Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: May 10, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Layouts: Jack Kirby
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Mickey Demeo
Lettering: Sam Rosen
Weapons: Forbush Novelty Co.
12 pages
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|---|---|---|
| Tales to Astonish #83, Story B | Reading order | Strange Tales #147, Story B |
| Strange Tales #146, Story B | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #147, Story B |
…we of AIM feel we simply cannot deal with such an unlettered oaf! We find his very appearance offensive! The idea of America’s highest-priority counter-espionage leader going around in his shirtsleeves… unshaven, unkempt, and making a mockery of your own language– shocking!
Shadowy organizations. These secret power-hungry cabals. Hydra had been the big one, but they fell to SHIELD in Strange Tales #141. The Secret Empire seemed to collapse from within in Tales to Astonish #83. An unnamed shadowy cabal was behind Batroc in Tales of Suspense #75. Not sure if they are connected to one of these others, or their own thing.
Most relevant is the organization called Them. We learned they had employed the Fixer in Strange Tales #145. In Tales of Suspense #78, Fury warns Captain America that Them is a group of scientists looking to overthrow the government. We see they have beekeeper-like uniforms and work for someone called the Imperator. They send a Chemical Android after Captain America.
AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is a defense contractor looking to supply the US government weapons to make up for the shutdown of Stark Industries. Count Bornag Royale is their representative, and has claimed SHIELD needs someone more sophisticated than Nick Fury at its helm.
AIM and Them seem to be the same organization, with AIM the public-facing front. In Tales of Suspense #79, we see Them/AIM is responsible for the return of the Red Skull and the creation of the Cosmic Cube. Fortunately, Captain America dealt with both threats. Seemingly for good.
We open with Fury returning from having led a successful mission against a swamp headquarters for Them.
After Count Royale’s warnings, Fury’s demeanor is starting to offend and concern the Generals. Colonel Fury is too “unkempt”.
The thorough security proceedings detect a piece of shrapnel in a General’s head. The shrapnel is from the Battle of Anzio, 1944. We met someone else who’d fought at that same battle in the aforementioned Tales of Suspense #79.
Of course Fury takes his coffee black.
I’d been ready to believe that AIM and Them were just different names for the same organization, but actually Royale claims that AIM Is a branch of Them. I was close.
AIM/Them assaults the barbershop that serves as a front for a SHIELD base. Col. Fury leads the defense. It’s against regulations for so high-ranking an officer to lead a battle directly. We can guess how Fury feels about those regulations.
We’ve seen this barbershop twice before, in Strange Tales #136 and Strange Tales #144. We’ve seen these same three staff members before, a black man who shines shoes known as “Slim”, as well as a mustached barber, and a female manicurist, both still unnamed.
The woman has no patience for Dugan’s workplace sexual harassment.
It’s possible she has a crush on Jasper, but he’s too oblivious to notice.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 55/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
Characters:
- Colonel Nick Fury
- Jasper Sitwell
- Dum Dum Dugan
- Count Bornag Royale
- Slim
- Barbershop female agent
- Barbershop barber
Story notes:
- Fury has finished wiping out Them factory in swamp and is returning to regional HQ.
- Dugan notes Fury isn’t big on paperwork.
- By order of Congress, director of SHIELD is autonomous. So even a Colonel doesn’t need to answer to the Generals.
- Fury gives ten-day furlough to men from mission.
- Generals had come from Pentagon for in-person report, but Fury turns them down.
- Sitwell notes Fury may be offending the General Staff.
- Count Royale is representative of AIM, presenting plan for bomb-proofing cities aboard SHIELD hellicarrier.
- Royale claims generator placed under a city would make it invulnerable to air attack.
- Royale claims his demonstration aboard Helicarrier is blocked because the triggering device was confiscated under Fury’s orders.
- Them has been using androids to attack, so SHIELD needs to ensure no artificial men enter.
- Security on Fury ordered by White House; Fury is the object of more assassination attempts than any living man.
- General’s job to coordinate between SHIELD and other agencies, and some refuse to cooperate with SHIELD because of Fury.
- Learning AIM wants him removed helps Fury tie pieces together.
- AIM is a branch of Them.
- AIM attacks New York City command post at barber shop.
- AIM secretly planted miniature detectoscope on captured SHIELD agent, who unwittingly led them to barber shop.
- General insists Fury can’t jeopardize own safety on mission. Sitwell notes it’s against the manual.
- Fury, Dugan, Sitwell use wind jets to get to top of barbershop and attack AIM.
- AIM Agent claims to support Them.
- Fury’s shiny steel mesh suit protects him.
- Dugan has steel skull cap under hat.
- Fury takes them out with hidden stun grenade.
- Idea of trap was for Fury to lead raid despite regulations, so that he’d be censured.
| Previous | #576 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Tales to Astonish #83, Story B | Reading order | Strange Tales #147, Story B |
| Strange Tales #146, Story B | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #147, Story B |
