SECRET - AGENT MAN by Dave Goode

During the Silver Age of Comic Books there was only one Marvel Comic Book hero that starred in two separate series. Nick Fury was the star of Marvel's " war comic for people who don't read war comics " , SGT.FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS. He also starred in NICK FURY , AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D A series that first ran as a feature in STRANGE TALES before graduating to it's own title. I never gave much thought to a Sgt. Fury flick. We already had more than enough John Wayne war movies. But a Nick Fury ,Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D movie made during the height of the spy-craze would have been bosso-keeno.







It was in Strange Tales No.135 (Aug.1965) that ex-World War Two hero Sgt. Fury , now a colonel , was recruited to be the director of a new counter-espionage agency in a life or death struggle against the forces of Hydra. But much like Captain Kirk on the original STAR TREK , Colonel Fury never learned to delegate. He wasn't just S.H.I.EL.D's director. He was the organization's No.1 field agent. But who to cast as the combat veteran turned secret agent? For the longest time I had thought Dean Martin. Dino had portrayed secret agent Matt Helm in a series of campy spy spoofs and may have been good as artist/writer Jim Steranko's version of the character. And it was Martin who played opposite Daliah Lavi in the best of the Matt Helm movies THE SILENCERS (1966).

Lavi was the only real choice to play the part of Valentinia Alegra de la Fontaine (Val to her friends). The stunning Israeli actress/singer had appeared in a number of Euro-Spy movies. And reportedly Val was inspired by the actress. I thought she would have made a great Modesty Blaise as well. But that's another discussion.

 

Someone suggested to me a better choice to play Colonel Fury may have been Robert Lansing. And I had to agree. Lansing would have been perfect as the S.H.I.E.D agent created by Jack Kirby and later drawn by John Severin. And if your a fan-boy of a certain age you remember him as Gary Seven on the STAR TREK episode Assignment:Earth. Watch it again. That was Nick Fury. In either case I wouldn't have put Fury in that skintight bodysuit that Steranko eventually did. Too much like Steranko's Spyman from Harvey Comics. Too campy.

The Yellow Claw and Jimmy Woo of the F.B.I by Dave Goode

I was introduced to the Yellow Claw and Jimmy Woo in the 60s through Jim Steranko's run on the Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D feature in Strange Tales from Marvel Comics. A few years later I found out that the Yellow Claw was the star of his own comic book back in the 50s that had a brief four issue run. In these stories Jimmy Woo played Sir Dennis Nayland Smith to the Claw's Fu Manchu. Woo would thwart the villain's latest scheme for world domination. But he could never quite stop him completely. Or capture him. The Claw was aided by his right-hand man escaped Nazi war criminal Fritz Von Voltzman. The first issue was written by Al Feldstein and illustrated by Joe Maneely. Jack Kirby would take over the stories and art from the second issue on with covers by Bill Everett and John Severin. Kirby being Kirby the stories took on a more science fiction tone.I prefered that first issue cover-dated October 1956 by Feldstein and Maneely.

That first issue by Feldstein and Maneely had the feel of a Monogram mystery movie. I could easily have seen that studio producing a movie version.When I read those stories it isn't hard to imagine Victor Sen Yung famous as Hop Sing on the legendary TV western Bonanza as Jimmy Woo.Yung had portrayed Charlie Chan's No.2 son in a number of mystery films in the 40s and he looked to me like Jimmy Woo come to life.

Actress Gloria Talbot who seemed to be always cast as "exotics" might have made for a good Suwan,niece of the Yellow Claw and Jimmy Woo's love interest in the comic book. She had played Milton Caniff's Dragon Lady on the Terry and the Pirates television show. Fritz Von Voltzman could have been played by Gene Roth. 

As for the Yellow Claw himself?Hmmm. How about Henry Brandon who did such a bang-up job as Fu Manchu in the serial The Drums of Fu Manchu?

NOTE: Watch me, Vance Capley, draw this on the latest Draw TV with special guest Dave Goode