The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu
Object Details
- Lee, Stan
- Description
- Published on November 22, 1974, this Marvels comic book describes the episode “The Fortune Cookie Says: DEATH!” following the Master of Kung Fu, Shang-Chi, son of Fu Manchu.
- The episode begins as Shang-Chi enters a Chinese restaurant in New York to enjoy food of his homeland, Honan, China. At the end of his meal, a fortune cookie warns him of an imminent attack. After a round of intense battle with kung fu terrorists, Shang-Chi meets Denis Smith and Black Jack Tarr, who are subsequently captured by Fu Manchu, who seeks to kill Smith and Tarr in the process of destroying Mt. Rushmore. Shang-Chi saves them and prevents explosion. Fu Manchu escapes.
- The comic captures the fortune cookie as a natural contributor to the landscaping of New York. Although the word “fortune cookie” is used to describe the name of the comic book on the front page, Shang-Chi refers to the snack as “after-meal biscuit” and expresses surprise, “with a strip of paper hidden in its center--?” as he finds the message warning him of the attack: “A man very close to you will seek your death, Shang-Chi.” It is indeed a personal message referring to our hero by name, aptly describing the function of fortune cookies as popularized: a sneak peek into the future. However, the comic does not explicitly identify who had planted the message; the fortune cookie is one of many things that Shang-Chi as foreigner discovers in the City.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- November, 1974
- ID Number
- 2012.3057.03
- nonaccession number
- 2012.3057
- catalog number
- 2012.3057.03
- Object Name
- comic book
- Measurements
- overall: 10 1/4 in x 7 in x 1/8 in; 26.035 cm x 17.78 cm x .3175 cm
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Asian Pacific American Business
- National Museum of American History
- Record ID
- nmah_1422767
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ad-8d09-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.