BLACK DEMON SECT

Membership: Anna

Purpose: Terrorist organization protecting communist China's interests

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Brant, Dr. Chow, Shang-Chi, Black Jack Tarr

Base of Operations: Unrevealed location in China; formerly Murder Mansion, Long Island, New York

First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu I#70 (November, 1978)

History: (Master of Kung Fu I#70) - When the Chinese scientist Dr. Chow was going to defect to the USA, the Black Demon Sect put a hit on his life. Learning of this, MI-6 agent Sir Denis Nayland Smith employed his friend Black Jack Tarr to protect Dr. Chow and in turn, Tarr recruited Shang-Chi. One of the Black Demon Sect's agents was Tarr's old lover Anna and she took advantage of her history with him to throw him off his game. The Sect took command of Murder Mansion, Tarr's residence in Long Island and when Tarr and Shang came to the house they activated the building's weaponry against them. Shang and Tarr managed to fight their way through the Sect's agents and past the weapons, so Anna posed as a hostage in order to throw Tarr off. Tarr and Shang finally burst into the house's control room where the Black Demon Sect had concealed themselves in the ceiling above, but Tarr shot the ceiling apart with his gun, toppling them to the floor. As Tarr and Shang bested the remaining criminals they unmasked Anna and Tarr was heartbroken to learn that she was one of the Black Demon Sect's chief agents.

Comments: Created by Doug Moench, Pat Broderick and John Tartaglione.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Black Demon Sect should not be confused with:

• The Black Dragon Society, the real-world Japanese secret society who probably inspired the Black Demons
• Black Demon of Death, Kurt Bach, Nazi saboteur, Sub-Mariner Comics#16

Mr. Brant was a CIA agent who was charged with guarding Dr. Chow. Brant was aware that Chow had been serving the CIA all along.

--Master of Kung Fu I#70

Anna was an agent of the British Foreign Service who served in Hong Kong alongside Black Jack Tarr. Anna and Black Jack fell in love. Black Jack couldn't afford a ring, so he bought her a locket with their picture inside as a romantic gift. However, Anna resented the way that Tarr's duty to the service kept them apart and left him the same day he gave her the locket. Anna subsequently turned against her own government and became an agent of the Black Demon Sect. When the Sect sought to kill Dr. Chow and Tarr was charged with Chow's security, Anna sent the locket back to Tarr with a note saying she would meet him the next day. However, in reality she had commandeered Tarr's Murder Mansion with the Black Demon Sect and tricked Tarr into thinking she was the Sect's prisoner. When Tarr and Shang-Chi finally overcame the Black Demon Sect and recaptured Murder Mansion's control room, Tarr was shocked to discover Anna was a member of the Sect. Anna angrily denounced Tarr, blaming him for denying her true love. Anna was taken into custody with the other members of the Black Demon Sect.

--Master of Kung Fu I#70 (fb), 70

Dr. Chow was a scientist in China who was secretly working as an agent for the CIA. When Chow was ready to leave China he posed as a defector. The Black Demon Sect ordered a hit on him, but Black Jack Tarr and Shang-Chi routed the Sect.

--Master of Kung Fu I#70

Images taken from:
Master of Kung Fu I#70, page 10, panel 1
Brant- Master of Kung Fu I#70, page 23, panel 7
Anna- Master of Kung Fu I#70, page 27, panel 1
Chow- Master of Kung Fu I#70, page 23, panel 8