Splash page from STRANGE TALES #99 by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.
Just in time for the Avengers movie, here’s the debut of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carrier from the first Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD story in STRANGE TALES #135, by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.
There’s a production note from Stan at the top of the page, pointing to the unusually large caption at the upper left (behind which another shape can be seen to have been whited out) that reads in part:
CHANGE TO TITLE (word obscured) SHIELD
Which seems like it was done and then Stan didn’t like it and changed his mind again later, or something along those lines. The whited-out shape does seem to resemble that of the Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD logo used on this strip.
A single word of Kirby’s border notes at the top can still be made out:
CHAIR
A page from the Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD story in STRANGE TALES #146, layouts by Jack Kirby, pencils by Don Heck and inks by Mike Esposito.
A number of Kirby’s border notes remain:
RIP OUT MACHINERY—WIRING (words missing) OFF ELECTRIC BARRIER
SHIELD AGENTS SURGE FORWARD. TECHNICIANS ARE DEAD. FURY SAYS THIS IS A BREAK BUT DANGER IS STILL GREAT. (words missing) WITH ARTIFICIAL MEN RUNNING AMUCK
DUM DUM LOOKS AT
FURY, FOLLOWED BY MEN, SAYS NOW WE’LL SEE WHAT THIS WEIRDO OPERATION IS ABOUT—IF WE LIVE THROUGH THIS
MAN MAKES SPEECH—HE SAYS A.I.M. INDUSTRIES IS NOT A BUSINESS—BUT A CABAL OF GREAT MINDS—GEARED TO BENEFIT WORLD
