Customer Reviews

Fury MAX (Fury #1-6)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let's get this said right off the bat: When I finished the first chapter of Fury, I was ready to throw the book down in disgust. I was not impressed with Garth Ennis' foul-mouthed, whoring interpretation of Marvel icon Nick Fury. I kept going, though, and I'm glad I did.

Nick Fury is a man left behind by the agency, S.H.I.E.L.D., that he helped build. He's a cold-war dinosaur who is finding that, without a war to fight, his life just isn't worth living. He's reduced to a drinking, whoring old crank....until a chance encounter with an old enemy changes everything. While rembering old times over a drink, Yuri Gagarin waxes poetic about how he and Nick could go somewhere and start their own war, and bring the glory days back. Fury laughs it off, but soon enough, Gagarin has started a coup on a small but strategically placed island near Hawaii, and is about to trigger World War III. Suddenly Fury is important again...

After the first chapter, and the pointless focus given to Fury's nephew Wendell, the book takes off. Artists Darick Robertson & Jimmy Palmiotti have clearly based their Fury on Clint Eastwood, and I could easily imagine Clint playing out this story on the big-screen. The final chapters play out like the best summer action movie you've never seen, and Ennis' pacing is flawless. Be warned, though- This is a "Max" book, Marvel's "Mature Readers" imprint, and BOY, does it earn that title: Death, destruction, dismemberment, used condoms, disfigured soldiers with obscene names, a man being strangled with his own Intestines....The list goes on and on. The action finale is mind-boggling, and the final sequence is staggeringly memorable. I'd love to see Ennis, Robertson, and Palmiotti do a return engagement with Nick Fury.

After his long run on the classic and critically acclaimed Preacher series and his re-invention of The Punisher, Garth Ennis was given the task of giving the same treatment to Nick Fury. And what a job he did. Collecting the six issue mini-series; Fury tells the story of a modern day Nick Fury: a profanity laden, whorring, cold war dinosaur who longs for the days when he could shoot first and ask questions later. Tired of his day in, day out life, his hopeless and annoying "nephew" Wendel, and disgusted by what S.H.I.E.L.D. (the organization he used to run) has become; he is soon made an offer by an old enemy to go off to some little third world country and start a war of their own to re-live their glory days. Nick doesn't take him seriously, but soon enough he learns it was no joke, and once again Nick Fury is being counted upon. Ennis has really gone all out here: full of his penchant ultra graphic violence, a severe lack of being politically correct, and being insanely darkly humerous; Fury is one of the best pieces of comic art to come out of Marvel in quite some time. The art by Darick Robertson and Jimmy Palmiotti is as equally fantastic and shows all the graphic, gritty detail. Also, look for various in-jokes and references to Ennis' Preacher saga; including a man whose disfigured face is a clear homage/re-interpretation of Arseface from the Preacher comics. All in all, if you like comics in the least bit and can handle everything contained in these pages (it well deserves it's Parental Advisory label) then you will definitely love Fury. Also highly recommended is any of Ennis' work on The Punisher.

Ok first of all I have to admit to being very biased, I love ennis's work, I would probably read his grocery list if I got the chance.

That out of the way, this is another short by ennis collecting the 6 issue miniseries.
Its got everything youd come to expect from an ennis book, dark humor, gore, cussin a plenty and of course a killer story.
Ennis's take on Fury is perfect, an old, pissed off dude whose disenfranchised with s.h.i.e.l.d. and dealing with a funny little guy named wendel. The dynamic between those two is sooo funny, and worth a read in itself.
I dont wanna give anything away about the story so i'll just leave it at this, if you like ennis at all buy this, if you've never heard of him, buy it.

Ever since he blew us all away with his ground breaking work on Preacher, Garth Ennis has taken to the words British humor to an all new level. His wor on the Punisher comes to no difference, though you could feel that he was not letting loose, his great imagination constrained. Along comes FURY and things just go over the top.

Ennis has long been associated with his partner in crime Steve Dilon. The two take dark humor to different levels. Without his partner on this book, Ennis tries his best to tone the gruesomeness so that Darrick Robertson can catch up. And he does so fabulously. The story is simple. The world has changed and everything has become more beaurocratic and down-toned. Unlinke the old days where everything just went bump in the night and the shadows were alive with Commies out hunting for blood. Fury is the hero of yesteryear which time has finally caught up with. He inadvertently creates a war in a small island country that soon takes him into the middle of the action, just where he likes it. The ending, however is not something he was expecting for.

Ennis manages to create and eclectic supporting cast. From the madly distorted F#$k Face to a bickering crazy nephew of Fury's that no other author has brought notice to. The story is a wild fire and moves like one. Robertson answers Ennis's calling and brings out an amazing different visage to the world of Gart Ennis. These two can work togetherwithout any problems, though you do miss Dillon at times.

Ennis is gearing to write a MAX Punisher title now and you know how that's going to work. Robertson is off doing Wolverine. Fury brings those two powerhorse creative together for a wonderful read all the way.

Seeing The Punisher return to fame was a great thing indeed. So when I saw 'Fury' I was reminded of Marvel Comics way back in the day...when S.H.I.E.L.D. was teaming up with the likes of Spider-man and the Avengers, averting evil and keeping megalomaniacal super-villains at bay. Kiss those memories goodbye...this ain't your daddy's Nick Fury.

In a trend that i'm really, really liking from Marvel Comics, Fury departs from the age old 'Good guys vs. Bad Guys' formula so common these days. This comic has a great, involving story. And it is NOT for the kids. There is a warning right on the cover that it is intended for Mature Readers...a warning that should be taken seriously. The violence in this comic could probably scar a kid for life...and that's one of the things I love about it.

An older and seemingly forgotten legend, Nick Fury is fed up with what S.H.I.E.L.D. has become: a massive technical corporation of suits, lawyers and computer prodigies. The old S.H.I.E.L.D. is long gone. When Nick Fury runs into an old rival from his past, who suggests they start their own little war on an island in the South Pacific, Fury finds himself torn between taking him up on that idea or throwing it aside. But when Fury sees an uprising on Napoleon Island, and his 'pal' Gagarin standing beside a revolutionist leader, Fury takes matters into his own hands.

That's barely a taste if the whole story. Like the rebirth of the Punisher, Fury is an ultra-violent, obscenity-riddled, action-packed, and very intelligent story. I put comic books down a long time ago, but I can honestly say that Fury, like the Punisher, has exploded my dead interest back to life. I honestly have not read a comic book this good in quite some time, and that's saying alot. I enjoyed Fury even more than the Punisher.

The art in the comic is great. Every character is well defined and lifelike. Coloring is great, and there's subtle hints of symbolism that you'll find that just make this comic a damn good read (think the 'fire in the eyes' scene from Platoon).

Overall, the comic is chock full of action, violence, profanity, gore, and a little bit of sex. This is definitely a new direction for Marvel Comics, and I absolutely love it. By all means...if you are even REMOTELY a fan of comic books, or if you are a fan of the Punisher or the classic Nick Fury comics, I very highly recommend this. You will be shocked, and you will be impressed. It will definitely keep you reading until the end, and I hope that Fury continues...this book had all the makings of a blockbuster movie. Fury's Ramboish demeanor is great, I would take this comic over an action movie any day. Superb job on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's parts.

In many ways, this is simply a Garth Ennis Punisher story starring Nick Fury. But it is the story's beginning and ending in which this volume really shines.

The first chapter of this collection of six issues is probably worth the price of the book by itself. It depicts Nick Fury -- the old man of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel's gadgety spy agency -- as an aging whoremonger who longs, despite all of his success, to get back into combat. The portrayal, while humorous, is also touchingly humanistic.

Fury gets his wish, and the bulk of the story reads like Fury going on an adventure almost interchangable with those of the Punisher, at least when Garth Ennis scripts the Punisher (during the Marvel Knight days, that is; Ennis's Punisher through MAX is a bit more serious). In other words, carnage combines with humor, including absurd characters: one villain here is almost identical to the Russian, a fat killer from Ennis's original twelve-issue Punisher run (who even made it into the subsequent Punisher film). Fury, like Frank Castle, is every bit the professional killer.

Any comparison to Ennis's Punisher, however, is hardly an insult: those were themselves enjoyable stories. But there can be a sense here that FURY is sort of "more of the same" -- however much fun that particular "same" may be.

It is when Fury returns from his mission that the story becomes unique again. Having wished for conflict, he now both mourns his dead camerades and has to reconcile this with his need for the action that killed them. While the ending is not as satisfactory as the beginning, it again grounds the tale in Fury as his own character -- and it is there that FURY most excells.

Incidentally, rumor has it that a Nick Fury movie deal was scuttled after its star found out this book existed and depicted the character in a less than puritan light.

-- Julian Darius, Sequart.com (for the sophisticated study of comic books and graphic novels)

Take the most violent action film you can think of (Starship Troopers would work if we're just talking about violence, but fill in the blank with your own personal favorite), multiply it by 100, add plenty of cursing and a storyline that subtly explores whether we need cold-war veterans in today's political climate, and you have Fury.
The art is wonderful, the writing unbelievable, and the covers side-splitting. How many times in one life does someone get to see a picture of an old man charging into battle with a walker outfitted to single-handedly take out the entire Russian army?
This series, unfortunately, is not for everyone. The violence, while thematically appropriate and wonderfully drawn, will most definitely be off-putting to anyone with a weak stomach. For example, and without spoiling anything for those of you who are reading this and thinking "This is exactly what I've been looking for!", there is a specific moment in the series that I am thinking of. In this moment, which is set up brilliantly and placed in a scene that pulls at your heartstrings while turning your stomach, Fury strangles a man with that man's own spilled intestines. Yes, in concept it is disgusting, but in the scene it FEELS right, it FEELS appropriate, and it FEELS like the series would be incomplete without it.
If this description does not make you feel like running for the hills screaming for Lieberman, then I would highly recomend you pick up this series. It's truly deserving of the title "Classic."

Pretty good Garth Ennis tale of an aging, embittered Nick Fury. It's something of a flip-side to the NICK FURY: AGENT OF SHIELD books by Jim Steranko from the late 60's. Ennis manages to convincingly portray Fury's character while asserting his own (Ennis's) trademark brutality, coarseness, repulsiveness, and humor.

Like other books by the same author, I cannot recommend this one to readers who are offended by unremitting harsh language, graphic violence, brutal sexual situations, dismemberment, prostitution, and making ruthless fun of people with disabilities.

This meaty (in more ways than one) trade paperback collects all six issues of Marvel's "Fury" mini-series of a few years back. From its adult "Max" line, the story initially presents to us a morose, depressed Nick Fury who misses the glory days of blood-and-guts violence and bosses who didn't worry about politics all the time.

But then he gets involved in a mission just like the old days and we learn a little bit about Nick Fury. Mostly, we see that, though personally capable of committing violence- and I'm talking extreme violence- without batting an eyelash, Nick Fury always (no pun intended) has an eye towards avoiding larger violence. So, if he has to destroy every soldier in a small battalion (and destroy them in the most colorful ways) to avert a world war, especially a needless one, he's there.

So, throughout this bloody, profane, and (I have to admit) extremely readable story, we see a Fury who despises weak men with no stomach for violence when it's called for, yet also a man who has no patience for the kind of wars that waste lives for some marginal political benefit. Just on an engaging, story-telling level, I found that notion interesting: a personally violent man who nevertheless abhors needless violence and wasted lives.

If you occasionally enjoy a good blood-and-guts tale laced with take-no-prisoners profanity and over-the-top action, then "Fury" is for you. Be warned, though, there's some genuine thoughtfulness and complexity among the spurting blood and frequent F-bombs.

Whew. Now I know what the MAX label means when it's placed on the cover of a Marvel graphic novel. It means harsh, bloody, brutal action, as well as foul, filthy language. And nauseating gore (yes, I already mentioned bloody, brutal action, but you have to add nauseating gore--the bloody, brutal action is during the quieter parts of the story, usually before, and leading up to, the gory nausea, sorry, nauseating gore, whatever. The blood and intestines).

The word MAX is a warning; NOT for kids!

Nick Fury, on the outs with the new, red-tape laden S.H.I.E.L.D. as exemplified by the smart-mouthed, smooth-dressed and so young Mr. Li, sits down at a bar to drown his sorrows, only to bump into an old enemy of the USA and democracy, Rudi Gagarin. Not too long after that--after Fury has fantasized about feeding his loser nephew to tigers, after he has entertained several prostitutes at his apartment, after he has visited old warhorse pal Dum Dum Dugan's humble suburban abode and insulted his friend's quiet retirement from govt.-approved murder, after he has bullied S.H.I.E.L.D. in their new HQ, after his home has been invaded by a cadre of Gagarin-appointed assassins in preemptive-strike mode (can you say "dogmeat once you pick out all the guns and put what's left in a big bowl"?)--Fury goes to war against Gagarin, on a small island, between mainland USA and Hawaii.

Gagarin seems to have invaded the island purely to manufacture a useless war that will bring Fury and a fresh, hand-picked team of crack soldiers into glorious battle. But his plan to shoot down a plane full of Chinese military advisors while making it look like the work of a US Taskforce gives him a shot at an added bonus: possibly starting a major global conflict.

Fury and his intrepid team execute a clever plan to arrive on the island undetected, and Fury's initial operation involves stopping Gagarin--and making US plans to bomb the island into flaming oblivion unnecessary--with minimal bloodshed. But then everything goes crazy, Fury's team gets smaller by the minute, and a final deadly confrontation with Gagarin and his main muscle, a giant, hideously-disfigured killer with a name that's mostly a swear-word and so I can't give it to you here, is inevitable. Amid the hellish flames of battle, Fury and Gagarin square off for the last time. The ensuing combat is disgustingly over-the-top, and that's just the foul language, never mind the gut-wrenching gore.

This isn't for kids. Honestly, this isn't even for me. I give this a reluctant four-star review, because, well, I was riveted. Nick Fury is a juggernaut here, commanding allies and enemies alike to bend to his will, strafing political correctness, and detonating previous notions of how comics should behave. I know all this is old-hat for Garth Ennis fans, but it's all new to me, and I'm shocked but entertained. Risk-taking is appreciated, and I don't have to read graphic novels like this all the time. And I won't. But the vicious humour, the cynical worldview, and the vile characters--including perhaps Fury himself--make this a strangely satisfying nightmare. I didn't delight in the graphic violence--I discovered that, just like I still close my eyes at the gory moments in a movie, I move my eyes swiftly over the bloody panels of Fury without lingering--but the carnage, and the foul language, does make reading Fury a memorable experience. War as a result of some kind of macho bar bet, war as a way to make the world exciting--what a terrible concept. But, in this tale, we're still left hoping the good guy wins, even if the good guy worries that he's not much different than the bad guy.

I kind of wish I was young enough to give this a one-star review, but I confess I did like it. Now back to comics that don't leave me feeling so nauseated.