 The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #17 (Oct. 1975), painted cover art byNeal Adams. | |
| Editor | Various |
|---|---|
| Categories | Martial arts comics |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Final issue Number | 1977 33 |
| Company | Magazine Management |
| Country | United States |
The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu is an American black-and-whitemartial arts comics magazine published byMagazine Management, a corporate sibling ofMarvel Comics. A total of 33 issues were published from 1974 to 1977, plus one special edition. Additionally, a color Marvel comic titled simplyDeadly Hands of Kung Fu was published as a 2014 miniseries.
The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu was published in the mid-to-late 1970s byMagazine Management, a corporate sibling ofMarvel Comics, amid themartial arts movie fad of the time. Launched in 1974 as part of Magazine Management'sline of black-and-white comics magazines, it ran 33 issues through 1977.[1] Recurring characters included:
Each issue had comics stories featuring these characters, both single-issue stories and multi-issue story arcs. Most issues also included a review of a recent martial arts film. Other issues had interviews with martial arts instructors, while others had interviews with film or television celebrities related to martial arts.
Early issues had a martial arts instructional section which described some elementary fighting techniques. These were provided by comics illustrator/martial artistFrank McLaughlin. The magazine was inblack-and-white except for the cover. The cost of the magazine was 75 cents for issues #1–14. Issue #15 was aSuper Annual (all reprints) issue and cost $1.25. Issues #16–33 were $1.00, as well as the 1974Kung Fu Special (summer 1974); cover-titledSpecial Album Edition: The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu.[2] Issue #28 (Sept. 1976) was an all-Bruce Lee special, including a 35-page comic book format biography written byMartin Sands, and drawn byJoe Staton andTony DeZuniga.
Some stories were set in feudal Japan and starringsamurai-type characters, including a four-part story arc called "Sword Quest", illustrated bySanho Kim (firstmanhwa artist working to be published regularly in the United States)[3] and Tony DeZuniga. The Sons of the Tiger/White Tiger feature ran until the penultimate issue.[1]
In 2009, theblack and white one-shotShang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu was released, with stories written byJonathan Hickman,Mike Benson,Charlie Huston andRobin Furth and illustrated byTomm Coker, C.P. Smith,Enrique Romero and Paul Gulacy.[4][5]
In 2014, the miniseriesDeadly Hands of Kung Fu was released, written byMike Benson and illustrated byTan Eng Huat.[6]
In 2023, Shang-Chi appeared in aDeadly Hands of Kung Fu revival titledDeadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War, a three issue miniseries written byGreg Pak and illustrated by Caio Majado, which is part of the "Gang War" crossover event.[7][8]
Source:[1]
Magazine Management also published one issue of an offshoot magazine,The Deadliest Heroes of Kung Fu, in 1975.[9] It contained no comics elements, but featured a lengthy article reprinted fromDeadly Hands as well as instructional features byFrank McLaughlin. EditorJohn Warner explained thatThe Deadliest Heroes of Kung Fu was a trial balloon for an all-articles companion toDeadly Hands.[10]
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