Trivia / Master of Kung Fu

• Better Export for You: The Brazilian edition of the comic actually did away with one of the more problematic aspects of the original American version: the fact that Shang Chi was colored a strange golden color to signify his Chinese ethnicity. In the Brazilian version as published by Editora Abril, Chi and most other Chinese characters were colored the same as the Caucasian characters.
• Creator Backlash: According to this Comic-Con interview, Jim Starlin regrets working the first three issues. He worked on the first issue completely ignorant of the source material of Fu Manchu, who was portrayed as Shang-Chi's father. Afterward, Starlin's friend Larry Hama gave him a Fu Manchu book to read, and he was horrified by the stereotypical Yellow Peril portrayal of the character, which is why he quit the book after just three issues.
• Executive Meddling: Shang-Chi's mixed ancestry and rivalry with Fu Manchu resulted from requirements Marvel Editor-In-Chief Roy Thomas set before he would greenlight Shang-Chi's comics. Both requirements would be retconned years later. After Shang-Chi's mother appears in the very first story (Special Marvel Editiom #15), as requested by Thomas, the character was never used again by writers Englehart or Moench and doesn’t return until ten years later (Master of Kung Fu #123), when Alan Zelenetz took over as writer just before the series ended. She doesn't even get a name.
• Exiled from Continuity: Downplayed. Marvel let their licensing deal for the Fu Manchu characters lapse after the Master of Kung Fu series ended. The impact of this is discussed in detail on the Shang-Chi pages, but in summary:
  • The usual Keep Circulating the Tapes situation didn't immediately apply, for once (unlike many of the other licensed characters integrated into the Marvel universe) - Marvel initially retained the right to reprint Master of Kung Fu and other pre-existing stories that used or referenced the Sax Rohmer characters and books. Collections and digital comics were available until 2022.
  • They lost the right to use or mention these characters in any new stories. For Fu Manchu and Fah Lo Suee, a Given Name Reveal was initially used to work around this (eventually evolving into a wider Soft Reboot). Other Rohmer characters, such as Petrie and Nayland-Smith, were never referred to or used again.
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: Until August 2022, Marvel kept the series available via digital comics and reprints. However, the remaining licensing deal for the Sax Rohmer characters reportedly expired at that point, so digital comics were withdrawn (although purchased copies remained) and the collections went out of print.