Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: August 10, 1965
Cover: November 1965
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee, sultan of script!
Laid out by: Jack Kirby, master of melodrama!
Drawn by: Johnny Severin, archduke of art!
Lettered by: S. Rosen, prince of penmanship!
12 pages
| Previous | #421 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #137, Story B | Reading order | Strange Tales #138, Story B |
| Strange Tales #137, Story B | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #138, Story B |
And knock off that “Colonel” jazz, Mister! I keep thinkin’ ya mean someone else!
Nick Fury gets the cover again, even though the Dr. Strange story is one of the single greatest issues of all time.
Last issue, we watched three SHIELD agents sacrifice their lives in an attempt to find Hydra’s Betatron Bomb. Nick reflects on that as he realizes they are just moments too late to prevent the launch. And Hydra can now hold the world hostage.
Even Hydra has an org chart in every presentation.
Tony Stark has a secret invention which can help, but before he shows it to Fury, Hydra attacks the Stark plant. Tony is able to save himself, but not Fury, who is captured by Hydra.
Hydra has some vehicles all right.
We again check in with Leslie Farrington, perhaps the leader of Hydra. Thought bubbles after a blackout imply Farrington is the Hydra leader, though silhouettes make it uncertain. It must be somebody in that room!
Tony Stark’s appearance presumably takes place before he battles Titanium Man, but this story is also likely after Hydra’s appearance in Avengers #19, which means these stories must be all basically simultaneous. This is all occurring in the middle of the Avengers’ troubles with the Swordsman from Avengers #19-20.
Rating: ★★★½, 61/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in a reprint in Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #16 (1970).
The issue reprints the Nick Fury stories from #136-138. Not sure how common a problem this is, but my copy has a printing error that swaps out the last 3 pages from 137 with 138. All the pages are accounted for, just not where you’d expect to find them.
Characters:
- Colonel Nick Fury
- Gabe Jones
- Imperial Hydra/Brown
- Agent G
- Fox Divisonal Leader
- Tony Stark
- Dum Dum Dugan
- Tiger Leader 7
- Leslie Farrington
- Vincent Vandergill
- Wilson
- Hodges
Story notes:
- Fury was seconds too late in finding bomb, but destroyed the launch site after launch.
- Fury reflects on the agents who died last issue, upset he was still too late to stop the launch.
- Hydra division all named for animals. See chart below.
- Stark designed SHIELD HQ.
- If Betatron Bomb is destroyed in orbit, the fallout will affect millions on Earth.
- Hydra attacks Section R-34 of Stark’s plant. They capture Fury but can’t get past Stark’s defenses.
- Stark knew Rhino referred to the Heavy Weapons section.
- Farrington CEO of Imperial Industries International; Vandergill, Wilson, Hodges on Board.
- Blackout in meeting signal Fury has been captured.
- Fox Division presents Hydra’s demands to Washington
| Division | Name |
|---|---|
| Diplomacy | Fox |
| Naval Action | Sea Dragon |
| Administration | Mole |
| Reconnaissance | Leopard |
| Heavy Weapons | Rhino |
| Air Action | Falcon |
| Supply | Camel |
| Engineers | Beaver |
| Assassins | Tiger |
| Planning Staff | Owl |
| Previous | #421 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #137, Story B | Reading order | Strange Tales #138, Story B |
| Strange Tales #137, Story B | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #138, Story B |
