Movie Posters of 1921 (Part 1)

Forgotten Books: SGT. FURY and his HOWLING COMMANDOS Volume 1 (2006)

Though Stan Lee is and will always be best remembered for breathing life into long-underwear heroes, I've always thought his finest hour was his scripting for Sgt. Nick Fury and his Howlers. Good as those superheroes are, there's something inherently silly about running around in a gaudy costume and battling costumed villains.

Compared to that stuff, the Sgt. Fury saga is almost a slice of real life. Sure, it too is a fantasy, but it's rooted in the real world, and fueled by the wartime experience of Lee, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers. It's filled with characters you can almost believe existed, fighting battles that don't have to be contrived just to fill panels with action.

These stories first appeard in 1963 and '64. By the time I discovered Marvel Comics, Sgt. Fury was in his fourth issue, along with FF 19, Spider-man 7 and X-Men 2 (the first number 1s I managed to pick up were Avengers and Daredevil). So it was very cool to finally read those first three installments, and see what I missed. 

The banter Stan puts into the mouths of the Howlers is much the same as you'll find his superhero mags of the time, but rings truer from these truer-to-life heroes. And I'm convinced Stan knew that too, and was inspired to produce his best work. 

The first seven issues (and the thirteenth, closing this volume with a visit from Captain America) were pencilled by Jack Kirby, which I consider the highpoint of his career, too. After being spoiled by Kirby, it's a tough transition to the less-distinctive style of Dick Ayers. But the Stan Lee dialogue is a sharp as ever, sharp enough to carry the series through over a hundred missions. 

In this volume, Fury and the gang protect the secret of D-Day, spoil the Nazis plans for an atom bomb, ruin Rommel's day, snatch a hero from under the bombing of Okinawa, prevent an invasion of England and perform other less glizty but equally heroic deeds. All in a day's work. 

Googling around, I see that there at least five Fury volumes in the Marvel Masterworks series, but a search of WorldCat shows not a single library in the English speaking world in possession of volumes 2 through 5. What the heck is up with that? They have tons of lesser works, and are buying more every day. No way can I afford the big bucks for the hardcovers, or even the $16.99 for Kindle copies. You can do me (and yourself) a solid by asking your local library to buy them, so I mooch them from InterLibrary Loan. Thanks!

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Douglas Fairbanks and THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1921)

MICKEY SPILLANE's "Meet Mike Danger" (1954)

A few weeks back I posted Spillane's first Mike Hammer wannabe - Mike Lancer - from a 1942 issue of Green Hornet comics (that's HERE). We now behold the first of two Mike Danger stories, written in 1946, but unpublished until 1954, after Mickey had hit the Big Time. 

This first tale is from Crime Detector #3, uploaded to comicbookplus by a gent known as JVJ Archive. On comicbookplus the art is credited to Sam Burlockoff, based on an interview with the artist, while  Thrillingdetective.com credits Mike Roy.  Whether it was illustrated in '46 or '54 is unclear. At any rate, unable to get Mike Danger into print, Spillane sat down and wrote I, the Jury, changing the hero's name to Hammer, and the book was published in 1947. The second Mike Danger adventure, from Crime Detector #4, will appear here soon.

Pulp Gallery: DETECTIVE STORY Magazine