then tells his nephew about his fight with the British. In the 1800s, the five weapon society, Yi and Shang-Chi’s father fought for China. The British nearly retreated but had a secret weapon. They would summon Dormammu! The powerful being would take down others aiding China, the society, and Yi. However, Shang-Chi’s uncle did not die right away. Instead, Zu would use these stones to save him.
The stones were called the Eyes of the Dragon. Just as he was going to restore his brother, Yi took the stones to save Zu. This would kill Yi, leaving an enraged Zu now powerful enough to defeat Dormammu. Hearing this, Shang-Chi thought this story was false. Uncle Yi revealed the fallacy of the story to inspire fear. Zu got worse over time because of his brother’s passing. Yi adds that he will become his father if he tries to leave his family behind.
Yi wants Shang-Chi to keep fighting for what made him powerful. Esme and Takeshi continue fighting the beast. The monster then reveals Zu’s plan. It states that Shang-Chi beats his sister, becomes Commander, and Earth burns beneath him. Brother Hand then makes the save. Then all three slay the giant by using their weapon at once to kill it. They slay the beast and go off. However, Takeshi looks as if he is not happy about the reveal. The teaser for next month’s issue looks at our hero completing the prophecy.
The writing for the story is a good read. Gene Luen Yang showed us that family is everything, even though they are trying to kill you. The truth of Zu’s true colors was a great highlight. To see this villain starting off nice showed us that monsters are created. Yang humanized a man who otherwise made Shang-Chi’s life full of lies and discipline. Personally, the dialogue for Yi was great. It was his character that revealed the issue’s message.
As for the art, three people continued to show off why they are talented. Dike Ruan, Philip Tan, and Sebastian Cheng provided us with excellent works of art. Once more, the detail was important. They nailed that with characters and objects surrounding them. The drawings of Yi and Dormammu were stunning. The colors are well put together with the photos. Back to details, adding the sound for every action is needed. They nailed that, among many other items in their art.
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