Fury #1 Review: A Charming Enough Update to Marvel Comics Continuity
Fury #1 follows in the tradition of recent 60th anniversary celebrations penned by writer Al Ewing, Ant-Man and Wasp, drawing upon an array of artistic styles to capture the charms of multiple eras in comics history centering upon a single figure. Unlike those earlier series, Fury delivers its entire story in a one-shot format featuring four distinct artistic assignments. It also reads more like a continuity adjustment than a story unto itself, delivering an underwhelming in spite of the notable creative talent attached.
The issue follows Nick Fury Jr., the son of Marvel Comics' original Nick Fury modeled on Marvel Studios' Nick Fury, as he chases new mysteries surrounding the Zodiac Key. This inevitably leads him back to his origins and his father's many encounters with that artifact and the Zodiac conspiracy so often attached to it. Different artists render different eras as the story jumps back to Nick's time as a super spy in Steranko-like style and his gritty World War II stories with the exceedingly appropriate renderings of Adam Kubert. Yet the hunt for the Zodiac Key is staging for a final 10 pages largely detached from everything preceding them and serving primarily to update Marvel Comics' status quo to match that of Marvel Studios.
There's fun to be had in the hunt for a new S.C.O.R.P.I.O. framed with plenty of flirtatious action between Fury and his new foe. Their battle is framed by multiple encounters between the new S.C.O.R.P.I.O.'s predecessors and Fury's own father. It starts with a look at Fury Sr.'s case files depicted by Tom Reilly whose work on Ant-Man showcased impeccable storytelling skills and a chameleonic approach to style that revitalized the essence of past endeavors with modern energy. Reilly finds an opportunity on nearly every page he draws to pay homage to psychedelic collages, idiosyncratic paneling, and high-contrast action beats that makes his pages a joy to read.
Adam Kubert's subsequent work on a wartime flashback is similar, paying homage to his father Joe Kubert's legendary war comics. This is the most impressive section of the issue as Kubert combines modern compositions, including splashes with many overlapping panels, to an approach that resonates as well today as it did in the 1950s. Colorist Jordie Bellaire reminds readers how deftly she can alter her own approach in this section – rendering Kubert's work in an imitation of old CMYK printing processes before switching again to a much more modern style.
All of these impressive stylistic flourishes make a strong case for readers with an appreciation of Marvel Comics or comics art history to check out Fury, but they cannot cover up the insubstantiality at the heart of the comic. The S.C.O.R.P.I.O. chase ends without resolution and teases ongoing adventures in the backpages of Fantastic Four in order to shift the comics' attention to a confrontation between the two Furys. Early easter eggs presaging this conclusion do little to make it feel earned as the dialogue between the two men relies little on character or events making its purpose seem plain: Make Nick Fury Jr. the only Nick Fury at Marvel Comics. It seems presumptive to add the phrase "before Secret Invasion drops on Disney+," but that doesn't make it untrue either. Although the final few pages rendered by Ramon Rosanas provide both Furys with a nice splash celebrating their comics history, they ultimately serve as an editor's note about Marvel Comics' future status quo.
Fury #1 utilizes a writer with a deep appreciation for comics and superhero history with a lineup of impressive artists applying their distinctive approaches in appropriate settings; it has all of the pieces necessary to thrill Nick Fury fans. Yet it lacks a story or purpose capable of thrilling, prioritizing style over substance in an issue that few Marvel readers would ever notice they missed.
Published by Marvel Comics
On May 24, 2023
Written by Al Ewing
Art by Adam Kubert, Scott Eaton, Tom Reilly, Ramon Rosanas, and Cam Smith
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover by Adam Kubert and Dean White