Marvel Comics; 10¢ 

In the relatively early days of Marvel Comics, Sgt. Fury (known as Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos from #121 onward) had proven a hit. While it was set during World War II, however, the bulk of the Marvel universe was firmly established in the then-current 1960s. So, fans eventually asked what Nick Fury might be doing in that era. 

The answer came when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Strange Tales #135. Capitalizing on both the character’s popularity and the James Bond-driven spy craze of that era, S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly became part of the storytelling glue that held the Marvel universe together. 

However, after Lee and Kirby’s initial salvo in Strange Tales, one creator would dominate the reading public’s perception of Nick Fury: Jim Steranko. An innovator from his earliest Marvel work, Steranko’s willingness to mix beautifully illustrated cutting edge graphics with complex stories made him a fan favorite. Although his work on Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. ended with the cover for #7, he remains after 57 years the benchmark for creators working on the title character. 

So, it’s pretty easy to see how “Twas the Night before Christmas” by Gary Friedrich, Frank Springer, and Johnny Craig in Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #10 could get overlooked nearly six decades later, but it’d still be a mistake to do so. 

Following on the previous issue’s Hate Monger story, we get a smoldering, bluesy Christmas story that sees Fury try to spend the holiday with the beautiful Laura Brown. All that’s missing is a swanky jazz soundtrack. The quiet, romantic moment suddenly turns into an action adventure, and a great Christmas comic. It’s Christmas wrapping around a quiet epic spy vs. terrorist tale. 

The story, probably the best non-Steranko entry of the title’s 18-issue run, comes under what in my opinion is the best non-Steranko cover of the run as well. It had such an impact on my when I originally got it that years later I wondered if it really was all that great or if that was just the nostalgia talking. Having commissioned more than a few covers myself, I think I was right. In fact, on my own book Al Capone, Vampire #3, I had artists Brian and Brendon Fraim do an homage to that cover when the issue fell with a December on-sale date (they killed on it, as usual). 

By the way, I’m not dismissing the impact of nostalgia on my original love for this book. I first read the story in Marvel Treasury Edition #8 (Giant Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag), I loved the story so much that it became the first back issue I ever mail-ordered. So, yeah, I love this book, but check me on it. You’ll find it stands up to this day. 

– J.C. Vaughn