Get Fury #1

When this miniseries was first advertised in Previews, I put it on my wish list. I didn't need to buy the issues new. But I am a big fan of Nick Fury, owning complete runs of many series, titles and one shots involving various incarnations of the character. Considering that Fury fought in World War II and Korea, it's natural to assume that the one-eyed super spy was poking around Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. 

In Get Fury, Nick has been captured by North Vietnamese forces while involved in a clandestine operation in Cambodia. CIA Intel has information that Fury is being transported to the infamous Hanoi Hilton POW prison, where he will be tortured until he reveals every little government secret hidden in the folds of his brain. To prevent sensitive information from getting to the Communists, Lt. Frank Castle, currently on his third tour of duty, has been assigned to enter Hanoi, infiltrate the prison and assassinate Nick Fury before his torturous information sessions can begin.

Get Fury was written by Garth Ennis. Had I known that, I probably would have skipped putting this title on my radar. I'm just not a fan of the North Irish writer. His stories have tons of blood, viscera and the F-word. Plus he's no fan of the American government, or just about any world power, unafraid of upsetting the skeletons in any nation's closet. Ennis is a lot like Tarantino; only without the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. At least he refused to kill the puppy!

This 2024-25 miniseries marks the long awaited return of the Marvel MAX imprint. In other words, the House of Ideas version of Vertigo. If you ever wanted to see Nick Fury operating outside of the confines of the Comics Code, this is your chance. It's rather unsettling as I prefer the character when presented as a Our Man Flynn type of secret agent with an unlimited budget and madcap imagination. I'm going to trudge through this 6-issue series all the way through to the end. I just don't think that I'm going to like it.

Fantastic cover by Dave Johnson. Love this homage to the first appearance of the Punisher!

Worth Consuming, so far...

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Legends of the DC Universe 3-D Gallery

 Man, was this book a disappointment. It's been the final book on my Legends of the DC Universe wish list forever. Last week, I finally found a copy, at a price just outside of my comfort range. After a busy week of work I was counting down the days until I had a chance to sit back and read it. And wouldn't you know- it's a freaking gallery book!

With exception of the illustration credits inside the front and back cover, there was nothing to read. Yes, there were some lovely illustrations. But when you expect to get to sit down and read a comic, you expect there to actually be words to read.

If you’ve been a long-time reader of my blog, then you will know that this is a huge pet peeve of mine. To buy a comic book and it basically be a portfolio feels like a waste. Oddly, enough, these gallery books are amongst some of the most sought out. They’re pretty expensive too. I think the reason this book was much more pricey than the others in the Legends series is because the book is in 3-D.

The comic (if you can call it that) comes with 2 pairs of 3-D glasses. Thus, in order to view the pictures, you have to tear the glasses out of the book. As I expect most copies of this book don’t come with them, it has made this book much more rarer.

I decided not to destroy my copy. I would rather hold on to this book as Near Mint than to enjoy it. Yes, that’s very rare for me. Maybe a collector is looking for this book and I can pass it along to them- for a price. I’m hoping I can get my hands on a pair of 3-D glasses elsewhere.Then I might enjoy the book as it was meant to with hurting the value.

Really folks, if I knew that this was just a book of artwork, it wouldn’t have been on my wishlist for so long. I didn’t have the word ‘gallery’ on my list, thus the oversight. Plus, I was so overjoyed when I found this at the comic book store, I overlooked that word. I know, it is my own damn fault for not paying attention. Maybe you are like me and extremely frugal when it comes to your purchases. If so, hopefully, you will appreciate my efforts to enlighten you on what this book really is all out.

Featuring art by masters such as Gene Ha, Dave Johnson, and others. The pictures are great. But this Madman needs words in his comics!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.