The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22

The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu was launched by Marvel Comics in 1974 as a black-and-white magazine, capitalizing on the intense public fascination with martial arts cinema that defined the decade. As part of Marvel’s Curtis Magazines line, the publication offered a more mature, graphic alternative to the standard four-color comics, allowing for complex narratives and detailed, gritty illustrations that mirrored the style of contemporary exploitation films.

Issue #22, released in early 1976, features a cover by the iconic Neal Adams, whose dynamic draftsmanship was instrumental in defining the visual language of the era's comic art. The issue maintains the publication's signature focus on genre-blending, mixing traditional kung fu tropes with noir and adventure elements. It remains a hallmark of the mid-1970s magazine-style comic boom, representing a specific historical moment when publishers experimented with formats aimed at older readers who had grown up on the superhero genre but sought darker, more grounded storytelling.