oss – Coke & Comics

Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes
Release: July 2, 1963
Cover: September 1963
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee
Drawn by: Jack Kirby
Inking: Dick Ayers
22 pages

The scans below are taken from a reprint in Special Marvel Edition #5, from 1972.

The goal of this blog is to get at the large meta-story that is the Marvel Universe. What we are mostly reading is a collection of titles that don’t seem to be particularly related except for one piece of glue: the Fantastic Four. At this point, the Fantastic Four have met Spider-Man, Hulk, Namor, and Ant-Man. They have not yet met up with Iron Man or Thor, but we have here a more unlikely connection. The story of how Reed Richards met Sgt. Fury.

Of course, the bonds will be forming even stronger in another comic that premieres this very same day, one which really ties the universe together, just as a rug might do to a room.

A Visit with the Fantastic Four
Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: November 1, 1962
Cover: February 1963
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby
Inking: Dick Ayers
11 pages

I read this comic in Fantastic Four Omnibus vol. 1.

I find this story interesting for all the biographical details we get filled in, even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff.

We learned last issue that Stan and Jack are characters in the Marvel Universe, publishing Fantastic Four comics. On the opening splash page, we see a new issue has come out. One child is excited to get his letter published. This is the second time we’ve seen the fan letters addressed in story. I’ll repeat what I said then: this is where Stan shines, interacting directly with young readers.

I like how popular they suggest their own comic is within the comic.

We then get a cute scene where they come across kids playing “Fantastic Four” and introduce themselves. Reed suggests the boy playing him ought to give flowers to the girl playing Invisible Girl. They offer a message to kids: don’t play with fire at home.

Tag: oss

Sgt. Fury #3

Fantastic Four #11