Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: February 10, 1966
Cover: April 1966
12 cents
Explosive editing by: Stan Lee
Seething script by: Roy Thomas
Pulsating pencils by: Dick Ayers
Invigorating inking by: John Tartaglione
Lacksadaisal lettering by Sam Rosen
20 pages
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| Sgt. Fury #28 | Reading order | Daredevil #15 |
| Sgt. Fury #28 | Sgt. Fury | Sgt. Fury #30 |
Armageddon… that the day when good and evil are supposed ta lock horns for the last time… with the good guys comin’ out on top! ‘Course, I know we went through that ‘war to end war’ jazz before! Still, a guy can’t help hopin’–! Yeah, every once in a while, I get ta thinkin’… mebbe this one will be the last war! Mebbe—
We met Roy Thomas in his first Marvel story featuring Millie the Model. He’s since done other work for Millie and for Kid Colt Outlaw. He has a couple other credits out there because he’d submitted some story ideas to other companies before landing the Marvel gig, and they’re now seeing print. We saw him a second time on a confusingly credited issue of Iron Man that seemed like they’d recruited everybody around.
This will be his first ongoing series. He’ll script the next 12 issues of Sgt. Fury. And the first time any of these Marvel titles have seen Stan Lee take a break of longer than a couple issues. Stan Lee has penned his last Sgt. Fury script. Without much fanfare.
Of course, Stan Lee still gets his name first in the credits. He is indeed the editor for this and all the titles.
It’s worth noting that right away Thomas will start referencing the continuity of earlier issues.
Thomas picks up where Lee left off with a tense face-off between Fury and his archnemesis, Baron Strucker. Strucker has a switch which will blow up the entire city; Fury a trigger to blow the building they are both in.
Except Fury is bluffing. His explosives aren’t wired yet.
They reach a compromise. Baron Strucker allows the citizens one hour to evacuate.
“Tyrants such as Hitler can conquer cities… but never spirits!”
The issue is titled “Armageddon” and it fittingly meets that title, as Strucker and Fury engage in combat amidst an exploding city.
Fury assumes Strucker is dead in the rubble, but he survived. However, Hitler is furious that he allowed the town to evacuate. And Strucker is disgraced, now hunted by both the Allies and the Nazis.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 53/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in Sgt. Fury Annual 7 (1971).
There has been some relettering and re-inking. Fury appears to look more clean-faced in the reprint.
This reprint leaves out the following page in which Hitler hits Goebbels with a copy of Mein Kampf.
“Hush, Child! This is no time to think of death– but of life, and hope–!”
Characters:
- Strucker
- Sgt. Nick Fury
- Dino Manelli
- Dum Dum Dugan
- Izzy Cohen
- Gabe Jones
- Percy Pinkerton
- Rebel Ralston
- The Skipper
- Captain Sam Sawyer
- Goebbels
- Adolf Hilter
Story notes:
- Strucker agrees to evacuate the city, and then fight the Commandos. This suits his goals. The people have one hour.
- German soldiers flee town before destruction.
- Izzy hit by rubble and falls.
- Strucker’s second in command betrays him, after Strucker sacrificed his own troops to kill the Howlers.
- Fury saves Strucker as he falls out a window.
- Building collapses. Fury survives. Does Strucker? Fury finds his boot and assumes him dead, incorrectly.
- Strucker is disgraced and can never return home, but will seek revenge on Fury.
- Fury reflects on the air raid that killed Pam.
- The Skipper takes the Commandos home.
- Goebbels brings Hitler the news that Strucker leveled the town but let the citizenry escape. Hitler declares Strucker an Enemy of the Reich and that he should be assassinated.
| Previous | #473 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Sgt. Fury #28 | Reading order | Daredevil #15 |
| Sgt. Fury #28 | Sgt. Fury | Sgt. Fury #30 |
