In a previous post, I gave an overview of the attempts to get a Shang-Chi film off the ground, going as far back as the 1980s! It's finally happening next Summer. We will be enjoying Marvel Studio's vision for the character in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. Barring no more COVID-19 related production delays. Let's compare the keys and see why the Master of Kung Fu may be better.
This news has caused Shang-Chi's first appearance in Special Marvel Edition #15 (Dec '73) to skyrocket. There may be more room for that one to grow, but I would like to suggest a cheaper book, which came out four months later (Apr '74), that still has a lot of room to grow: Master of Kung Fu #17.
An Iron Fist Comparison
Master of Kung Fu ran from #17-#125, one-hundred and nine issues in total (not counting Marvel Special Edition #15 – 16). For comparison, Iron Fist starred in eleven issues of Marvel Premier and fifteen issues of his solo title. Even with the super team of John Byrne penciling and Chris Claremont writing on the Iron Fist title, the character was deemed a better fit teamed up with Luke Cage in Power Man And Iron Fist 50 – 125.
Iron Fist may be more well known. However, Shang-Chi was interesting enough to hold his own title for significantly longer.
There are currently fewer than 200 issues in total of Master of Kung Fu 17 graded by CGC. Only 15 of those are 9.8’s for which GoCollect shows an FMV of $475. Compare that with Iron Fist #1 which has 32 9.8’s and an FMV of $1,600. Meaning, the ceiling could top $1000.
Second Choice 
A great second choice is 9.6. Master of Kung Fu 17 in 9.6 has an FMV of $160 there are 142 copies in the CGC census. Iron Fist 1 in 9.6 is an average of $300 and there are 229. So, if you are interested in the lower price point of the 9.6 be on the lookout soon. A cursory search on eBay reveals two copies sold days apart with a disparity of $150.
One final comparison between Shang-Chi and Iron Fist. Oct 1975 was the publication month of Iron Fist 1, the 12th issue since first appearing in Marvel Premier #15 in May 1974. There are about a year and a half between Iron Fist's first appearance and the first issue in his solo title. Again, Master of Kung Fu 17 is the third appearance of Shang-Chi (as opposed to the twelfth). published four months after his first appearance (as opposed to 17 months).
The Equivalent To #1
The fact that Master of Kung Fu 17 is the first appearance of Black Jack Tarr and that this character is reported to be in the upcoming movie may or may not matter. What makes this issue special is that it is the Bronze Age equivalent to Thor #126, Captain America #100, Hulk #102, and others, where Marvel saw so much potential in these characters that they converted the titles (from Journey Into Mystery, Tales of Suspense, Tales to Astonish, respectively) to their own while keeping the numbering sequence, effectively making the change in title their #1.
No one has cared about this issue up until recently. As everyone has been chasing Shang-Chi’s first appearance in Marvel Special Edition #15. His third appearance has gone under the radar. Personally, I expect this to change soon. So, take this opportunity to look for this book in high grade while you can. Happy hunting!
