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Issue Details

Issue #137
Published October 1965
Cover Price 0.12 USD
Pages 36
Editing Stan Lee

Cover Details - "The Prize Is.. Earth!"

Characters Imperial Hydra; Dum Dum Dugan; Nick Fury; Gabe Jones; Dr. Strange; The Ancient One
Genre Spy; Occult
Pencils John Severin (signed); Steve Ditko (lower tier)
Inks John Severin (signed); Steve Ditko (lower tier)
Colors Stan Goldberg
Notes 1st modern-day appearance of Dum Dum & Gabe.
Reprinted in Essential Dr. Strange (Marvel, 2001 series) #1 (2001); in Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel, 2007 series) #1

12 page Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. story "The Prize is... Earth!"

Characters Nick Fury; HYDRA; Dum Dum Dugan; Gabe Jones; Leslie Farrington (Chairman, Imperial Industries International); Arnold Brown (Farrington's secretary); Imperial Hydra ("Imperial Leader"); Agent "G" [Laura Brown] (unnamed)
Synopsis Fury looks over the captured HYDRA saucer, pondering how no one has a clue who their top men are. With a million dollar price on his head, MP's keep a sharp eye on Fury's welfare. In Weapons Design, Fury's given a gadget-laden outfit, which includes a periscope hat, a self-destructing radio tie, a high-explosive shirt, and a bullet-proof suit made of flexible steel! Meanwhile, SHIELD agents race to get an important microfilm to HQ. The chase leads from a train station to a moving train to a speeding car which turns into a submarine, but in the end, the agents self-destruct to prevent falling into HYDRA hands. HYDRA has a gigantic "Betratron Bomb", with which they can hold the entire world to ransom, and the microfilm would have told SHIELD the location of its launch-site. Meanwhile, dictatorial Leslie Farrington accepts the chairmanship of Imperial Industries International, and tells his secretary Brown he wants info on every other board member. But someone on the board is in fact Imperial Hydra! Below the boardroom, in their secret chambers, their leader is appraoched by "Agent G", his daughter. She begs him to give up his mad plan, while he tries to explain that he wants only to give her "the world". The bomb launches without a hitch...
Genre Spy
Script Jack Kirby (plot); Stan Lee (dialogue)
Pencils Jack Kirby (layouts); John Severin
Inks John Severin
Colors Stan Goldberg
Letters Artie Simek
Notes Part 3 of 7. 1st appearance of the SHIELD Communication Center. The chase sequence, from train to car-turned-submarine vs. frogmen is strikingly similar to the one in the film THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977). 1st modern appearance of Dum Dum & Gabe (regular cast members in SGT. FURY AND HIS HOLWING COMMANDOS). The relationship between Imperial Hydra & Agent G pays tribute to that of Doctor Fu Manchu & Fah Lo Suee, or The Yellow Claw and his niece, Suwan.
Reprinted in Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD (Marvel, 1968 series) #16 (November 1970); in Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel, 2007 series) #1

10 page Dr. Strange story "When Meet the Mystic Minds!"

Characters The Ancient One; Dr. Strange; Baron Mordo
Synopsis Desperate to learn the secret of "Eternity", Dr. Strange probes into the unconscious mind of The Ancient One, meeting one deadly trap after another, until at last, he reaches the mind of his beloved Master, and convinces him of his identity and good intentions. After recovering, Strange departs, and high atop a Himalayan peak, recites "one of the most potent spells of all time". When he's finished, his amulet floats into the air, expands in size, and a doorway opens-- thru which Strange steps. Seconds after the amulet vanishes, Mordo appears, just barely too late to catch up with his mortal enemy.
Genre Occult
Script Steve Ditko (plot); Stan Lee (dialogue)
Pencils Steve Ditko
Inks Steve Ditko
Colors Stan Goldberg
Letters Artie Simek
Notes Part 8 of 17.
Reprinted in Marvel's Greatest Comics (Marvel, 1969 Series) #26 (April 1970); in Strange Tales (Marvel, 1973 series) #186 (July 1976); in Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts (Pocket Books, 1978 series) #2; in Doctor Strange Classics Starring Doctor Strange (Marvel, 1984 series) #3 (May 1984); in Marvel Masterworks (Marvel, 1987 series) #23 (1992); in Essential Dr. Strange (Marvel, 2001 series) #1 (2001); in Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange (Marvel, 2003 series) #1 (2003)