This is where this series caught its second wind. After Paul Gulacy left as artist, the series seemed to flail around for a bit, but once Mike Zeck and Gene Day came on, it found its footing again.

And while the art is spectacular and absolutely compliments the words, it is absolutely the writing of Doug Moench that is the highlight here. It's interesting, because the martial arts action is virtually all Zeck and Day, but the lead ups are all Moench who is careful to set up the philosophical framing at the beginning of each issue, then carry it through as the theme.

It's rare to find any popular comic book series from one of the Big Two companies that went this introspective. It's fascinating to explore the inner world of Shang-Chi's thoughtful mind as much as it is fun to watch him kick ass. And it's something that I feel every writer since Moench has either ignored, or has been incapable of carrying on. It's a shame, because it truly elevated the quality of this series head and shoulders above much of the other product Marvel was producing at the time.