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His story:
Young Fool was created in early 1973 as part of a series of cartoons drawn in a notebook featuring the neighborhood kids in Passaic, New Jersey. He was originally called Kung Fool and his signature move was breaking boards with his tail. His story is based in China in the mid 1800's at the onset of the Boxer Rebellion.
The Plot Thickens!
Young Fool's actual name is Yung Fu. He was born as the only child of an aged couple during turbulent times. As he was born, the doctor that delivered him noticed an unusual mark under his left foot, believed to be the mark of the Fool. According to an ancient prophecy, the bearer of such a mark would end the regime of the evil Ming Emperor and usher in an era of lasting peace and prosperity. Shortly after Yung Fu's birth, the ambitious doctor, hoping to gain favor with the Ming court, informed the magistrate of the village, and chaos began to ensue. Word eventually reached the Ming court about the possibility that this child could be the fool of the prophecy.
The Ming Emperor dispatches his elite forces to the tiny village to capture the insolent child, but Yung Fu was nowhere to be found! Days earlier, Tan Pei, the mother of Yung Fu had been warned in a dream that the child would be in great danger. Yung Fu was secretly whisked away by night beyond the impenetrable forest to the humble abode of an old Kung Fu master. After searching in vain for the child, the Ming troops slowly tortured all of the villagers to death and burned the village to the ground. This sets the stage for the type of life that Yung Fu will live.
The old Master Wong is an expert of the Monkey's Fist and he develops a powerful technique which came to be known as the Drunken Monkey style, as Master Wong drinks much wine to forget the treachery and betrayal of a former pupil that became a henchman of the evil Ming Emperor. Young Fool is sure to inspire many young readers as he overcomes many of the obstacles and challenges in his life. Master Wong's teaching methods may appear to be severe and cruel, but this is what will mold Yung Fu into the hero that he will become
The actual comic will be drawn in black and white and midtones. There will be no colorized versions until after Yung Fu meets with Sami Shrew, a renegade Samurai that wanders the countryside, seeking revenge for the atrocities committed by his fellow Samurai in Japan.
The taming of the shrew!
The backstory:
As once said by Master Yoda of Star Wars fame, "fear breeds anger and anger breeds hatred and hatred bring suffering". Sami Shrew is a tormented soul, filled with bitterness and hatred. He was once a notable Samurai, loyal to the Shogunate, but unbeknownst to him was a plot to erase him and everything that pertained to him, including his family. His fellow Samurai, filled with greed and an insatiable hunger for riches and power forged a plot against the Shogunate, but Sami was a loyal Samurai that could not be swayed easily; thus sealing his fate. One dreadful night, the conspirators crept into Sami's compound unawares and mercilessly did away with everyone within, then burned everything to ashes. Fortunately, Sami had gone to fetch medicine for his sick mother but upon his return home, he stumbled upon the burnt headless corpses of his beloved family, sparking a bloody vendetta fueled by rage.
Sami Shrew became a Ronin, a samurai without a master, constantly hunted down and pursued, he knew that he must leave Japan. Donning the garb of a peasant, Sami managed to secure passage aboard a Chinese Junk, transporting goods to mainland China. Although he would still be pursued, his chances of survival were better in China than in Japan. So how did he meet up with Yung Fu? That's a story for another time!
