Mudcats’ Marvel Keys
Strange Tales #135
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COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Strange Tales 135 Signature
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Grade:
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9.8
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Page Quality:
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WHITE
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Certification #:
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1434696004
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Owner:
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Mississippi Mudcats
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
The Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. feature replaced then running Human Torch serial that ran alongside Dr Strange in Strange Tales, starting with issue #135. Though Dr Strange was a commercial and critical hit for Marvel, Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. was given priority and the cover of the anthology book for the first year of the title's serialized run. Both books would eventually alternate covers starting with #146. The early stories introduced the government spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D., which had Nick Fury as its top agent and leader. Early stories had Nick as a plain clothed spy, but the character would ultimately be transitioned into a leather catsuit with white gloves S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. Many of Nick's fellow Howling Commandos would be established as fellow agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., along with other characters such as the Contessa, who was Nick Fury's primary love interest and second-in-command. The series introduced several different spy groups to the series: Hydra (formed by a businessman's rogue personal assistant), AIM (a mad scientist guild that was originally part of Hydra before splintering off), along with mercenary spies for hire such as the Fixer and Mentallo. Stories would be serialized, lasting several issues each. In Strange Tales #151, the series would undergo a major shift: Stan Lee gave control of the book to Jim Steranko. Steranko's art style would revolutionize the book, drawing critical and commercial acclaim. Furthermore, Steranko would retcon the origin of Hydra as the creation of Sgt Fury recurring villain Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. Strucker would be killed off shortly after appearing in the strip, though the character would be brought back to life in the 1989 Nick Fury series decades later. Ultimately the serial would end with issue #168 and Nick Fury spun off into his own title.
Our SS WP 9.8 is the only 9.8 SS copy in existence and one of just four 9.8s overall. We acquired the book from the 4/4/2024 Heritage Auction.
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