Book Review: Shang-Chi Vol. 2 by G. L. Yang et al.

Shang-Chi Volume 2: Shang-Chi vs. The Marvel Universe written by Gene Luen Yang, art by Dike Ruan, and color art by Triona Farrell

Shang-Chi has taken over his father's evil empire, the Five Weapons Society. He wants to reform it into a force for good. He trades on its reputation to get close to a lot of villains (better to take them down), making him look like a bad guy to the other Marvel heroes. He also recruits four other champions, his half-siblings, to help him lead the society in a new direction. They are less committed to transforming into good guys, making Shang-Chi's plans a lot harder to execute. He has run-ins with Spider-man, various Avengers, and the Fantastic Four, with some very mixed results. If that wasn't bad enough, some mysterious villain is gathering Shang-Chi's defeated foes for some undefined vengeful purpose.

The book has the classic blend of action, humor, and human drama from the best Marvel stories. Shang-Chi's reform plan is a little too complicated for everyone to be on board, creating a lot of friction and drama. Shang-Chi struggles to deal with his own family and with his superhero friends, forcing him to live a double-life different from the usual secret identity/hero identity tension of other characters. The change is fresh and interesting. The art is great. I can't wait for more!

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Shang-Chi Vol. 1 by G. L. Yang et al.

Shang-Chi Volume 1: Brothers & Sisters written by Gene Luen Yang and art by Dike Ruan, Philip Tan, and Sebastian Cheng

Hero Shang-Chi is laying low in New York City, working a job at a Chinese bakery during the Lunar New Year rush. Since he's a Marvel superhero, trouble finds him pretty quickly. His dad (in this version of the story) established a secret group of warriors called the Five Weapons Society. The dad set up five different houses across the world, each with a champion. The House of the Deadly Staff (outside of London) is attacked by Sister Hammer (from the House of the Deadly Hammer, naturally). Sister Hammer kills the Staff Champion who is leader of the Five Weapons Society. She assumes she will now be in charge, but the mystical wheel of the Five Weapons Society indicates the next leader is from the House of the Deadly Hand. The Hand champion is Shang-Chi, who has disavowed the whole Society as his dad's psychotic cult (which it kinda is). Sister Hammer comes to New York to challenge him for rulership, which he is reluctant to get involved in. Even so, he's pulled in to a huge, globe-travelling adventure. He teams up with Brother Sabre and Sister Dagger to put things right.

The story is exciting and moves along at a good pace. Yang skillfully blends the ancient, semi-mythic quality of the houses with very modern sensibilities (Sister Dagger is the quintessential wisecracking, no nonsense teenager). The family issues suggested by the title are also dealt with, giving a little more substance to what could have been a run-of-the-mill comic book story.

Recommended, though don't get hung up about continuity with the recent movie, because there basically is none.

Movie Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) directed by  Destin Daniel Cretton

Shaun (Simu Liu) is living a mediocre life in San Francisco at a valet parking job with his friend Katy (Awkwafina). They work, go drinking, and sing karaoke. Things change for him when he is attacked on a bus by agents of the Ten Rings, a secret army that has been influencing human history for a thousand years. Turns out his dad is the head of the army and has been alive for a thousand years thanks to the literal ten rings, arm bands that give him magical powers (mostly for doing violence, but also longevity). The agents tell Shaun that they are after his sister, who is living in Macau. Shaun and Katy hop on a plane where he explains his back story: He was raised by his parents in China till his mom died, then his dad started training him as an assassin, a life he eventually rejected. Now he's pulled back into a family business he wants no part of. He doesn't want his sister in it either.

The movie follows a fairly familiar Marvel story arc. Like many previous films, this one is a successful blend of Marvel superhero movie and a genre picture. In this case, the genre is martial arts. The fights are beautiful to watch--they capture the grace and precision of Asian hand-to-hand combat while adding in some magical abilities. At the beginning of the movie, Shaun and Katy are accused of being slackers, i.e. not living up to their full potential. They are forced to step up, a move that makes their lives more imperiled but also more exciting and more meaningful (another common Marvel trope). Tony Leung is especially good as the father. His motivation is to reunite with his wife, who he thinks has been sealed away in the magical village from which she came. He's a lot more understandable and sympathetic while still being villainous, much like Michael Keaton's Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The Marvel DNA is all over the film but they know how to run the formula and get a great product in the end. Marvel delivers another piece of solid entertainment.

Recommended.