Sons of the Tiger
Encyclopedia
The Sons of the Tiger were three martial arts
heroes featured in comic book
s published by Curtis Magazines
(a short lived imprint
of Marvel Comics
) called the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu
. The series was created by Gerry Conway
and drawn by Dick Giordano
, and was published in the early 1970s amidst the "Kung Fu" or Chopsocky
movie craze.
The Sons of the Tiger made appearances in Special Collector's Edition: Savage Fists of Kung Fu #1. They also appeared in the Special Album Edition of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu. Both of these appearances contained the same story, titled "The Master Plan of Fu Manchu". In this story, the Sons of the Tiger team up with Iron Fist and Shang-Chi
. The Special Collector's Edition contained the story in color, while the Special Album Edition was in black-and-white
.
The Sons of the Tiger were three friends and martial arts students of Master Kee: Lin Sun, of Chinese
ancestry, was the leader of the trio and adopted son of Master Kee; Abe Brown was an African American
from the ghetto streets of Harlem
; and Robert Diamond
was a Caucasian
Hollywood
actor.
Lin Sun is returning from a martial arts tournament
with his first place trophy
when he is suddenly attacked by ninja
s in front of his school in San Francisco. After defeating the villains, he goes into the "Tiger Dojo", which has been ransacked. He finds a dying Master Kee, who tells him that there are forces in this world which would destroy us and then points to a box on a shelf, after which he dies. In the box, Lin finds three amulets made of jade
, a tiger's head and two claws: the symbol of the school. The inscription at the base of the box reads, "When three are called and stand as one, as one they'll fight, their will be done...For each is born anew, The Tiger's Son." They are later known as "The Amulets of Power".
Soon after, Lin meets up with his two friends, Abe Brown and Bob Diamond, who have also been attacked by ninjas. Lin recounts the story of Master Kee's death and gives each of them one of the jade tiger claw amulets. They soon discover that when they join hands and chant the inscription from the box they become mystically connected. Their martial arts skills combine to become one force and their physical abilities are tripled when they wear the amulets.
During the series run, the trio runs up against "The Silent Ones", an evil organization with mystical ties attempting to gain world domination.
descent finds the amulets and wears them to become the White Tiger
. The Sons of the Tiger appeared in the next two stories, "A Beginning" and "To Claw the Eyes of Night", during the transition to the White Tiger stories. The character of Abe Brown is mostly seen periodically after that. Interestingly, the book continued using the title "Sons of the Tiger" even though the trio had split up and power was transferred to the White Tiger.
as Colleen Wing
's lover.
More recently, the Sons of the Tiger appeared briefly with Luke Cage
's Human Resistance after the Scarlet Witch
altered the world during the House of M
crossover, along with the Daughters of the Dragon
, Black Cat
, Iron Fist and Moon Knight
. They also appeared alongside Spider-Man
in Marvel Team-Up
#40. In November 2008, they made an appearance in Manifest Destiny: Wolverine. Though their purpose has not yet been revealed, it appears they will be recurring characters in the storyline.
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
heroes featured in comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s published by Curtis Magazines
Curtis Magazines
Curtis Magazines was an imprint of Marvel Comics that existed from 1971 to 1980. The imprint published black-and-white magazines that did not carry the Comics Code Authority seal. Initially, page counts varied between 68,76, and 84 pages....
(a short lived imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
) called the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu is a martial arts comic book magazine published by Curtis Magazines, a short-lived imprint of Marvel Comics. There were a total of 33 issues published, plus one "Special Album Edition," before the series was cancelled.-Overview:...
. The series was created by Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
and drawn by Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano
Richard Joseph "Dick" Giordano was an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes, and serving as executive editor of then–industry leader DC Comics...
, and was published in the early 1970s amidst the "Kung Fu" or Chopsocky
Chopsocky
Chopsocky is a colloquial term applied to a diffuse group of martial arts movies made primarily in Hong Kong and Taiwan during the 1960s and 1970s. The term was coined by the American motion picture trade magazine Variety...
movie craze.
The Sons of the Tiger made appearances in Special Collector's Edition: Savage Fists of Kung Fu #1. They also appeared in the Special Album Edition of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu. Both of these appearances contained the same story, titled "The Master Plan of Fu Manchu". In this story, the Sons of the Tiger team up with Iron Fist and Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi is a Marvel Comics character, often called the "Master of Kung Fu". He was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin....
. The Special Collector's Edition contained the story in color, while the Special Album Edition was in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
.
The Sons of the Tiger were three friends and martial arts students of Master Kee: Lin Sun, of Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
ancestry, was the leader of the trio and adopted son of Master Kee; Abe Brown was an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
from the ghetto streets of Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
; and Robert Diamond
Bob Diamond (comics)
Robert "Bob" Diamond is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Bob Diamond first appeared in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1 and was created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin....
was a Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
actor.
Origin
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
with his first place trophy
Trophy
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
when he is suddenly attacked by ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
s in front of his school in San Francisco. After defeating the villains, he goes into the "Tiger Dojo", which has been ransacked. He finds a dying Master Kee, who tells him that there are forces in this world which would destroy us and then points to a box on a shelf, after which he dies. In the box, Lin finds three amulets made of jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
, a tiger's head and two claws: the symbol of the school. The inscription at the base of the box reads, "When three are called and stand as one, as one they'll fight, their will be done...For each is born anew, The Tiger's Son." They are later known as "The Amulets of Power".
Soon after, Lin meets up with his two friends, Abe Brown and Bob Diamond, who have also been attacked by ninjas. Lin recounts the story of Master Kee's death and gives each of them one of the jade tiger claw amulets. They soon discover that when they join hands and chant the inscription from the box they become mystically connected. Their martial arts skills combine to become one force and their physical abilities are tripled when they wear the amulets.
During the series run, the trio runs up against "The Silent Ones", an evil organization with mystical ties attempting to gain world domination.
Demise
Beginning in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19, entitled "An Ending", the trio breaks up and Lin Sun throws all three amulets in a trashcan located in an alley. There, Hector Ayala of Puerto RicanPuerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
descent finds the amulets and wears them to become the White Tiger
White Tiger (Hector Ayala)
White Tiger is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe, and was created by Bill Mantlo and George Pérez. First appearing in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19 , he is the first Puerto Rican superhero in the history of comics, and Marvel's first superhero of Hispanic descent.- Publication history...
. The Sons of the Tiger appeared in the next two stories, "A Beginning" and "To Claw the Eyes of Night", during the transition to the White Tiger stories. The character of Abe Brown is mostly seen periodically after that. Interestingly, the book continued using the title "Sons of the Tiger" even though the trio had split up and power was transferred to the White Tiger.
After cancellation
Bob Diamond continued to make occasional appearances in Power Man and Iron FistPower Man and Iron Fist
Power Man and Iron Fist was a Marvel comic book featuring the superheroes Power Man and Iron Fist.-Hero For Hire/Power Man:...
as Colleen Wing
Colleen Wing
Colleen Wing is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Colleen Wing first appeared in Marvel Premiere #19 , and was created by Doug Moench and Larry Hama.-Fictional character biography:...
's lover.
More recently, the Sons of the Tiger appeared briefly with Luke Cage
Luke Cage
Luke Cage is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1...
's Human Resistance after the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
altered the world during the House of M
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
crossover, along with the Daughters of the Dragon
Daughters of the Dragon
The Daughters of the Dragon are the duo of Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, fictional characters from Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #32 , introduced in the early 1970s in early Iron Fist stories....
, Black Cat
Black Cat (comics)
The Black Cat is a fictional character, a superheroine in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #194 ....
, Iron Fist and Moon Knight
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character, a mercenary-turned-superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in the Marvel Universe and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin...
. They also appeared alongside Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
in Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...
#40. In November 2008, they made an appearance in Manifest Destiny: Wolverine. Though their purpose has not yet been revealed, it appears they will be recurring characters in the storyline.