Master of Kung Fu #115

Gene Day's cover for this 1982 Marvel issue sets an immediately striking scene: Shang-Chi, red headband and sword in hand, squares off against a skull-masked opponent in blue and black, as playing cards scatter explosively between them — a wonderfully suggestive visual for a story titled "Deals." A second figure looms in the upper corner, adding to the sense that the master of kung fu is outnumbered and pressed on all sides. Doug Moench and Gene Day were at the height of their collaborative chemistry on this series, and this issue is a fine example of the kinetic, atmospheric work that made Master of Kung Fu one of Marvel's most distinctive titles of the era.