The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu

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.

Currently not on view