Comics . Nayland Smith was first brought to newspaper comic strips in a black and white daily
comic strip Fu Manchu drawn by Leo O'Mealia (1884–1960) that ran from 1931 to 1933. In the early 1970s, writer
Steve Englehart and artist
Jim Starlin approached
DC Comics to adapt the television series
Kung Fu into a comic book, as DC's parent company,
Warner Communications, owned the rights to the series. DC Comics, however, was not interested in their pitch, believing the show's and the
martial arts genre popularity would phase out quickly. The duo then approached
Marvel Comics with the idea to create a
kung fu-focused original comic. Editor-in-chief
Roy Thomas agreed, but only if they would include the
Sax Rohmer's pulp villain
Dr. Fu Manchu, as Marvel had previously acquired the comic book rights to the character. Englehart and Starlin developed
Shang-Chi, a master of kung fu and a previously unknown son of
Dr. Fu Manchu. In
Master of Kung Fu #17 (
cover-dated April 1974),
Steve Englehart and
Jim Starlin adapted the character for the series. After Marvel's license with the Rohmer estate expired,
Master of Kung Fu was cancelled in 1983, Smith and Petrie have not appeared in any Marvel properties since the end of the Master of Kung Fu series in 1983. Sir Denis Nayland Smith and Petrie fought for forty years against Fu Manchu but were ageing. Then Fu Manchu ordered his son Shang-Chi, who believed his father was a noble man dedicated to world peace, to kill Petrie. Shang-Chi obeyed the order though he only killed a replicant. This led Shang-Chi to encounter Nayland Smith who told him the truth about his father. Petrie was found alive and together with Nayland Smith, Shang-Chi, Black Jack Tarr an ex soldier and Clive Reston, a smooth talker, the war continued. Sir Denis Nayland Smith is one of the few characters from the Marvel Universe to have appeared in an
Action Force story. Normally the two are treated as completely separate continuities. • Sir Denis Nayland Smith's appearance in "Meditations in Red" served to introduce Shang-Chi in preparation for a reprint of his adventures from
Master of Kung Fu volume 1 #29 to #31 in
Action Force issue #18 to issue #29. • Sir Denis Nayland Smith was one of a number of characters originally created for the
Fu Manchu series of novels by
Sax Rohmer. The comic rights to the novels were purchased by Marvel in the 1970s who combined them with their original character of Shang-Chi.
Films •
Fred Paul in
The Mystery of Dr Fu-Manchu (1923) and
The Further Mysteries of Dr Fu-Manchu (1924). •
O. P. Heggie in
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929) and
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930) •
Lewis Stone in
The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) • William Royle in
Drums of Fu Manchu (1940) •
Nigel Green in
The Face of Fu Manchu (1965) •
Douglas Wilmer in
The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966) and
The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967) •
Richard Greene in
The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968) and
The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969) •
Peter Sellers portrayed both Smith and Fu Manchu in
The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)
Television •
Cedric Hardwicke in
Fu Manchu: The Zayat Kiss (1952) •
Lester Matthews in
The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu (1956) television series
Radio •
Hanley Stafford in
The Shadow of Fu Manchu (1939–1940). • ==References==