The Hands of the Dragon

It's not often I come across an Atlas comic in a back-issue bin, but I always buy them when I do. Atlas was a very short-lived company that published comics in 1975. The line was edited by Stan Lee's brother Larry Lieber, and launched with something like 12 or 13 titles, far too many for a brand new comics company. Suffice it to say, the whole venture went under after a few months and none of the titles made it past issue # 5 or so.

Near the end, Atlas launched a new series called The Hands of the Dragon. Martial-arts characters were popular in the 70s (Iron Fist, Shang-Chi, etc.), and this title was very much in that vein. "From the Holocaust of an Atomic Explosion Comes the Toughest Kung Fu Fighter of Them All!"

Two orphaned brothers are raised in a remote temple and taught larger than life Kung Fu--as these things tend to go, one of the brothers grows up a heroic type ("The Dragon") and the other grows up to be a villainous fellow ("The Cobra"). The Cobra joins up with a super-bad guy by the name of Dr. Nhu in a plot to assassinate Japan's Prime Minister (why? I'm not sure). Dr. Nhu likes to spout classic villainous dialogue, like this choice bit "Fool--you cannot stop my crusade of evil! You will share the Prime Minister's Fate . . . Both of you will DIE!"

In this first issue, Dr. Nhu succeeds in gunning down the PM, but he didn't count on The Dragon owning a mystic doo-dad amulet that can apparently heal people. Although Dr. Nhu and The Cobra escape, the introspective Dragon ponders his future as the issue ends "Where will they strike again? What evil plans are they now putting into action? I must find and stop them!"

Although the next issue box promises us "Dragonkill!", Atlas went under before they could deliver and (as far as I know), the Dragon, Dr. Nhu, and the Cobra faded into obscurity.