Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos Annual #3, page 1 (Sgt Fury in Vietnam)

Interesting. I was always under the impression that he traded his eye to Mephisto for his sixth toe on his right foot.

Just remember, you asked for this. :)

Hey John! I understand the comment! But I beg to differ: he traded it to Mephisto to stop World War Two but was betrayed by him (he should have known better).

wow, what a beauty. Dick and john  set the stage of the story with this stunning title page.

Many thanks, Brian. You are absolutely right. I was trying to resist but this splash is so striking and memorable.

That's a great image of Fury and a page out of my childhood,congrats ! 

Many thanks, Michael. Little did we know that, decades in the future, we would actually have the opportunity to be stewards of the original artwork itself. It is a real privilege that should never be taken for granted.

I love the smell of Marvel art in the morning. It smells like victory ;)

Hey Rick. It was a really tough mission though before victory was finally secured!

A real standout title page - super cool to see Fury with the patch but in Howling Commandos instead of SHIELD. Congrats on the win and adding another great piece of Marvel Comics history to your collection!

Many thanks, Kavi. This is a really historic page indeed.

Congrats !

Many thanks, Andy. And many congratulations on being the Spider Ham collector without peer!

Although I'm a diehard Marvel fan, when it comes to war comics, I would have to give the nod to DC (and not just because they had a fella by the name of Joe Kubert over there).  But it's hard to deny the iconic nature of this incredible Nick Fury splash (the early eyepatch appearance notwithstanding).  Even though most comic fans (and probably all MCU fans) only know Fury as the Director of SHIELD, I still like to remember him as Sgt. Fury.  Of course this probably has more to do with my age than anything else.  In any case, this is one gem of a splash.  Congratulations!

Many thanks, Eric. In contrast, once I became part of the Marvel revolution, I am afraid that I abandoned much of DC although I do agree that Joe Kubert was a fantastic anchor for that particular genre at DC itself. Perhaps it was pure "Marvel bias", but I loved Marvel Western comics as much as its superhero ones - and, of course, Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos and, hence, I was really thrilled to obtain this title page from a historic storyline.

A fantastic splashy image of Fury's history, congrats on this great page. 

Many thanks, James. Yes, it is a historic title page and it is almost incongruous to see Colonel Fury dominating an image that nevertheless reminds us right at the top of the page itself that this is a book about Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos.

Striking is right!  It's beautiful and amazing!

Many thanks, Nick. This piece really hits the nostalgic spot.  Hope you are keeping well despite all that has been happening lately.

Congratulation on a beautiful piece!!! I loke Dick Ayers and Tartaglione during this period!!!!

Many thanks, Alberto. Yes, Tartaglione's inks complemented Ayers's pencils very, very well on this particular title.

Tartaglione was never a top level inker, but credit where it is due, he did a very lovely job over Ayers' pencils here! But one thing I'm still confused about: Fury was a veteran of WWII, Vietnam and is currently heading SHIELD in 2024 as of this writing. So by that, can we surmise that he was also a veteran of WWI, the Civil War, the War of 1812 and he is essentially immortal?

Many thanks, Rubén. I thought that Tartaglione was a pretty decent inker and he did a great job across a number of titles. Not sure about the movie timeline but the timeline here makes sense - two decades after World War Two, his left eye finally failed, and now a Colonel (who recaptures the verve and excitement of his days as a non-commissioned Sergeant). I especially liked the way he regathered his crew from World War Two in this story.

Beautiful, dramatic splash. 

Many thanks, Ron, for a succinct comment that says it all.  I trust that you are keeping well, my friend.

Great page! I loved this issue, which I bought out of a 25 or 50 cent bin when I was a kid - I actually bought the next 3 pages after this one at Heritage!

Many thanks, Gene. And many congrats on your pages!

Just incredible as this before public sentiment changed and it was still timely for Marvel to jump into what was relevent as opposed to DC.    

An excellent observation, Marcus. Stan did always pride himself in integrating contemporary events into the books Marvel produced. The introduction of the Black Panther in FF #52 was yet another instance.

I know I never read this issue, but this page makes me sit up and take notice! There is a lot of Silver Age goodness I might have missed! Gorgeous splash!

Many thanks, Andrew.  It is in fact a fairly long story with lots of action, and I would very highly recommend a read if you happen to find a copy. It is also a unique story as, unlike the regular Sgt Fury series, the action takes place in Vietnam some two decades later as Nick Fury reassembles his Howling Commandos for the mission.

Man, those VCs are useless. Guy in the back, just shoot him. Hes just running around strutting. He sees nothing. Totally unaware. Totally overconfident. Its amazing that they won the war. I suppose the US were too busy monologing as usual. No stamina either. I worked out years ago that the US have only won one war since WW2 and that was against Grenada. Wow! Iraq and Afghanistan lost. Just give up guys, unless you are fighting a tiny island.

Hey, Peter.  I am staying away from political commentary and controversy!

I love American culture. Its the crusading colonial sabre rattling  and crocodile tears by bomb loving zealots that gets to me. Its a reason Americans are so 'popular' around the world. On a positive front, with America basically bankrupt there will soon be less bombs blighting the planet! Bombs cost money. If you want a chuckle, look at what American debt has gone up from, to its current state in the last twenty years. Unsustainable. The arts nice by the way. You have great taste.

What a great title page! Nice getting eye-patched Fury in a Howling Commandos war story, in this case the Vietnam War. Congratulations!

Many thanks, Peter. Yes, it is such a historical piece for all the reasons you mention.

Wow, magnificent title splash!  Classic Sgt Nick Fury.

Many thanks, Paul. Yes, and a very historic piece as well. Hope you are keeping well.

Your classic taste is unbeatable man! Thank you so much for sharing it!

Many thanks, Toni, for your very kind words, as always.  In truth, it has become a very expensive hobby nowadays so the posts will probably diminish over time.

Stop posting so much great art! 

Keep posting all these great art pieces! 

My internal response to you great posts CAB - the side of envy vs the side of great appreciation. The appreciation wins out every time - thanks for shairng all this great art with CAF!!!

I absolutely love the vintage look of this page and the subject matter is one of the best for the character. Major congrats!!

Many thanks, Dave. As I just responded in another comment, the hobby being so expensive nowadays, my posts will diminish in number over time. I have been fortunate in getting into the hobby a little earlier and I will try (as I have done) to post some older pieces as well so that I don't stop posting completely. While this was a relatively recent purchase, it cost a fair bit (but was still doable, thankfully).

Nice splash! Congratulations 

Many thanks, and many congrats on your recent Moebius piece!

Talk about a beautiful and iconic page...great one CAB

Many thanks, CJ. It is a really nice and significant page indeed.

Beautiful page, indeed!

Many thanks, Al. It does look better each time one looks at it.