Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.

In its original format as a 1988 six-issue prestige/bookshelf format limited series, Bob Harras and Paul Neary’s Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. was a blockbuster, drawing readers in with lavish production values and a story that promised to upend everything you knew about the Marvel Universe’s premier espionage organization. It was collected in one of the earliest trade paperbacks in the developing bookstore market, launched a new Fury ongoing series, and even (very loosely) inspired the MCU’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. How does a book like this go from a bestseller to a footnote 35 years later? We take a look at this very strange comic, the uncommonly lengthy delays that went into its production, and whether it holds up.