INTER-CONTINENTAL PHONE HOOK-UP
Classification: Terrestrial technology
Creator: Unrevealed (see comments)
User/Possessors: Nick Fury
First Appearance: Strange Tales I#142/1 (March, 1966)
Powers/Abilities/Functions: Built as a chest harness to be worn by the user, the Inter-Continental Phone Hook-Up was a telecommunication device which provided multiple connections to remote locations; possibly it had other special features (see comments).
History:
(Strange Tales I#142/1) - While anxiously awaiting an impending attack by the alliance of Mentallo and the Fixer, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury went to the communications section of the agency's Manhattan headquarters to check on the status of other S.H.I.E.L.D. bases throughout the globe. As a trio of technicians wired him up to the Inter-Continental Phone Hook-Up harness, the agitated Fury goaded them to work expeditiously. When the interconnections were completed, Fury spoke to one base and informed them that a shipment of Inferno-42 hadn't yet been received at the main headquarters, and advised them to check on it; he also told them that he wanted to be notified of any sightings of Batroc the Leaper (see comments), then ordered the line to be switched to the Hong Kong base.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby (pencils) and Howard Purcell (inks).
According to a footnote, the events of this sequence were concurrent with the Captain America story in Tales of Suspense I#75. The Inter-Continental Phone Hook-Up was probably built by Stark Industries, which was the main supplier of technology to S.H.I.E.L.D. at the time. There didn't appear to be much difference in function between this gizmo and a standard multi-line office phone...but maybe there was--since S.H.I.E.L.D. knew of the talents of their enemies (an ingenious technician (the Fixer) and a mind-reading psychic (Mentallo)), maybe the intelligence agency took precautions against any unwanted surveillance and had this gadget made with additional electronic safeguards to prevent any physical bugging/wire-taps and/or mental "eavesdropping," thus ensuring that Fury would have a completely secure communication line.
When Jack Kirby left Marvel and went to DC in 1970, I vaguely remember seeing something that looked a lot like this device in an issue of Kirby's "Jimmy Olsen" run--I think it was some kind of virtual-reality telephone at the DNA Project (I don't remember any specifics, so if anyone would care to contribute details, feel free).
And a BIG Thank You to James Sharpe for the scans!
Profile by John Kaminski.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Inter-Continental Phone Hook-Up has no known connections to:
images:
(without ads)
Strange Tales I#142/1, p6, pan1 (main image)
Other Appearances: None
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
First Posted: 03/09/2010
Last Updated: 03/07/2010
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