YELLOW CLAW #1 (1956)
by Al Feldstein & Joe Maneely
I thought that Red Skull would be the only Marvel character in the villain origins until we hit the Silver Age… but that’s only true for major villains.
Much like Red Skull, the Yellow Claw actually predates Marvel since his first appearance was published under its predecessor Atlas Comics.
The short-lived series (just 4 issues) is launched by Al Feldstein, perhaps most notable for replacing Harvey Kurtzman as editor of Mad Magazine, where he would stay for 28 years.
And it’s, uhm, it’s definitely 50s anti-communist and “yellow peril” propaganda all around.
The Chinese authorities are trying to reach Yellow Claw to get him to help their plans of taking over the world. Turns out he’s immortal, because he wasn’t ripping off Fu Manchu enough.
If you’re familiar with the look Yellow Claw will get once he transitions to Marvel… this is a far more stereotypical portrayal.
Also he has mind control powers.
Interestingly for the times, however, Yellow Claw is not a communist.
Also he blackmails nazis. Weird to see Auschwitz namedropped in a 1956 comic!
There’s no denying that there are racist undertones in Yellow Claw, but it’s somewhat mitigated by the fact that the hero of the series is actually Jimmy Woo, Chinese-American FBI agent who is constantly shown to be incredibly competent (and in fact will later join S.H.I.E.L.D).
And it’s already the end, because this was just an introduction to Yellow Claw.
I’m not going to review the entire second story, but I’ll just highlight that despite the way Asian people are drawn… everyone speaks normally and not with silly accents.
That is WAY more than I expected from 1956.
Also, Yellow Claw’s niece Suwan sometimes works for him and sometimes against him, because she has a will-they-or-won’t-they relationship with Jimmy Woo.
Historical significance: 4/10
Yellow Claw is not exactly a big name.
Silver Age-ness: 6/10
There’s some silliness in the fact that this centuries old Chinese science wizard ends up hiding behind a curio shop in San Francisco. No seriously, that’s where he ends up!!!
Does it stand the test of time? 6/10
Surprisingly enough, it’s fine. Nothing spectacular and not anywhere near as much racism as I was expecting. It’s a rather competent little story, but it’s PACKED… those panels are almost claustrophobic!
How close is this to the modern character? 7/10
This seriously depends on the version. Despite debuting in his own series, the most famous Yellow Claw appearance BY FAR is in the legendary Jim Steranko run of Nick Fury.
That’s the over-the-top Yellow Claw I prefer… he’s the one you get when you want a Fu Manchu equivalent and the Mandarin is too serious for your tastes.
He also shows up in Captain America and resurrects a princess from Ancient Egypt into Suwan’s body before turning her into a mummy (she got better).
That version is almost unrecognizable from the original Yellow Claw, and it would’ve been a 4/10 score at most… if it wasn’t for the 2007 series “Agents of Atlas”, which basically restores the original.
That excellent story turned Yellow Claw back into a legitimate menace… and revealing that he had been grooming Jimmy Woo into becoming the leader of his organization.
The series ended with Yellow Claw’s death and Woo using his resources to create the Agents of Atlas, turning it into a force for good. I highly recommend the series, even if it has a few continuity issues.
Will Yellow Claw ever return? Well… we already have the Mandarin and a few other Fu Manchu substitutes that are less problematic, so I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Jimmy Woo is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe though, from Ant-Man to Wandavision, so who knows?
