Strange Tales 136

The 2nd appearance of S.H.I.E.L.D. was in Strange Tales issue 136 published in September 1965. This issue opens like a typical Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode with Nick Fury getting a haircut but the barber shop is a front for a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. He cleverly misleads a couple of Hydra agents and turns the game on them trapping them and capturing their  battering ram airship or something.

We are shown behind the scenes of Hydra and more about how they deal with failure. A dangerous organization for sure. In each issue so far there has been one panel where the Hydra agent goes through the arm gesture salute. It's an interesting method of portraying motion as it appears that the character doing the salute has a dozen arms. The art shows all of the arms and not really any lines or indication that there's motion. Kind of odd.

At the end of the issue Fury has a quiet moment where he reflects and kind of makes a silent internal promise to stop Hydra where ever they may be. Nick Fury is now THE agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Check out Strange Tales 135