View a story across generations in the “Fury” #1 one-shot!
Written by Al EwingCover by Adam Kubert and Dan White
Illustrated by Scot Eaton, Tom Reilly, Adam Kubert, and Ramon Rosanas
Inked by Cam Smith, Tom Reilly, Adam Kubert, and Ramon Rosanas
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Lettered by Joe CaramagnaWHO IS S.C.O.R.P.I.O.?
Art by Scot Eaton, Tom Reilly, Adam Kubert, Ramon Rosanas
A glamorous rogue agent with a deadly secret lures NICK FURY into the action-thriller of a lifetime…HIS FATHER’S!
Following the trail opens NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN FURY FILES from the Howlin’ ’40s…the Swingin’ ’60s…and today!
But it takes more than ONE Nick Fury to unlock a mystery decades in the making – and to answer the question…WHO IS S.C.O.R.P.I.O.?
Al Ewing is, unsurprisingly to some, at it again with an expert use of storytelling structure. Working within the bounds of both modern spy fiction and those of earlier decades (most notably those toward the start of Marvel), he jumps between decades as if it was the most obvious approach in the world, diving into both the serious elements and the more ridiculous ones of various different eras.
The use of “picto-files” of various Nick Fury missions is very entertaining, as each one feels like a very short comic book within a comic book. That kind of process allows Ewing to provide another viewpoint, but also to give extra narration and an intriguing in-universe explanation for having multiple artists on this sixtieth anniversary for Nick Fury as a character.
Ewing’s inner monologues and narration of the different time periods each feel as those they fit right in. In the modern day, Nick Fury, Jr. uses relatively brief speech bubbles, while his father’s are far more verbose and utilizing various cut-off words as if using his unique speaking style. Meanwhile, the introductory paragraphs each are rather amusing, from a run-of-the-mill description of the two men in the beginning, to an over-the-top dramatic one in the sixties, to an entire lack of one aside from a mission name in the forties.
Most importantly, Ewing keeps to a central tenet of comics about spies in superhero settings: the adventures, though dangerous, are still fun. Each of the eras of Nick Fury are, even with a serious character, rather ridiculous. A sorcerous artifact jumping across time and space? Robotic clones? Overly long aliases that are directly commented upon? Gunfights on the moon? All of these are fair game, and Ewing is completely unapologetic in playing them to the hilt for maximum entertainment, even throwing in some gung-ho World War II soldiers for good measure.
Different eras in “Fury” #1 are given different illustrators, so we will address them individually. Illustrator Scot Eaton and inker Cam Smith deal with the earth-bound modern day Nick Fury, Jr. Tom Reilly illustrates the spy fiction of the elder Nick Fury from late into the late “Swingin'” 1960s. Adam Kubert illustrates the father’s time in the “Howlin'” 1940s. Ultimately, Ramon Rosanas brings the father and son together for the last section, stretching the last quarter of “Fury” #1.
Eaton and Smith craft a relatively “normal” style, similar to many other Marvel books. The linework is well crafted, but not overtly memorable, with detailed shadows and more light. The effect makes it feel not unlike many other Marvel books at the time, though such a feeling can be fleeting in the face of the subsequent artists.
Reilly’s illustrations feel like something else entirely, as if the book is ripped straight from the Sixties the story emulates. The jumping and dodging, the wacky technology for the time, the explosive impacts, all of it gives a definite feeling of a tale out of the mind of James Bond creator Ian Fleming, though taking place four years after his death. Even beyond that, there are touches that feel as though they could have just as easily been drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby, such is the style of the book.
Kubert’s illustration of his story set in World War II has a similar Kirby-esque feeling at times, but the crosshatching on certain characters adds much more evident shadows and age, despite occurring roughly two decades before the preceding plot. The feeling is one of a more dangerous thread in this overall scheme, but not without its gung-ho whimsy. The visuals are not nearly as out-there as the Sixties, which helps ground this earlier Fury.
Continued belowRosanas brings things back to something similar to the classic style, but with somewhat less definition. Setting the story in a far darker locale (literally speaking), he is able to merge the modern styles with some elements of the stylistic touches of the earlier ones, bringing Nick Fury, Jr. into line with his father’s adventures instead of just being another spy in the modern age.
Despite being the only colorist on the book, Jordie Bellaire’s style is so diverse that she could easily have been three or four different people and it would be difficult to tell. With each part of “Fury” #1, she gives a different palette and focus. The first pages concentrate on both the artificial light giving shadows and the very colorful effects of S.C.O.R.P.I.O.’s armaments, melding the mundane and the fantastic. This style is more muted in the final section, but still similar, taking elements of the other eras to feel as a story of both Fury men. The sixties are much brighter, especially in gunfights, using dots of color and bright splashes on the one hand, and darker shadows down away from combat. Meanwhile, the coloration on the forties feels grittier, using heavy shadows in the night, but also more simplistic colors in broad daylight, as if emulating the color styles of earlier eras. The harsh reds, oranges, and yellows stand out against the silhouettes of soldiers, while the green blasts of the occult artifact feel amongst as though they belong to another story entirely, fitting into the vibe of not being what the group of soldiers usually handles.
Final Verdict: 7.5– Different eras come together into a story that is fun for various eras of Nick Fury.
