American Update: Strange Tales of SHIELD…
*Marvel: Strange Tales made for strange bedfellows from the August 1965 dated #135, as the supernatural adventures of Doctor Strange were joined by the high-tech, James-Bond inspired action thriller, Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD! Fury, the star of the WW II-era ‘Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos’, had been introduced to the modern Marvel Age as a CIA agent in Fantastic Four, and with this series, he was promoted to director of a new international agency, SHIELD (Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage Law-enforcement Division). By Lee and Kirby, this new series shamelessly exploited the super-spy craze, but retained its roots firmly in the Marvel Universe, as Nick and his team dealt with extra-terrestrial threats and rival agencies such as AIM and HYDRA, who were vying for domination of Earth! SHIELD’s premiere issue, #135, is a VG/FN pence copy at £60; we also have several of the follow-up issues, ranging from #137-147, averaging VG to FN, featuring additional high-octane excitement – and let us not forget the Lee/Ditko (Lee/Everett in that last issue) Doctor Strange suspense stories!