Astonishing Tales #17-20 (1973)
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Penciler: (19) Dan Adkins (20) Marie Severin
Inker: (19) Jack Abel (20) Werner Roth
Letterer: (19) John Costanza (20) J. Braverman
Colorist: (19) David Hunt (20) Marie Severin

Kazar leaves the Savage Land in order to help protect Doctor Calvin, who has developed a Super Solider serum for SHIELD. He is paired up with Agent 19, aka Bobbie Morse, and together they recover the serum. Professor Victor Conrad, aka Victorious, kidnaps Agent 19 in hopes of learning the potency of SHIELD's serum in comparison with his own. Kazar tracks Victorious to his castle and defeats him and destroys the serum.

  • Continuity Notes
  • All SHIELD agents wear a hidden homing transmitter
  • Agent 19 would later run afoul of a rogue SHIELD element as the heroine Huntress and Mockingbird
  • SHIELD developed Super-Solider serum, but was lost when Ka-Zar destroyed and Doctor Calvin refused to make it again

Review
Oh my, and I thought Hercules' dialogue was bad! This storyline answers well enough the question; why Kazar can't maintain his own title. Fiedrich's plot is ho-hum with plenty of material that plays out better with different heroes and villains. Even Fury at the end can't help but compare Agent 19 and Kazar with another numbered agent and her man-out-of-time paramour.For the SHIELD fan, there isn't much here. Fury cameos with not much to do, although its interesting to note that SHIELD was looking to recreate Super Soldiers back then and the idea that someone inoculated with the original formula leading AIM is especially interesting in light of the Protocide storyline in Captain America. Fury is having a really an off day; not only does he give KaZar the only vial of the serum, but later he can't get the doctor to make more. Nothing much to recommend here, just for the completionist.

Rating-