Featuring: Sgt. Fury Release: December 8, 1966 Cover: February 1967 12 cents Herculean editing by Stan Lee Halcyon scripting by Roy Thomas Heroic plotting and drawing by Dick Ayers Heavenly inking by John Tartaglione Homogenized lettering by Artie Simek 20 pages
Berlin Breakout! Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: August 9, 1966 Cover: October 1966 12 cents Edited by Stan Lee Scripted by Roy Thomas Drawn by Dick Ayers Inked by John Tartaglione Lettered by Sam Rosen Picketed by Baron Strucker 20 pages
I am not a traitor to my homeland! I want to save it… to free it from the tyranny of a madman like Adolf Hitler!
The Howlers are in custody in Berlin, set to be executed. Nick Fury intends to rescue them, but he’ll need help.
Part of that help will come from Fury’s good friend, Bull McGiveney. As well as Corporal Rickets Johnson from the Maulers. We learned his name two issues back, but now we get to put a face to it.
The other person is Eric, a German we met in Sgt. Fury #27. He’d been an aide to Goering, but defected to join the Allies. We didn’t get his surname then, but we now learn his full name is Eric Koenig.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: July 7, 1966 Cover: September 1966 12 cents The peerless editing of Stan Lee The preciocious scripting of Roy Thomas The power-packed pencilling of Dick Ayers The pulse-pounding inking of John Tartaglione The pussycat lettering of Sam Rosen 20 pages
“I don’t like Hitler’s goose-steppers any more’n you do, but as long as he don’t attack America, it ain’t my war!” “It’s everybody’s war, Mister… I just hope they realize it before it’s too late!”
Recall last issue the Howlers were separated from Nick Fury during a mission in Greece. He is back in England now without them.
With nothing to do but wait for G-2 to bring back word on the fate of the Commandos, Captain Sawyer reflects on how he first met Nick Fury, and the group’s beginnings.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: June 9, 1966 Cover: August 1966 12 cents Stan Lee, editor Roy Thomas, writer Dick Ayers, artist John Tartaglione, inker Sam Rosen, letterer Irving Forbush, camp mascot 20 pages
My countrymen, the much-vaunted invincibility of our so-called Aryan conquerors is but a myth! They can be stopped… but only by a united front! Do not let petty jealousies divide you in this time of crisis!
Greece. You get the sense these stories are written by looking at a map of where the Howlers haven’t been yet.
We open with a fight between the Howlers and Maulers. A typical Tuesday.
Besides Sgt. McGiveney, we’ve not learned the names of any of the Maulers; we first met the group in issue 7. We now learn that one of them is named “Rickets” Johnson. It’s not clearly identified which one. Izzy claims he started the fight by slugging Rickets.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: May 10, 1966 Cover: July 1966 12 cents Exquisitely non-edited by: Stan Lee Ecstatically scripted by: Roy Thomas Excitedly drawn by: Dick Ayers Elatedly inked by: John Tartaglione Eventually lettered by: Sam Rosen 20 pages
“Now lissen, ya blasted goldbricks, and lissen good! This medic’s come all the way from the States to find out what makes us Howlers tick, an’ anybody that gives him trouble will answer to me! The doc’s here to see to it that none’a you jaw-flappin’ hyenas conks out on a mission! Like the sayin’ goes, a chain’s only as good as its weakest link!” “Ain’t that pretty, Reb?” “It sho’ nuff is, Gabe! Hey, Sarge… y’all think up that li’l ol’ speech by yoahself?” “Shuddup!”
Stan has something of a mixed reputation amongst fans today. One of the common complaints against him is that he took more credit than was due, that he accepted the credit and pay of a writer on works where his role was closer to that of an editor.
As he’s been handing off scripting duties to folks like Thomas and O’Neil, he’s stopped taking writing credit. But still gets his name first in the credits, now as an editor. (Interestingly, Roy Thomas is facing a bit of controversy lately for claiming to much creative credit from his later role as an editor.)
Amusingly, the credits admit Stan is now on vacation and wasn’t able to edit this particular book. So he claims credit for not editing the comic.
And still gets his name at the top of the credits!
We’d recently read a Daredevil comic from the same month where O’Neil had to finish the script because Stan took a vacation.
This actually may be the first comic we’ve come across that Stan Lee claims no credit for.
It’s possible this was Stan’s first vacation in five years.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes Release: April 12, 1966 Cover: June 1966 12 cents Written by: Roy Thomas Illustrated by: Dick Ayers Inked by: J. Tartaglione Lettered by: Sam Rosen 20 pages
I guess these big bad nazis plain scared me so much I couldn’t remember a thing!
This is an above-average Sgt. Fury story. It’s got a more intricate plot than usual with some clear stakes. Captain Sawyer gets a larger role, allowing his character to be fleshed out some. And it’s notable for introducing us finally to General Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander. I like that guy.
We saw in last issue’s text box that D-Day was approaching. We see the Howlers training underwater for that mission, dubbed Operation Overlord.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: March 10, 1966 Cover: May 1966 12 cents Energetic editing by: Stan Lee Rambunctious writing by: Roy Thomas Actionistic art by: Dick Ayers Dynamic delineation by: John Tartaglione Lethargic lettering by: Sam Rosen 20 pages
Awright you yardbirds… keep firin’! You want the Fascisti ta forget we’re here?
The Howlers parachute into Italy. This is momentous for Dino. We knew he was Italian-American, but we learn a couple new facts, including that he was born in Italy, but moved to America as a baby. We also learn he loves spaghetti.
Unusually, Sgt. Fury orders the Commandos to surrender, and they are taken to a prison camp. The Canadian Captain in charge has been planning a great escape. But Sgt. Fury has other plans.
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
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.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: January 11, 1966 Cover: March 1966 12 cents Story by: Stan Lee Art by: Dick Ayers Inking by: John Tartaglione Lettering by: Sam Rosen 20 pages
Without weapons, without organization, even without hope, the spirit of free Frenchmen cannot be snuffed out!
We come to Stan Lee’s final issue as writer on this title. It ends with a cliffhanger, though a rather exciting one.
We see some conflict between Hitler and Strucker. Baron Strucker is an aristocrat who hates Hitler, who thinks him a madman. But Strucker follows orders to crush the resistance in Cherbeaux, even if he must kill the entire town to do so.
Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: December 9, 1965 Cover: February 1966 12 cents Script: Stan Lee Art: Dick Ayers Delineation: John Tartaglione Lettering: S. Rosen 20 pages
The guys who give me orders have what it takes! They’re my kinda Joes! I’m proud to salute ’em… to fight with ’em… an’ to die with ’em if I haveta!
This issue promises the origins of Fury’s eypatch. The idea is that he has an eyepatch in his modern 1960s adventures as Colonel Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, but not in these 1940s adventures as Sgt. Fury of the Howling Commandos. We have seen him fighting in Korea in the 1950s, and he didn’t have an eyepatch then. And we have seen him team up with the Fantastic Four in the 1960s, before the founding of SHIELD. And he didn’t have an eyepatch then either. So presumably this issue will tell us he got it some time in the 1960s. It would seem silly to tell us it happened in the 1940s, so I imagine that’s not what they’re about to do.
