Legend of Shang-Chi delayed a month

Legend of Shang-Chi #1 — (Image credit: Andie Tong (Marvel Comics))

Marvel Comics' planned Legend of Shang Chi one-shot has been delayed for four weeks.

This 32-page special pits Shang-Chi against Daredevil/X-Men villain Lady Deathstrike, but fans looking for that match-up will have to wait until February 3. Writer Alyssa Wong and artist Andie Tong's one-shot was originally planned to go on sale January 6.

"Deadly hands vs. deadly blades! Someone has been stealing artifacts of WMD potential. It’s up to Shang-Chi to find this person and stop them," reads Marvel's solicitation for the issue. "But is he prepared to go toe-to-toe with Lady Deathstrike?!"

The particular artifact they'll be fighting over is some type of magic sword that devours souls - apparently not Magik's Soulsword or the Murasama Blade often associated with Wolverine. Speaking of Wolverine, however, Wong says she chose longtime Wolverine enemy Lady Deathstrike for this story as a viable foe for Shang-Chi.

"For this adventure, I wanted to pit Shang-Chi against a villain with an equally agile, physical fighting style. Lady Deathstrike seemed like a natural choice," Wong said when the book was announced. "She's got adamantium claws and an iron will. In the past, she's faced off against Wolverine (many times!) and even been a reluctant hero. She's a lot of fun. Lady Deathstrike is someone who can hold her own against Shang-Chi; if he wants to beat her, he'll have to get creative."

Wong first learned about Shang-Chi in 2019's War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas, and quickly came to be a fan due to his "Good Older Brother energy."

"I think Shang-Chi's super interesting: he's a guy who goes toe-to-toe with superpowered metahumans every day, and his special ability is that he's really, really good at martial arts," Wong explained. "That's it. But that's all he needs; he's fast, acrobatic, and literally the best at what he does. I feel like Shang-Chi radiates Good Older Brother energy. He'll protect you and buy you snacks afterward. What else do you really need?"

Legend of Shang-Chi #1 goes on sale on February 3. The movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens in theaters July 9.

Get up to speed on Marvel's deadly kung-fu expert with our profile on Shang-Chi.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)