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| I scored a still shrink wrapped, hardcover copy of MARVEL MASTERWORKS: SGT. FURY VOLUME 3 for half-price at Wizard World Austin Comic Con last week. This handsome volume (love the military camouflage graphic) reprints SGT. FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS #24-32 and ANNUAL #2. The stories herein were written by Stan Lee and Roy Thomas (my all-time favorite comic book writer) and illustrated by Dick Ayers. I wasn't buying SGT. FURY on a regular basis when these comics were originally published in 1965 and 1966 (that habit started in September, 1966, when I started buying every issue of every Marvel comic I could find). These issues mark a turning point in the series as Stan Lee turned the scripting reins over to young Roy Thomas (who, in his introduction to the book, confesses that SGT. FURY was one of the few Marvel comics he did not read). One of the key issues for me in this collection are #27 (Feb. 1966) featuring "Fury Fights Alone" in which the secret origin of Fury's later, post-war permanent eye-patch is revealed. I never bought this comic when I was a kid but I recall seeing it advertised in almost every Marvel comic that was published that month. The other standout issue for me is #29 (April, 1996) with the story "Armageddon!" I remember reading this comic one afternoon at summer camp and wondering how in the world to pronounce this new, unknown word: Armageddon. I sounded it out as "Ar-Mage-Don" but somehow, I knew that wasn't correct cause I'd never heard anyone say such a word. I finally figured it out later and added a new, somewhat sophisticated word to my ten-year-old kid vocabulary. Who says comics aren't educational? |
I had the same experience, learning new, bigger words from comics and Stan Lee. I also saw the covers in-house ads, but didn't start buying all the line...only those directly connected to the Fantastic Four...and Black Panther...and Silver Surfer...and Avengers, and then the X-men.... so, I was buying almost everything, but had no paper route or source of income to keep up with them all. Mores then pity!
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem Kirk. I had no regular source of income to spend on comics. I had to scrounge around for spare change from my mom and older brother. Of course, back then, a quarter could get you two regular comics or one 80 page giant and a dollar would buy eight comics!
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