Thursday 20 November 2014

November 23rd, 1974 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

By Odin's Shimmering Sceptre, I've just read that evil people can see what you're doing when you're online, by accessing your webcam!

They can only be trying to read my Marvel comics.

Well, they can buy their own. They only cost seven pence.

Spider-Man Comics Weekly #93, Lizard & the Human Torch

The Lizard is back - and so is the Human Torch, on a Gil Kane cover that I once wrote a post about.

And you can see that post, right here.
Marvel UK Avengers #62, the Black Knight

I'm so observant that, even though I first encountered this cover forty years ago, it's only in recent months that I've realised the Black Knight is actually flying vertically, with the Avengers falling towards the skyscrapers below them, rather than him being flying horizontally, with the Avengers flying behind him in a disorganised manner.

I did always wonder how Goliath and Hawkeye were managing to fly.
Marvel UK Dracula Lives #5

The good guys are armed to the teeth.

The bad guys are totally unarmed.

I think I know who's going to win that battle.
Mighty World of Marvel #112, The Valkyrie

Get ready to flee, male chauvinist pigs because it's one of my MWOM faves as the Valkyrie shows up.
Marvel UK Planet of the Apes #5

I seem to remember there being a photo of Dr Zaius on the back cover of this week's issue.

Then again, I also seem to remember there being a cut-out-and-wear mask of Dr Zaius on the back cover.

Either way, if I had to be a talking ape, it'd definitely be Dr Zaius.

13 comments:

John Pitt said...

40 years ago, I walked into my corner shop and spotted that issue of POTA and snapped it up, as both my younger brother and myself were both Ape - mad . I immediately put an order in for it every week and it was the start of my Marvel UK comic buying. It remains my favourite Marvel UK comic.
For those who don't already know, the whole set can be read on Hunter Goatley's Archive site.

Anonymous said...

Like John, POTA No.5 was my first ever, ever, ever Marvel comic (EVER !!!) but I was rather baffled by it as it seemed to have nothing to do with the TV show and I'd never heard of the apes movies so a bearded man being chased around by a bunch of apes was lost on me but here was a comic called Planet of the Apes so that was good enough and I was hooked. My main memory of this issue is me reading it in 'Mamselle's' hairdressers (sadly closed in 1979) while my mother was getting her hair done and the other customers (about three) commenting on my comic and the TV show - "oh, my son watches that". Of course POTA No.5 was my introduction to the amazing new world of Marvel but it would another couple of months before I started getting any other Marvel UK comics - SMCW No.103 was the next one.

John Pitt said...

Hi Colin, by the time this came out my brother had gotten me hooked on the TV series, as he'd seen " Beneath " at the pictures before. We both started buying the books and saw 4 of the movies at the flicks, so the comic was a must! I had bought Marvel US comics in the 60's, but had kind of moved on to records and music papers in the
70's. But now I had discovered Marvel had come to the UK, I thought I could fill in all those missing gaps!
By the way, hope you got your roof sorted, mate?

Anonymous said...

John, they haven't even started on my roof yet but it due to be completed by December 12th so at least it'll be done by Christmas. The first apes movies I saw was a double-bill of "Beneath" and "Battle" in about June 1975. I finally saw "Planet of the Apes" (the movie) on ITV in February 1977 - by coincidence on my 11th birthday :)

Anonymous said...

By the way, I wonder how Kid Robson's getting on - I check in every day but no updates so far.

John Pitt said...

Builders, eh? You cannot hurry them! Hope it all goes well for you AND Kid. Same here, keep checking and seeing "our girl shirl "
The first 2 movies I saw were Conquest & Beneath together. Maybe that's why those 2 are my faves.

John Pitt said...

Sorry, Steve, please excuse us 2 for yakking on your site! That's the power of blogland - it brings all us comic-heads together!

Steve W. said...

That's OK, John. I quite like the idea that my blog has now become a social networking site for people who've got the builders in. :)

Dougie said...

I have a soft spot for the Black Knight since he was "our" Avenger by dint of living in England, somewhere. I've been less keen on his fashion choices of the last twenty years ( brown jackets)

I first saw him in his next chronological appearance - the second Masters of Evil story which was a childhood fave. It took about a further five years to discover Aragorn was a Tolkien reference.

John Pitt said...

Col, if you're reading this again, - I know you've read Pierre Boulle's Monkey Planet, but did you spot the comic adaptation on Hunter's site? If not, look for the English translations of the Hungarian comic.
Steve, you may be interested in this too!!

Anonymous said...

John, thanks for that - I just had a quick look and I'll definitely be reading that. In February 2005 BBC radio 4 had 'Monkey Planet' as their 'Book At Bedtime' for the week of Feb 14th - 18th (I remember because it was my birthday that week). It's the only novel I know that has TWO twist endings - I knew about the first one already as it was in the radio adaptation but I didn't see the second one coming at all when I was reading the book !!

Steve W. said...

I tried reading Monkey Planet when I was a kid but gave up on it because the apes had cars, which robbed it of its exoticism for me.

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