john tartaglione – Coke ⊕ Comics

Sgt. Fury #37

In the Desert… To Die!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: October 11, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Editor: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Scripter: Rascally Roy Thomas
Artist: Darlin’ Dick Ayers
Inker: Jivey John Tartaglione
Letterer: Sandy Sammy Rosen
Technical advisor in charge of parachuting: Jovial Johnny Hayes, ex-para-trooper, Marvel’s swingin’ circulation manager.
20 pages

Previous	#637	Next
X-Men #27	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #44
Sgt. Fury #36	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #38

Now, like the blamed fly-boys always say… Geronimo!

A credit to Johnny Hayes, a name we don’t see often. We did recently see his name because a Bullpen Bulletin made it a point to name some of the behind the scenes staff. Here he gets credit for offering some consulting based on his days parachuting in the military.

I’m going to say that Thomas is really finding his footing on this title. Under Kirby this had been one of Marvel’s best comics, but it fell quickly to mediocrity when he left, with thin cookie cutter plots.

Stan Lee had remained the writer, but in practice as he was “writing” 20 titles every month, most of the storytelling was left to Ayers, who wasn’t up to it. We’re 9 issues into Thomas’ run, who likely is providing more plotting and scripting guidance to Ayers. Thomas had a slow start, but more and more, the comic feels like somebody is writing it.

Sgt. Fury #36

My Brother, My Enemy!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: September 8, 1966
Cover: November 1966
12 cents
Block-buster editing by Stan Lee
Bullet-scarred script by Roy Thomas
Battle-ready art by Dick Ayers
Bomb-happy inking by John Tartaglione
Ballpoint-pen lettering by Sam Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#631	Next
Captain Atom #83, Story B	INTERLUDE
Daredevil #23	Reading order	Fantastic Four #57
Sgt. Fury #35	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #37

A traitor? Nein, I think not! If there be any traitor to the Fatherland, it is rather those who would lead it to the brink of disaster for the sake of their own personal glory!

The stories from this title had fallen into a pattern. The premise was always location-based. The Howlers had some mission in a new location. They completed it and went home.

Since taking over, Thomas has been trying to tell actual stories and have character arcs.

This issue is location-based. The Howlers go to the neutral territory of Switzerland, breaking any number of laws and treaties.

But there’s a premise and a larger character arc as well.

We met Eric in Sgt. Fury #27, when he defected from the Germans and came to Britain. But last issue it was decided Eric (whose last name we learned was Koenig) should join the Howlers, since Manelli was injured and recovering back in the States. This is his first mission with the Howlers.

So Thomas writes about a couple things pertaining to that, ideas that are more than “the Howlers have a mission and succeed”. The first is that he’s eager to prove himself, sometimes too eager and to everyone’s detriment.

I must prove myself… show the Commandos I am as good as any of them! I must! For, only thus will I ever be certain that they look on me as a man… not as an ex-Nazi!

Sgt. Fury #35

Berlin Breakout!

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

Previous	#608	Next
Sgt. Fury #34	Reading order	Fantastic Four #55
Sgt. Fury #34	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #36

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.

Sgt. Fury #34

The Origin of the Howlers!

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

Previous	#607	Next
Sgt. Fury #33	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #35
Sgt. Fury #33	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #35

“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.

Sgt. Fury #33

The Grandeur that was Greece..

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

Previous	#606	Next
Tales to Astonish #88, Story B	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #34
Sgt. Fury #32	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. Fury #34

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.

Tales to Astonish #85, Story B

The Missile and the Monster!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: August 2, 1966
Cover: November 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: John Tartaglione
Lettering: Ray Holloway
Hulk’s pants-pressing: Irving Forbush
10 pages

Previous	#600	Next
Tales to Astonish #85	Reading order	Tales to Astonish #86
Tales to Astonish #85	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #86

Banner! He’s a weakling! He’s helpless! The Hulk is strong– can do anything!

We reach the 600th story in our read-through of the Marvel Universe. It’s cool when that happens to be a significant story.

Which this, for the most part, isn’t.

But there is one very significant thing about it. And I’ll take that.

The fainting woman is my favorite character in the comic.

John Buscema is joining the Marvel artists with this issue. He’s also doing this month’s Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD story, which we’ll get to later.

Tales to Astonish #84, Story B

Rampage in the City!

Featuring: Hulk
Release: June 30, 1966
Cover: October 1966
10 pages
Script… Stan (The Man) Lee
Art… Almost the whole blamed bullpen
Lettering… Artie (Smarty) Simek
Therapy… Honest Irving Forbush
10 pages

Previous	#593	Next
Tales to Astonish #84	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #85
Tales to Astonish #84	Tales to Astonish	Tales to Astonish #85

Can a green-skinned introvert, with anti-social tendencies, find happiness and fulfillment in a modern materialistic society?

I leave it to your eagle eyes to determine who drew what in this issue. Some artwork may or may not be due to Bill Everett, Jerry Grandenetti, Gene Colan, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, John Tartaglione, Mike Esposito, Sol Brodsky, or others.

Can a green-skinned introvert, with anti-social tendencies, find happiness and fulfillment in a modern materialistic society?

We’d seen a similar question posed at the beginning of Hulk’s current series in issue 60.

Can a man with green skin and a petulant personality find true happiness in today’s status-seeking society?

In this issue’s Namor story, we learned Hulk was in the city. And this story is conveniently titled “Rampage in the City”.

Hulk thinks saving Betty from Boomerang means people won’t hate him anymore. Good luck with that.

Hulk used to be an Avenger, so he goes to New York to ask them to help him find Betty.

Sgt. Fury Annual 2

A Day of Thunder!

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Release: June 9, 1966
Cover: 1966
25 cents
Stan Lee, editor extaordinary
Roy Thomas, scripter superlative
Dick Ayers, penciler pre-eminent
John Tartaglione, inker infallible
Sam Rosen, letterer lamentable
24 pages

Previous	#549	Next
Daredevil #19	Reading order	Fantastic Four #54
Sgt. Fury Annual 1	Sgt. Fury Annual	Sgt. Fury Annual 3

Countless ships… squadrons of high-flying B-17’s, and medium-range bombers…170,000 American and British troops– all part of the mightiest armada ever assembled by man! All dedicated to the overthrow of the most unholy empire ever conceived by man… or demon!

We’ve been hanging out in 1943-44 for this whole series. It’s been pointedly pre-D-Day. The Howlers are based in England because there is no major Allied presence in Europe. They keep sneaking into Europe for their adventures.

These annuals aren’t necessarily set with the monthly comics, so there may be several pre-D-Day comics yet to come. For example, the first annual showed the Howlers reunite in Korea, and the next one will take us to Viet Nam. And we have several more pre-D-Day stories to come in the main title.

June 5. 1944. Normandy. Hitler believes his wall around Europe to be impenetrable. The Howlers once again sneak into France on their most important mission.

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	#535	Next
Amazing Spider-Man #40	Reading order	Thor #131
Sgt. Fury #31	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. 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.

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	#527	Next
X-Men #21	Reading order	X-Men #22
Sgt. Fury #30	Sgt. Fury	Sgt. 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.