As for your question about what we like in Gulacy's career, in my opinion his best work is Shang-Chi Master of Kung-Fu. And, especially, the Mordillo saga. The leading reason for these choice is the wide range of different styles you can find in this story that i've never found in other comics. Gulacy manages to make it possible a coherent mixture of different styles: realism (not only characters based on real actors like Shang-Chi / Bruce Lee or Clive Reston / Sean Connery, but also realistic enviroments: London's bridge and streets in the first part of the story), humorous and childish style (Brynocki, the 'happy train', Mordillo's Island... they all seem to come fron a Disney film!), erotism (the panels where Leiko is introduced... having a bath, Pavane's poses while she is
talking to Mordillo...), science fiction (the James Bond-like enviroment, that kind of flying weapon like a satellite...), horror (Mordillo's dungeons, his own frightful death)... I think the last panel sums it up perfectly: Brinocky hugging Mordillo's skeleton makes you feel mixed feelings (sorrow, tenderness and even black humour and irony).
At first sight, this variety of styles seems rather absurd, but when you read the issues you notice only an homogeneous and perfectly coherent storyline. ( I think this is also ought to Doug Moench's glittering script).
Apart from that, I like the Shang-Chi issues because they remind me a lot of Steranko's work in Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD and in Strange Tales. You can notice some of the Shang-Chi's features in these comics ( for instance, the use of 'real actors' -Peter Cushing- and the mixture of styles -horror, spy and war tales- in the Ravenlock's hound story. It's my favorite story by Steranko. Have you ever read it?) However., gulacy develops these features further, adding new tricks ( different perspectives, 'travelling' effects...). Finally, all this brings a series of comics as vanguardist as Eisenstein or Welles's films.
Oh, and in addition to that I like the character. I've read other Marvel comics featuring Shang-Chi. Did you notice the homage that the Spanish penciler Carlos Pacheco did to Gulacy in some of his X-Men issues?
And to you, behind your screen, if you want to share your thoughts about Paul's work, just send me a mail!
