Bookshelf: Fury (Dell Four Color) #1333
Fury (Dell Four Color) #1133
First Published August-October 1962
Published by Dell Publishing Inc./Western Printing and Lithographing Co.
There’s something really odd going on in the upper left corner of my copy of this issue. Just to the left of the D in the DELL logo there’s a teardrop shaped depression that cuts through all but the last five pages of the book. I can’t see how a small animal would have been able to chew such a small area. I’m leaning towards a stray drop of acid burning through the pages. That’s my theory.
Fury (Dell Four Color) #1133 Front – Copyright 1960 Dell Publishing Inc./Western Printing and Lithographing Co.
Anyway, from what I’ve read there was no regular Fury comic book published by Dell. Instead, nine issues of Dell’s second Four Color series (which ran from 1942 to 1962 with 1,354 issues according to the Grand Comics Database) were Fury comics. The first, Four Color #781, was published in March of 1957 and the last, Four Color #1296, in February of 1962. A tenth issue, #01292-208, was released as a “one-shot” in June/August of 1962, unrelated to the Four Color series. Gold Key also published a single Fury comic book in November of 1962. Here‘s a listing of the 10 Fury comics published by Dell, from Comics Price Guide.
The issue I have, Four Color #1133, was the August-October 1960 issue. When exactly it was published and released is a question I can’t answer. It includes two complete 16-page stories. The first, “The Mystery Rustlers,” involves Joey and Packy stumbling upon the carcass of a mustang. The two ride off to tell Jim and Pete and when they return the carcass is gone! Later, Fury gallops off on his own. The boys follow him and discover another two bodies.
Fury (Dell Four Color) #1133 Page- Copyright 1960 Dell Publishing Inc./Western Printing and Lithographing Co.
This time, Joey stays behind while Packy goes to get Jim and Pete. He doesn’t want the bodies disappearing. As the story continues, Joey and Packy are captured by a pair of thugs. Fury escapes and brings back help. It turns out these thugs are shooting mustangs from an airplane and then collecting the bodies to sell to dog food manufacturers. Thanks to Fury they’re now in custody.
The second story, “Intruder on the Range,” starts with Joey and Packy coming across a car on fire. Whoever was driving it is no doubt dead. The marshal determines that the driver was a member of a gang that robbed a bank and got away with $100,000. The money is burned to a crisp. Or is it? The driver of the car is alive and well with the money. And he’s using the line shack as shelter. Joey and Packy, charged with restocking the line shack, decide to keep watch for whoever has been stealing supplies.
Fury doesn’t feel like waiting and runs off. He’s attacked by a mountain lion and saved by the bank robber. Later, when the other two bank robbers attack the first, Fury repays the favor and saves the first robber (who goes by Blackie). Blackie quickly captures both robbers and Joey and Packy. Joey tells Fury to attack Blackie but the horse won’t listen. At least, not until Joey charges Blackie and is shot at. Then Fury springs into action. The robbers are apprehended and the money recovered, all thanks to Fury.
Fury (Dell Four Color) #1133 Back- Copyright 1960 Dell Publishing Inc./Western Printing and Lithographing Co.
Aside from the two stories, the issue includes a one-page black and white preview (the inner front cover), and two one-page historical lessons about mustangs (the inner back cover in black and white and the back cover in color). I’ve never actually seen Fury so I can’t compare the artwork with the likeness of the characters/cast. Judging from the photo cover, however, the likeness are a bit generic. For some reason Packy’s hair is two colors: yellow and orange. You can see examples of this in the page I’ve scanned above.
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June 14th, 2009 at 8:12PM
Dell’s comic book adaptations of most TV series often featured “generic” renditions of most of the main characters; even see the two “I DREAM OF JEANNIE” comic books they published in 1966? Only Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman’s likenesses were “authorized” [through the copyright owner, Sidney Sheldon Productions, Inc.], and the artist used publicity photos to get their images “right” (I recognized some of Jeannie’s “poses” during the stories were the same ones I saw in her various publicity pictures)- while “Dr. Bellows”, “Roger”, and “General Peterson” [featured in the second issue] were “fudged” so that you couldn’t quite recoginze them from their TV images.