Master of Kung Fu #17
Master of Kung Fu #17 holds a double distinction that makes it foundational to the Bronze Age Marvel landscape: it is simultaneously the premiere issue of the long-running 'Master of Kung Fu' title — the renaming of Special Marvel Edition that would anchor Marvel's martial-arts output through 1983 — and the first appearance of Black Jack Tarr, the gruff MI6 heavyweight who would become one of Shang-Chi's most enduring supporting characters across more than 125 issues. The issue also delivers the pivotal scene in which Shang-Chi confronts Sir Denis Nayland Smith and begins the wary détente between the two men, establishing the core dynamic — Fu Manchu's estranged son reluctantly allying with British intelligence against his father — that defined the entire series. As the final chapter produced by co-creators Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin together, it closes the founding arc while simultaneously building the supporting infrastructure that successors Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy would inherit and deepen.
In "Lair of the Lost!", Shang-Chi finds himself trapped in a deadly house of illusions and traps, forced to fight Black Jack Tarr on orders from Sir Denis Nayland Smith. Just as he survives the ordeal, Shang-Chi confronts Smith and exposes the truth: he’s been manipulated into killing Dr. Petrie, and he’s severed ties with his father, Fu Manchu. Written by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin, with art by Jim Starlin and inks by Al Milgrom, this 1974 Marvel classic features dynamic visuals and a pivotal moment in Shang-Chi’s journey. The cover by Ron Wilson, John Romita, and Jim Starlin captures the tension with striking detail.
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The issue emerged from Marvel's 1973 decision — driven by editor-in-chief Roy Thomas — to wed Englehart and Starlin's original kung-fu concept to the licensed Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu property, tying Shang-Chi to the Rohmer universe as Fu Manchu's previously unknown son. By the time #17 went to press, tensions were already pulling the creative team apart: Englehart was at odds with Thomas over editorial direction, while Starlin, having finally read a Fu Manchu novel during his work on the second issue, was disturbed by the racist 'yellow peril' content of Rohmer's source material and resolved to leave the book. Their collaboration — pencils by Starlin, inks by Al Milgrom, script by Englehart — would not appear together on the title again after this issue, making it an inadvertent farewell from the series' founding partnership.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of 'Black Jack' Jack Tarr (Earth-616), the MI6 heavyweight created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin as an original Marvel character — not adapted from any Sax Rohmer novel — who would become a series mainstay for over a decade.
- Third appearance of Shang-Chi overall; his first two appearances ran in Special Marvel Edition #15 (December 1973) and #16 before the title was renamed with this issue.
- This is the first issue published under the title 'The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu,' continuing the numbering from the now-cancelled Special Marvel Edition series; issue #17 is therefore simultaneously the title's debut issue and its seventeenth number.
- Story title: 'Lair of the Lost!' — script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Jim Starlin, inks by Al Milgrom, cover by Ernie Chan; colorist George Roussos, letterer Tom Orzechowski; editor-in-chief Roy Thomas.
- Last issue drawn by Jim Starlin for the series; he departed after this issue due to his discomfort with the racist content of Rohmer's original Fu Manchu novels, returning fully to Captain Marvel.
- Creators Englehart, Starlin, and Milgrom appear in-story as three drug-addicted muggers who attack Shang-Chi in the opening pages — their likenesses confirmed by the Grand Comics Database and multiple sources.
- Key story beat: Shang-Chi defeats Tarr in hand-to-hand combat by throwing him over a balcony rail, then confronts Nayland Smith (still wheelchair-bound) and, through force of will, induces Smith to stand — laying the groundwork for their eventual alliance against Fu Manchu.
- The issue has been reprinted in multiple international editions (UK, Spain, France, Netherlands, Sweden) and is collected in the Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Omnibus Vol. 1 (Marvel, 2016) and Master of Kung Fu Epic Collection: Weapon of the Soul (Marvel, 2018), both made possible after Marvel reached a new licensing agreement with the Sax Rohmer estate in 2015.
Cast · 6 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Sir Denis Nayland Smith hires Black Jack Tarr to kill Shang-Chi in his house of deadly traps. After just barely defeating Black Jack Tarr, Shang Chi confronts Sir Denis and reveals that he had been tricked into killing Dr. Petrie and that he now has disassociated himself from his evil father Fu Manchu.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).