The PAST ASSASSINS
Membership: "Big Guy," Gregor, "Hir Soot," Mr. Man, "Patch," Tsaa; others unnamed
Purpose: Vengeance against Fu Manchu
Affiliations: Shang-Chi
Enemies: Fu Manchu, "Patch" imposter, Shang-Chi, Si-Fan
Base of Operations: The Winged Dragons martial arts school, Canal Street, Manhattan, New York
First Appearance: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#2 (June, 1974)
History:
(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#2 (fb)-BTS) - Over the centuries of his existence,
Fu Manchu trained and/or mutated literally hundreds of people, animals,
etc. to become his agents. He did this through drugs, electricity, confinement,
and the knife.
In the modern era, a guy known only as Mr. Man began to gather a number
of his "failed experiments--the ones that lived." Over months he gathered
them from the obscure hiding places of the Earth. Fu Manchu, however, was
aware of Mr. Man's plots and observed him and his group from their headquarters
without their knowledge.
(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#2) - Seeking to use Shang Chi to lure in his father, Mr. Man sent a group of agents to ambush him. Shang overcame the agents, told them that he no longer served Fu Manchu, and convinced them to take him back to their base. Mr. Man tried to convince Shang to join them, but he refused, having no interest in pursuing revenge. Mr. Man told Shang that he couldn't live with knowledge of his group, and so directed the agents to slay him. Shang subdued the whole group, after which Mr. Man agreed to leave him alone and pursue their separate paths.
(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#7(fb)) - Four of Mr. Man's agents--"Big Guy," Gregor, "Hir Soot," and Tsaa--told Mr. Man that they still thought Shang Chi was involved with Fu Manchu, and they decided to go after him. They went out the back door.
(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#2) - As soon as Shang left, through the front door, Fu Manchu blew up the group's headquarters, in order to flaunt his power before his son.
(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#7) - The surviving former agents
of Fu Manchu went after Shang again. Meanwhile, Fu Manchu's scientists
had remade another woman to appear as a duplicate of Patch, one of Mr.
Man's agents who had died in the explosion. The Patch imposter met with
Shang Chi, told him that she still believed in him and had turned against
the others. However, she then led him back to the agents, who attacked
him again. In mid-fight, all four former agents, as well as the Patch imposter,
were slain by Si Fan.
Fu Manchu had created the Patch imposter for the sole purpose of gathering
and eliminating the agents who had survived the explosion.
COMMENTS: Created by Steve Englehart and Alan Lee Weiss
The group was never really named, except
in the title of the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#7 story, but I couldn't come
up with a better name for these guys. The only things that came to mind
were "Yuck Fu", and "We don't like Fu anymore."
Pictured with the group is a dead ringer for Nightshade (introduced
in Captain America I#164). Alan Weiss also designed Nightshade, so he must
have slipped her into the story as a joke (either that, or she was spying
on the group for Fu Manchu's rival, the Yellow Claw.)
--Continental Op
CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:
Big Guy has no known connections to:
"Patch" has no known connection to:
"Big Guy"
The Strong Man of the group, he was also kyphotic (hunch-backed). He took a dagger to the throat from the Si-Fan.
--Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#2 (2(fb)-BTS, 2, 7(fb), 7
He was experienced with guns and the martial arts. He took a sword to the back from the Si-Fan.
--Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#2 (2(fb)-BTS, 2, 7(fb), 7
"Hir Soot"
While not seen in the initial struggle, he was one of the few who escaped the explosion and went after Shang again. He took a poison dart to the back by the Si-Fan.
Hirsute means "hairy," hence the name.
--Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#7 (2(fb)-BTS, 2-BTS, 7(fb)-BTS, 7
Mr. Man
The organizer of the group, he was killed in the explosion of their headquarters. He preferred not to fight, but rather to direct the others. When confronted with violence, he tended to cower.
--Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#2 (2(fb)-BTS, 2)
"Patch"
She posed as an innocent victim of an attack to bring Shang into the first trap of the agents. She was killed in the explosion of their headquarters.
--Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#2 (2(fb)-BTS, 2)
Fu Manchu had another woman altered into a virtual duplicate of Patch and used her to trap the others for his Si-Fan. She was killed by the Si-Fan as well
--Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#7 (7(fb), 7
One of the most skilled martial artists of the group. However, Shang did NOT like the scent of his beard oil. He took a shuriken to the back from the Si-Fan.
--Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#2 (2(fb)-BTS, 2, 7(fb), 7
images: (without ads)
Other appearances:
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#7 (December, 1974) - Doug Moench (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Don McGregor (editor)
Last updated: 12/30/04.
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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