I picked this up once I saw Gene Luen Yang was the author and I'm really glad I did! Shang-Chi's father may be dead, but his past comes roaring back when the cult his father once commanded chooses him as its next successor.

Like a lot of other reviewers have noted, there's a lot of retcons and table-dressing done in the beginning, but a lot of it was necessary. There were more than a few harmful stereotypes associated with the character, from the way he spoke to opponents like *groan* "Fu-Manchu". The result of these changes is a stronger, more nuanced character who desires peace and acceptance after escaping an abusive upbringing.

I really related to Shang-Chi's struggle to divorce himself from his past. Sister Hammer made a wonderful antagonist in this regard, as the abuse she endured drove her to fully embrace The Five Weapon Society while Shang-Chi tries to completely cut himself off from it. Neither option is entirely healthy, and both have to take some lessons from the other in order to truly start to move forward and build something healthier.

On the subject of new characters, Brother Sabre is delightfully jolly and upbeat and Sister Dagger feels like a younger Shang-Chi, someone brought up in a narrow upbringing, but curious of the outside world. They're wonderful new additions and I hope we see more of them in future Shang-Chi stories.

If you're looking for Shang-Chi book to tide you over until the movie comes out, absolutely pick this up.