The Satan Claw!

Avengers - Nick Fury

Head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury. Or Samuel L. Jackson, whichever.

Avengers Concept Art

Some amazing concept art for the forthcoming Avengers movie from Marvel. Fantastic work by artist Ryan Meinerding.

The Avengers is gonna be huge!

Avengers - Hot Toys Teasers

Yes, they are expensive. But...damn! Hot Toys makes fantastic dolls, uh, action figures. Yeah, that's it. Action figures. Personally I'm waiting for the Hulk and Black Widow, even though Cap is my favorite. And check out the Avengers teaser. That's a lot of plastic, folks. Is it worth it? You decide.

The Avengers hits theaters on May 4. Assemble!

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• Hot Toys Teases Full Line-Up of AVENGERS Figures; Angry Nick Fury Unveiled (collider.com)
• THE AVENGERS - Hot Toys Nick Fury Collectible Action Figure (geektyrant.com)
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Assemble!

Howling Commandos

The Howling Commandos..WAHOO!

Steranko!

It just occurred to me: how could I run this blog and not feature anything by comics legend Jim Steranko!?!

 

Probably most widely known for his groundbreaking, hypnotic and psychedelic work on Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Steranko has led a life and had a career almost too amazing to be true. Writer, artist, illustrator, historian, magician, musician...Steranko has done more in his life than most people could do in two. His work has (and still does have) more influence over comic art, layout and graphic design in the last 40 years than any four artists combined. The only other comic creator with a stronger foothold in the history of comics is Jack Kirby, whom Steranko apprenticed with at Marvel Comics in the 1960's.

Image via Wikipedia

Anyway, enough history (for now). I present a few pieces of Steranko work. Please, allow me to indulge!
(Almost forgot! Visit this tremendous website, the Drawings of Steranko for even more fabulous eye-candy!)

Related articles

• Early INDIANA JONES Concept Art by Jim Steranko (geektyrant.com)
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Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Image via Wikipedia

Growing up a child of the '70's and '80's, my version of Nick Fury wasn't Samuel L. Jackson. All apologies to Mr. Jackson (who is an incredibly talented actor and I consider myself a fan of his work), the Nick Fury I grew up with was a somewhat middle-aged white guy re-invented by Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko (who really ran with the character). The character itself is a pastiche of the 1960's spy/adventure set, which makes sense since it's when he debuted.

Image via Wikipedia

Anyway, even though it isn't cool to be a middle-aged, caucasian super-spy any more (sorry Mr. Bond), I still love the character.

Image via Wikipedia

I find it incredibly interesting that writers are able to make the two versions co-exist in the Marvel comics universes, but not in popular culture. Case in point: check out the latest Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon. The character is an amalgam of both versions of the character.
*sigh*
Maybe someday I'll see my favorite version of Nick Fury done justice. I still shudder at the horribly bad Hasselhoff debacle that was on Fox tv.
And so, this is my small tribute to the character, via a little gallery of images I cobbled from Deviantart.com.
Enjoy!

Related articles

• "Has Nick Fury found a female sidekick for The Avengers?" and related posts (totalfilm.com)
• Samuel L. Jackson Confirms He'll Be in THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER; Says Nick Fury Will Have a New Female Sidekick (collider.com)
• Confirmed: Cobie Smulders Cast in THE AVENGERS (collider.com)