Every week, I will spotlight strange but ultimately endearing comic stories (basically, we're talking lots and lots of Silver Age comic books). Here is the archive of all the installments of this feature. Feel free to e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com if you have a suggestion for a future installment!

This week, we look at the odd Avengers subplot from the early issues where Captain America was obsessed about getting a job with Nick Fury (before Cap even knew about S.H.I.E.L.D.), to the point where he began daydreaming about Fury and pouting over not getting called.

It all began in Avengers #15 (by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Don Heck and Mike Esposito), when Captain America writes a letter to Nick Fury...

You have to love "you won't remember me" bit. No, Fury likely forgot you. It's not like you were Captain freakin' America! How would Nick Fury possibly remember Captain America?

So after mailing it...

(Stan Lee does have a point about how Cap's early adventures were almost entirely him working in counter-espionage, so a nice little bit of continuity there by Lee)

Cap does not hear any word back.

The next couple of issues Cap is too busy forming the new Avengers team with Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

We next see him dwelling over his lot in life in Avengers #18, by Lee, Heck and Dick Ayers...

And it begins to have an effect on him, like doing missions with the goal of impressing Nick Fury (even daydreaming about Fury)...

The idea of Cap doing a mission just because it'll impress Nick Fury is hilarious.

The following issue (also by Lee, Heck and Ayers), we see Fury's lack of response has begin to piss Cap off, as it is affecting his training sessions...

As it turns out, Cap's letter went to Fury's old office at the CIA, so that's why he didn't hear back from him. Hydra, meanwhile, got a hold of the letter...

After discarding it, a crook finds it and gives it to the Swordsman to help him spring a trap on the good Captain...

Check out Cap's reaction when he gets a reply from Fury (actually Swordsman pretending to be Fury to get Cap to come to a warehouse alone)...

Cap really, REALLY wanted to be in SHIELD, huh?

That's why it is really quite odd to see how Cap reacted when he finally DID meet up with Fury in Tales of Suspense #78 (plotted by Jack Kirby, which would explain the different reaction - Lee scripted it and Frank Giacoia inked Kirby's pencils)...

Although, he does, at least, acknowledge the letter...

I now want a modern comic to have Hawkeye or someone tease Cap over this. "Hey, remember that time you were freaking out over not getting to work with Nick Fury?"

Also, the next time you see someone argue something like "Captain America would never do that!" or whatever, do note that it is not like Cap's characterization has been steady during his comic book career.

NOTE: I featured this as a stand-alone bit a couple of years back before I started "I Love Ya But You're Strange" as a regular feature and this really belongs here.