Sgt. Fury #32

A Traitor in Our Midsts!

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

Previous#535Next
Amazing Spider-Man #40Reading orderThor #131
Sgt. Fury #31Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #33

“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.

Continue reading “Sgt. Fury #32”

Sgt. Fury #31

Into the Jaws of… Death!

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

Previous#527Next
X-Men #21Reading orderX-Men #22
Sgt. Fury #30Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #32

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.

Continue reading “Sgt. Fury #31”

Sgt. Fury #30

Incident in Italy!

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

Previous#524Next
Avengers #31Reading orderX-Men #20
Sgt. Fury #29Sgt. Fury Sgt. Fury #31

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.

Continue reading “Sgt. Fury #30”

Strange Tales #143

To Free a Brain Slave

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: January 11, 1966
Cover: April 1966
12 cents
Story: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby
with an assist by: Howard Purcell
Inking: M. Demeo
Lettering: A. Simek
12 pages

Previous#480Next
Strange Tales #142, Story BReading orderStrange Tales #143, Story B
Strange Tales #142, Story BStrange TalesStrange Tales #143, Story B

Howard Purcell is a new name to us, but he’s been in the business since 1940, mostly doing work for the companies that would become DC. He’s not going to be a regular Marvel artist. It’s not even clear what he did this issue. Some form of finishing Kirby’s pencil art before handing it off to Mike Esposito to finish in ink.

Here’s a sampling of his work for DC.

  • Adventure Comics #53, featuring Mark Lansing of Mikishawm, 1940
  • World’s Finest Comics #2, feat. Lando Man of Magic, 1941
  • All American Comics #25, 1941
  • All American Comics #26, feat. Sargon the Sorcerer, 1941
  • Sensation Comics #1, feat. The Gay Ghost, 1942
  • Comic Cavalcade #15, feat. Johnny Peril’s Surprise Story, 1946
  • Green Lantern #26, 1947
  • Mr. District Attorney #6, 1948
  • Mystery in Space #1, 1951
  • My Greatest Adventure #29, 1959
  • The Brave and the Bold #51, 1964
  • Sea Devils #16, 1964
Continue reading “Strange Tales #143”

Sgt. Fury #29

Armageddon!

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

Previous#473Next
Sgt. Fury #28Reading orderDaredevil #15
Sgt. Fury #28Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #30

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.

Continue reading “Sgt. Fury #29”

Sgt. Fury #28

Not a Man Shall Remain Alive!

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

Previous#472Next
Amazing Spider-Man #35Reading orderSgt. Fury #29
Sgt. Fury #27Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #29

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.

Continue reading “Sgt. Fury #28”

Sgt. Fury #27

Fury Fights Alone!

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

Previous#468Next
Amazing Spider-Man #34Reading orderX-Men #17
Sgt. Fury #26Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #28

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.

Continue reading “Sgt. Fury #27”

Sgt. Fury #26

Dum Dum Does It the Hard Way!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: November 11, 1965
Cover: January 1966
12 cents
Written with block-buster force by Stan Lee!
Drawn with machine-gun power by Dick Ayers!
Inked with dive-bomber impact by Carl Hubbell!
Lettered with bloodshot eyes by Artie Simek!
20 pages

Previous#457Next
Tales of Suspense #76Reading orderDaredevil #12
Sgt. Fury #25Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #27

Sweet dreams, Master Race!!

We last saw Dum Dum two issues back. He was wounded in America and sent to the hospital. The Howlers couldn’t wait for him because they were urgently recalled to base to battle (maybe) the Red Skull. Dum Dum was in for a worse fate, because his wife and mother-in-law were going to visit him in the hospital.

This will be Dum Dum’s chance to shine in a largely solo feature.

We see the rest of the team in the beginning for a mission brief that fills us in on what Dum Dum has been up to since his recovery.

Continue reading “Sgt. Fury #26”

Sgt. Fury #25

Every Man My Enemy!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: October 12, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Written in rage by: Stan Lee
Pencilled in panic by: Dick Ayers
Delineated in despair by: John Tartaglione
Lettered in the office by: Sam Rosen
20 pages

Previous#441Next
Avengers #24Reading orderAvengers #25
Sgt. Fury #24Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #26

They seek a simple Nazi spy… an impersonator… nothing more! Little do they dream that they have the Fuehrer’s most dangerous agent in their midst! How they would tremble if they knew their foe is actually– the Red Skull!

Evocative cover not in Kirby’s usual mold for Sgt. Fury covers. Brings to mind the war comics covers of Joe Kubert, which this title owes many a debt to.

This is the first time we’ve seen John Tartaglione. He’s worked for Marvel on and off since the 1950s, with most of his work being in the romance genre. He’s going to become Ayers’ regular inker on this title for the next couple years.

Here’s an early example of his inking, over Pierce Rice from Marvel’s Amazing Detective Cases #6 (1951), and a contemporaneous example from Patsy Walker #124 (1965), over Al Hartley’s pencils.

Here are two examples of his pencil art, from Young Men #11 (1951) and True Secrets #13 (1952), both from Marvel.

Recall last issue, the Howlers were on furlough in America when they got urgent orders to return to Europe, with sealed instructions to be opened on the plane. Dum Dum was wounded and so remained in America. And Hans has gone to live with the Ralstons until the war ends.

Continue reading “Sgt. Fury #25”

Sgt. Fury #24

When the Howlers Hit the Home Front!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Relase: September 9, 1965
Cover: November 1965
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee, Army Vet!
Pencilled by Dick Ayers, Air Force Vet!
Inked by Frank Ray, Air Force Vet!
Lettered by S. Rosen, Teacher’s Pet!
20 pages

Previous#438Next
INTERLUDEModeling with Millie #44
Sgt. Fury #23Reading orderAvengers #23
Sgt. Fury #23Sgt. FurySgt. Fury #25

Stan and Dick want to take this opportunity to give a heartfelt thanks and well done to the countless wonderful guys and gals who did so much under the banner of the U.S.O., to keep up the morale of lonely Allied fighting men, both near and far from home! We’ll never forget ’em!

Happy Sam orders the Howlers on a furlough back to the States, including Percy and Hans.

Continue reading “Sgt. Fury #24”