Master of Kung Fu #33
Master of Kung Fu #33 (October 1975) is the cornerstone issue for the book's long-running emotional core: it introduces Leiko Wu, the Chinese-British MI6 agent who would become Shang-Chi's primary love interest and one of the most enduring supporting characters of Marvel's Bronze Age. The issue simultaneously debuts the villain Simon Bretnor — operating under the assassin alias Mordillo — whose dual-identity thriller plot launches a tightly constructed three-issue arc ("Mordillo's Island," #33–35) that exemplifies the cinematic, Steranko-influenced espionage storytelling that made the Doug Moench/Paul Gulacy collaboration one of the most critically admired runs of the 1970s. Leiko's introduction immediately complicates the team's romantic dynamics, as the narrative makes clear she is Clive Reston's ex and a former lover of the now-rogue Bretnor — setting up years of tension between her, Reston, and Shang-Chi. The issue is also the pivot point at which the series cemented its James Bond–inflected ensemble identity, with a cast of richly flawed British intelligence agents that the series, especially as written by Moench, would be noted for.
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The issue was written by Doug Moench, penciled by Paul Gulacy, inked by Dan Adkins, colored by Janice Cohen, lettered by John Costanza, and edited by Len Wein, who served as Marvel's editor-in-chief at the time. Moench and Gulacy had been building momentum as a team since their collaboration solidified around issue #22 (late 1974), and #33 sits squarely in the middle of their critically acclaimed partnership, which ran with some interruptions through issue #50. Gulacy — a film buff who modeled several characters on Hollywood actors and drew stylistic inspiration from Jim Steranko — brought a cinematic visual grammar to the book that matched Moench's plotting ambitions, and the Mordillo arc gave both creators room to blend spy thriller mechanics with Gulacy's detailed, realistic linework against the expressly cartoonish design of the robot Brynocki. The cover was furnished by Gil Kane with inks by Joe Sinnott, a common arrangement for the series since Gulacy drew relatively few of the book's covers.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Leiko Wu (MI6 agent, Chinese-British), created by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy; she immediately joins the regular supporting cast and becomes Shang-Chi's principal romantic interest across the remainder of the series.
- First appearance of the villain Mordillo (Simon Bretnor), a rogue MI6 assassin whose secret dual identity — publicly known as the missing agent Bretnor, secretly the world-class killer Mordillo — drives the plot; he was created by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy.
- The issue's title is 'Messenger of Madness!' and it opens the three-part 'Mordillo's Island' arc spanning issues #33–35 (October–December 1975).
- Written by Doug Moench, penciled by Paul Gulacy, inked by Dan Adkins, colored by Janice Cohen, lettered by John Costanza; cover art by Gil Kane and Joe Sinnott.
- Edited by Len Wein, who was Marvel's editor-in-chief at the time of publication (Marv Wolfman took over as editor of the title with the very next issue, #34).
- The story introduces Project: Ultra-Violet — a scheme to punch holes in the ozone layer and use unfiltered sunlight as a weapon — with Leiko Wu as the unwitting carrier of its hypnotically implanted secrets.
- The issue has been reprinted in: a French black-and-white reformat in Eclipso (Arédit-Artima) #73 (1980); the Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu Omnibus Vol. 1 (Marvel, June 2016); and Master of Kung Fu Epic Collection Vol. 2: Fight Without Pity (Marvel, 2019).
- Brynocki — Mordillo's toy-like robot servant, deliberately designed to evoke early cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse or Felix the Cat as a counterpoint to Gulacy's otherwise realistic style — is listed as an introduction in this issue by some sources, though the Marvel Database's dedicated Brynocki page and the issue #34 entry both credit his formal first appearance to issue #34.