¨JAMES LARNER

Real Name: James Larner

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: MI-6 Agent

Group Membership: Member of MI-6

Affiliations: MI-6

Ememies: Shockwave, Oriental Expediters, Leiko Wu, Fah Lo Suee

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile

Appearances: Master of Kung-Fu#40 (May; 1976)

Powers/Abilities: Larner was an excellent marksman with a gun, and highly experienced with explosives

Weaknesses: Pathological hatred of Leiko Wu, whom he blamed for the death of his girlfriend Jennie

History: (MOKF I#40 (fb)) - Larner recalled the time after Jennie’s death, when Leiko and Larner teamed up to stop a ship full of illegal arms from Russia to Portugal, the mission went wrong, but both of them escaped, in a speedboat, the men from the ship shot after the two, and hit Leiko in the shoulder. Larner believed his partner dead, and went to Smith to tell him that Leiko was dead--Leiko wasn’t dead, and Larner was branded a traitor and fired from MI-6. Black Jack tells that MI-6 had to trade three Portugese informers to get Leiko back.

(MOKF I#40) - After Shang-Chi saves Leiko Wu from some assassins, she tells him, that he should tell Black Jack to enlist Larner. Black Jack at first is angry, but sees the situation clearly and with Shang-Chi goes to see Larner. They finds him in his apartment, where he is drunk, Larner isn’t happy to see Black Jack, and says “I’m a traitor, in case you forgotten, and do you know why--?. Because that little witch Leiko let my Jennie die...”. While telling the tales about when he left Leiko, some unknown assassins shoots at them, and a hand grenade is thrown at them. All of them survive, and begin to attack the assassins. Larner saves Black Jack by killing one of the assassins. After the assassins are defeated, Black Jack finds a card with the name Oriental Expediters, Ldt. He gives Larner a chance to join the MI-6 again and leaves Larner’s apartment.

(MOKF I#41) - After Black Jack leaves, Clive Reston asks Larner again if he wants to join them. Finally Larner decides to rejoin MI-6.

(MOKF I#42/MOKF I#72 (fb)) - Before Shang-Chi is leaving to go to the Oriental Expediters, Larner tells him about Shockwave, that Shockwave a former MI-6 agent has offered Larner a job in his organization, and that “Oriental Expediters Limited” is a front for Shockwave and his men.

(MOKF I#43) - Larner is reunited with Sir Denis; Larner’s bitterness is shown, when he says “Did you think I’d drowned myself in gin?”. Black Jack stops him. Sir Denis tells Reston, Black Jack and Larner that Leiko is on a mission in Switzerland. Larner can’t keep his mouth shut, he says “So you’re back to “trusting” me, are you, Smith?”. Black Jack asks Larner once more to shut up. Larner keeps on blaming Leiko for the death of Jennie, until Black Jack hits him hard. Larner is about to start a fight with Black Jack but is stopped by Reston. Sir Denis yells at them all, that they better stops fighting among themselves, and concentrate on the real enemy the “Oriental Expediters” Larner still has a hard time doing it, but finally calms down.

(MOKF I#44) - Tells Clive Reston, that he should go to Switzerland to look for a guy named Tarrant, a villain who operates from Lausanne in Switzerland. Larner believes Tarrant is responsible for explosions killing off MI-6 agents and wounding others.

(MOKF I#45) - Having an hour before his meeting at Sir Denis’ office, Larner comes to visit Black Jack Tarr at the hospital. Gives Black Jack the latest news regarding Shang-Chi, and the Golden Daggers sect, and about the man he believes is behind all the explosions lately: Tarrant, who is also responsible for putting Black Jack in the hospital.

(MOKF I#46) - At the MI-6 headquarters interrogation room, listens to Clive Reston’s tale about what has happened to him lately, how he was put under Fah Lo Suee’ control and that he isn’t the traitor, and that Sir Herbert Griswold is the true mole in MI-6.

(MOKF I#47) - At the hospital visiting Sir Denis, learns that Leiko and Shang-Chi are still alive and well--fighting Fah Lo Suee and the Oriental Expediters. Sir Denis orders Larner and Reston to board a reconnaissance plane and get to Switzerland. While above the mountains in Switzerland, the plane is shot down by Fu Manchu’s men. The plane crashes to the ground, the two are later rescued by Fah Lo Suee and her men, but taken captive bu them. They learns that Griswold is the mole; Reston wonders where Griswold has developed his hunger for blood, where to Larner answers “He was trained by MI-6.....”. When Fu Manchu’s men begins to attack Fah Lo Suee and her men, Larner and Reston use the confusion to get guns and begin to fight off the attackers. Fu Manchu’s men are successful in capturing Fah Lo Suee’s men, but Larner, Reston, Shang-Chi, Leiko and herself manage to escape. She tells Larner about her father’s plans to hurl the moon out of its orbit.

(MOKF I#48) - When Black Jack arrives, Larner tells Fah Lo Suee to tell Black Jack about Fu Manchu’s plans.

(MOKF I#49) - While Black Jack, Leiko, Reston and Shang-Chi are trying to defeat Fu Manchu inside his fortress. Larner is working on blowing up the fortress from the outside. Fah Lo Suee asks Larner about Leiko. Larner tells her that she is a little witch who doused his life into darkness. When Leiko suddenly comes out from the fortress, Larner freezes for a moment, making one of Fu Manchu’s men capable of cutting off the detonator cable. Larner knocks down the Si-Fan assassin and tries to bring the cable back together. Another Si-Fan assassin shoots him in the back. Already half-dead, Larner manages to put the cable together, bringing the fortress to an explosion and saving Leiko, but also taking his life.

(MOKF I#51 (fb)) - Leiko thinks back to the final moment of Larner’s life, where he sacrificed his own life, to save her.

(MOKF I#50 -body only) - Larner’s body lay in the snow, while Black Jack finally says “he always said he hated you Leiko, either he was the biggest liar I’ve ever known --or he was a bigger man than any of us suspected”.

(MOKF I#51 - BTS) - Body in a coffin, Sir Denis, Leiko, Miss Greville, Shang-Chi, Reston, Dr. Petri and Black Jack all present at the funeral of their fallen partner.