Mister 8

For today’s Monday Masterpieces installment, I want to focus on someone whom I really do consider a modern “master” of comic art, who coincidentally has worked on a number of espionage-related projects…Chris Samnee.

I first discovered Samnee’s art in his collaboration with Greg Rucka on Queen & Country, and met him at the Heroes Convention in Charlotte, NC, where I bought both a commission sketch and a copy of his and Ande Parks’ Capote in Kansas, which I later used in teaching English 102 classes (for these and others, check out the Chris Samnee Amazon listing).

It’s easy to point out the number of things I like about Samnee’s art…his proficiency in chiaroscuro, his realistic proportions, his use of negative space, his skill at drawing clothing, his ability to represent action in static images…but I think what I like most about him is that he seems to like what I like (seriously…who would even think to draw the Greg Sanders / Saunders version of the Vigilante, that classic Prairie Troubadour turned superhero riding a motorcycle straight out of the golden age?). Above all, I think we share the same favorite artist: Alex Toth. And if he’s not Samnee’s favorite, then he was at least an influence.

You can read Samnee’s work in Queen & Country, and again with Rucka in the superhero/spy DC series Checkmate, but what I want to bring you today are some of my favorite sketches from Samnee’s blog, where he regularly updates with new art and behind the scenes glimpses of his process. I’m limiting my choices here to those that are secret agent-related, but the blog contains a plethora of beautiful drawings in numerous genres.

Click on each picture to see the original blog posting from which I took the sketch.

Throughout the past month, my fellow COBRAS have been presenting their takes on costumed adventurers who crossover with the espionage genre. This week, I’m taking a look at some of my favorite super-hero spies, unveiling a character one at a time from the banner above. In case you missed an entry, so far we’ve seen:

The introduction, in which I link to all of the other COBRAS entries
THUNDER Agents (that’s No-Man above)!
Dell Comics’ Werewolf
Harvey Comics’ / Jim Steranko’s Spyman
Agents of Atlas pt. I and pt. II

…And to wrap up the first ever COBRAS themed month, we unveil our last superhero-spy, Nick Fury, AGENT OF SHIELD!

Fury was originally the star of his own World War II comic, Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, drawn in the beginning by comic legend Jack Kirby (Dick Ayers later took over) and written by Stan Lee. The comic debuted in May of 1963, but in December of that year, an older, contemporary Nick Fury showed up in the pages of the Fantastic Four, working as a special agent for the CIA.

It wasn’t until August of 1965, however, in Strange Tales #135, that the superspy version of Nick Fury that we’ve come to know and love debuted. These stories too were initially by Lee and Kirby, but in issue 151, a new artist came on board — Jim Steranko. Steranko’s unique approach to the material, drawing on pop art, psychedelia, and film, created a new visual language for comics that, if it seems a bit tame today, is only because of the lasting influence Steranko has had on the medium.

Instead of attempting to fully cover the entire history of Nick Fury, I thought I’d visit the wonderful ComicArtFans.com, and share with you what I thought were the ten best Nick Fury pieces I saw from sketch collections there. Stay tuned to the end for details on the first ever Mister8.com contest!

First, from the portfolio of colorist Tom Smith, we have a beautiful print by Steranko, colored by Smith himself:

Next, a series of tributes to Steranko’s style from some of the best artists working in comics today. First, Bruce Timm (who defined the style of the past twenty years of DC Comics animation), from the collection of Matt Zitron:

Next, Steve Rude, from the collection of Adam Richards:

Francisco Francavilla imagines the moments after a Steranko cover in this fabulous piece, from the One Minute Later collection of Michael Finn.

…And Chris Giarrusso, from the collection of George Beliard:

Here’s a look at Fury from Kirby’s long-time inker, and inker of Steranko on the Nick Fury series, Joe Sinnott, from the collection of Jim Harvey:

This is a very Cold War-looking Nick Fury by artist Jeff Spokes, from the collection of Wilson Wong:

I didn’t include any other “head sketches” in this post, but I’m really drawn to the sharp linework by Lee Bermejo in this piece from the collection of Jake Bell:

Here’s an imagined team-up of Fury and Dynamo from the THUNDER Agents by artist Daryl Banks, from the collection of Michael Rankins:

And last, but certainly not least, is a sexy, Bondesque look at Fury and Black Widow from artist Paul Gulacy, from the collection of Murray Roach:

One thing I noticed in my browsing is that, despite being a popular character, the “Ultimate” version of Nick Fury (an alternate reality Fury based on the appearance of Samuel L. Jackson) was underrepresented in the sketches I saw. To make up for this dearth of Jackson Fury, here’s the final scene in the film Iron Man that made comic fans stand up and cheer:

CONTEST!

In honor of this, our 75th post, we’re having a contest that will yield prizes for five lucky Mister8.com readers!

To enter, simply post a comment on this post, or send an email to mister8@mister8.com with your name, email address, and the answer to the question: Who is your favorite superhero-spy, and why? It doesn’t even have to be someone we discussed this week!

The top five responses as chosen by a team consisting of myself and other COBRAS members will receive a Marvel promotional item, a magnet bearing the new logo of SHIELD as seen on this comic cover:

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! The top three responses will receive a personalized Nick Fury sketch by yours truly. I may not be Steranko, but I promise quality work!

The contest will end at midnight, May 1, 2009, and winners will be announced a week later, on May 8, 2009!

Actually, made-for-TV Fury, straight-to-video Fury, and videogame cutscene Fury. But those don’t sound as nice.

But first! Don’t forget about our Nick Fury contest (see the bottom of the post)! Win things!

Remember The Dark Knight, and how pretty much everyone and their comicbook dork brother agreed it was the best superhero movie ever made? Here’s an earlier effort from screenwriter David S. Goyer, 1998’s Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD (with David Hasselhoff in the title role). Let’s see how it compares:

Here’s the conclusion of the recent animated Ultimate Avengers movie. Fury shows up at around 4:22 in this, but it’s fun to watch the Incredible Hulk repeatedly toss Captain America like a ragdoll, beat the tar out of Iron Man, and make Hank Pym look foolish by destroying his kneecap:

Next, and this is my favorite of the bunch, a trailer for the 2006 video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance:

Lastly, for today, here’s how Nick Fury appeared on the cartoon series X-Men Evolution. I never got into this show as much as the earlier X-Men cartoons, but this is an OK full episode, available at YouTube.

I’m hoping to be able to stir up some clips from my favorite mid-90s Marvel cartoons, X-Men and Spider-Man: The Animated Series, which also featured Fury. If anyone has any leads on finding clips online, let me know!

We’re happy to announce the winners of our first contest here at Mister 8! These were our top five entries that answered the question (spinning out of Costumed Adventurers Week): “Who is your favorite superhero-spy, and why?”

In the end, I’ve decided that everyone will get the full range of prizes! Which means that the following five folks will soon have a package arriving at their doors containing:

• A Nick Fury sketch by yours truly
• A S.H.I.E.L.D. logo Marvel Comics promotional magnet
• A poster from Jeff Parker’s Agents of Atlas

I’ll be working on the drawings over the next few weeks and will share them here when they’re finished! Thanks to all that entered, and if you didn’t win this time, stay tuned — we’ll have another contest soon!

1st Place: Jason Selinger

The first thing I’d ask in response to the question at hand is, what constitutes a superhero? If Batman is a superhero, then is not James Bond pretty much one as well? Whereas Batman has his utility belt and batarangs, 007 carries a variety of hidden gadgets created by Q-Branch. Whereas Batman wears a scary bat suit, Bond has his costumes as well: a tuxedo, or a scuba suit with a duck hat, depending on the situation.

If being a comic character is the defining feature, then what about Tara Chace (my favorite comic book spy)? She’s much more authentic than even the most recent Bond films that have been praised for their realism.

Hopefully, you’ll consider this more “food for thought” than “devil’s advocate.” If it matters, I also like Nick Fury, so I wouldn’t mind winning a sketch!

2nd Place: Ed Barker

The best superhero spies have to be The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, by far. They serve as a fine legacy to the career of Wally Wood, who I agree with you, is one of the most underrated artists of the silver age of comics. No other book successfully unites the two crazes of the era, spies (like The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) and superheroes (Batman, both in comics and on television) like T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. The death of Menthor remains one of the most interesting and lasting comic book deaths.

3rd Place: Derrick (no last name given)

My favorite superhero spy is Nick Fury, and it has much to do with the work that Steranko did on the book and in how he elevated the artform of comics. Steranko was a bridge between Kirby and the rest of the world of pop culture, and his run on Nick Fury still holds up well today, in my opinion.

4th Place: Stormer

Mine is Nick Fury, and always has been, ever since I was little. I had Marvel Universe cards and I showed my dad, and he told me, “Hey that’s Nick Fury,” and told me the history. Then I went to the comic book shop and found a bunch for 5 dollars and read then and found out that really, he may not have powers, but he linked to nearly all of the Marvel Universe and was an important character in the old comics. He even mentions Man from UNCLE and James Bond, and has a secret entrance in a barber shop, kind of like Man From UNCLE has Del Floria’s. And let’s not forget the Helicarrier, and his flying car, and needle gun — he is the ultimate spy in comics plus he’s huge in comics now. That’s why I like him.

5th Place: Ned Kelly

I don’t know if you would class him as a spy, but I am kind of fond of Flash Gordon. He’s an innocent bystander who gets drawn into a battle with a guy who wants to take over the world – like a spy villain.

So…I drew this for our fourth place winner, James Stormer. I promised to scan all of the sketches here, but mailed off the prizes to our first through third place contestants last week without remembering to do so. In any case, here’s the sketch that, along with a few other prizes, will be in the mail to Mr. Stormer tomorrow afternoon:

We’ve certainly had some interesting phenomena crop up in our first few days of voting! James Bond leads Tara Chace, but only, at this time, by a handful of votes, and Jason Bourne and Cate Archer are all tied up (numbers-wise, of course). Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin have taken an early lead on Maxwell Smart and 99, but the Get Smart gang is still within striking distance.

The only blow-out so far is poor OSS 117 in his match against the Avengers. He should have known better than to go up against Emma Peel. To make Mssr. Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, aka OSS 117 feel better, you should check out fellow COBRAS agent Tanner’s site, where he’s currently in the midst of an amazingly educational OSS 117 week. Perhaps he’ll persuade you to change your vote for the Franco-American super spy, and you could enter to win an OSS 117 poster while you’re over there!

Now — on to today’s match-up!

Nick Fury

He started as a WWII sergeant in the waning days of war comics before being reinvigorated by Jim Steranko as a jumpsuit and eyepatch-wearing tough as nails super agent for the Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division, or SHIELD. Since then, he’s risen to the post of director, and then lots of other stuff happened that I can’t keep straight because I don’t read Marvel Comics anymore (HYDRA, the badguys, have always secretly been Nick’s controllers?). Still, there is perhaps no page in the history of comic books more badass than this one.

Alexander Scott & Kelly Robinson

…better known as Bill Cosby and the late Robert Culp, respectively, on the television show I Spy. Breaking all sorts of color barriers and stereotypes with the casting of Cosby, the show thrived on filming in exotic locations and a sense of genuine rapport and chemistry between the two leads. Robinson was a tennis pro, gallivanting around the world to play tennis with the wealthy, with Scott posing as his trainer. This gave them the opportunity to take on dangerous villains, lovely ladies, and hair-raising adventure in their other role as secret agents for the Pentagon!

Voting ends May 21, circa 1:20 p.m., EST!

We’ll have to make some slight changes soon in our ongoing Mister 8 May Madness…because I’m not very good at math. The staggering of contests in the first round worked well, but I haven’t allowed enough days for voting in the contests for the second round. I’ll hopefully get back to you tonight with some changed dates and a second match-up, but in the meantime….

Nick Fury

Jim Phelps and Co.