Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: September 8, 1966
Cover: November 1966
12 cents
Block-buster editing by Stan Lee
Bullet-scarred script by Roy Thomas
Battle-ready art by Dick Ayers
Bomb-happy inking by John Tartaglione
Ballpoint-pen lettering by Sam Rosen
20 pages
| Previous | #631 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Atom #83, Story B | INTERLUDE | |
| Daredevil #23 | Reading order | Fantastic Four #57 |
| Sgt. Fury #35 | Sgt. Fury | Sgt. Fury #37 |
A traitor? Nein, I think not! If there be any traitor to the Fatherland, it is rather those who would lead it to the brink of disaster for the sake of their own personal glory!
The stories from this title had fallen into a pattern. The premise was always location-based. The Howlers had some mission in a new location. They completed it and went home.
Since taking over, Thomas has been trying to tell actual stories and have character arcs.
This issue is location-based. The Howlers go to the neutral territory of Switzerland, breaking any number of laws and treaties.
But there’s a premise and a larger character arc as well.
We met Eric in Sgt. Fury #27, when he defected from the Germans and came to Britain. But last issue it was decided Eric (whose last name we learned was Koenig) should join the Howlers, since Manelli was injured and recovering back in the States. This is his first mission with the Howlers.
So Thomas writes about a couple things pertaining to that, ideas that are more than “the Howlers have a mission and succeed”. The first is that he’s eager to prove himself, sometimes too eager and to everyone’s detriment.
I must prove myself… show the Commandos I am as good as any of them! I must! For, only thus will I ever be certain that they look on me as a man… not as an ex-Nazi!
The second is that his first mission against the Germans coincidentally pits him against his childhood friend.
“Turtles don’t win no crummy wars!” — Sgt. Nick Fury.
I’ll note a cute moment. Sgt. Fury gets a ride from a soldier in a truck. We don’t quite see the soldier, but we see his reflections on Fury. He notes how rough Fury is, but that Fury may someday be the type of officer he’d be proud to have his son serve under. The soldier’s name is Jason Sitwell. Could he be the father of Jasper Sitwell, who servers under Colonel Fury of SHIELD?
These Sgt. Fury stories seem a little tangential to our reading, being set two decades earlier. So I appreciate all the moments that connect them to the modern Marvel Universe. Justifies why we’re reading them.
Happy Sam Sawyer notes they’ve had assignments to almost every nation in Europe.
Hmm, we’ve seen them fight in: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, UK, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Greece.
And I think we hit Belgium at some point. But there are plenty of European nations left. Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Bulgaria…
Eric and Wilhelm were friends in the Nazi Youth Group. But Eric eventually turned against Nazism, while Wilhelm went deeper and deeper. For example, Wilhelm thinks Hitler is the greatest military mind of all time. He’d probably believe the same about Donald Trump.
Will Koenig have to kill his best friend on his first mission for the Commandos?
If Wilhelm but knew the irony of his words… knew how much I would like to stay here… in a peaceful land untouched by the ravages of battle! But, that peace I must deny myself… while the plague called Nazism stalks a war-torn planet!
We get some solid action fighting on a moving train.
When it comes down to it, Eric cannot kill his friend. But Wilhelm has no such qualms.
Unfortunately for Wilhelm, the mountain definitely has no qualms about killing people standing atop a moving train.
I will note this issue gives us a clue about the date. Fury notes Italy is on the ropes and ready to surrender. That puts this story prior to September 1943. The entire series has been set in 1943, and I might have guessed we’d already moved onto 1944.
Indeed, Sgt. Fury #31–also written by Thomas, who I tend to think of as a stickler for such things–implied we were getting very close to D-Day. So I’m having a bit of trouble reconciling these things.
Let’s take a peek at this month’s Bullpen Bulletin.
We learn Gene Colan is now the official artist on Daredevil. He’s done the last three, but he was originally announced as filling in for Romita. But Romita isn’t coming back, so he can focus his energy on Spider-Man.
Stan mentions some behind-the-scenes folks, including names we haven’t seen yet, focused as we are on the writers and artists: Martin Goodman, publisher; Johnny Hayes, circulation manager; Chip Goodman, merchandising; Arthur Jeffrey, Merry Marvel Marching Society lead; Nancy Murphy, subscription manager; Doris Siegler, payroll.
The bulletin mentions something we’d noted, that they seemed to be setting up a Hulk/Namor meeting in Tales to Astonish, but instead had them sit in the same cinema without even noticing each other. Perhaps that Namor/Hulk battle will come.
Tell It To Fury.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 54/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
Characters:
- Eric Koenig
- Izzy Cohen
- Rebel Ralston
- Percy Pinkerton
- Dum-Dum Dugan
- Gabe Jones
- Sgt. Nick Fury
- Jason Sitwell
- Happy Sam Sawyer
- Colonel Ludwig Von Baum
- Kapitan Wilhelm Hauser/Colonel Hauser
- Leutnant Strasser
Minor characters:
- Renardo
Story notes:
- Eric Koenig being trained as a Howler on an infiltration course on the British base.
- Eric had failed to pay attention to the maps and is unknowingly headed to a mine field. Reb lassos Eric to save his life.
- Jason Sitwell may be father of Jasper Sitwell.
- Commandos to be sent to Switzerland, despite its neutrality.
- Hitler sending Colonel Ludwig Von Baum–a top Nazi strategist– to Italy, passing through Switzlerland on train.
- Von Baum not flying because he is scared of airplanes.
- Fury notes Italy is on the ropes and ready to surrender.
- Officially, Von Baum’s train is listed as a medical supply train, to be allowed to transit Switzerland.
- Commandos to pose as neutral medical inspectors under Geneva Convention. None of the Howlers know anything about medicine, which may make the cover hard.
- Plain-clothed guard for Von Baum led by Kapitan Wilhelm Hauser of the SS.
- Koenig knows Hauser. Wilhelm and Eric were close friends, idealistic youths in the Nazi Youth Group. They cheered Hitler making Germany a world power, and joined the Nazi Wehrmacht. The invasion of Poland soured Eric on Hitler, while Hauser remained loyal to the cause.
- Hauser later acquired a reputation for brutality.
- Howlers take a neutral DC-3, with an emblem of a white cross on a field of red.
- Koenig has taken Manelli’s place as linguist; he speaks French, Italian, and German… all the languages of Switzlerland.
- Swiss police officer notes Koenig speaks German with a Prussian accent.
- A Swiss Allied sympathizer takes the Howlers part of the way. Then they move to cable car.
- Renardo the cable car operator notes Howlers speak English and contacts Lupe. Renardo seems to know they are Commandos.
- Pinky rides umbrella–sorry, bumbershoot– down cable to deal with Renardo.
- Howlers arrive at village on Swiss border.
- Howlers thought Hauser was a Captain, but Von Baum refers to him as a Colonel. Usually, he is referred to as a Kapitan.
- Eric takes out undercover Nazi and Howlers sneak aboard train.
- Eric tries to put dirt on his face to disguise himself from Wilhelm.
- Von Baum burning military plans to keep them from Commandos.
- Von Baum arrested by Swiss police.
- Commandos steal Italian plane.
- Top Brass approves Eric being a permanent Commando.
- Fury knew about Eric’s friendship with Wilhelm and suspected Eric chose not to kill him, but respected the choice as a man.
| Previous | #631 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Atom #83, Story B | INTERLUDE | |
| Daredevil #23 | Reading order | Fantastic Four #57 |
| Sgt. Fury #35 | Sgt. Fury | Sgt. Fury #37 |
