| Issue | #2 |
| Published | April 1973 |
| Cover Price | 0.20 |
| Pages | 36 |
| Editing | Roy Thomas |
| Notes | Cover is variation of STRANGE TALES #167 (April 1968). No direct relation to either story inside. Fury (or anyone else) would not wear black jumpsuit until STRANGE TALES #156 (May 1967). |
| Characters | Dum Dum Dugan; Nick Fury; Gabe Jones |
| Genre | Spy |
| Pencils | Jim Steranko |
| Inks | Jim Steranko |
| Notes | Cover is variation of STRANGE TALES #167 (April 1968). No direct relation to either story inside. Fury (or anyone else) would not wear black jumpsuit until STRANGE TALES #156 (May 1967). |
| Characters | Nick Fury; Dum Dum Dugan; Jasper Sitwell; Count Bornag Royale (A.I.M.); A.I.M. (division of "THEM") |
| Synopsis | Dugan is desperate and shattered when he thinks Fury is killed in a fire-bombing attack by A.I.M., only to discover it was a Life Model Decoy that got "killed". But the A.I.M. prisoners he wanted interrogated were killed, which frustrates Fury-- who, along with Dum Dum & Jasper, realize their movements are under video-surveillance by the enemy! Meanwhile, Count Royale and his A.I.M. cohorts are amazed at how advanced & convincing SHIELD's L.M.D.s are, far more advanced than their own chemical androids, and determine to steal one. Fury gets angrier by the minute, and chews out a scientist testing a "tri-di-roentgen hand gun" (capable of making any object transparent), and Jasper, who blew a hole in the ceiling of his cabin trying to find a security gap. Fury realizes he's stepped on a lot of V.I.P.'s toes, but determines he'll play this game his own way. While Fury submits to a "trial", at which Jasper gives the most damning "evidence", a squad of A.I.M. men break into SHIELD's underground base to steal an L.M.D. Just as Royale realizes Fury knew about the surveillance cameras, Fury stuns the crowd by shattering a viewport and leaping thru it to his apparent death! But he parachutes to safety, and is met on the ground by Dugan-- ready to take on A.I.M.... |
| Genre | Spy |
| Script | Jack Kirby |
| Pencils | Jack Kirby (layouts); Don Heck |
| Inks | Don Heck |
| Letters | Sam Rosen |
| Editing | Stan Lee |
| Notes | Part 4 of 5. 1st Jack Kirby-dialogued Marvel Comic of the 1960's. The pen-radio Fury uses is similar to the one regularly used by agents on THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. tv series. This is the 2nd time Fury smashed a glass viewport on the Heli-Carrier, the 1st time being in STRANGE TALES #135 (August 1965). |
| Reprinted | from Strange Tales (Marvel, 1951 series) #148 (September 1966) |
| Characters | Nick Fury; A.I.M. (division of "THEM", really HYDRA); Dum Dum Dugan; Jasper Sitwell; Count Bornag Royale (A.I.M.); Number Nine (The Secret Empire) [Gabe Jones] |
| Synopsis | A squad of A.I.M. men make off with a Nick Fury Life Model Decoy-- or so they think! As Dugan hangs back awaiting Fury's signal, the SHIELD squad wonders what's going on. The answer comes soon, as the Fury "L.M.D." turns out to be the genuine article! On the Heli-Carrier, chaos follows Fury's "unorthodox exit", and as Count Royale bolts, Jasper plants a transmitter on him using a "respiratory-powered projectile hurler" (pea-shooter!), then takes control of the situation, to the amazement of the board or directors and top military brass! A pair of A.I.M. agents, fleeing the fight with Fury, are picked up on the road by "Number Nine" of "The Secret Empire"-- which turns out to be another branch of "THEM"! But as they drive off, the A.I.M. men are gassed unconscious, as "Number Nine" turns out to be the long-missing Gabe Jones, working undercover! Fury clues in the V.I.P.s as to the situation, while Jasper trails Royale to A.I.M.'s mountain-side hidden base-- just before the entire place is destroyed in a colossal explosion! Dugan comments on how they preferred blowing themselves up because they were discovered, while Fury feels "someone bigger" finished them off when their usefulness ended. Gabe arrives, and after everyone compares notes, Fury decides to check the "SHIELD Museum" for clues on HYDRA. When they're almost killed by a mysterious energy ray, Fury realizes "THEM" and HYDRA are one and the same, and it's up to SHIELD to find them, before they strike first. |
| Genre | Spy |
| Script | Jack Kirby (plot); Denny O'Neil (dialogue) |
| Pencils | Jack Kirby (layouts); Ogden Whitney |
| Inks | Ogden Whitney |
| Letters | Artie Simek |
| Editing | Stan Lee |
| Notes | Part 5 of 5. Secret Empire storyline continues from Hulk story in TALES TO ASTONISH #83; then concludes in Sub-Mariner stories in TALES TO ASTONISH #83-85 (September-November 1966). "THEM" is revealed to be a cover-name for HYDRA; as they supplied The Fixer who appeared in STRANGE TALES #141-143 (February-April 1966), this means HYDRA has never really gone away at this point! It's revealed that Count Royale was not killed in the massive explosion, in the Captain America story this month's TALES OF SUSPENSE #82 (October 1966), as Cap winds up facing one more of A.I.M.'s artificial androids. |
| Reprinted | from Strange Tales (Marvel, 1951 series) #149 (October 1966) [minus 2 pages] |
| Characters | Dum Dum Dugan; Nick Fury; A.I.M. |
| Genre | Spy |
| Script | Stan Lee |
| Pencils | Jack Kirby |
| Inks | Mike Esposito |
| Reprinted | from Strange Tales (Marvel, 1951 series) #149 (October 1966) |