There are quite a few tough guys in the comics, and everyone has their own candidate for the one who's at the top of the list.My choice would be Nick Fury.
I first remember seeing the character in one of the earliest issues of the Fantastic Four I read - the one featuring the first appearance of the Hate-Monger, and a guest appearance by Nick Fury, who was (if I remember correctly) working for the C.I.A. at the time.
Reading that comic led me to pick up occasional issues of Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, my all-time favorite war comic. That, in turn, led to me collecting all the issues of Strange Tales featuring Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD.
And those stories - especially the ones written and drawn by Jim Steranko - put Nick in place as the ultimate tough guy. Without powers and up against incredible odds, he always found a way to survive and win.
In recent years, Nick's life as a spy caught up with him, and he became a fugitive, working in the shadows to protect the country he loves.
During the Secret Invasion, he recruited a team of (mostly) unknowns and formed a new team, which thankfully is not being called the New Howling Commandos. The name they do have is at least a little bit better - they're the Secret Warriors.
So why are they still secret? The Skrulls have been defeated, but that menace has been replaced by the Dark Avengers, and SHIELD has been replaced by HAMMER (an anagram that still hasn't been spelled out for us - so once again, I offer my guess: Heroes Attack Many More Eager Reprobates).
So Fury and his team are once again up against the wall, but the opponent this time may be bigger and more powerful than anyone imagined. The last page offers a stunning development, though it's going to take some explaining to make it work.
The story is by Brian Bendis and Jonathan Hickman, and the art by Stefano Caselli, with colors by Danielle Rudoni. All turn in excellent work here.
This is just the beginning, but it's a strong start. If the rest of the story is as good, the new team is going to need some serious help to win this fight.
Good thing they've got the toughest guy in comics around to lead the way.
Grade: A-
2 comments:
Nice to see that Fury's back strong. But blast it, Chuck, you're making me buy too many funny books this week, especially considering the lack of dollars in my wallet.
The management here at Chuck's also bemoans the high cost of comics, so we feel your pain. Shop wisely, and to save money, read as many as you can at the comics shop. Shop owners love that sort of thing!
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