You know, you can really tell quite a bit about someone by their name. This is true for both real people and fictional characters. If a guy is named Eugene Q. Tiddlywinks, he's probably not the most fearsome and intimidating dude on the block. (Kids, don't judge people with funny names. Don't take candy from them, either.) If, on the other hand, your name is something like Nick Fury, you MUST be a tough as nails, bad to the bone, anger management problem, kind of guy.
Fury: Peacemaker #1, by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, takes readers right to the source of Nick's permanent bad mood. If you've been paying attention to recent events in the Marvel Universe, you know that Fury has been in full-on spying and manipulation mode. He started a Secret War, mind-wiped a few heroes, got Spider-Woman in all kinds of trouble, and even shot the Hulk out into space. This new limited series goes way back to 1943 to take a look at Sgt. Nick Fury in simpler, but even more violent, days.
Young Sgt. Fury (with 50% fewer permanent scowl lines and a full complement of eyes) finds himself facing German troops in Tunisia, desperately trying to keep his men alive when an incompetent Lieutenant lets them down. Unfortunately for Nick and his inexperienced squad, they are out-gunned, out-manned, and out-of-luck. This story very cleverly contrasts the way war is supposed to work on paper with the unpredictable reality of combat. Of course, even when the chips are down, you know a guy named Fury ain't about to give up....
Admittedly, I don't know squat about being in combat, but Ennis sure seems to know a thing or two. He's written War Stories, 303, and a tank-load of other stories about war, combat, and weaponry. He knows his stuff, and it shows in this book. This is no lightweight, fantasy war story. Fury: Peacemaker is a grim and gritty look at the awful reality of war. Nobody knows gritty better than Garth Ennis, the guy who brought us Preacher and some of the best Punisher stories ever to see print! Ennis' story is ably accompanied by Darick Robertson's dark and detailed pencils. You can literally see the blood, sweat and tears of Fury and his men. Robertson also draws some mighty ferocious scowls for our man Nick!
Grab yourself a heapin' handful of testosterone and read Fury: Peacemaker #1. It's guaranteed now, while it is Four Color Fantasies' Book of the Week! You got nothin' to lose, and, if you don't try it, Ma Fury's little boy may just have to come around and kick the livin' daylights out of ya!
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