Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #35

After having Happy Sam Sawyer recount how Nick Fury and Dum Dum Dugan formed the Howlers, the attack on Pearl Harbor sees the death of a friend that was closer than a brother to Nick. In my review of the issue before, I stated that I hoped for the next issue (this issue) to provide the origins of how Izzy Cohen, Gab Jones and the rest joined the team. But I guess seeing several random Joes get draft notices from their local postman isn't very exciting storytelling. Surely one of them signed up voluntarily. Could there be an interesting story about that? 

Instead of going backwards, Stan Lee and Dick Ayers both move forward with the current events of 1942-43. With exception of Fury, the rest of the squad were captured by Nazi forces during a pre-D-Day invasion mission that took place in Greece. Transferred to Berlin, the Howlers undergo torture and questioning by the Gestapo. 

In order to rescue his men, Nick has to team up with his arch rival, Sgt. Bull McGiveney. Normally the Howlers are busting heads with Bull's bunch of soldiers in a macabre sort of friendly rivalry. If you can call fists, chains and 2x4s friendly rivalry.

When the action is over, a Howler will be seriously injured, a Nazi will defect and McGiveney and his men will earn a little bit of the respect of the Howling Commandos.

A really exciting issue that opens up some interesting possibilities with a German defector on the Howlers. For one, can Eric Koenig be trusted? And while I hate to see the injured Howler go, I appreciate the level of realism that the creative team put in this series. Sure, there's a level of comic book grandiosity to the villains. But with at least 2 former Howlers dead, countless injuries, and now another facing a medical discharge, Lee and Ayers really don't hold back on the fortunes of war.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Savage Tales #3

The first volume of Marvel's Savage Tales was a black and white magazine edition that was slanted more towards fantasy adventure. Characters such as Conan the Barbarian and Kazar fit it's mold perfectly. Though there were a few exceptions, like the Man-Thing who's first ever appearance in the premiere issue, was rooted deeply in science fiction horror. 

In the mid-1980s, Larry Hama sought to revive the title. The second volume was a black and white magazine just like it's predecessor. But instead of sword and sorcery type adventures, this edition was geared towards war and conflicts from the past, present and near future. It's from this comic mag that we get a pair of stories set during the Vietnam War that the amazing comic book The 'Nam would come into fruition. 

In this issue alone, we see a episode set during the Bolshevik revolution of a forgotten police action carried out by American and Canadian troops to keep the Czar in power. A moonshiner takes revenge on a rival responsible for the death of his dog and the destruction of his impressive collection of Elvis vinyls. Desperate women seek military protection during an uprising set in 19th century colonial India. Airplane flying rebels seek to scavenge a crashed Soviet bomber in the aftermath of a nuclear Holocaust while in another different story set in a similar apocalypse, friends see medical attention for their critically injured mentor. A Nazi courier crosses enemy lines and angry live ammunition to deliver important top secret documents during the Watch on the Rhine. Lastly, The American Calvary tracks a legendary American Indian throughout the Sonoran Desert.

Unfortunately, this 1986 offering isn't one of the issues that features a The 'Nam precursor. I have that entire series run, plus a couple of Punisher tie-ins. So I would love to have those 2 issues to round out the full run. That means I'll be on the lookout for issues #1 and 4! Incidentally, a third story set in South Indochina was scheduled to appear in volume 2 of Savage Tales. Alas, the series was cancelled with issue #8. However, that story actually is not lost as it was retooled and saw print as The 'Nam #8!

Along with the editing talents of Larry Hama, there's a slew of Marvel greats including Dick Ayers, Herb Trimpe, Chuck Dixon (going by his Christian name Charles) and the fantastic John Severin. I've been a fan of his work ever since I was cutting my teeth on Cracked Magazine. Severin was the first artist I could recognize by his art style alone. He does double duty penciling the Russian Revolution and the American Calvary adventures. The cover art was by Mitch O'Connell.

An interesting read. I'm definitely wanting those The 'Nam forerunner stories but I don't think I'm in it for the entire 8 issue run.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #29

Fury and Baron Von Strucker battle with the fate of of a tiny French village literally in their hands. The Sgt. has the detonator in his mitts while his Nazi foe has the overriding kill switch within his grasp. 

Roy Thomas takes over the writing responsibilities from Stan Lee in this issue and the toe-headed wunderkind does a heck of a job. Artist Dick Ayers does one fine job as well and that thrilling cover by him- Amazing! Why isn't it considered one of the best of the Marvel Age of Comics?!

I had mentioned in my review of the last issue that I was surprised how wavering the Baron was feeling towards the final solution of Hitler. This issue, which may or may not, be the future leader of Hydra's last appearance in the World War II adventures of Nick Fury. If it is, then I have a sufficient explanation as to how Von Strucker becomes such a heartless would-be world leader of the Marvel Universe's most evil organizations!

An underrated classic!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #25

During another important mission, Nick Fury is separated from the rest of his team. In this midst of everything, Fury's has sustained a head injury. Now as his Howlers search for their missing leader, Fury imagines his allies are the enemy and continues to evade important medical help.

A great psychological thriller by Stan Lee. It ranks up there with the original D.O.A. starring Edmund O'Brien or some of Hitchcock's earliest stuff. Great art by Dick Ayers with a sinister looking cover by the King, Jack Kirby!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Weird Wonder Tales #18 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Weird Wonder Tales was just one of the many horror titles that Marvel published in the early 1970s thanks to the lessening of restrictions on such titles by the Comics Code. There was only one problem with these type books in the eyes of 1970s readers: based on the reprinted material inside, the Marvel horror anthologies were tame compared to what DC and Charlton were putting out. These stories were also way past G-rated compared to the horror material Marvel was distributing in magazine format which had some mild nudity and swears in them. 

Starting with issue #19, Marvel made the one-time Avenger Doctor Druid the series host, hoping that continuity would earn readers. Unfortunately, the experiment was a failure and Weird Wonder Tales was cancelled 4 issues later with issue #22. The ultimate irony is that nearly 50 years later, many of Marvel's horror anthologies from the 70s are sought out by collectors as the reprints they contain are affordable alternatives to the original issues from the 50s and 60s. This was the last issue under the title's original format.

In this issue there are 2 stories. The cover story, (I Created) Krang!, is a double sized giant monster story by Stan Lee and brother Larry Lieber with art and inks by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers. A scientist seeking to use enlarged insects as environmental replacements for fuel burning vehicles travels to Europe where a rare tree might hold the key to gigantism. The assistant steals some of the resulting formula and puts it atop a seemingly harmless ant. However too much is applied and the ant grows to the size of an elephant. Even worse, the ant has developed super intelligence, forcing the scientist to make more formula in order for Krang to create an army of oversized insects and thus conquer the world!

The backup feature combines horror and ancient myth. From the early 1950s, 'The Cartoonist's Calamity' was featured in the pages of Venus #17. The story stars the character of Aphrodite. Growing bored with life as a goddess, the daughter of Zeus comes to Earth where under the name of Venus, she becomes the editor of a struggling fashion magazine. In this tale, her head cartoonist Jimmy Rogers has been acting erratically. Venus goes on to discover that Jimmy has been moonlighting for a horror comic; only now Jimmy's terrifying visions have come to life and are driving their creator insane!

Written and illustrated by Bill Everett, the horrors Jimmy Rogers creates seem ripped directly from the sketchbook of Basil Wolverton. When it comes to the lettering, it must have been by the same fella that crafted the stylized font for the word 'Comics' on the Action Comics logo. Just about every speech bubble using that style instead of italics for expressions of disbelief and shock!

The material in this book might not be the most terrifying horror title to ever grace market shelves. But this was a 1970s horror anthology that has since earned the respect of collectors, if not about 5 decades too late. 

Cover by Jack Kirby, Klaus Janson and Danny Crespi.

Completing this review completes Task #13 (A Horror Comic) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #39

Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos ran from 1963-1981 for a grand total of 167 issues. However, if you want to read about every mission Nick Fury and his troops conducted during the Second World War, you only have to purchase about half of those issues! Starting with issue #80, new material alternated every other issue with reprints. The series switched to reprints only with issue #120 after sales reports showed that those 2nd chance stories sold as well as the originals did. Some later issues reprinted material that members of the Howling Commandos interacting with members of the Leathernecks lead by former Naval commander Captain Savage who spun off earlier in the pages of Sgt. Fury. 

The first 23 issues of the series were collected in the pages of Essential Marvel Sgt. Fury, Vol. 1, along with material from the debut annual. While ownership of the black and white omnibus is rather pricey, as the book is out of print, it beats trying to pay thousands of dollars for those first few books. Sgt. Fury #167, the last issue of the series, is like a snake biting its own tale, reprinting issue #1. If you wish to go the color route, there's the premium priced Marvel Masterworks, although the House of Ideas hasn't produced an edition past Volume 4, reprinting issues 33-43, released in 2012.

As for this collector, I bit the bullet on the Essential Marvel collection. Then I found a mix of first run and reprint issues in order to have a copy of each story printed from the original run. Sgt. Fury #39 is a first run issue. It introduces readers to Colonel Fritz Klaue, a Nazi officer with an iron hand- literally. Over the years, his son Ulysses Klaue will grow to become an internal thorn on the side of the nation of Wakanda.

The Howling Commandos are sent behind enemy lines to discover the secret of the Fortress of Fear! G-2 has received word that the Nazis are developing a top secret weapon code-named 'Thunderer.' Once the soldiers learn what the Thunderer is, they are to neutralize it by any means possible. Seeing that the super weapon is a jet propelled plane and the Howling Commandos have no way out of the Bavarian Alps, it looks like the Thunderer is going to be taxing some Americans back into Allied territory!

Written by Roy Thomas and Dick Ayers, who also pencils this issue. Inks by John Tartaglione.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Weird Western Tales #46 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Bat Lash. Gambler. Ladies man. Smuggler and swindler. He's a gentleman with a roguish streak. He claims that he abhors violence. However, he's not afraid to use a firearm or stick of dynamite when the chips are down. You could almost say that Bat Lash is an old West inspiration for Han Solo.

The character was created in 1968. He was one of the first figures developed by Carmine Infantino after he was named editorial director for DC Comics. Fellow editor Joe Orlando assisted in Bay Lash's development before Sheldon Mayer and Sergio Aragones were tasked with bringing the antihero to life 

Bat Lash first debuted in issue #76 of Showcase. He soon started in his own self-titled solo series with Aragones now joined by Denny O'Neil as scribe. Despite winning a pair of Alley Awards for Best Western series and being significantly popular in Europe, Bat Lash was cancelled after only 7 issues.

In 1972, capitalizing off of the easing of restrictions on horror comics by the Comics Code as well as the new found popularity of titles like The House of Secrets, DC commissioned a western anthology series that specialized in the strange and macabre. Weird Western Tales debuted in the summer of '72. The breakout star of the title was the Confederate bounty hunter Jonah Hex. His popularity spun off into his own solo series in 1977. 

After Hex departed Weird Western Tales, the character of Scalphunter was made the feature. Created by Aragones and Orlando, Scalphunter was a young white child named Brian Savage. After his parents are slaughtered, Brian is raised by his family's killers, the people of the Kiowa tribe. Though despised by the Kiowa, Brian is trained to become a fierce warrior. Eventually Savage leaves the tribe in hopes of finding his baby sister who may have survived the massacre of his family.

Assuming the name of Scalphunter, Savage is a man of two cultures; both of which refuse to claim him. In his search for his sister, Scalphunter encounters a number of characters from DC's Old West lineup, including Bat Lash. No stranger to Weird Western Tales, Lash teamed with Scalphunter in the previous issues, agreeing to steal an experimental piece of artillery that very well could change the course of the Civil War.

Bat Lash and Scalphunter were supposed to sell the gun to the highest bidder. However, Lash betrayed his partner leaving him for dead. Enraged, Scalphunter has tracked Bat Lash to Saint Louis where the scoundrel is to meet with representatives from both the North and the South in a high stakes auction. While Lash plans for the Union to win the weapon, the Southern conspirators recruit Scalphunter into an ambush. Seeing a chance for revenge, Scalphunter agrees. Now with the South in possession of the automatic weapon, Bat Lash must convince his new foe that his intentions were pure and work together to save an entire Union regiment from being slaughtered.

Definitely a Western tale. But light on the weird. 

Written by Gerry Conway. Art by Dick Ayers and George Evans.

Completing this review completes Task #25 (A Western) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Weird Western Tales #50 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Weird Western Tales actually started out as the second volume of the fan favorite anthology series All-Star Western. The first issues featured some basic historical characters like Billy the Kid, Buffalo Bill, and Davy Crockett. DC creations such as Pow Wow Smith and Bat Lash made appearances as well as the demon possessed gunslinger known as El Diablo. In issue #10, readers were introduced to the mysterious bounty hunter, Jonah Hex.                                             

A former Confederate soldier turned bounty hunter, Hex's visage was disfigured by a Native American shaman for allegedly violating rules of combat. This brand was called the 'mark of the demon'. While Hex didn't have any supernatural powers, his stories tended to have an element of the strange and macabre due the nature of his facial injury. 

During this time period, the Comics Code was lessening its rules on horror tales. As a result, DC Comics created the wildly popular Weird War Tales in 1971. Seeing dollar signs, the editors at DC and publisher Carmine Infantino made the call to switch All-Star Western's format and title. The book was renamed Weird Western Tales with issue #12 (June, 1972). 

For the first half dozen issues El Diablo and Jonah Hex rotated as the star of Weird Western Tales. Assorted Western themed horror tales rounded out the issue. Issue #17 saw Jonah Hex becoming the main feature of the series and within another dozen issues, Weird Western Tales dropped the back-up features. Hex's last appearance in the series was in issue #38. Readers fell in love with the character and by April of 1977, Jonah Hex was starring in his own self-titled issue. 

Issue #39 saw the character of Scalphunter becoming the star of Weird Western Tales. In his debut we learn that the Scalphunter was a white man named Brian Savage. Abducted by the Kiowa Indians as a child, the Native Americans raised Brian under the name Ke-Wok-No-Tay, meaning 'He Who Is Less Than Human'. Skilled at combat, Brian left the tribe going by the name of Scalphunter. 

Scalphunter eventually learned that he had a little sister and that's where this issue picks up. Heading over to Atlanta, Scalphunter follows up on a tip that takes him to a Confederate Army occupied mansion. Inside, he finds numerous members of a prominent family placed under house arrest under suspicion of being a spy for the North; including a pair of criminal who tried to kill Scalphunter previous in New Orleans and his baby sister, Samantha Savage!

Featuring artwork by Dick Ayers (Rawhide Kid), the script was written by Gerry Conway (Superman). Cover artwork by Ross Andru and Marvel Fanfare's  Al Milgrom.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #47 (A Western) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Essential Rawhide Kid, Volume 1

Though I am very much a bit of a city mouse, I do have some down-home roots. I spent many a summer working on my grandparents' farm. I've run barefoot in fields and creeks. And I have a fondness for a good country western story. 

Legendary writer Louis L'amour is a good go-to for such a need. But when you don't have time to sit down and read a lengthy adventure tale, you can't go wrong with the Western comics of Marvel! 

This volume collects issues #17-35 of the Silver Age adventures of the Rawhide Kid. Retooled from a fledgling 1950s cowpoke who was pretty forgettable, this iteration of the character is a rough-and-tumble loner who's not quite a teen anymore but barely a man. 

After the death of his adoptive father-figure, the Rawhide Kid travels the Old West in search of peace and quiet. But more often than not, the Kid runs afoul of varmints, Indians and gunslingers looking to make a name for themselves. As the Rawhide Kid leaves his mark of Justice and fairness on the cities and towns of the Western frontier, his legend grows...

These stories were crafted by a group of legends in their own right. Stan Lee crafted all of the tales in this book. Jack Kirby penciled all except the last 2 or 3 issues of this book. His work is adeptly inked by Dick Ayers. Finishing out this volume is Jack Davis. Known for his work on the EC Comics of the 1950s, Davis adds a whimsical flare to the Rawhide Kid.

Each reprinted issue features an extra Western tale that often ends with an EC Comics style twist ending. More often than not, the hero's of these adventures turn out to be legends such as Doc Holiday, or----uh,uh,uh! SPOILERS!

These issues also had a prose story. These 2-pagers were early 60's postal requirements for comic books to maintain their status as first-rate mail. They're actually pretty good reads but they're anonymous. Stan Lee got his chops in the comic book industry penning such tales in the pages of Captain America in the 1940s. He might have wrote some of these epics. Or someone else might have got their unsung start writing them. I just don't know.

On at least 3 occasions, stories are retold. It's interesting seeing Stan and Jack remake their own works. (Davis retools one Rawhide yarn as well with Stan's able pen.) But where Western stories that hard to think up? Obviously, this wasn't one of Stan Lee's most verbose titles as the words 'owlhoot' and 'hombre' were used to mind-numbing effect and there's quite a bit of poor vocabulary and grammar spoken on the rustic plains.

With the Rawhide Kid just wanting to be left alone, I'm wondering if this comic book was the inspiration for another Marvel creation- the Incredible Hulk! Coincidentally, the first appearances of the Hulk are advertised frequently in the pages of this book. Should the Rawhide Kid have been a forefather to the big green machine, it would add all that much more to the mystique of that all encompassing world known as the Marvel Universe that was brilliantly brought to use by Stan the Man and Jack the King!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars!

Sadly, only one volume was ever 

Where Monsters Dwell #5

    The bargain bin- it's where I find lots of great little gems and this one was no exception. It's like mining for gold at those little tourist traps in the mountains. The stuff you find might be unique and maybe even a little rare but it's so flawed that there's very little value to it unless you polish it up. In my case, that would mean having it graded. But I don't care, I was extremely happy to find this monster book from 1970 even if the cover is almost about to fall off.
    This issue has 4 stories. The first is the cover story involving a giant mud monster who has returned to turn earth with plans of turning our planet into it's private global kingdom. By Jack Kirby along with Dick Ayers, this is one of the last Kirby stories before the King left for DC. An interesting read with touches of the King's mastery and a bit of an ending ripped from the Classic Trek episode "Charlie X.'
     The next story by the legendary Steve Ditko, involves an American sailor enthralled by the ship of an Asian warlord. The sailor goes as far as to shanghai the crime lord to commit piracy but it turns out that the criminal leader also has magical powers. This story had an ending that I figured out pretty quick but it was still an entertaining read.
    Then a country bumpkin helps a trio of aliens repair their ship in return for a special treasure. But when the earthling discovers that the visitors are planning to return with an invasion fleet, the man promises to make things right. It was okay but clearly the weakest story of the bunch.
     Lastly, a man wanting to buy a haunted house is encouraged by the realtor to spend a night in there. It's a classic version of an old ghost story but with a great twist. 
    I think the biggest surprise to me about this book was it's age. I really thought Where Monsters Dwell was a Marvel book from the early 60s- like pre-Fantastic Four early. I had no idea that it ran in the 70s. But man, was I glad I found this- it was worth early penny of the dollar I spent on it and then some. What a great way to start my Halloween haunted reading for the 2016 season!!!
   
   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
 

"Marvel Monsters Group Presents : Fin Fang Four #1(limited series)"

 

WORTH CONSUMING!

Creative tale about the reformation of 4 classic Marvel Monsters and the jobs at the Baxter Building. Includes a classic reprint of the Origin on Fin Fang Foom, by Dick Ayers & Jack Kirby.