SONS OF THE TIGER PART 11

As presented in DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU Nos. 29 and 30.

"FLESH OF MY FLESH!"
Story: Bill Mantlo | Art: Ron Wilson, Sonny Trinidad, Rudy Mesina & Pete Lijauco

"THREADS OF EVIL... WEB OF HATE!"
Story: Bill Mantlo | Art: George Pérez & Sonny Trinidad

The Plot: (DEADLY HANDS #29) On the handball court where the girl, Cheeky, was killed, a riot breaks out as the neighborhood citizens blame White Tiger for her death. With the help of Blackbyrd, D'Angelo, and the police, White Tiger fights the mob off, but is consumed in his fury until Blackbyrd punches him. Meanwhile, Jack of Hearts leaves the hospital to find White Tiger, while at the Ayala apartment, young brother Filippo reveals to Awilda that he was running drugs for Maris, the man killed trying to abduct Jack of Hearts at the hospital, and only Maris can deactivate a bomb attached to Filippo. Elsewhere, Lin and Lotus receive a call from Bob's agent regarding his estate, while Bob himself struggles to survive in the snowy Canadian wilderness. And in Africa, Brillalae tells Abe it is his destiny to wear the costume he carried in his suitcase, and to become... the Black Tiger.

(DEADLY HANDS #30) Jack of Hearts finds D'Angelo and Blackbyrd and learns that White Tiger has left them to continue his quest for "El Tigre". Jack next visits Daily Globe publisher Barney Bushkin to gather facts about his father's murder, and learns that El Tigre is a ship from Chile which the drug-runner, Maris, was going to meet before he died. Meanwhile, White Tiger sees hallucinations of those who have died since he became a hero -- but the moment is interrupted when he hears Awilda below, being accosted by a gang after Filippo. White Tiger saves his brother and sister, and Filippo reveals the bomb wired to his body. Elsewhere, Bob struggles through the wilderness and runs into a polar bear, while in New York, Lin and Lotus visit Bob's agent and refuse to take their friend's money. In Africa, Abe, wearing the black costume, leads the bedouins in an assault on a military convoy.

Continuity Notes: In issue 29, Lotus mentions that Bob's parents are still alive and wonders why his agent isn't calling them about the estate, but he says that they want nothing to do with their son's money. This feel's like a sub-plot Mantlo was starting which was never resolved due to DEADLY HANDS' untimely cancellation.

Even though it's supposedly only been a couple days since he was lost in the wilderness, Bob is somehow sporting a full beard -- another sign that the timing of these various stories doesn't quite line up.

My Thoughts: Beginning with issue 29, we now have, for the first time, a logline for the series:

"LIN SUN! ABE BROWN! BOB DIAMOND! LOTUS SHINCHUKO! HECTOR AYALA! Five people with little in common, save that they are linked by a gleaming chain from which are suspended the head and claws of a golden tiger. From the TIger amulets' glow is passed mastery of the martial arts, and their lives have never been the same!"

I find this notable because it A.) gives first billing to Lin, Abe, and Bob, the original Sons, and B) suggests that all five of these characters are, collectively, the Sons of the Tiger. I mentioned last week that we're winding down DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU's run -- it will be cancelled with issue 33 (and the Sons' serial doesn't appear in that issue). And when that happens, certain threads will be left hanging.

So my interest is in the fact that, while Mantlo has placed the original Tiger-sons on the backburner over the past several months, it really seems he intended to bring them back to the forefront. Abe is obviously poised for some major developments here, while Bob, alone in the wilderness, sustains himself with thoughts of returning to New York, making amends with his friends, and reuniting the Sons of the Tiger. Meanwhile, White Tiger is going through a really rough patch here, seeing people die despite his efforts to protect them, earning the hostility of his sister, and generally watching his life unravel around him -- which leads me to wonder whether Mantlo was originally setting him up to hand the tiger amulets back to Bob, Lin, and Abe. I assume Mantlo would not have discarded Hector entirely, but rather had him join up with the original trio and Lotus to create an actual five-member team.

Of course, things didn't work out that way, but it really does seem to be the path Mantlo was crafting. It's unfortunate it was never realized. But let's not write off the Tiger-sons just yet! Their saga still has a bit of life left in it. Next week, White Tiger has an extra-length team-up with Jack of Hearts and Iron Fist, followed by the original Sons returning to prominence just in time for their final story.