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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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Tales of Suspense #75, Story B

30 Minutes to Live!

Featuring: Captain America
Release: December 9, 1965
Cover: March 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, script
Jack Kirby, layout
Dick Ayers, pencil
J. Tartaglione, inks
Artie Simek, lettering
Irving Forbush, cheerleader
10 pages

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Tales of Suspense #75Tales of SuspenseTales of Suspense #76

But, there was one other! Our lives touched for only a short time– but I’ve never forgotten her! I can still remember our final date– when she whispered to me thru trembling lips… “I’ll wait till you return, Steve! No matter how long– no matter what happens– I’ll wait for you, my darling…!”

We read this issue’s Iron Man story a little while ago, in which Happy had turned into a Freak. We saved this story to make sure it tied into to the issue of Strange Tales that referenced it.

It was a tricky call for reading order, as I don’t like to separate issues, so I’d prefer to have read this story with the Iron Man story, and continuity-wise, the issue of Strange Tales we’re tying into doesn’t fit in where we left off with the Iron Man story. But I just couldn’t find a good way to juggle all the things I’m juggling to assemble a reading order.

This is a good comic with lots going on to talk about. I had to make a checklist for myself to ensure I covered the 10 most important points.

Though we’d taken a pause in reading Cap’s story, there is no break between the beginning of this story and the end of the last. As we open, Cap is hurtling toward the sea after the defeat of the Sleepers.

Except last seen, he had a working parachute. Sometime between the issues, his parachute seems to have failed, so we get a dramatic opening.

We cut to some shadowy figures observing a test of Inferno 42. Nick Fury was aware of this item and had sent an agent to retrieve it. We learned this in Strange Tales #142. Also in that story, Fixer referred to a mysterious organization that was his benefactor, known as Them. Is that who these shadowy figures are?

Back to Cap, we get a great moment. The sailors are in awe of him. One had idolized him as a child.

I have a notion in my head of who these characters are, formed from reading decades of comics beyond these. Cap inspiring awe in those around him is part of my basic image of Cap. But it’s not necessarily something we’ve seen a lot of in these early comics. We did see examples in Cap’s return in Avengers #4. But it’s not yet that common, so every such example is notable, as together they will form the basis for that aspect of Cap’s character.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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