Shang-Chi confronts his father (and his past) in #1 preview

Before Shang-Chi makes his big-screen debut in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, he will make his comic book return in his own limited series.

"The master returns! An ancient and evil secret society has stayed in hiding since the death of their leader, Zheng Zhu," reads Marvel's description of the first issue. "But now his successor has been chosen to shift the balance of power in the world...Zheng Zhu's son, Shang-Chi! Witness the Marvel Universe's greatest fighter return to a world of death and destruction he thought he left behind long ago...and discover the secrets to Shang-Chi's past that will change his world forever."

Check out a preview of the first issue here:

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If you're a bit rusty on Shang-Chi, no worries - check out our explainer on the character to get you prepped for the comic book and the movie.

Marvel Comics' Shang-Chi limited series is by writer Gene Luen Yang with artists Philip Tan and Dike Ruan.

The limited series promises to not only re-introduce Shang-Chi, but also debut the FIve Weapons Society - new players in the Shang-Chi legend. They are Brother Staff, Brother Sabre, Sister Dagger, Sister Hammer, and a vacant fifth spot that appears to be Shang-Chi's - if he wants it.

Shang-Chi #1 (of 5) goes on sale on September 30. In addition to the primary cover by Jim Cheung, there will be variants by Kim Jacinto, Benjamin Su, Jen Bartel, Dike Ruan, Rudy Nebres, Ron Lim, In-Hyuk Lee, and others. Here are the covers unveiled thus far.

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A collected edition of this limited series goes on sale March 30, 2021, just over a month before the May 7 release of the Shang-Chi film.

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)