Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: November 10, 1966
Cover: January 1867
12 cents
Editing– Stan Lee
Script– Roy Thomas
Art– Dick Ayers
Inking– John Tartaglione
Lettering– Bob Agnew
Technical advisor this ish– Morrie (Super-samurai) Kuramoto
20 pages
| Previous | #642 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| PRELUDE | Tim Holt #11, Story B | |
| X-Men #28 | Reading order | Ghost Rider #1 |
| Sgt. Fury #37 | Sgt. Fury | Sgt. Fury #39 |
I think you fellas must have me confused with the rats that bombed Pearl Harbor! Personally, I’ve never been west of San Francisco!
Bob Agnew is a new name to us. 99% of the comics we’ve read have been lettered by Sam Rosen or Artie Simek. The lettering here is by Agnew, in what is as best as I can tell his only Marvel work. His stint in comics seems to have been brief.
Morrie Kuramoto is credited with technical advising, with no more clarity offered as to what that entails. Kuramoto is Japanese-American who served the US in WWII, and this comic will introduce a Japanese-American soldier. The credit calls him a super-samurai, so it’s also possible he advised on the martial arts on display in this issue.
We’ve seen Kuramoto’s work occasionally as a letterer, under the pen name Sherigail.
Morrie Kuramoto was associated with Marvel on and off going back to 1946. He just joined back as a regular member of the Bullpen, and would be with Marvel continually for the next two decades. Morrie passed away in 1985 at the age of 64.
While Marvel in the ’60s has been doing a better job with its portrayal of Black people than it had in the previous decades, it’s still mostly been focused on pretty stereotypical or negative portrayals of Asian people. They started to turn that trend around with SHIELD agent Kuro Chin in a recent Captain America story.
We see another step in the right direction with Jim Morita, a Japanese-American soldier here to join an entirely Japanese unit.
He faces some initial prejudice from ignorant soldiers, but shows them he is an individual and not one of their stereotypes when he overcomes them with martial arts skills.
Dino Manelli has been in America after being injured. We now learn he needs an operation that can only be performed by Dr. Warren Parker, currently a prisoner of the Germans.
So of course it’s an unauthorized mission for the Commandos to save the doctor.
Jim Morita joins them on the mission and proves his worth.
We get some pretty good aerial action. Koenig is in an unarmed plane against a German fighter plane. He saves himself with cool maneuvers, and then needs to use his pistol to take out the enemy pilot.
We will see Dr. Warren Parker again next issue. Will that issue answer the question that’s on my mind? Is there any relation between Warren Parker and Peter Parker? A grandfather? A distant relative?
Jim Morita was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: The First Avenger, played by Kenneth Choi, an actor of Korean descent.
Choi would also portray Morita’s grandson, a high-school principal, in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Here’s the latest bulletin. They speak of a Comics Fan Convention in Manhattan where Jack Kirby was the guest of honor.
Tell It To Fury.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 53/100
Significance: ★★★★☆
Characters:
- Sgt. Nick Fury
- Percy Pinkerton
- Izzy Cohen
- Dum Dum Dugan
- Eric Koenig
- Rebel Ralston
- Gabe Jones
- Wild-Man Wilson
- Jim Morita
- Happy Sam Sawyer
- Dr. Warren Parker
Story notes:
- Fury received a letter from Dino, who remains in America recuperating from injuries.
- Percy receives a letter from his sister, Dugan from his mother-in-law, Reb from his “pappy”. Eric is sad he has no letter.
- Wild-Man Wilson and another soldier picking on new Japanese American recruit, Jim Morita.
- Dino needs an operation, and only Dr. Warren Parker can perform it. But he’d been caught in the blitzkrieg of Denmark, and is being held prisoner on the island of Danton, in the Baltic Sea. (I don’t think Danton is a real island)
- Dino making training films for the army.
- Happy Sam denies official permission to rescue the doctor for Dino, but unofficially suggests they steal a plane.
- Eric wonders if there will still be a place for him if Dino returns.
- Jim Morita stows away on the mission; he’s the first of his own company to arrive.
- Morita feels accepted by Fury’s bellowing.
- Koenig dodges a Nazi scout plane; he can’t fire at it because he’s unarmed. Koenig needs to get close enough to use his pistol.
- Cohen spots a doctor helping a hurt child, and figures that’s their target.
- Prisoners help Commandos and Dr. Warren escape. Koenig flies them back to base.
- Morita will be on an all Japanese-American attack squad.
- Wild-Man Wilson now respects Morita and apologizes.
| Previous | #642 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| PRELUDE | Tim Holt #11, Story B | |
| X-Men #28 | Reading order | Ghost Rider #1 |
| Sgt. Fury #37 | Sgt. Fury | Sgt. Fury #39 |
