Strange Tales #165

(February 1968)

Behold the Savage Sky! (Table of Contents: 1)

Nick Fury / comic story / 11 pages (report information)

Script

Jim Steranko (credited)

Pencils

Jim Steranko (credited)

Inks

Frank Giacoia (credited)

Colors

Jim Steranko

Letters

Sam Rosen (credited)

Genre

spy; superhero

Characters

Dum Dum Dugan; The Yellow Claw; Nick Fury; Fritz Von Voltzmann

Synopsis

As The Claw is about to destroy NYC, the SHIELD Heli-Carrier arrives and a squad led by Dugan assault The Sky Dragon. Fury breaks loose and defeats Von Voltzmann while several agents corner The Claw, but he lays them out using Hyper-Psionic Brain Emanations. His nervous system drained, The Claws unleashes a squad of robot replicas of himself to cover his escape. Fury catches up with the real Claw using a Magnetic Pelfrag Shooter to weigh him down but the pellets disintegrate. The Claw now has body armor, including his face and with spiked gloves beats Fury and makes his escape.

Reprints

• in Nick Fury - Agent för SHIELD (Carlsen/if [SE], 1979 series) #1
• in Vengeur (Arédit-Artima, 1972 series) #16 (4ème trimestre 1975) [N&B et remonté [B&W and reframed]]
• in Capitaine America (Editions Héritage, 1970 series) #58 ([June 1976])
• in Captain Britain (Marvel UK, 1976 series) #13 (January 5, 1977) [pages 1-6], #14 (January 12, 1977) [pages 7-11, plus new splash, not by Steranko]
• in Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel, 2000 series) (May 2000)
• in Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel, 2007 series) #2 ([December] 2009)
• in S.H.I.E.L.D. by Steranko: The Complete Collection (Marvel, 2013 series) ([October] 2013)
• in S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete Collection Omnibus (Marvel, 2015 series) (2015)
• in Die offizielle Marvel-Comic-Sammlung (Hachette [DE], 2013 series) #9 - Nick Fury: Agent von SHIELD, Teil 2 (September 2016)
• in Marvel. Официальная коллекция комиксов (Ашет Коллекция [Hachette], 2014 series) #126 - Ник Фьюри: Агент "Защиты"
• in Steranko Is... Revolutionary (Marvel, 2020 series) (2020)

Indexer Notes

Part 7 of 9. The use of a 2-page spread on pages 2-3 was later adapted by Mike Grell on a regular basis in his comics. The Sky Dragon would reappear in MARVEL TWO-IN ONE #51 (May 1979). It's been debated by some fans whether The Claw seen at the beginning of this episode was the same one who beat up Fury & escaped at the end!

In the introduction to Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury Agent of Shield Volume 2 Steranko says he took over the color chores with Strange Tales # 165.

Face Front! Hang Loose! 'Nuff Said! (Table of Contents: 2)

Bullpen Bulletins / in-house column / 1 page (report information)

Script

Stan Lee; ?

Letters

typeset

Indexer Notes

Items, Stan's Soapbox, The Mighty Marvel Checklist, Let's Meet 26 More M.M.M.S. Members!

The Mystic and the Machine! (Table of Contents: 3)

Doctor Strange / comic story / 11 pages (report information)

Script

Jim Lawrence (credited); Dan Adkins (credited) (co-plot)

Pencils

Dan Adkins (credited)

Inks

Dan Adkins (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

Al Kurzrok (credited)

Genre

superhero; fantasy-supernatural

Characters

Dr. Strange; Yandroth; Victoria Bentley; Voltorg

Synopsis

Strange continues thru the underground tunnel until he comes to a large set of doors. Upon getting them open, he finds a "Disintegrator" ray is waiting for him. After he takes it out with the "Flames of Faltine", Yandroth realizes his magic is more "potent" than he "calculated", and uses an "Ultra-Spectrum Laser" to incinerate Strange's brain! But as Yandroth gloats to the imprisoned Victoria, he doesn't realize that Strange is not dead, but has mentally left his body. Things soon come down to a running fist-fight, until Yandroth summons "Voltorr"-- a large lightning-wielding robot!

Reprints

• in Eclipso (Arédit-Artima, 1968 series) #49 (1er trimestre 1975) [N&B et recadré [B&W and reframed]]
• in Giant-Size Doctor Strange (Marvel, 1975 series) #1 (1975)
• in Essential Dr. Strange (Marvel, 2001 series) #1 (December 2001)
• in Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange (Marvel, 2003 series) #2 ([September] 2005)
• in Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange (Marvel, 2010 series) #2 ([January] 2013)
• in Doctor Strange Omnibus (Marvel, 2016 series) #2 (2021)
• in Doctor Strange Epic Collection (Marvel, 2016 series) #2 - I, Dormammu (2023)

Indexer Notes

Part 19 of 22; part 2 of Yandroth sequence. Robot called "Voltorr" on last page of this episode, but "Voltorg" in next episode. Considering George Tuska (a "Golden Age" artist) penciled the next episode, it's questionable whether Voltorg was designed by Adkins or Tuska, as it's a rather clunky-looking robot, which not only seems out-of-place in this series, but at Marvel in the 60's in general!

Voltorr/Voltorg was swiped from the cover of the science-fiction digest Amazing Stories v.39 #6 (June 1965) by Adkins; the robot's pose in the last page of this story is a direct swipe from this cover. [Note by Chris Boyko 11 Jan 2017]

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4)

Strange Mails / letters page / 1 page (report information)

Script

Gary Friedrich ?

Pencils

Dan Adkins; Jim Steranko (illustrations)

Inks

Dan Adkins; Jim Steranko (illustrations)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Dear Stan, I think I've found the answer...

Reprints

• in S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete Collection Omnibus (Marvel, 2015 series) (2015)

Indexer Notes

Letters of comment from Jeff Meier; Ron Sidwell; F. Cancemi, R. Panken, E. Berg, P. Christiansen, and K. Hueur; and Ronnie Lightburn. Also includes two panel reproductions from a previous issue.