Shang-Chi must play a game of deception in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War #1

Art from Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War #1 — (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

A crime wave is sweeping through New York City in Marvel's Gang War crossover, and it's about to drag Shang-Chi into the fray.

Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War is a new three-issue limited series by writer Greg Pak and artist Caio Majado. Shang-Chi has been the Supreme Commander of the Five Weapons Society for a few years now, and is working to reform the criminal organization into a force for good. The turf war that's consuming the city, however, means that he will have to find out a way to play the various factions against each other if he is to keep Chinatown safe.

We've got an exclusive first look at finished pages from the first issue, which is to be published next week, in the gallery below.

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Art from Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1 — (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

The stylish covers for the series are drawn by David Aja - and if his work on #1 is anything to go by, we can also expect a visit from a certain friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in the issue.

Here's Marvel's official synopsis for the first issue:

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? GANG WAR has thrown the crime lords and super heroes of New York into a deadly conflict and as both, Shang-Chi must play each side against each other in a dangerous game of deception! When he became leader of his family's Five Weapons Society, he promised to use it for good, but friends and foes alike have been unsure of his true intentions. The stakes of Gang War will force his hand as he vows to protect Chinatown and use the opportunity to eliminate the Five Weapon Society's biggest rivals! He'll use his world-class fighting skills as well as deceit, calculation and manipulation to navigate the battlefields as he learns the Art of War is all about the shades of gray!"

Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War #1 is published by Marvel Comics on December 27.

Why not revisit the Marvel Comics history of Shang-Chi and his Ten Rings.

Will Salmon is the Streaming Editor for GamesRadar+. He has been writing about film, TV, comics, and music for more than 15 years, which is quite a long time if you stop and think about it. At Future he launched the scary movie magazine Horrorville, relaunched Comic Heroes, and has written for every issue of SFX magazine for well over a decade. His music writing has appeared in The Quietus, MOJO, Electronic Sound, Clash, and loads of other places too.