Nick Fury, Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D. #32 "Formal Wear"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciler: Dave Hoover
Inker: Don Hudson
Colorist: Kevin Tinsley
Letterer: Philip Felix

Fury is pulling undercover duty in Italy aboard the yacht hosting the World Unity Conference. While chatting with actress Lynette Cole, the ship is taken by soldiers of the terrorist group ULTIMATUM. Fury stows away into the boat while the passengers are rounded up as hostages and finds the group is there to off load millions in gold to fund their organization. Fury manages to send a distress signal which is picked up by Weapon Omega who soon boards the ship in time to defuse a bomb while Fury stops the submarine from escaping with the gold.

Review
New regular scribe Scott Lobdell's premiere issue is a tongue-in-cheek actioner with a fun emphasis on the OTT gadgetry of S.H.I.E.L.D.. The story by reflects the future course of the book; a softening of the hard edge tales established by Chichester, an emphasis on super powered guest stars. Considering how Cinematic Marvel's Nick Fury is in charge of his own super-powere team of heroes, the trend established here is pretty prophetic. A major blast from the past comes from the running gag regarding Fury's gizmo-laden clothing that matches the fun in the classic Strange Tales adventures by Lee/Kirby. Also the script offers more then a few nods to fellow secret agents from the past, both in film (Bond) and on television (Maxwell Smart). Dave Hoover's bulky and cartoonish pencils and layouts are better complimented here by Hudson's inks then in his regular stint over in Captain America, especially evident in the really sterling cover. All in all not bad, but a disquieting sign of things to come for those that were invested in the ongoing arc.

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