I do appreciate how philosophical Shang Chi is, actually. I don't think the movie marvel made captured the pain and beauty I've seen in some of Doug Moench's stuff. These stories feel more like they'd have made an excellent tv show. Something dramatic, something in the classic adventure style of a world traveller show. The book seems to just mostly be Shang Chi travelling the world trying to hunt down his father's many associates, all while being occasionally accompanied by an old british man and his gruff aide-de-camp. It probably would've made decent tv.
There is something very profound about the book always being narrated by Shang Chi himself. The character's personal thoughts are open to us at all times, and it's a great way to really just feel what he feels. I like it, and I can relate to the characters deep naivete and shock when he engages with the world. He grew up in his father's ancient mansion in china. He seems to know close to nothing of the world outside. And that charms me. Like how Iron Fist knew nothing outside K'un L'un. It makes for relatability and an ability for me to project onto these characters.
PS: Also, I know how I'd describe the difference between Shang Chi and Iron Fist. Iron Fist is a martial artist superhero, but Shang Chi is definitely not a superhero. He's just a nomadic man who's got no powers and only one real mission: to dismantle his father's global criminal empire. Shang Chi only has a few crossovers. I think the only other marvel characters he meets are Spider-Man, The Thing and Rom: Space Knight. Outside of them, Shang Chi stays in his martial arts niche. He might meet White Tiger or Iron Fist, but he doesn't engage with the costumes heroes often.
Iron Fist does. Iron Fist meets Iron Man and Captain America and The X-Men before he even gets his crossover with Luke Cage. They're both martial artists, but I think Danny Rand could be something like the gateway drug to the more clearly divorced from superheroes stuff of Shang Chi. Iron Fist blends superheroes and martial arts, but Shang Chi is all martial arts. Same niche, different purposes within the niche.