Comics With or Without Pulp Talkback - Episode 9: Dr. Fu Manchu

Adam_Murdough

"I Didn't Spend 6 Years in Evil Medical School to be Called Mr.!" Taking a look at the Yellow Peril, one of the original arch-villains: Dr. Fu Manchu. Along for the ride are current Fu Manchu writer William Patrick Maynard & CGS Forums moderator Solitaire Rose. (1:05:29)

Listen here.

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im listening to this now!!! hope its awesome!!

have u guys seen this?
tor.com/stories/2014/01/the-shadow-hero-prequel-comic

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so far, i really like Maynard's sensitivity to the racial aspects of this character and the use of "chinaman"... still listening though

SolitaireRose

Roy Thomas talked a bit more about how Master of Kung Fu came about in a recent post about errors in the "Untold History of Marvel" book

“Thomas, who’d secured the rights to Sax Rohmer’s pulp-novel Fu Manchu character, suggested they incorporate martial arts into a Fu Manchu comics.” Sideways, more inaccurate than accurate in this case. I’m fairly certain that, when Starlin and Englehart came to me with the Shang-Chi idea, I “suggested” (okay, insisted) that Fu Manchu be incorporated into the comic… and it was only then that I went after and acquired the rights to the character. I may have been toying with the idea of a Fu Manchu comics before, but I mainly wanted to get the rights because of DC editorial director Carmine Infantino’s alleged statement to Denny O’Neil and others, when they told him that if DC didn’t publish a comic about the Warner-owned TV series Kung Fu, Marvel might license the rights. Carmine was alleged to have retorted, “If they do Kung Fu, we’ll do Fu Manchu!” Whatever that may have meant, it thus struck me as ironically amusing for Marvel to have a comic book called Master of Kung Fu—with Fu Manchu, as well, in that very comic. It’s quite possible that Steve and Jim already planned to have an evil father, and that spurred me to “suggest” Fu Manchu to fill the roll. Even if Marvel could never print that comic in France… and now can’t reprint it at all. Pity.

PhilipB

Are the newest editions of Fu Manchu from Titan edited or abridged from the original publications?

Matt

PhilipB said:

Are the newest editions of Fu Manchu from Titan edited or abridged from the original publications?

None of the reviews I have read have said anything about being abridged or edited. Sorry.

M

NightRelic1

I have to say, I really enjoyed this episode. I'm going to have to check out the new Fu Manchu books. It sounds like the new writer is doing a good job in pulling stories using continuity.

I discovered Fu Manchu through Master Of Kung Fu, just as the author did and I also sought out the old Pyramid reprints at used book stores. I think I have all of them, but haven't read more than a couple. A few of them are old enough you can download the e-books on Project Gutenberg at Gutenberg.org for free. This episode has me interested in picking up the series again and reading more Sax Rohmer.

Master Of Kung Fu is in my top 3 or 4 series from the 70's. It's a shame those issues can't be reprinted. I still find them in 50 cent bins, but given their quality and inability to be reprinted, this series should be going for a lot more money than it is.