| Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. | |
|---|---|
_cover.jpg) Cover of the first issue of the 1968 series, drawn byJim Steranko | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Format | Ongoing series |
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| Main character | Nick Fury |
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the title of several American comic book series published byMarvel Comics focusing on the various adventures of the characterNick Fury while working for the fictional organizationS.H.I.E.L.D.
TheNick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. feature replaced then runningHuman Torchserial that ran alongsideDr Strange inStrange Tales, starting with issue #135. Though Dr Strange was a commercial and critical hit for Marvel,Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. was given priority and the cover of the anthology book for the first year of the title's serialized run. Both books would eventually alternate covers starting with #146. The early stories introduced the government spy organizationS.H.I.E.L.D., which had Nick Fury as its top agent and leader. Early stories had Nick as a plain clothed spy, but the character would ultimately be transitioned into a leather catsuit with white gloves S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. Many of Nick's fellowHowling Commandos would be established as fellow agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., along with other characters such as the Contessa, who was Nick Fury's primary love interest and second-in-command. The series introduced several different spy groups to the series:Hydra (formed by a businessman's rogue personal assistant), AIM (amad scientist guild that was originally part of Hydra before splintering off), along with mercenary spies for hire such as theFixer andMentallo. Stories would be serialized, lasting several issues each. In Strange Tales #151, the series would undergo a major shift: Stan Lee gave control of the book toJim Steranko. Steranko's art style would revolutionize the book, drawing critical and commercial acclaim. Furthermore, Steranko would retcon the origin of Hydra as the creation of Sgt Fury recurring villain BaronWolfgang von Strucker. Strucker would be killed off shortly after appearing in the strip, though the character would be brought back to life in the 1989 Nick Fury series decades later. Ultimately the serial would end with issue #168 and Nick Fury spun off into his own title.[1][2]
In 1968, Strange Tales was canceled and Dr. Strange and Nick Fury spun off into their own books. While Dr. Strange kept the original numbering of Strange Tales, Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. was re-launched with a new #1. The series would be short-lived; Steranko had issues meeting a monthly deadline for a 20 page book and ultimately left the series after 5 issues, only writing and drawing issues #1-3 and #5. Steranko would continue to provide covers for the book through issue #7. The five issues that Steranko wrote set up a new rival for Nick Fury in the form of "Scorpio"; a foreign assassin/race car driver whose true identity was a mystery to readers and S.H.I.E.L.D. With the departure of Steranko, the sales for the book collapsed and was quickly canceled. The final original issue (#15, November 1969) of the series saw Nick Fury killed by a masked assassin known as "Bulls-eye" (no relations to the Daredevil villain of the same name). Nick Fury would not stay dead for long; two months after the publication of his book's final issue, the character would be revived inAvengers #72 (January 1970). Shortly afterAvengers #72 was published, Marvel briefly revivedNick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a reprint book for three issues with issues #16-18 would reprise the Nick Fury stories fromStrange Tales #135-144.
As part of their direct market "Special Edition" reprint line, the two Jim Steranko Scorpio issues of volume one (#1 and #5) were reprinted in a two part mini-series.
During the 1980s, Marvel began promoting aNick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. limited series. First announced in 1984 in Marvel Age, the mini-series was referenced in the pages of Incredible Hulk and West Coast Avengers (with it implied in Incredible Hulk that the events were occurring at the same time as Incredible Hulk #299-300). TheNick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. series was subjected to several years of developmental limbo due to issues over the plot and format in which the limited series would be published. The series ultimately saw publication in 1988, and sold well enough to justify a new ongoing.
Volume three would take place after the events ofNick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D., which Nick Fury rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. following the revelation that the agency had been subverted by a renegade group of evolved LMDs. Opposing them was a revived Hydra, who early in the series announce their return by blowing up the main office building Nick Fury's rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. operated out of; killing several thousand S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Furthermore, it is revealed that the revived Hydra was being led by a resurrected Baron Von Strucker. The bulk of the series would follow the cat and mouse game between Fury and Strucker, who sought to hide his resurrection from the rest of the world.
In 2000 Marvel republished several issues of the 1968 series as a series.
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Son of Origins of Marvel Comics | IncludesNick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. story fromStrange Tales #135[a] | October 1975 | 978-0-671-22166-9 |
| Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Strange Tales #135-153[b] Strange Tales #154-168 andNick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Volume 1 #1-3[c] Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Volume 1 #4-15[d] | September 2007 December 2009 December 2011 | 978-0-7851-2686-7 978-0-7851-3503-6 978-0-7851-5034-3 |
| S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete Collection Omnibus | Strange Tales #135-168,Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Volume 1 #1-15[e] | October 2015 | 978-0-7851-9852-9 |
| Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Strange Tales Vol. 1, Issues #150-168 | September 2001 | 978-0785107477 |
| Nick Fury: Who Is Scorpio? | IncludesNick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Vol. 1, Issues #1-3 & #5 | November 2000 | 978-0785107668 |
| Steranko is Revolutionary! | Strange Tales #135-168,Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Volume 1 #1-3, 5[f] | September 2020 | ISBN 978-1302922894 |
Perhaps the most innovative new talent to emerge at Marvel during the late 1960s wasJim Steranko, whose bold innovations in graphics, layout, and design startled the readers...Steranko transformed the look of the comic book page.
His work on his first hit book,Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., took the wildly popular Bond secret-agent schtick and gave it a jazzy makeover, with outlandish plots, eye-popping visuals and even 'adult themes' that had the Comics Code Authority demanding several panels in one landmark issue be redrawn.
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