For today’s comic book review  I read Sgt. Fury And His Howling Commandos #4, with the story titled “Lord Ha-Ha’s Last Laugh!”.  but this tale of our favor Sgt. Nick Fury and his seven Howling Commandos had everything we have come to hope for from these tales, and a hole lot more.

The basic background of the story is our seven hero’s get sent to Berlin to get Lord Ha Ha, an Englishman who its beveled has been captured and forced to spread propaganda for the Nazi’s.  But in addition to the action packed tale of the rescue of the Lord, it’s also a tale with much, much more. This story offers us both the beginnings of new love, as well as the death of one of the Commandos! All in part showing us the horrors of war.

Story

as far as stories go, this one takes top prize, for its era, it can’t get much better then this, offering us everything a war comic could. To start with we have Sgt. Nick Fury falling in love with Pamela,  the sister of Lord Ha Ha, the man he is sent to rescue.  While I would not call it anything deep yet, it does offer us the first peek inside any commandos personal life.

Beyond that we have the first death of a commando, I won’t tell you who  in this review as that would be more of a spoiler then the cover gives, but this story is great in both how the commandos move on, dealing with the situation at hand as well as talk about their fallen Friend.

With all of this combined, I feel this story makes a compelling read, and may be the best Howling Commandos story so far!

Artwork

The detail from the opening pages to the end of this story is great,  offering us a great look at a bombed London to Berlin streets, and everything in between.  and while the action scenes are great, it is the non action panels that really stand out for me in this issue.

one panel I like the most is when Sgt. Fury returns to base after the Air Raid on London,   our hero’s return is in the background of the panel, with the action of other unrelated solders being the foreground, reminding us that there is  a whole war going on.  panels like this are great and there are a few of them.

Originality & Continuity

Up until this issue, we have been offered little to measure continuity,  with our hero’s undergoing a life threatening mission time after time and coming back OK, but this issue, we begin to give the series some depth, both with the death of a commando, and  Nick Fury’s Love interest, offering high hope for the future.

Characters & Development

Nick Fury and Pamela Hawley

In this issue, Nick Fury meets and falls for Pamela Hawley, whom I presume will become a girlfriend for the foreseeable future of our wartime hero.  In this issue, they in fact meet by chance twice as if fate itself is guiding them together, and perhaps the comic book version of fate was.

This story is in fact, quite tied to her character, so much so that Nick agree’s to rescue her brother from the Nazi’s even when I am sure he knows the truth about her brother already deep down inside.

it is also great to see the rough edged Nick, having a soft side for someone, although we do get to see that a little in relation to his men.