Daughters of the Dragon: Deadly Hands Special
One has to commend Marvel for its willingness of late to reprint some of its more obscure, non-superhero comics of the 1970s, from TOMB OF DRACULA to KILLRAVEN. That continues with DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON: DEADLY HANDS SPECIAL, a just-released one-shot of martial arts goodness.
In 1977 when the first of the three stories here was published, America was knee-deep in two movie crazes: kung fu and blaxploitation. Not known for shunning such opportunities, Marvel was able to ride the wave of both simultaneously with this female duo, introduced in the pages of IRON FIST, but put to better use in the monthly black-and-white magazines DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU and BIZARRE ADVENTURES, where their exploits were free of Comics Code Authority restrictions, allowing for more skin and blood.
Comprising the DAUGHTERS are private investigators Misty Knight and Colleen Wing. Misty is the black one who looks an awful lot like Pam Grier and has a bionic arm, which comes in handy when a bad guy tries to get her addicted to smack. Colleen is the blonde half-Asian who wields a mean samurai sword. In their first adventure here – a two-parter – they seek to avenge the murder of Colleen’s grandfather at the hands of an evil overlord who lives in a volcano hideout, of course, complete with anti-gravity pads. Street fighting ensues, during which the women conveniently lose their clothes.
Call me crazy, but it’s the most accurate adaptation of film-to-comics I’ve thus far seen for that genre. Credit goes to X-MEN writer Chris Claremont and artist Marshall Rogers, both of whom know their cinematic kung fu stuff (or at least pretend to well enough to fool me). In particular, I loved the circular sound effects, which seem totally appropriate for the period. The final story – in which Misty falls pray to a nubian vampire – isn’t quite up to the level of the first, but it’ll do.
Rounding out this $3.99 collection are color reproductions of the covers of the original magazines in which they appeared, an interview with Rogers and an interview with the creative team behind Marvel’s upcoming relaunch of the title, which is why this DEADLY HANDS SPECIAL is seeing light in the first place, I’m sure. To whet your appetite, they give you a four-page preview – in which the gals go after Rhino in Marvel’s current amped-up, four-color style. Thanks for the peek, Marvel, but I much prefer the old stuff. Let’s see some more from the pages of DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU, and even some MASTER OF KUNG FU while you’re at it. –Rod Lott
I remember reading “Master of Kung Fu” as a young boy and really enjoying it. I hope they reprint it as well.
One comic series from back then that I doubt they’ll reprint is “Son of Satan”. I didn’t read enough of it to know the whole story, but I can imagine today’s Religious Right having a fit if it hit the press again.
I hope they reprint MASTER OF KUNG FU because – as with TOMB OF DRACULA, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT and others – my mom wouldn’t let me read it.
When she bought me comics from the grocery store, they were almost always exclusively DC superheroes. It was a battle to get her to buy a Marvel, and the first time she did, it was an issue of THE AVENGERS. Which was great, except that it had a “damn” in it, and she just about went nuts.
[...] But IRON FIST is so packed with action – some pages require literally a dozen panels to fit it all in – and with interesting characters like the Daughters of the Dragon, that you can’t help but have a two-fisted, tough-talkin’, high-kickin’ good time. –Rod Lott [...]
[...] IRON FIST is so packed with action – some pages require literally a dozen panels to fit it all in – and with interesting characters like the Daughters of the Dragon, that you can’t help but have a two-fisted, tough-talkin’, high-kickin’ good time. –Rod Lott [...]