it started as a bet

Issue #1 / May 1963

During the Silver Age of Comicdom, Marvel Comics was publishing solely superhero stories.  Until Nick Fury came along, WWII was fought by Captain America, Sub-Mariner etc.  In the early sixties, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (both WWII vets themselves) decided to launch a different kind of war mag - Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos!

It all started with a bet. Stan Lee has described the series Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos as having come about due to a bet with his publisher that the Lee-Kirby style could make a book sell even with the worst title. Stan Lee said at the time Marvel didn't have a title that were six words.  'howling' is a long word, and 'commandos' was a really long word.  Lee went with the name Howling Commandos because their really was a group called 'Screaming Eagles'.

I was just a little guy in '63.  It was big brother Brooky that brought home the early issues and would read them hot off the press.  Brook had the early copies, but mom tossed a box of them during one of her blitzkrieg clean-ups. 

Brook is the one that got me into doing voices.  It all started with him reading Sgt. Fury to me.  He had a voice for all the Howling Commandos as well as the evil Nazis.  I loved it when Hitler was foiled by the Howling Commandos.  Brook seemed to have a great time reading and sounding like a very furious führer.  To this day whenever I read to my kids, I read with all the dialects/accents/voices within my vocal arsenal.  I can also attribute my enjoyment for reading to my brother and this particular comic book.