Sgt. Fury #41

Blitzkrieg in Britain!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: February 2, 1967
Cover: April 1967
Stan Lee proudly presents..
A Roy Thomas-Dick Ayers movie-length masterwork!
Inking: John Tartaglione
Lettering: Sam Rosen
Technical advisor: PFC. Irving Forbush (retired)
20 pages

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Sgt. Fury #40Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #42

“I know it don’t help much for me to say this, Dino… but, we’re gonna pay ‘im back! For Nina– For Pam– An’ Junior Juniper… for all of ’em!” (An’ mebbe, when that day comes, Nick Fury’ll finally know what it feels like to be at peace… with the world, and with himself!)

My copy seems to have some extra artwork.

There’s a phrasing in the credits which will be important, and I think it’s the first time we’ve seen it. “Stan Lee proudly presents..”

When I started reading comics in the eighties, every Marvel comic featured the phrase “Stan Lee presents”, though Stan’s role in production by that point was purely symbolic. As Stan has gone from writing everything to letting Roy Thomas write several titles, he’s still made sure his name goes on top of the credits, usually with an “editor” credit.

But here, it’s “Stan Lee… presents”, a phrase we will see again. And again.

Also of note, the comic is described as “movie-length”. It’s 20 pages. That’s not movie-length. Maybe the length of a movie from the 19th century. That said, I think the phrase is really a nod to this issue’s plot.

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Sgt. Fury #14

The Blitzkrieg Squad of Baron Strucker!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: November 10, 1964
Cover: January 1965
12 cents
Written with the explosive power of a live grenade by: Ex-Sgt. Stan Lee
Drawn with the savage impact of a block-buster by: Ex-Corp. Dick Ayers
Inked with the smashing force of a Sherman tank by: Geo. Bell
Lettered with a brand new bottle of India ink by: Artie Simek
20 pages

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We’ve met Baron Strucker twice before. Fury’s only recurring foe at this point. But now he’s got his own team of commandos backing him up, the Blitzkrieg Squad.

The idea of the Blitzkrieg Squad is that each is specifically chosen to be a match for a commando. The brawler matches Dugan; the charmer, Manelli; the musician, Gabe; the mechanic, Izzy; the horseman, Reb; the aristrocrat, Percy.

I was a bit confused by the word “Junker” in the context and had to look it up. It refers to a Prussian noble, not somebody who trades in scraps.

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