Master of Kung Fu #59

This December 1977 issue kicks off what the cover itself boldly calls "the most shocking Shang-Chi saga ever" — The Phoenix Gambit — and the imagery makes a strong case for that claim. Shang-Chi leaps directly toward the reader, surrounded by churning flames, while a massive, fire-wreathed figure with a burning skull-like face looms behind him and a terrified older man recoils in the background; the banner "Behold! The Angel of Doom!" promises the threat is every bit as fierce as it looks. Cover pencils by Gil Kane and inks by Frank Giacoia give the whole scene a kinetic, heat-soaked urgency that pulls you straight into the story.