Comics
Nick Fury
Behind the Scenes
Nick Fury, particularly the WWII version, is my brother-from-another-mother’s favorite character, so I surprised him with this piece for his birthday many years ago. Despite its tiny scale—less than 4 inches tall—I made sure his dog tags had the necessary details, as do his canteen, weapons, belt, uniform and boots, down to the stitching for all three of the latter. I borrowed a classic Kirby pose but I wanted to try a realistic take, so I modeled his facial features on the actor, Armand Assante, who had the ruggedly handsome mug to suit the original character design.
Nick Fury
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics from 1963 to 1981, created by Jack Kirby and (ostensibly) Stan Lee. The comic depicted the adventures of an elite special unit, the First Attack Squad, nicknamed the “Howling Commandos”, which was stationed in a military base in England to fight missions primarily, but not exclusively, in the European theatre of World War II. The central (and titular character) was Sgt. Nick Fury, a cigar-chomping noncom who led the racially and ethnically integrated unit (racial integration was unusual for the then-segregated U.S. military, though possible in elite special forces units).
I don’t want to debate who created the characters but suffice to say that Kirby served in the European Theater during the war as an advance scout with Patton’s army and Lee initially worked repairing telegraph poles and other communications equipment before being transferred to the Training Film Division, where he wrote manuals, slogans and training films. Artist John Severin who illustrated many issues of the comic recalled in an interview that Kirby had approached him in the late 50s to partner up on a syndicated, newspaper comic strip “set in Europe during World War Two; the hero would be a tough, cigar-chomping sergeant with a squad of oddball GIs — sort of an adult Boy Commandos,” a successful 1940s wartime “kid gang” comics series Kirby had co-created for DC Comics.
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Please note, all Manifest Sculpt work is completed with traditional sculpting techniques—modelling and carving—rather than through modern digital techniques and programs. Consequently, the resin and bronze castings in this edition were also produced through traditional mold making and manufacturing processes. Final Manifest Sculpt commissions are available in a variety of materials, but they are not 3D printed and are not available as printable files. Copyright Notice: all work, including ideation, concepts, stories and their development, character design and production are the property of Carlos Soca unless otherwise noted, and all rights are reserved. Should you wish to discuss collaboration or licensing of an intellectual property or its design, please contact Manifest Sculpt.