Following last year's limited series that focused on Marvel's Master of Kung Fu Shang-Chi and his family in the Five Weapons Society – a group of warriors with ties to special weapons – writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Dike Ruan will reunite for a new Shang-Chi ongoing series.
The new series, simply titled Shang-Chi, focuses on the eponymous hero's quest to turn the sometimes villainous Five Weapons Society into heroes – and it will put him at odds with the larger Marvel Universe.
"After the events of his latest series, Shang-Chi has finally taken his place as the leader of the Five Weapons Society, but using an evil secret organization as a force for good won't be easy," reads Marvel's official description of the new Shang-Chi title.
"And it's about to get a lot harder when Shang-Chi's fellow superheroes from Spider-Man to the X-Men to the Avengers, start to question his motives!" it continues. "Don't miss what happens when Shang-Chi and his newfound family of warriors collide with the Marvel Universe's biggest heroes!"
Shang-Chi has often been classified as one of if not the best hand-to-hand combatants in the Marvel Universe – meaning whichever friends turn into foes will have their work cut out for them taking him on. And as a former Avenger, Shang-Chi has some powerful friends indeed.
"I'm very, very thankful for all the support that we got for the Shang-Chi miniseries. I mean, the first two issues sold out," states Yang in Marvel's announcement of Shang-Chi.
"I'm thrilled that we get to continue the story of Shang-Chi and his siblings in the Five Weapons Society," Yang continues. "We're going to show how Shang-Chi's brand-new role affects the rest of the Marvel Universe."
"We'll have him interact with old friends and new foes... and even old friends who become new foes," concludes Yang, ominously. "Dike Ruan and I are already hard at work. The stuff I've seen from Dike so far has been his best yet."
Shang-Chi will also be the next major solo star to debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with his film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings scheduled for a July 9 release, at least currently.
Marvel Comics' Shang-Chi #1, which features a cover by Leinil Francis Yu, is due out May 19, a few months ahead of the movie assuming it maintains its July release.
Watch for Marvel's full May 2021 solicitations later this month on Newsarama.
Before Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters, delve into Shang-Chi's comic book history.
