The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu: Museum Object and Cultural History
The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu: date made: November, 1974. maker: Lee, Stan. Object Name: comic book.
The object in the museum catalogue
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.
Materials, dates and provenance
- date made: November, 1974
- maker: Lee, Stan
- 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
- ID Number: 2012.3057.03
- nonaccession number: 2012.3057
- catalog number: 2012.3057.03
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.
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