Fury #2

Posted: Monday, October 15
By: Jason Cornwell

Writer: Garth Ennis
Artists: Darick Robertson (p), Jimmy Palmiotti (i)

Publisher: Marvel MAX

Plot:
The issue opens with Fury daydreaming about feeding his young embarrassment of a nephew to the tigers at the Zoo, but we see Fury has the sense of mind to play the role of a dutiful uncle. We then follow Fury as he pays a visit to his old pal Dum Dum Dugan, who has settled into his golden years with an ease that seems to have eluded Fury. During this visit, Fury discovers that the old enemy that he met in the bar in the last issue, has gone & started himself a little war, and we get the hint that Fury might just be glad to see this environment is back for him to play in. We then see Fury is assigned by a higher up to be in charge of bringing down the little dictatorship that has been created, much to the annoyance of the current head of S.H.I.E.L.D. We then see that Fury's old enemy has sent an invitation to Fury in the form of five armed mercenaries with orders to kill him. However, Fury manages to be to only one to walk away from this little party.

Comments:
Now having never read much of his work before this, I can't really compare Garth Ennis' work on this miniseries to his past work, but given his rather sizable fan-base, I think it's safe to assume this is not one of his best efforts. Oh I'm sure you notice the three bullet rating at the top of this review, so you're asking how I can opening my review with what looks to be a negative comment. So to clear up your confusion I will now qualify my opening remarks. I enjoyed this issue, as it has a nice sense of energy, and Garth Ennis looks to be having a lot of fun with a character who is so far gone that the only joy Fury can find in life is when he's pumping bullets into the brains of baddies. However, I can't imagine anyone being able to build a fan-base with material that requires such little imagination from its author. This issue is enjoyable, but it's also quite predictable in where it's heading. It's violent, it's funny, but it's very little else.

The one element that did keep me from giving this issue an even higher rating is that there is a certain degree of smugness to the material that frankly I found a bit annoying. I mean I understand that Fury is a man's man, but Garth Ennis seems to be a bit too blatant in his bid to show us this idea. Be it the opening daydream, where we see Wendel becoming a parody to be mocked instead of a real character, or the manner in which Fury becomes a killing machine that shoots a fleeing man in the back, there were times in this book where I wanted to say "I got the message!". Fury is mean. Fury is tough. Fury doesn't take no guff from nobody. Yes, there's a chance that Garth Ennis could be aiming for almost a self-parody of the tough guy genre, but there's only so many times a writer can tell you the same idea before you begin to question why the writer is so unsure that you're receiving his message.

My first reaction to this issue's art is that most action movies would shy away from the gore that we see in this issue. I mean, Darick Robertson & coloring house Avalon Studios go all out on this issue, as this issue qualifies as the goriest comic I have ever read. Oh I've seen horror films that are more liberal in their use of blood & guts (e.g. Evil Dead, Phantasm II), and truth be told the bloodletting we see in this issue isn't simply thrown in for visual shock appeal, as the first sequence gives use a look at just how diseased a mind Fury has inside his head, while the second is a fairly exciting action sequence, where Fury uses a body as a shield to survive the attacks of four trigger-happy goons. The rest of the issue is mostly talking heads, but it does have its moments, like the changing expression of the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. as he discovers Fury has been authorized to go into action. Still, the blood & guts are quite a visual punch to the gut.

Final Word:
Garth Ennis & the rest of the creative team make good use of the fact that this book is a adults-only title, as the violence factor in this issue is cranked up to eleven, and Fury continues to be one of the most sadistic men I've ever come across in comics. Now, it's best if you enter this issue ignoring the past portrayals of the character Nick Fury, as the one we get in this miniseries is a compete bastard, but given the environment he's about to enter, I imagine this attitude will serve him well. This book does have itself a particularly exciting sequence where Fury is attacked by a squadron of hired killers, and while the story doesn't go anywhere I wasn't expecting it to go, it looks like it'll be an enjoyable ride. The scene between Fury & Dum Dum is also a nice contrast between what Fury has become, and what he could've been.