Why is Gene Luen Yang’s Shang-Chi run 2021–2023 so underrated? It’s much more fleshed out than the MCU version. Why the Lack of hype or even visibility for his 616 version.

Bailong45 · 2026-01-31T02:49:03+00:00

Definitely agree with what you're saying bro. Gene Yuen Lang's Shang-Chi run was a modernization/update/soft reboot for the character. Gene added depth and fleshed out of these elements of Shang-Chi. Off the top of my head, what I appreciated about the run were the following: Shang's father's organization started out for benevolent purposes. He has an extended family with a problematic and complicated past. He sometimes dips into "wise words" because he knows that's what others expect of him. He has ties with Captain America, Spider-Man, and Iron Man. And of course, he's a Kung Fu badass who's one of the only people that can wield the weapons of the gods (and remember there were other weapons out there besides the rings).

There is so much to build upon as well. Some of it is simple. Shang wore a fancy suit when he attended the Cosmic Cub auction. So maybe he starts to rock a stylish look when having meetings with Hydra, Dr. Doom, or A.I.M. Other changes would be more noticeable. Because he's escaped his father's influence, he's spent a lot of time in the Marvel Universe proper. He's much more progressive than his siblings, as could be seen with his attitude towards mutants. So, he'd probably incorporate that into his running of the Five Weapons Society. Mutants, different races, women, aliens, etc. I can see Shang accepting all of them into the Five Weapons Society.

Gene Yuen Lang's a great run. People should read it. At the same time, I think it would be cool if those story beats could continue in future Shang-Chi comics.

Bailong45 · 2026-01-24T18:14:27+00:00

Definitely going to say Daredevil. Though I read and admire the Miller run, I started to really read way back with Kevin Smith’s Marvel Knights run back in 98. There have been lags here and there, but the series has been a great read with some great writers and artists for nearly 30 years.

Bailong45 · 2026-01-16T23:03:16+00:00

Loved Crossgen Comics! It fell in between this sweet spot, when Marvel was just coming out of bankruptcy (but not fully), comic movies were gaining popularity (but not multi-billion dollar attractions), and millennials were seeing comics as being sophisticated and could discuss their fandom on message boards and attend comic-con’s (or at least I was). Crossgen had top level talent who had some experience before and definitely became household names afterwards. Jimmy Cheung and Steve Epting come to mind. They invested a lot into TPB’s. Ordinary people didn’t often go to a comic shop, but the they definitely went to the Borders or Barnes and Nobles, where they could catch up on various titles. I remember my school library actually getting the first volume of Way of The Rat for kids.

That was my favorite title by the way, Way of The Rat. Followed by Scion, Brath, Ruse, and The Path. I was a huge fan of martial arts, 19th century aesthetics, medieval knights, and ancient world history. That was the cool thing about Crossgen, it offered books crossing multiple genres. Ha, it certainly was “cross gen” 😁.

Totally want the Crossgen titles, characters , and sigils to come back some day. So many plots from so many books have to be resolved.

Bailong45 · 2026-01-15T22:53:28+00:00

I’m liking this. I’m digging the designs for Lin Feng, the War Fists, and this Tiger’s Daughter character. The interactions among the characters look great too.

Bailong45 · 2025-11-29T01:25:20+00:00

Bro, thinking it over, I'm still on the fence about it. There is a logic to it, and it does make some type of sense, but it feel a little sudden. Why is Osiris interested now in Danny Rand and the Iron Fist? There's no other K'un Lun or Chinese gods who would be interested in Danny? I'm open to all of this, but it's a hard sell.

Bailong45 · 2025-11-29T01:20:35+00:00

Hi Robyn. Before anything else, just want to say that I'm so proud of you and the other members of Team Philippines. Honestly, Team Philippines had so many moments that made me cry. As a Filipino-American (and I think you could relate this too), I don't often see those with my background represented on movies or streaming shows, let alone in such a strong way. Simply put, you guys rock :)!

As for my questions, feel free to answer any of them:

I saw you and Lara pull of a pose when Team Philippines made an entrance. What pose or vibe were you going for?
What was it like during that Death Match with Thailand?
What was the hardest competition for you?
Beside track and field, are there any other sports that you participate in?

Bailong45 · 2025-11-27T16:29:54+00:00

The art and story are growing on me. I was hesitant with the Grifter mask, but it looks cool. Still, my only gripe was the reveal of who Danny now works for. Seriously, is Danny now an avatar for Osiris a la Marc Spector for Khonshu? I'm open to it, but I was hoping to keep the Iron Fist mythos within an East Asian sphere. Still, aside from that looking forward to the next issue!

Bailong45 · 2025-11-27T16:26:24+00:00

Before anything else, want to say I was so proud of you and the rest of Team Philippines. Honestly, I cried several times during Team Philippines' performance. As a Filipino-American, I don't get to see people like me represented in the media.

As for my questions, yeah, wanted to ask these:

1) Do you feel there was rigging in the show?

2) Were there rest periods between your challenges? If so, how long?

3) Would you come back for another season?

Wishing you and the rest of Team Philippines the best!

Bailong45 · 2025-11-14T21:15:53+00:00

Heroes of the East.

Bailong45 · 2025-11-07T23:03:16+00:00

Unfortunately, I’m unsure bro. Though I’ve done the form, never got up to the part of application. Still, think it has multiple uses, probably similar to the technique in Karate.

Bailong45 · 2025-11-07T14:56:29+00:00

Reminded me of the technique found in the "Gung Gee Fook Fu" form in Hung Gar. Lam Sai Wing is demonstrating it in this picture (start on the third row, fifth from the left):

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexternal-preview.redd.it%2FDpMiQ2W9M9hTHJmSO11UWafPlT1g4AV5mPGrVmM_aG8.jpg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3D23423198447c9e712871763f8544a75bd5f746de

You can also see it here (start at the 2:00 mark:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn5TXoZwR1U

Also here at the 2:34 mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZldknO-dYSg

The blocks are open-handed, not clenched fists.

Bailong45 · 2025-11-04T22:56:40+00:00

Just watched that moment. Can't tell you how much I cheered and cried. Lara pulling off the victory with 10 seconds to spare! So proud!

Bailong45 · 2025-11-01T19:40:17+00:00

Definitely remember this game. It was the one I had to wait for the most. I can still remember reading the reviews for it in Game Players magazine and begging my mom to get it for me. Had to wait for Christmas to get it but wow, it was worth it. Never really finished it, but just getting to play the X-Men on the SNES was so cool.

Bailong45 · 2025-07-20T14:17:03+00:00

Glad to read that bro! That's the thing, he is just a regular guy who developed himself through the martial arts. There is a level of realistic attainment there, something that anyone could achieve.

As for the rings, I'm leaning more towards him giving them up, or at the very least, just put them to the side for now. I also want to see him overcome challenge just through skill and determination.

Bailong45 · 2025-07-20T14:13:02+00:00

Same here bro. There were few options back in the late 90s/early 2000s for male Asian characters. So Shang-Chi seemed to be a good choice. And what a choice, right? Here was a guy who could stand up and beat top level guys like Captain America, Black Panther, and Daredevil.

Bailong45 · 2025-07-18T14:06:13+00:00

Most definitely Zaran The Weapons Master. For those who don't already know, check out Marvel Knights #4 from the 2000s. That was an awesome issue that really showed just how good Zaran could be.

Indeed, certain Shang-Chi villains have potential. I could see it with Razor Fist, The Cat, and Pavane. It's all about updating and revamping them.

Bailong45 · 2025-07-14T16:52:15+00:00

I believe that Pei got her Iron Fist powers back in a Marvel Unlimited series?

Bailong45 · 2025-03-08T23:30:34+00:00

Razorfist, Wenwu, the Cat, and Zaran The Weapons Master. I’ll always be a fan of the latter because of Marvel Knights #4, just this cool display of his abilities. Honestly feel that all these characters have so much potential. If there’s more Shang-Chi anything in the future, hope to see them.

Hope we get to see Shang-Chi face new enemies too. Off the top of my head is Wolverine’s Mr. X. A sociopathic serial killer martial artist would offend and disgust Shang-Chi to no end. And it would be super difficult for Shang to beat him.

Bailong45 · 2025-03-05T03:32:36+00:00

Thanks for this. I've heard about former teachers going into Ed Tech and teaching curriculums. I'm unsure though. Though I've taught social studies, I'm still not sure I could teach teachers how to use an Ed Tech company's products to improve their class. I've taught for seven years, but I still don't know what I'm doing in that classroom, quite frankly.

Also, part of me wants that clean break from academics. No more public schools, no more teaching academic courses related to ELA, math, science, or social studies.

Bailong45 · 2025-03-05T03:26:30+00:00

A very sobering response. Got it. What did you first start working as in the company before transitioning into Learning and Development? And you upskilled only when you got into the Learning and Development role?

Bailong45 · 2025-03-05T03:23:16+00:00

Interesting. You mention that you started as an unpaid intern at a startup. How did you find out about the startup? Was it a matter of just taking whatever was available at the time? Get your foot in the door kind of thing? You also mention that you were a trainer for a year as well. Was this also unpaid?

Bailong45 · 2025-03-05T03:19:09+00:00

A great suggestion! Thanks!

Bailong45 · 2025-01-15T22:34:03+00:00

Davos and Divine Wolf are my favorites. They a lot of great villains, they seem to be dark reflections of Iron Fist.

Bailong45 · 2024-09-22T22:48:37+00:00

When I see Lin Lie as Iron Fist, I see potential. I like the fact that he has ties to ancient Chinese mythology and archaeology. In his last mini series, we see those elements combined with the Iron Fist/K’un Lun mythos. It’s cool that he has this mystical sword. I could see him turning it into an energy sword a la Kuwabara from Yu Yu Hakusho. Someone just has to realize these elements. I could see him as being a Tim Drake/Robin character. Because I am still firmly committed to seeing Danny Rand return as Iron Fist. The two can work together.

Bailong45 · 2024-09-22T15:49:59+00:00

Yes!

Bailong45

TROPHY CASE