nick fury agent of shield – Coke ⊕ Comics

Strange Tales #149

The End of AIM!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: July 7, 1966
Cover: October 1966
12 cents
Edited by: Stan Lee
Layouts by: Jack Kirby
Script by: Denny O’Neil
Art by: Ogden Whitney
Lettering by: Artie Simek
Ammunition by the Forbush Pyrotechnic Co.
12 pages

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Strange Tales #148, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #149, Story B
Strange Tales #148, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #149, Story B

Hydra can never be killed! Althrough you have captured Hydra’s body, its head is still free… It shall last forever! It has resources you have not dreamed of… resources that will insure its ultimate triumph!

It’s rare that the scripter doesn’t get credited ahead of the artists. When Lee was scripting, his name always came first. Now that Lee is editing, the editor’s name comes first. But then he put Kirby’s layouts ahead of the scripting and art in the credits.

The credits claim this issue’s writer and artist are surprises.

At this point, we know Denny O’Neil. He’s been taking over the scripting duties on Dr. Strange. But the name Ogden Whitney is new to us.

Strange Tales #148

Death Before Dishonor!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD!
Release: June 9, 1966
Cover: September 1966
12 cents
Edited (in absentia) by… Stan Lee
Layouts and script by… Jack Kirby
Pencilling and inking by… Don Heck
Lettering by… Sam Rosen
12 pages

Previous	#580	Next
Avengers #33	Reading order	Strange Tales #148, Story B
Strange Tales #147, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #148, Story B

But Nick Fury… plays every game… his way!

Part of the month when Stan is on vacation. Kirby did the script. Stan still claims to have edited the comic while also claiming to not be in the office. His name still comes first in the credits.

The first script we’ve seen Kirby get credit for in our Marvel reading.

Certainly not the first script Kirby deserved credit for.

The battle against AIM/Them continues. I’d almost gotten in my head that AIM and Them were just different names for the same organization. But then last issue AIM was described as a branch of Them.

Now the narrator tells us AIM is in league with Them.

After a failed attempt to kill Nick Fury, Count Bornag Royale notes that AIM must improve its prestige with Them. That suggests there really is a distinction. My current thinking is that AIM is a branch of Them.

Strange Tales #147

The Enemy Within!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: May 10, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Layouts: Jack Kirby
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Mickey Demeo
Lettering: Sam Rosen
Weapons: Forbush Novelty Co.
12 pages

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Tales to Astonish #83, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #147, Story B
Strange Tales #146, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #147, Story B

…we of AIM feel we simply cannot deal with such an unlettered oaf! We find his very appearance offensive! The idea of America’s highest-priority counter-espionage leader going around in his shirtsleeves… unshaven, unkempt, and making a mockery of your own language– shocking!

Shadowy organizations. These secret power-hungry cabals. Hydra had been the big one, but they fell to SHIELD in Strange Tales #141. The Secret Empire seemed to collapse from within in Tales to Astonish #83. An unnamed shadowy cabal was behind Batroc in Tales of Suspense #75. Not sure if they are connected to one of these others, or their own thing.

Most relevant is the organization called Them. We learned they had employed the Fixer in Strange Tales #145. In Tales of Suspense #78, Fury warns Captain America that Them is a group of scientists looking to overthrow the government. We see they have beekeeper-like uniforms and work for someone called the Imperator. They send a Chemical Android after Captain America.

AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is a defense contractor looking to supply the US government weapons to make up for the shutdown of Stark Industries. Count Bornag Royale is their representative, and has claimed SHIELD needs someone more sophisticated than Nick Fury at its helm.

AIM and Them seem to be the same organization, with AIM the public-facing front. In Tales of Suspense #79, we see Them/AIM is responsible for the return of the Red Skull and the creation of the Cosmic Cube. Fortunately, Captain America dealt with both threats. Seemingly for good.

We open with Fury returning from having led a successful mission against a swamp headquarters for Them.

Strange Tales #146

When the Unliving Strike!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: April 12, 1966
Cover: July 1966
12 cents
Far-fetched script by Stan Lee
Fantastic layouts by Jack Kirby
Fabulous pencilling by Don Heck
Fanciful inking by Mickey Demeo
Freehand lettering by Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Fantastic Four #51	Reading order	Strange Tales #146, Story B
Strange Tales #145, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #146, Story B

We’re dealin’ with an outfit that can turn out artificial men to do any kinda job… just like Marvel can grind out comic books!

The word of late has been Them. Them financed the Fixer. Them sent a chemical android to attack Nick Fury and Captain America. Them consists of several brilliant scientists.

Spinning right out of the Captain America adventure, Nick Fury has traced that android to this swampland.

In a bit of bravado, and a wink at the other titles, Fury notes that SHIELD agents aren’t superheroes. They don’t always win.

Strange Tales #145

Lo! The Eggs Shall Hatch!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: March 10, 1966
Cover: June 1966
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Designer: Jack Kirby
Penciller: Don Heck
Inker: Mickey Demeo
Letterer: Sam Rosen
Badge polisher: Irving Forbush
12 pages

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Strange Tales #144, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #145, Story B
Strange Tales #144, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #145, Story B

A simple smoke grenade should do the job nicely in this instance… and it won’t cost the taxpayers as much as a noisy, explosive grenade! For we guardians of the public trust must ever have the average citizen’s interests close to our hearts!

Quite the opening page. Somewhat disturbing.

Curious if it inspired images in the modern horror series, Locke & Key.

Where were we? The Druid wants to destroy SHIELD for some reason. He pretends to have mystical powers, but technology underpins everything he does. Oh, and we just met the eager new recruit, Jasper Sitwell.

Strange Tales #144

The Day of the Druid!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: February 10, 1966
Cover: May 1966
12 cents
Writer: Stan Lee
Designer: Jack Kirby
Penciller: H. Purcell
Inker: M. Demeo
Letterer: Sam Rosen
12 pages

Previous	#507	Next
Daredevil #17	Reading order	Strange Tales #144, Story B
Strange Tales #143, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #144, Story B

It is given to few men to serve the forces of SHIELD… and those of us who are chosen dare not take the challenge lightly!

We are back for the new year! And Howard Purcell is back on art. He was credited with an assist last issue, but now is credited as the penciller, with Kirby as the “designer”. Which presumably means layouts by Kirby, finished pencils by Purcell, followed by inks by Esposito. Or something like that.

Strange Tales has oddly shared its pages of late between the spy stories of Nick Fury and the mystical stories of Dr. Strange. It seems like the writer has finally mixed up the two and tossed a Dr. Strange villain into Nick Fury’s story.

Strange Tales #142

Who Strikes At— SHIELD?

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: December 9, 1965
Cover: March 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, writer! (Our answer to Bond)
Jack Kirby, penciller! (Our answer to UNCLE)
Mike Demeo, inker! (Our answer to Brand echh)
Artie Simek, letterer! (Our answer to Rosen)
12 pages

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Amazing Spider-Man #37	Reading order	Strange Tales #142, Story B
Strange Tales #141, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #142, Story B

We’re a team, blast it! We trained month after month ta live like a team– fight like a team– die like a team!

I’d like to open this post with a happy birthday to the issue’s artist, Jack Kirby. He would be 106 years old today.

The story breaks have become increasingly unclear. Last issue seemed to both end the Hydra saga and begin this Mentallo/Fixer saga we find ourselves embroiled in. We took a pause at the end of the last issue, so let’s recall where we were.

Hydra was finally defeated, the Supreme Hydra murdered by his own agents; Nick allowed his daughter Agent H to escape because he had a soft spot for her. We were then introduced to the “Thinkers”, SHIELD’s ESP division. Mentallo had been a former agent of this division, who had gone rogue. Mentallo decides to form an alliance with a villainous inventor called the Fixer. And Nick Fury realizes Mentallo must be stopped at all costs.

This issue opens with a robot out of control. Lee, as the narrator, lets us know this robot has nothing to do with the main story. Sometimes it feels as though he is offering his commentary on Kirby’s storytelling as we go.

But whatever, Stan. Check out Jack’s awesome robot design!

Strange Tales #141

Brain Blast!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: November 11, 1965
Cover: February 1966
12 cents
Rapturously written by: Stan Lee
Resplendently drawn by: Jack Kirby
Rollickingly inked by: Frank Ray
Reluctantly lettered by: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Strange Tales #140, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #141, Story B
Strange Tales #140, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #141, Story B

If he’s what ya say, he’s the most dangerous guy in the world!

Jack Kirby returns to full pencils after several issues of laying out the series for various artists, with Frank Giacoia on inks. The difference is noticeable, though I did quite appreciate John Severin’s take on these characters.

They do what is to my mind a very weird thing. The 7-part Hydra Saga is really 6.5 parts. As it’s over by page 7 of this story. They then just begin their next saga mid-issue. It’s a bit obnoxious. I’d like to keep the arcs together to best appreciate them, but Stan seems to want to end everything on cliffhangers now, so the arcs aren’t well-defined.

They’ll head-scratchingly do the same thing next month with Fantastic Four.

We will take a break after this issue. We’ll have started the first few pages of the Mentallo/Fixer Saga, and we’ll return to it one day.

First up, the half-issue Hydra finale. The organization was defeated, but Imperial Hydra, in his true identity as Arnold Brown, is about to destroy the place, killing everybody.

Strange Tales #140

The End of Hydra!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: October 12, 1965
Cover: January 1966
12 pages
Senses-shattering story by: Stan Lee
Power-packed presentation by: Jack Kirby
Drama-drenched drawing by: Don Heck
Dreamy-designed delineation by: Joe Sinnott
Booboo-bulging balloons by: Sam Rosen
12 pages

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Strange Tales #139, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #140, Story B
Strange Tales #139, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #140, Story B

Mankind cannot live in fear of Hydra! In the name of SHIELD… in the name of universal freedom… I cannot fail!

Kirby. Heck. Sinnott. That’s a lot of artists to draw 12 pages of comic. (A heck of a lot.)

“Booboo-bulging balloons” took a bit of deciphering. I think Stan’s claiming the letterer makes a lot of mistakes. The word balloons are bulging fit to burst with mistakes.

Hydra could have served as a looming background threat for some time to come. But they decided it was time to settle it up. This is part 6 of the “Hydra Saga”. SHIELD agents are swarming Hydra’s headquarters for the final battle.

Strange Tales #139

The Brave Die Hard!

Featuring: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD
Release: September 9, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Sensationally written by: Stan Lee
Spectacularly laid-out by: Jack Kirby
Superbly illustrated by: Joe Sinnott
Silently lettered by: Artie Simek
12 pages

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Strange Tales #138, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #139, Story B
Strange Tales #138, Story B	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #139, Story B

You know that no insurance company would give a policy to a SHIELD man! There’s only one thing we won’t die of– and that’s old age!

I think you can tell at a glance my copy of this comic has seen better days.

The cover’s an interesting gimmick. It’s mostly just the first page of the issue, but then it has Dr. Strange holding the page. The caption tells us, “Amost everybody reads SHIELD!”

The Dr. Strange figure is drawn by Marie Severin, sister of John Severin, who drew the last couple issues of SHIELD. She’s been doing staff work at Marvel, but will soon enough be chosen to draw Dr. Strange herself.

You kind of get the sense that they didn’t have a cover at all, and this got thrown together by staff. But they get a nice test run for Ms. Severin on the Doctor.

The story opens with Nick Fury in outer space being pursued by…err… that… thing.

Ah, he’s being subjected to some virtual reality thing designed to pry from his mind the secrets of Stark’s new weapon, the, err, braino-saur.