A long-awaited reunion between father and son finally occurs in Fury #1, but more pressing matters like “saving the world” take precedence…
Besides a dodgy television movie from the Nineties, Nick Fury has yet to receive his own headline role in a Marvel Cinematic Universe project, despite being one of the first characters introduced in the setting all the way back in 2008’s Iron Man. With Samuel L. Jackson’s starring role in the incoming Secret Invasion series on Disney Plus, however it’s time for the requisite comic book quasi-tie-in that also happens to coincide with Nick Fury (Senior)’s sixtieth anniversary in Marvel Comics. What could have been a hastily thrown together cash-in here is instead actually a fairly dense, substantial read.
A lot of the reason why Fury #1 is a worthwhile effort is down to writer Al Ewing’s deft touch. One of his most defining qualities as an author is his deep love for continuity and bringing back the old to make something new, and he definitely does a lot of that here. The plot isn’t anything groundbreaking —why fix something that isn’t broken?— but it does bring Nick Fury (Junior) back into his father’s orbit, with decades of super spy intrigue culminating in a showdown that will require both of their skills.
As always, however, it’s not the what, but the how, and Fury #1 is an incredibly handsome package from script to page. Ewing and a bevy of artists including Scott Eaton & Cam Smith, Tom Reilly, Adam Kubert, and Ramon Rosanas take the Furies through time and space with segments set in different decades, each styled to look like pastiches of the comics of those era. One of them is specifically set in a comic book depicting the senior Fury’s adventures in the Sixties —a diversion that is actually plot-relevant and not filler— lending a fun meta approach that isn’t cloying or overly obvious. Another section is rendered to appear as though it’s been printed on low-quality paper with imperfect coloring. Ewing’s comics always have a sense of fun behind them, and the aforementioned artists all contribute to this, with Jordie Bellaire’s characteristic colors tying it all together in a visually cohesive way. If you’re looking for a riveting one-and-done standalone comic book that doesn’t require any further reading once you’ve turned past the final page, Fury #1 isn’t a bad place to start.
Fury #1
5.99
Credits
- Writer: Al Ewing
- Artists: Scott Eaton (pencils) & Cam Smith (inks), Tom Reilly, Adam Kubert, Ramon Rosanas
- Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
- Letterer: VC's Joe Caramanga
- Cover Artists: Adam Kubert & Dean White
Credits (cont)
- Editor: Tom Brevoort
- Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
