Sgt. Fury #64 - Marvel Comics

SGT. FURY No. 64, March 1969

If Gary Friedrich’s aim for “The Peacemonger” was to make this publication’s audience experience the sheer pointlessness of war, then he succeeded in doing just that with arguably one of the most depressing conclusions penned during the Silver Age of Comics. Indeed, having already been traumatised by the death of Lee Baker from Captain Savage’s Leatherneck Raiders, it’s hard to imagine many a bibliophile’s anguish wasn’t made all the worse when the pacifist scientist at the centre of all the fierce fighting shockingly commits suicide rather than remain living in America at the plot’s end. 

Just as disconcerting though is probably just how Sergeant Fury and his Howling Commandos even manage to reach the aforementioned nuclear expert, when the Japanese guarding Doctor Terry Reiker know they are coming. Instead of simply shooting Nick’s soldiers dead as they slowly climb up the horrendously high stone parapets of the jungle-based castle, the Imperial infantrymen bizarrely decide to hold fire, and only unsuccessfully attack the infiltration force once they have clambered over their defences; “We must let them enter! Alert our elite guard! They will handle the Americans after they have scaled the wall!”

For those readers willing to overlook this contrivance though, the following close combat battle is certainly packed full of pulse-pounding pugilism, with even the likes of Killer Manelli and Gabriel Jones getting a moment in the spotlight as the pair torment their foes with a deadly bugle blast. Furthermore, the fact that the despondent defector shockingly turns out to be a woman gives everyone in the comic’s considerable cast a moment’s pause, and leads to a rare glimpse of Nick Fury being uncomfortably embarrassed by the situation.

Debatably much more convincing than its narrative are Dick Ayers pencils and John Severin’s inks. Together, the creative pair impressively imbue all the action with both the scintillating speed, as well as the savage ferocity, this twenty-page periodical deserves. In fact, Fury and Reiker’s dash through the castle’s claustrophobic corridors and subsequent rescue by Savage is so packed full of nail-biting tension, that it genuinely appears certain another of the ensemble are going to meet a grim demise.

Written by: Gary Friedrich, Pencilled by: Dick Ayers, and Inked by: John Severin

Captain Savage #11 - Marvel Comics

CAPTAIN SAVAGE No. 11, February 1968

Considering that this title was actually “a spin-off of the series Sgt. Fury And His Howling Commandos”, it was probably somewhat brave of Gary Friedrich to pen a storyline concerning both military units working together against the Imperial Japanese Army so early on in the comic’s run. Indeed, considering that the book’s “Sound Off To Savage” Letters Page even contains a reader’s complaint that the Raiders are far too like Dum Dum Duggan’s comrades-in-arms, “Death Of A Leatherneck” could easily have come across as a bemusing mass of numerous, similar-sounding soldiers, with many a bibliophile soon becoming confused as to just what regiment each combatant originates from; “So all I can say is that I hope you meatheads remember what you’ve been told!”

Happily however, Nick Fury’s men predominantly take a back seat for this particular twenty-page periodical, allowing the audience to follow Captain Savage’s seemingly suicidal mission to fight his way past torpedo boats, heavily-armed enemy machine-gun posts and a plethora of partially-hidden infantrymen in order to reach “a castle on a Japanese stronghold island.” These action sequences are arguably a ton of fun, if not rather far-fetched, and allow the co-creator of Ghost Rider to provide many of the cast with some unique, if not a little stereotypical, personality.

Furthermore, there can be no disputing the impact of a narrative which ultimately kills off one of the central protagonists, especially when it is done just as the nail-biting battle appears to have died down. True, the fact that one of the Leathernecks is going to meet their end is telegraphed straight from this publication’s cover illustration. But the question as to just who will die is never divulged until the very panel in which it occurs, and even then there is a clever misdirection just beforehand.

Delivering plenty of ‘bang for your buck’ is legendary artist Dick Ayers, whose ability to imbue every square-jawed squaddie with a modicum of nervous anxiety as to their ongoing predicament, adds a genuine sense of peril to the proceedings. There can surely be absolutely no doubt to any onlooker that many a death-dealing bullet is zinging its way towards the heroes, and even reaches the point where an occasional panel probably had more than the well-pencilled figures in this book inadvertently ducking for cover.

Scripter: Gary Friedrich, Penciller: Dick Ayers, and Inker: Syd Shores

The Amazing Spider-Man [2015] #9 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 9, May 2016

Arguably best described as being reminiscent of an early Seventies copy of “Marvel Team-Up”, courtesy of a fast-paced, no frills opening which quickly sees its titular character and Nick Fury racing towards a “Zodiac hacked” orbital space platform on board the painfully-named “Arachno-Rocket!”, Issue Nine of “The Amazing Spider-Man” must surely have caused plenty of its 88,164 strong audience many a wry smile when first published in March 2016. For despite being a thoroughly entertaining twenty-page periodical that sees Peter Parker’s alter ego at his action-packed best as he helps the “agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” trouble-shoot a number of Scorpio-controlled killer satellites, it’s hard not to feel that Dan Slott’s enjoyable script wouldn’t have better suited a protagonist like the Fantastic Four or Iron Man instead. Indeed the Diamond Gem Award-winner even makes light of the fact that his hero isn’t the Golden Avenger later in the book by having a worried Web-head, whose suit is rapidly breaking up as he re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, grimly state “H-h-hell, Iron Man d-d-does stuff like this all the t-t-time!”

The Wall-crawler’s access to all manner of state-of–the-art technology, whether it be a rocket ship, a spider-armoured space-suit, an emergency beacon or back spinnerets capable of deploying an all-encompassing ball of protective web-foam, also must have undoubtedly grated upon the subconscious of the long-suffering Spider-Man reader, especially as the Web-Spinner seems to demonstrate a contrivingly convenient amount of forethought in each device’s creation; “Impossible! This is Spider-Man we’re talking about. Not Thor!” It’s true that during the Berkeley-born writer’s tenure the former Daily Bugle photographer’s intellect has been continually re-emphasised to the point where Parker is the CEO of a “cutting edge” company which “has offices across the globe.” But even so “One Way Trip” still feels like something out of a Jim Steranko espionage-laden “Strange Tales” storyline than a narrative entirely in tune depicting the (mis)adventures of the friendly neighbourhood hero.

Slight misgivings as to Spidey’s use aside however, Slott’s opening instalment of the “Scorpio Rising” storyline is additionally engaging on account of it containing a succinct update as to Otto Octavius’ mechanical machinations within the “London Headquarters of Parker Industries.” Trapped inside the metallic mind of the robot servitor Living Brain, the super-villain spies Aiden Blain sharing an affectionate kiss with the criminal’s one-time fiancée Anna, and momentarily becomes enraged at the sight. Disappointingly Doctor Octopus' murderous electronically-voiced rant is cut all-too short by Spider-Man’s current plight. Yet such developmental teases as to a future confrontation between the costumed crime-fighter and his arch-nemesis provides some assurances as to the American author’s commitment to an over-arching narrative, and undoubtedly delivers an ample hook with which “Marvel Worldwide” could maintain this title’s impressively-sized readership.

Writer: Dan Slott, Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Inker: Cam Smith

Strange Tales #153 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE TALES No. 153, February 1967

The influence of the mid-Sixties superspy craze, itself inspired by the “James Bond” movies and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” American television series, is abundantly clear throughout this comic’s lead feature “The Hiding Place!” Indeed Roy Thomas would seem to have tried to cram within the narrative’s twelve-pages as many secret agent gimmicks and gadgets as the ‘seldom-surpassed scriptwriter’ could think of. Why else would a newspaper which suddenly crackles into a two-way communications monitor, a flying car, an identity changing machine and even a ‘magni-force repulsing saucer’ all feature within this short action-packed tale?

Admittedly such corny, pulp fiction-based references as Agent ‘O’, “the ultimate hiding place”, “the Hydra-piller” and “the new space warp missile” come across as being somewhat unsophisticated hokey. But such innocent contrivances are easily forgotten as the fast-paced storyline rushes from a catastrophic car chase to a furious firefight within the space of few pages as Hydra once again attempt to infiltrate the Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-Enforcement Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.), and all attention is focussed upon the exploits of Colonel Nick Fury and his stalwart companion Dum Dum.

Dishearteningly such a tensely frantic tale surprisingly suffers from some regrettably lack-lustre artwork. With many of the figures, most notably that of the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., all appearing to have rectangular-shaped one-dimensional heads. Something which starkly contrasts to the rest of their body’s dynamic animation. Such a criticism is doubling disappointing when the “seldom-lacking layouts” have been sketched by the legendary Jack Kirby, and the “seldom-rivalled rendering” completed by innovative illustrator Jim Steranko.

Arguably even more relentlessly intense however is this comic’s Doctor Strange adventure, “Alone, Against The Mindless Ones!” A “stupefying story by spellbinding Stan Lee” which hurls the Master of the Mystic Arts into a brutal ten-page long no-holds barred battle against “the most brutal man-beasts in all the cosmos!”

Fans of the Sorcerer Supreme will doubtless have been delighted with the iconic writer’s inclusion of the Cloak of Levitation, the Eye of Agamotto and the former neurosurgeon’s curse “by the Hoggoth’s Hoary Hosts”. But probably less happy with the clunky nonsensical plot which sees the Earth’s primary protector against magical and mystical threats foolishly investigate a blinding beam of supernatural light rather than simply fly over an army of Mindless Ones and reach safety. Indeed the Will Eisner Award Hall of Famer’s storyline defies logic on several occasions for the sake of a few more thrilling pages, as Strange first allows himself to be beaten half-senseless by "his inhuman attackers" in order to recover "his former strength" and then later "hypnotically take(s) the form of a mindless one"? 

Equally as perplexing are the “inconceivable illustration(s) by mystical Marie Severin”, which though packing plenty of punch (literally) sadly lack any sort of consistent quality; appearing impressively reminiscent of the good Doctor's creator Steve Ditko one moment and then amateurishly misshapen in the next.

Scripting: Roy Thomas, Layouts: Jack Kirby, and Rendering: Jim Steranko