STRANGE TALES #135-138 (1965): Nick Fury; 1st Hydra!

I’m fully aware that there was a Sgt. Fury war comic, but I haven’t covered it here because it’s only tangentially relevant to the Marvel Universe. It’s really here, in Strange Tales #135, that Nick Fury becomes a player in the MU. And in the very first shot, he’s chewing on a cigar, having a mold made out of him for a life model decoy.

Nick Fury created the robots to serve as a body double to trick HYDRA during an attack.
And in the same debut issue, we see the famous flying cars that are still a big deal today…



…And, of course, the Helicarrier.
As for the story, it’s really just a bigger budget James Bond kind of thing. Tony Stark is involved as a weapons maker for SHIELD, there are two-way communication quarters, explosive ties, and we learn that the Marvel version of SPECTRE is Hydra
We also learn that SHIELD stands for Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division. That changes later.

Also, Hydra has a culture: They don’t call each others’ masks ugly…

The stories all run together, but this is a fine place to stop for now.
FANTASTIC FOUR #41-43 (1965)
With issue #41, Stan and Jack began a series of longer, multiple issue arcs. This one, the first of three-in-a-row, featured The Frightful Four. Frankly, there’d been quite a bit…
TALES TO ASTONISH #70-76 (1965-1966)
Hereon, this title offers Sub Mariner his first series, split with Hulk. Let’s talk Subby first. It starts with an extended arc, about a dethroned Sub Mariner and Lady Dorma,…
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #25 (1965)
This is the one where JJJ creates a spider-slayer prototype, plasters a video feed of his face on the front, and goes after Spidey. First appearance of Spencer Smythe. Also……
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #26-27 (1965)
Look at the detail and characterization on that splash page. So great. Probably the most complicated storyline so far. Green Goblin and Crime Master fight for underworld supremacy, and each…