Marvel Edge: Over the Edge (August -October 1995)
Double
Edge Alpha (Pt 1) The
Incredible Hulk (1) #433 (Pt 2) Daredevil
(1) #344 (Pt 3) |
Ghost
Rider (2) #65 (Pt 4) Double
Edge Omega (Pt 5) The
Incredible Hulk (1) #434 (Epilouge) |
The Punisher is finally captured and S.H.I.E.L.D. is chartered with delivering him to a maximum security prison to await trail. Spook arrives on the scene and arranges for Doc Samson to administer a hypnosis session to help cure Castle of his aggression. Spook interrupts the session at a vital point and succeeds in having Fury brainwashed into thinking Nick Fury killed his family. Meanwhile Rosalie Carbone, a mafia wife seeking revenge for the Punisher's massacre of her entire family, orders a raid on the S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house where the hypnotherapy is taking place and Castle is regressed to the moment of his family's murder. The Punisher escapes from the rubble and sets out to kill Nick Fury.
An LMD of Fury meets up with the Punisher and through it Castle makes contact with someone promising to lead him to Fury. Meanwhile all of NYC is mobilized to track down the Punisher; Scorpio and Dum Dum try their best to hunt down Castle while keeping Fury out of harm's way, Ghost Rider also seeks out the Punisher in order to make him face his crimes and cure him, and Daredevil is just trying to keep the peace as Hell's Kitchen erupts in war. The Punisher is tracked down and Fury slips off the helicarrier to face him down alone. Val discovers that Lockhart is behind leading the Punisher to Fury on orders from Spook and shoots her dead. All the players converge in an alley where the Punisher shoots Fury in the back. Ghost Rider uses the penance stare on Castle, but its too late as Fury is dead, his body taken away by S.H.I.E.L.D.
In the aftermath of Fury's death, Val mourns her lover's death regretting her decision to let him slip off by himself that night. Meanwhile the remaining Howlers gather together before the funeral, none of them believing Fury's is actually dead and treating the matter lightly. A gallery of heroes gather to escort Fury's body to Arlington but the funeral nearly erupts into a slugfest as the Hulk is found nearby paying his respects from afar and tempers flare as they hold him partly responsible for Fury's death (The Hulk came on the side of the Punisher). The Contessa lashes out all of them for bringing their fight into Fury's funeral and the President and Wolverine convince everyone to stand down and allow the Hulk to stay. Afterwards the Howlers are convinced that Fury is really dead and pay their proper respects to the man.
- Continuity Notes
- Cover appearances on Double Edge Omega, back cover appearance on Double Edge Alpha
- Ironically an LMD of Nick Fury is killed in the beginning& end of this storyline, making for a total of three Fury LMDs in the story
- Fury has a quasi-flashback to his childhood and a young Nick and Jake Fury are seen
- Appearances by Dum Dum, Lockhart, Scorpio, Valentina Allegra De La Fontiane, and Peter David's favorite, Agent Jones
- Attending Nick Fury's funeral at Arlington cemetery are Dawn Fury, Dugan, the Contessa, Giant Man, Quicksilver, (an automated?) Ironman, Hercules, the Vision, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, USAgent, Spiderwoman, Shang Chi, Logan (sans Wolverine costume), Matt Murdock (sans Daredevil costume), Tony Stark, former US Presidents Ford, Bush and then current President Clinton, the Hulk, former Howling Commandos Reb Ralston, Dino Mineli, Eric Koenig, Izzy Cohen, Gabe Jones, and writer Peter David.
Review
Rather
sloppy story arc which is undone from page one by the utter conviction
that none of this "death" business will hold pass a year (see Fury/Agent
13 miniseries). It could have been much worse and the story
by a score of writers, including Larry Hama, is at least faithful to Fury
and his cast of characters.
The Daredevil issue is especially strong with some great moments between Fury and Daredevil. The idea of Nick Fury going back to his old neighborhood is a great character beat for Fury and its followed up in Double Edge: Omega, but sadly its all made rubbish by the later revelation that it was an LMD. Why would a Fury LMD have these emotions!? This was obviously a question that pestered the creative team of Original Sin, who put forth the idea that the numerous Life Model Decoys of Nick Fury (and others, like Dum Dum), believe they are the real thing.
Continuity is kept strong with Howard Chaykin's recent efforts by including Lockhart and Scorpio as major players in the story, as well as old favorites, Dum Dum and Val. The romance between Val and Fury is genuinely touching and it only serves to infuriate one more that its all a bunch of hokum, but one has to admit its very true to character. Dum Dum's loyalty is also demonstrated well in doing his best to protect Fury, even if it means going behind his back. Scorpio continues to build as a character and his interactions with the S.H.I.E.L.D. cast is interesting, with room for more exploration, especially between him and Val.
The first Hulk issue of this story is hardly worth collecting but the second Hulk issue spotlighting the funeral is actually moving stuff. The appearance by Wolverine and Val dealing with Fury's death is very well done. Peter David manages to work in Jonesy into #433. The Howlers reaction to Fury's death is a wonderful indictment by David on the horrible trend of "kill & resurrect" spurned by D.C.'s Death of Superman and made even more potent by the fact that it applies to this case as well. Although in truth allot of the issue is devoted to Fury and his cast, a proper handling should have involved some kind of eulogy by Iron Man (who does appear but says nothing) and Captain America (who is missing thanks to that Liefield guy).
For
all its good points, the entire issue is made trash with Fury's return
so one might as well skip it.
Rating