Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD – Comics That Deserve a Second (Or First) Look!

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Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD.

Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD began as a series that ran in the comic Strange Tales starting with issue #135.  Each issue featured a Nick Fury tale along with a Dr. Strange adventure.

Fury had transitioned from a soldier in WWII to a government spy working for SHIELD (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) in the 1960s.  Many of the characters that fought alongside Fury in WWII were now spies under his command.  Like James Bond, Nick Fury found himself dealing with criminal organizations set to destroy the world.

With issue #151 of Strange Tales, Steranko came on as inker over Jack Kirby’s pencils.  With #154, Steranko become the penciler, inker and co-plotter of the series.  Then with issues #155 – 161, Steranko wrote, pencilled and inked the tales.  With issues #162 – 168, Steranko continued to write and pencil the issues, but was joined by different inkers.

Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, spun off into it’s own comic after #168 of Strange Tales.  The series lasted 18 issues, although Steranko’s contributions ended with issue #7.  Steranko was given complete control of the series, but he had trouble meeting the monthly art deadlines.  Steranko wrote issues 1 – 5.  He provided the covers for issues 1 – 7 and the art for issues 1 – 3 and 5.  Those Steranko issues are classics.  Adult (for comics) stories plus art that has stood the test of time.

If you’ve never read Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, you should give it a glance.  Or perhaps it’s time for a second look.

Or maybe Marvel should consider reviving Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD.

Can you imagine how cool a new comic series set in the the 1960’s starring Nick Fury would be?  That’s right, set the series in the 60’s.  Make Fury the cigar-smoking, ex-war hero who is now America’s answer to James Bond.   

Can you imagine Fury fighting to keep the USA safe from Hydra, the Red Skull, Scorpio and other menaces out to destroy our way of life.  No longer a soldier, Fury is now a secret agent working for S.H.I.E.L.D. [not yet the head of the top secret organization].

Think how awesome these stories could be.  Heck, they’d be worth the price of admission for new Steranko covers!