Thursday 20 July 2017

July 20th, 1977 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

As I write this deathless prose, I'm watching an episode of Star Trek in which Lieutenant Uhura is singing.

Faced with such terror, I have no recourse but to flee into the past. In fact, I'm going to flee so far into the past that I'm going to run face-first into 1977 and the wondrous comics that reside within that epoch.

But what will those comics contain? What?

Super Spider-man and Captain Britain #232, Kraven

It would seem, from my in-depth research, that this issue reprints part of the Defenders tale in which Thor battles the Hulk, in pursuit of the Evil Eye. I remember being very frustrated that, as always, their battle proves inconclusive.

But, from inconclusive to non-concluding. The Fantastic Four are still tangling with the Mole Man, Kala and Tyrannus, in a story that seems to have been dragging on since the beginning of the universe. It's odd that I have no memory of it feeling so interminable at the time.

Is the Manipulator that man who wanted to take over an African country with the aid of the Queen and the Royal Navy? What a bounder.

Mighty World of Marvel #251, Dracula and the Hulk

Dracula's getting stuck into his nuptials. I'm assuming the lucky woman is Domini.

As for the Hulk, I get the feeling this is the story in which Jarella meets her maker.

Didn't Thor fight the Crypto-Man straight after discovering the origin of Galactus, towards the end of Jack Kirby's run? I believe Kirby's plan was for Thor and Galactus to team up to fight the robot but Stan Lee nixed that and Thor had to tackle him alone.

Quite why Galactus would have wanted to fight Crypto-Man and why he would have needed Thor's help to do it, I have no idea.

Marvel UK, Fury #19

Just six more issues to go before Marvel UK's newest mag finds that, for it, the war is over.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Following last week's comments the Fantastic Four made their home in the fourth title this week (MWOM, Titans, CB and Spidey). It still seems a strange decision to push Dracula in MWOM given that he'd hardly set the world alight in his own title and in POTA. I guess Tomb of Dracula was doing ok int he US at the time. I think the US style Dracula was too far removed from the Hammer version for my liking.

DW

Steve W. said...

It was definitely odd that they'd revive Dracula from out of nowhere in MWOM. I can only assume they did it because Dracula is a name that everyone knows and he was therefore more famous in Britain than any of Marvel's heroes at the time.

Timothy Field said...

The Avengers/Defenders war and the Evil Eye are some of my earliest memories from Marvel UK. Though I was never sure what was going on and couldn't even remember which comic I read it in due to the policy of playing musical backup strips every other week.
Think my personal highlight of the MCU so far has been the Evil Eye showing up briefly in Doctor Strange.

Anonymous said...

I recall reading that the American Tomb Of Dracula comic was kept going only to provide material for UK Marvel - can that be true ???

Steve W. said...

Timothy, I've always loved the Evil Eye Saga. There's a simplicity about it that appeals o me greatly.

Colin, I think I might have heard that claim made about the US Planet of the Apes comic too but I have no idea whether it's actually true.

Charlie Horse 47 said...

You ever think how much cheaper it would have been to fight WW2 like Fury did?

I mean, if he could take out a sub or a convoy with a rubber dinghy and a machine gun and a grenade? IT's pennies on the dollar!!! Really inexpensive!!!

(Not sure if/ how you would make the equivalent expression in the UK? Pence on the Pound?)

Richard Williams said...

I too loved that Avengers/Defenders war and I'm pretty sure it was reprinted in the Titans mag as I have a vague recollection of reading it in landscape!

Steve W. said...

Hi, Richard. As far as I can make out, it started in, "Super Spider-Man and the Titans," when the comic was in landscape format, shortly before it reverted to portrait format.