January 31st, 1976 - Marvel UK, 50 years ago this week.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Mamma Mia?

Here I go again?

You bet I do.

And, more importantly, so do ABBA because, this week in 1976, their single of that same name became their second UK chart topper, keeping Midge Ure's Slik off the top spot.

While that was going on, the adjacent LP listings saw The Best of Roy Orbison seize the crown from Queen as he ascended to the throne.

Now the Avengers are in trouble - because it looks like the Vision, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America are going to, somehow, have to overcome the unstoppable power of Red Wolf!

And his pet dog!

But, before that, Conan still seems to be having trouble with those seven wizards he's been having trouble with for ages.

However, none of the above is the big news of this issue.

The big news is that - because I demanded it - we're seeing the return of Iron Fist!

Admittedly, I don't remember demanding it but, now that he's here, I'm not going to complain about it.

Having said that, I don't actually know what he's up to but, whatever it is, I'm sure his flaming fist of fury's bound to get used at some point. I wonder if there's ever been an Iron Fist story in which he doesn't use his neon knuckles and manages to win just by using his martial arts skills? You know, like Shang-Chi routinely manages to do?

From that cover, I'm going to assess that our hero's still having to clean up the mess caused by whatever it was Flash Thompson was up to in Vietnam.

Not to worry, Spidey's got the help of Dr Strange!

Meanwhile, Iron Man continues to battle the Gladiator and his paymasters the Maggia.

And Thor must endure The Carnage of the Crypto-Man!

And let's all remember that Crypto can be very volatile.

I remember little of this tale - and of its antagonist - but can't help feeling it contains echoes of earlier adventures involving Thermal-Man and Replicus.

Ken Barr gives us a cover we'll never forget, as Conquest reaches its newest stage.

And I do believe we've reached the section of the movie in which Ricardo Montalbán is interrogated by the authorities.

I must confess I got all over-excited, for a moment, misreading the cover blurb as saying, "Apeslayer gone berserk!" Oh, the happy memories that brought back for me.

Meanwhile, a whole new challenge begins for Ka-Zar who, on SHIELD's Helicarrier, spots Gemini running off with the super-soldier serum and heads off in pursuit of him.

And, thanks to his fight with Baron Macabre, the Black Panther encounters King Cadaver and discovers Killmonger's been looting the official Wakandan armoury!

That's a very strange portrayal of the Bi-Beast. In fact, other than him having two faces, it bears no resemblance to him at all.

But, of course, what matters is what happens inside the book.

And what happens is Betty Ross abducts the Hulk and accidentally flies him to that floating city of dead bird-people once made famous by Red Raven!

And, now, they have to deal with the Bi-Beast and the forces of MODOK!

Far below that but still somewhat elevated, Daredevil continues to sit on a rooftop, reminiscing about his origin.

And he doesn't even mention Elektra!

Does the man have amnesia or something?

And comic book history's made when the Fantastic Four travel to Wyatt Wingfoot's ancestral home, in order to tackle the towering terror of Tomazooma the titanic totem pole!

But what a coincidence that we should get Red Wolf and Wyatt Wingfoot adventures in the same week.

And what of Marvel UK's newest publication?

The Mimic is back to, again, perplex the X-Men.

But, this time, the Puppet Master's lurking in the background!

And Daredevil's not the only one waxing nostalgic, this week, because Capt America too is in a retrospective frame of mind. In his time off, he remembers once meeting a mysterious young female Resistance leader in World War Two, and wonders what happened to her.

He is, however, unaware that, in the present, she still lives!

It's bad news for the leader of the Secret Empire because his plot to get the Sub-Mariner to kill the Hulk has failed so miserably that, now, it's he himself who faces demise at the hands of the brute.

And it's great news for music lovers everywhere, for this is the issue in which Rick Jones first gets up on stage and wows the world, with his vocal talent, thus landing a deal with impresario Mordecai P Boggs.

But there's to be no sweet music for Nick Fury and SHIELD, as the Fixer encounters Mentallo and the deadly duo agree to unite against the counter-espionage agency.

I do believe the Thing and Iron Man manage to polish off Thanos' Blood Brothers, before parting company.

Following that, I divine that we discover more of the origin of Bloodstone who, as we all know, was a prehistoric man who, by means I have no recollection of, became immortal and now dresses like a big game hunter.

And Giant-Man and the Wasp continue their battle with Spider-Man, before the power trio realise they need to join forces and bring to justice the true villain of the piece -- Egghead.

I don't know what's going on on that cover but I do know that, inside this thrill-packed issue, the world of politics enters the fray when Dracula threatens members of the UK Parliament.

What he threatens them with, I'm not sure but I suspect it won't be anything nice.

Following that, Jack Russell must confront The Darkness From Glitternight.

And the Man-Thing finds himself Where Worlds Collide. A tale of which I know nothing, other than that it's brought to us by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik.

Speak Your Brain! Part 116.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Image by Tumisu
from Pixabay

As UK readers will know, there was once a chocolate bar called a Topic. And its adverts boasted that it contained a hazelnut in every bite.

In fact, I once ate one and there were two hazelnuts in one of its bites. Needless to say, I sued and am now the richest man in Europe.

But there is a topic that contains nothing but pure, spun gold.

And that's the topic we're going to be discussing tonight.

Granted, I don't know what that topic will be, as it's up to you the Reader to decide upon that. But such is my level of faith in the users of the internet that I have no doubt my prediction of triumph shall be fulfilled.

Therefore, feel free to ask, in the comments section below, whatever question it is you feel needs answering.

And we shall see just what we shall see.

January 1986 - Marvel UK monthlies, 40 years ago this month.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

In January, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, just 73 seconds after takeoff, killing its crew of seven astronauts, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.

In Britain, meanwhile, unemployment hit 3,204,900. A post-war high that represented 14.4% of the workforce.

It may have seemed, at that point, that the month had nothing going on but doom, gloom and depression.

However, there were some bright spots.

For instance, the United Kingdom and France announced plans for a Channel Tunnel, expected to open by the early 1990s.

And, in Australia, the Gateway Bridge opened in Brisbane, becoming the world's longest pre-stressed concrete free-cantilever bridge.

While, on an even lighter note, the game show Catchphrase was launched by ITV, hosted by Roy Walker along with the computer-generated Mr Chips.

Meanwhile, far out beyond our world, any minds immeasurably superior to ours would have seen the Voyager 2 space probe make its first encounter with Uranus. A fact about which I'm saying nothing.

But what of the art form that hath the power to tame the savage breast?

In the UK, any savage breasts that may have been on the rampage were being tamed by the Pet Shop Boys whose debut hit West End Girls sat proudly atop the singles chart. However, that soon had to make way for A-ha's The Sun Always Shines On TV. I did always feel that title made it clear A-ha had never seen any British television.

On the accompanying album chart, January arrived with Now That's What I Call Music! 6 at the summit before that was then deposed by the return to prominence of Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms.

There's clearly something special going on because this month's edition of the magazine dedicated to the universe's greatest interventionist has no fewer than eight extra colour pages!

Just what that special thing is, I have no idea.

However, as we can clearly see, this issue presents us with the 22nd Season Survey results, a brand new comic strip called Exodus and a look at alien worlds.

I'm assuming those are the alien worlds of Doctor Who but don't quote me on that.

Elsewhere, we encounter an Interview with Victor Pemberton, writer of Fury From the Deep.

And there's a feature titled Growing Up With the Doctor. 

Captain Britain's monthly mag penultimates but does it do so in style?

I'm not totally convinced it does, as this is the issue in which poor old Betsy Braddock is blinded by Slaymaster. A fact which, to be honest, is a development my delicate sensibilities could have done without.

Then, the Black Knight finds himself tangled up in Dawn of the Hellravens, as reprinted from 1979's Hulk Comic #3.

Next, there's A Dream of Night-Raven, reprinted from Hulk Comic #12.

And that's followed by a new five-page yarn titled Captain Granbretan.

And we complete the issue with a five-page Cherubim tale the world knows as Playgrounds and Parasites! Part 3.

January 24th, 1976 - Marvel UK, 50 years ago this week.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Come, let us leap forward into the past!

The Lethal Legion might be doing their best to get all the attention but I'm more intrigued by the cover's claim that Dr Strange is meeting the greatest star of all.

But we all know Taylor Swift is the greatest star of all.

Is he meeting Taylor Swift?

As for Conan, I think he's still having problems with those seven pesky wizards he was having problems with, last week.

As for the Sorcerer Supreme, I suspect he may be trying to get Sise-Neg to fight Shuma-Gorath, in a bid to save us all!

From that cover, I'm guessing this is the one in which Flash Thompson's Vietnam experiences come back to haunt him - and Dr Strange somehow gets dragged into it for reasons I struggle to recall.

Less exotically, but more buzz-sawly, I do believe Iron Man finds himself up against the gallivanting Gladiator - and that the Maggia seem to be to blame!

And Thor's still hanging around with the Circus of Crime while Ulik does whatever the Ringmaster tells him to.

It's a dramatic cover, even though a more militarily-minded man than I might claim that gorilla's pointing his gun above his intended victim's head, which is not the ideal place to shoot at.

Still, given how bad everyone's aiming is on every Planet of the Apes cover, I'm starting to suspect artists have been bound by a rule preventing them from showing anyone pointing a gun at anyone and they, therefore, have to contrive ways to avoid it while still creating a sense of impending doom.

Anyway, inside we get the latest instalment of Conquest.

And that's followed by a one-page feature revealing A 3-Stage Make-Up Lesson for Apes.

Following that, Ka-Zar defeats The Pusher, and Dr Calvin wakes, from her coma, to discover her wayward son Vinnie's now a hero.

And, in Wakanda, the Black Panther enters King Cadaver's secret HQ beneath a graveyard...

I would claim the Bi-Beast makes his dashing debut, this issue, but I suspect - going by the misleading nature of the past few weeks' covers - that we're going to have to wait for that one.

And so will the Hulk as he, first, has to deal with the maddening menace of Betty Ross!

Daredevil's still reminiscing over his origin, thanks to Stan and Gene.

And not a mention of Stick.

The ungrateful swine.

And a powerless Ben Grimm has to deal with the Mad Thinker's latest escaped robot.

But will he be powerless for much longer?

I do believe the X-Men are tangling with El Tigre - only for the villain to transform into Kukulkán!

Subby's blundering around with amnesia and has been convinced, by the Secret Empire, that he works for them.

And, now, they want him to kill the Hulk!

Nick Fury finds himself caught up in something called Operation Brain Blast.

Cavewise, Rick Jones frees Captain Marvel from the Negative Zone.

But not to worry. Rick has plenty of negativity of his own to make up for it.

Finally, Captain America and Batroc are still running around town, trying to find a deadly cylinder that could kill everyone within miles, if it explodes.

My knowledge of Drac's tale, this week, is vague but I suspect the lord of vampires is looking back upon his first-ever encounter with Blade.

Jack Russell, meanwhile,  has to contend with yet anther monster Dr Glitternight has based on his beloved Topaz.

And the Man-Thing's still encountering a racist Sheriff.

But, as a bonus, we encounter a Lee/Kirby thriller in which an escaped convict flees to Easter Island, only to discover its statues are alive and well and space aliens who bear a remarkable resemblance to Thor's Stone Men from Saturn!

Can it be?

I think it can!

I do believe this is the first appearance of Thanos in a Marvel UK comic!

Come to think of it, he seems to be holding the Cosmic Cube. Does that mean it's also the first British appearance of that object, as well?

Either way, I think we can take it for granted it's the first UK sighting of the Blood Brothers.

Bloodstone meanwhile, finds himself up against the Hellfire Helix Hex, whatever that is.

And, thanks to Egghead's evil schemings, the Wasp and Giant-Man are tricked into attacking Spider-Man!

Speak Your Brain! Part 115. Dr Wertham and artists you've changed your mind about.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Image by Tumisu
from Pixabay

Splish splash splish splash splish splash splosh!

Sploom.

Is that the sound of a hideous fiend approaching us from the neighbouring swamp?

I suspect it's not.

I suspect it's the sound of the internet's most talked about feature approaching, because it seems that that's the sound it makes.

I am, indubitably, referring to the feature in which only You the Reader may choose the night's topic for debate.

But what will it be?

I cannot say.

Therefore, feel free to post it in the comments section below and let us hope the gators don't get us.

2000 AD - December 1987.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Don't push too far?

Your dreams are China in your hand?

It's good advice and advice I've taken seriously ever since December 1987 when the T-Pau song featuring those very lyrics was ruling the roost atop the UK singles chart.

However, that song was not to stay there, because Yuletide was looming and the Pet Shop Boys were about to grab the coveted Christmas Number One slot, with their unlikely cover of Always on My Mind.

There was little drama on the corresponding album chart, however, with Now That's What I Call Music! 10 hogging the pinnacle for the entire month!

And what of cinema?

December saw the unleashing of the following dramatic masterpieces: Throw Momma from the Train, Wall Street, *batteries not included, Moonstruck, Overboard, Empire of the Sun and Good Morning, Vietnam.

Sadly, although I've seen several of those offerings, the only one I can remember anything about is Overboard. Therefore, I shall nominate that as my Steve Does Comics Movie of the Month.

And what of the galaxy's greatest comic?

As so often in the past, present and, no doubt, future, it was supplying us with Bad Company, Judge Dredd, Nemesis the Warlock, Tharg's Future-Shocks and Strontium Dog.

But I do note that Progs 551, 552 and 554 featured a strip called Bradley. A strip of which I know nothing other than it was brought to us by Alan McKenzie and Simon Harrison.

January 17th, 1976 - Marvel UK, 50 years ago this week.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

If there's anyone in human history who should have died by murder, it should have been Agatha Christie.

Not because I have anything against her but I feel it would have been somewhat appropriate. And then the entire nation should have been challenged to find out who killed her.

However, she wasn't murdered. Instead, the legendary crime writer died from natural causes, this week in January 1976, at the age of 85, in her Oxfordshire home.

Well, Agatha may have been the queen of crime but, when it came to music, there was only one queen.

And that was the one that was then ruling the UK singles and LP charts, thanks to Bohemian Rhapsody and A Night at The Opera.

It's a veritable brain-gripper, as Conan finds himself caught between Death and 7 Wizards.

I have no idea what that's about.

I'm going to guess that death and seven wizards are involved.

But can even the sword swinging Cimmerian seriously seek to smite seven sorcerers simultaneously seeking to slaughter him in the same or similar circumstances?

In the present, as we can see from the cover, the world's mightiest heroes must contend with the Lethal Legion.

And Dr Strange is in the dim and distant past, caught up in the Biblical madness of Sise-Neg.

Strangely affected by the suicide of Shiela Whittier, the king of vampires finds himself reflecting upon his past and an encounter with Otto Von Bismarck, which is not a direction I was expecting the strip to go in.

Elsewhere, the Werewolf by Night has his first encounter with Dr Glitternight who might sound like a respected Pub Rock outfit who've decided to jump on the Glam Rock bandwagon but he is, in fact, a deadly sorcerer!

And one that's creates a tentacled monster based on Jack's girlfriend Topaz!

And, deep in the swamps of America, I do believe the Man-Thing must contend with a racist sheriff.

"This is the big one, Marvelite! At last! The senses-shattering end of the Spider-Slayer!"

I would suggest that's a very liberal use - and possible abuse - of the phrase, "Big one."

Regardless, it's just occurred to me that I've never, in my entire life, leapt through a huge sheet of paper. It's a piece of negligence I shall have to put right, before it's too late.

When it comes to Iron Man, I do believe the tin-plated powerhouse is still battling the awesome menace of the Crusher.

And Ulik turns up in Thor's strip. As does the Circus of Crime.

I can only assume the troublesome troll gets to join the sinister circus. Possibly, after being hypnotised by it rapscallion ringmaster.

Not for the first time in Marvel UK history, a cover has nothing to do with the contents of the mag whose pages it precedes.

Inside the book, we're greeted by the latest episode of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. A tale in which I'm fairly sure no gorilla generals appear.

Meanwhile, Ka-Zar is still out to rid the New York streets of drugs gangs and finds himself in a fist fight with no lesser foe than the Pusher himself.

And I believe the Black Panther finds himself battling Baron Macabre and his army of fake dead men.

Can even the Hulk survive the power and wrath of Betty Ross?

I think we may have to wait until next issue to find out, as I'm not convinced she actually makes the transformation into the Harpy just yet.

For some reason, we then encounter a retelling of Daredevil's origin, from Gene Colan and Stan Lee, which I think has already been reprinted in the pages of Mighty World of Marvel.

In the FF's strip, the recently cured Ben Grimm must decide whether to become the Thing again.

And yet another of the Thinker's tiresome robots activates and goes on the rampage.

I'm going to guess that Ben has to become the Thing again, in order to stop it.

Big changes are afoot in Marvel UK's best-value-for-money comic.

No sooner have the X-Men disappeared from The Super-Heroes than they arrive in The Titans.

And it seems Captain Marvel's now been reborn into the form we all know and love.

And that means it's time for him to team up with Rick Jones!

Thanks to a cave.

And some Nega-Bands!

And a fair bit of plagiarism from Fawcett Comics.

Following a scrap with Iron Man, the Sub-Mariner sets out to rescue Lady Dorma from the clutches of Warlord Krang - but only succeeds in losing his memory.

I suspect that, this week, in Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD, Hydra agents mistakenly kill their own leader Arnold Brown.

And Captain America must battle Batroc the Leaper, to prevent the theft of a mega-powerful explosive whose detonation could annihilate the city.

I think we'd all love to know who'd win a fight between the Thing and Hulk.

Even though the Hulk always wins their fights.

Regardless, they're at it again, as Kurrgo and the Leader pit them against each other in an old Wild West ghost town, for the sake of a wager.

But what's this?

The villains have planted a bomb at the location?

One that could be more of a threat to our heroes than their own fight is?

Elsewhere, I do believe Giant-Man defeats a criminal magician on a boat.

And Ulysses Bloodstone must nobble The Lurker Within.

Within what? I hate to think.