Nick Fury Vs. Fin Fang Foom #1 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In 2024, shortly after stepping down as the head writer of Captain America, Marvel Comics announced that J. Michael Straczynski would be crafting an anthology team-up series. There would be no set main character, like with Marvel Two-In-One which saw the Fantastic Four's ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing pairing up with a different character every issue. This twist for the new series would be having 2 changing and unlikely characters interacting with each other. A sneak preview of the first issue showed the cover by Gary Frank depicting Rocket Raccoon dining inside the castle fortress of Doctor Doom!

In December, the idea of a monthly title was scrapped. But instead of Straczynski's hard work being banished to the Marvel vaults, it was decided that a slew of one-and-done specials would be produced. The 'Unlikely Duo One-Shots' would see Spidey taking on not the Sinester Six but a full SIXTEEN, the Voluminous Volstagg assisting Captain America and Ghost Rider offered a chance to be the galactic herald of Galactus. But the book that I absolutely had to have in my collection was the war time meeting of Nick Fury and the alien dragon Fin Fang Foom.

Set in October, 1940, World War II is raging across the globe, but the United States has yet to officially enter the conflict... officially. A few months earlier, Fury and his childhood friend Red Hargrove undertook a clandestine mission to the Netherlands. Now barnstorming throughout Europe in a dilapidated Fokker, Fury is once again recruited by Happy Sam Sawyer to investigate the disappearance of a number of planes owned by an American company in war torn China.

The American company is actually a front for a group of US Army based mercenaries called the Flying Tigers. Planes flying reconnaissance for the Chinese army fighting off the invading Imperial Japanese forces, have disappeared without a trace. Needing fearless pilots with military experience, Fury and Hargrove are perfect to uncover the secret of the missing airplanes. On one such mission, Fury attempts to get a closer look at a mysterious cloud that upon further investigation looks a lot like a dragon. But clouds aren't supposed to be green, have teeth and dive at you from a steep angle at a very high rate of speed!!!

J. Michael Straczynski does a fairly decent job of keeping this story in line with the established Marvel Comics canon. Fury and Hargrove 's first mission for Happy Sam in the Netherlands in Sgt. Fury #7 is referenced several times. Defeated at the hands of American mercenaries, Fin Fang Foom sets his hibernation chamber to reset for reemergence in 1961; the very year the character would make his Marvel debut in the pages of Strange Tales #89. Too bad Straczynski doesn't seem to know American history! The author has the Japanese attacking Pearl Harbor a year too early!

Can somebody say 'No Prize?'  Or is this part of a new timeline some fans are debating that will see the Axis powers somehow winning World War II? What unfolds in Stracynski's remaining one-shots due out this Summer could hold the answer.

Featuring artwork by Elena Casagrande. Cover by Gary Frank.

Completing this review completes Task #13 (A war Comic) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock Vs. The Army of the Undead #2

Issue #2 sees Sgt. Rock and Easy Co. on reconnaissance. Yes- there's several encounters with undead Nazis. Lots of gore. Lots of combat. There's even a scene at a bier haus in which we see a bunch of zombie soldiers drinking beer and having antics. 

It all feels very unnecessary. 

The undead Nazis at a bar seemed very out of place. I'm sure it was part of Bruce Campbell's quirky sense of humor. I was reminded of that scene in Gremlins where those little green boogers took over a local watering hole and went wild. 

The combat scenes used almost all of the tech introduced in the last issue up already. Generally, when this would happen to an action character like James Bond, the hero wouldn't go through his entire arsenal until the final act. What a waste!

There was 1 thing that did advance the plot: Rock and his troops do locate Hitler's personal physician. That means that the fuehrer can't be very far away. However, instead of capturing the doctor, the boys end this issue by heading back to base. 

Nothing in this issue pushed the plot line any forward. Any progress made by locating Dr. Theodor Morell was walked back with Sgt. Rock not doing anything. I'm a little bit miffed. I paid $3.99 new, for this issue. I feel a little bit cheated. No, not cheated. I did enjoy a lot of segments in this book. I just wish I had gotten this issue for less than cover at a bargain bin. Very glad I didn't pay the extra dollar for the variant cover. That's okay. The Gary Frank covers have been awesome!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Batman: Earth One, Volume 2

   It's the next chapter in the life of the Earth One Batman. Falsely accused of the murder of Mayor Cobblepot, the vigilante of Gotham must continue to work in the shadows. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon has gone straight and is now in the process of drying out his partner Harvey Bullock, whose idealism has been damaged after the tragic events that unfolded in Book One. A thorn in both parties side is District Attorney Harvey Dent who doesn't believe that Batman nor Gordon are on the level and makes it his duty to have Gotham free from their influence.
     All the while, a new player is operating behind the scenes. He's targeted the elite of Gotham who have been straying from the straight and narrow path of righteousness. Convinced that their wicked deeds should be punishable by death, this mystery man has got a unique way to mete out justice: trap the guilty, make them suffer, and then give them a chance to save themselves with the correct answer of a riddle...
     I really enjoyed this chapter. To me, the Earth One books are what the New 52! should have been. (I know that this series has it's haters, but this really is like the Ultimate Universe for DC Comics and is unfairly rebuked.) Batman and many of the characters in this story look familiar but there are subtle differences that aren't for the sake of being edgy or trendy but to make the established archetype a little more interesting. I wish I could present you with a case in point but any further info will ruin the great surprises cooked up by DC wunderkind
Geoff Johns (Green Lantern.)
    With fantastic art by Gary Frank (Action Comics), this a nearly flawless alternate look at 'Ultimate' Batman.

    Worth Consuming

     Rating: 9 out of 10 stars