Sunday 5 April 2015

April 5th, 1975 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

Hooray! It's Easter!

Needless to say, in order to celebrate, I've spent all day biting the heads off bunnies.

Wait. What's that you say? You can get them in chocolate form these days?

Well, don't I just feel like a fool?

That's all well and good but what were our favourite Marvel UK mags up to in the week that the Bay City Rollers were Number One on the UK charts with Bye Bye Baby?

Spider-Man Comics Weekly #112

By the looks of it, it's going to be a case of, "Bye bye, baby," for Gwen Stacy.

However, if this issue contains the story I think it does (the one where Spidey announces his true identity at a party and then gets Hobie Brown in to cover for him), I can confirm that Gwen Stacy is in no danger at all and that this cover is a great big fib-monster

Marvel UK, the Super-Heroes #5, Silver Surfer vs Mephisto

Gwen Stacy might be in no danger but Shall-Bal certainly is because Marvel UK reprints my favourite Silver Surfer story, as Mephisto  makes his diabolical debut.

Marvel UK, Avengers #81, Dr Strange

I've no idea what's going on on this cover but it certainly looks striking.

Marvel UK, Planet of the Apes #24, Killraven

Hooray! Apeslayer's still sorting out those naughty apes.

Mighty World of Marvel #131, The Hulk

I  do believe that this is the one where the Hulk lifts up an entire cliff in one of the most memorable comic book images of my childhood.

Marvel UK, Dracula Lives #24

It's another of those covers where Dracula grabs someone and threatens them.

I do feel it's high-time they had a cover that features Dracula as the one who's being threatened.

Marvel UK, Savage Sword of Conan #5, Zukala Daughter

It's the first Conan story I ever read, as Zukala and his daughter make their first appearances.

And you can read my review of that story, right here.

6 comments:

Boston Bill said...

That is the Hulk issue.

And the woman on the front is Polaris, who the hulk has confused with Jarella due to her green heair (even though Jarella had blonde hair and green skin).

Steve W. said...

Thanks for the confirmation, Bill.

Dougie said...

My second Conan story (first seen in the legendary pre-Marvel UK Marvel annual) and a reprint of my first-and-only US Dracula!

The Avengers was a really psychedelic comic at that time.

I think the first Blastaar story was reprinted in that MWOM- I love that mid-period Kirby FF.

Don't remember that Spidey at all- maybe another missing weekly in my standing order.

It's wild to think that on tv, the first ever-showing of Dr. Who: Genesis of the Daleks was coming to a close.

Anonymous said...

That Dracula Lives cover has a couple of differences from the U.S. Tomb Of Dracula original - the Tomb Of Dracula cover has different speech bubbles and some people below. But otherwise it's the same cover and not a re-drawn UK version.

Anonymous said...

Obviously I mean the Dracula Lives cover is not a re-drawn UK version. Talking of Easter bunnies - the bunny was originally a hare and comes from pre-Christian associations with fertility and Springtime. That's where we get Easter eggs too and the word Easter comes from 'Eostre' the pre-Christian Saxon goddess of Spring and re-birth.

Steve W. said...

You are indeed correct, Colin. I like to think that's why there were so many Carry On movies on TV over this Easter, as a celebration of friskiness.