August 25th, 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. 

***

I remember being on holiday, this week in 1976, merrily hoovering up comics on the streets of Blackpool, in order to import them to the fair city of Sheffield.

But, when it came to Marvel UK, just what were the comics I was hoovering up?

Good gravy above! It was these precious gems!

Prince Namor once again shows his awesome intellect by teaming up with a super-villain, having totally failed to spot that that super-villain is up to no good.

This time, it's Magneto who has the honour of duping the world's most dupable man.

And, of course, it all leads to war with the surface dwellers!

The week's Nick Fury story reveals that SHIELD Agent John Bronson is secretly the Supreme Hydra! I think we can assume the colonel isn't going to put up with that for long.

Meanwhile, Johnny Blaze accepts an offer to ride in a Las Vegas demolition derby.

Captain America's still battling the Red Skull's Fourth Sleeper which now threatens a military base. However, the star-spangled superstar has a magic tuning fork that can potentially stop the unstoppable machine.

Finally, the Sub-Mariner takes the Helmet of Power back to Atlantis. Whereupon, it transforms into the deadly Serpent Crown!

That's quite a dramatic cover.

I do believe it's by Ron Wilson.

Admittedly, I only know that because the Grand Comics Database tells me it is.

Regardless, in this book, Brutus learns that Malagueña and Gilbert survived his attack.

Jason and Alexander, meanwhile, encounter the mysterious Keeper of the Light!

Far away from that, and in another time period entirely, Ka-Zar's having trouble in the city of Tordon-Na. Sadly, I can be no more specific about it than that.

The Man-Thing, meanwhile, is futilely attacked by Spanish conquistadors, despite being in modern-day Florida.

But, obviously, the highlight of this issue is our encounter with Grottu, King of the Insects, a radiation-mutated giant ant that decides it would be absolutely spiffing to conquer the planet. This is, of course, a Lee/Kirby short-form classic.

Finally, Marvel's adaptation of the original Planet of the Apes movie sees the wounded Taylor being treated in an ape hospital - and coming to the attention of one Dr Zira...

I think we can all surmise that this one in which the Hulk must battle his own shadow.

Or, at least, the alien warlord Kaa masquerading as it. You'd struggle to call this tale a classic but I do have a soft spot for it.

When it comes to the Avengers, the Skrull Emperor orders Captain Marvel to build an Omni-Wave Projector for him and says he'll crush the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver beneath a pile of furry things if he doesn't.

Conan, meanwhile, avoids being eaten by rats but then has a bunch of wolves to contend with!

And Brother Brimstone kills the actor who plays him on television, dragging Daredevil into a full-blown murder mystery.

I believe it was in this Spider-Man tale that I first discovered you can tell Hollywood movie fake dust from real dust by licking it to see if it tastes like soap.

This is a piece of knowledge that has, so far, not yet proven to be at all useful to me in my life.

However, of more concern is that the villain has blown up our hero's flat - and his girlfriend with it!

Fortunately, Mary Jane Watson will live to dance another day.

But will the Goblin, after pulling a stunt like that?

Elsewhere, Iron Man must put a stop to Midas' plans to destroy Tony Stark. I suspect Madame Masque will prove to be an unlikely ally for the tycoon.

In the Savage Land, the Thing is looking into unusual volcanic activity that could threaten mankind's survival and, along the way, encounters a pterodactyl, an allosaurus, a Ka-Zar and a Zabu.

But it looks like game over for Thor because Hela's decided to pop his clogs for him.

But, wait. Odin has a plan and sends him back to Earth, as Don Blake, in the hope that the goddess of death will not be able to find him there.

And it's good news for us all because Doctor Strange finally defeats Dracula and cures himself and Wong of their recent bout of vampirism!

Speak Your Brain! Part 132. Fads and crazes of the 1970s & '80s.

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

***

Image by Tumisu
from Pixabay

Can it be true?

Can there really be a human left on the planet Earth who doesn't know what the purpose of Speak Your Brain is?

It seems unlikely but, just in case there is, I can exposit that it is the red hot and legendary feature in which only the reader and nobody else can decide just what is to be the day's subject for debate.

That being the case, make sure to register that subject in the comments section below, before it's too late and all is lost.

The DC Lucky Bag - August 1976.

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

***

It is time for me to spin my Steve-Does-Destiny Wheel of Fortune marked "August 1976" and see what random DC comics appear on it when I do so.

As is worthy of the only war comic I have ever liked, Weird War Tales is still going strong.

And, this month, it goes strong with such knuckle-whitening nightmares as Bloodbath of the Toy Soldiers, Justice for All Includes Children 5, The Day after Doomsday and The Warrior.

Maybe it's just me but I'm convinced that every other issue of Weird War Tales featured a story called The Warrior.

The Secret Society of Super-Villains hits its second issue and, from that Dick Giordano cover, it seems that Captain Comet hits the Green Lantern!

As for the book's juicy innards, that selfsame Captain returns to Earth where he mistakes Hal Jordan for a villain and launches into a punch-up with him.

Clearly impressed by such smarts, Gorilla Grodd and Hi-Jack invite him to join the Society.

And it's a society that's about to become a little more transparent, as this is the month in which we also discover the identity of the gang's mysterious funder!

I may or may not detect an Ernie Chan cover tribute to Neal Adams' frontage for Detective Comics #413. The similarity is vague enough to be pure coincidence or to be seen as merely subtle, depending on how you look at it.

Regardless, we've reached the series' penultimate issue, in which the Joker commits a robbery while dressed as the Scarecrow.

Needless to say, the real Scarecrow isn't having that sort of thing and decides to hunt down the clown prince of crime, in search of vengeance.

I could never resist an issue of House of Mystery and in this, no doubt, irresistible offering, we encounter tales with such nightmare-inducing titles as Kronos -- Zagros -- Eborak!, Justice for All Includes Children 6 and Your Epitaph Is Only a Birthday Card.

According to the GCD, Qwardian youths turn Arthur Sommar into Skragg the super sniper.

I've no idea what any of that means but I can only conclude that it's bad news for the Freedom Fighters - and for everyone else.

The site also informs me that this issue's inks are credited to Juan Canale who seems to be Vince Colletta but no one seems to know why he's so pseudonymously credited.

It would appear it's not just the Green Lantern who has to worry about a team of super-villains. So does the Flash when a bunch of them learn the Top has died.

However, before he went, he forced them to go in search of six pieces of a bomb that will destroy Central City if they don't stop it.

And there's more because, in our second adventure, the Ravagers of Olys devolve Green Lantern into an ape.

The unmitigated bounders.

August 18th, 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. 

***

Let us tarry not... ...and leap straight into the action.

I detect the tale in which the Fantastic Four find themselves up against the Maggia - and having more trouble with them than you'd expect.

I shall declare that the whole idea of those villains turning up in the FF's book seems like near-heresy. Surely, the people who took on Galactus, Annihilus and Dr Doom shouldn't be lumbered with fighting a bunch of small-time gangsters who can't even beat Daredevil.

And, speaking of FF foes, the Sub-Mariner clashes with the Thing in New York City, for possession of the Helmet of Power. Clashes, that is, until Betty Dean shows up to talk some sort of sense into Namor's head.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury's trapped aboard SHIELD's Helicarrier, by a Hydra infiltrator who's been going by the name of Professor Trojak.

Elsewhere, Johnny Blaze again becomes the Ghost Rider and sets off after evil biker Big Daddy Dawson who's kidnapped Roxanne Simpson!

And Captain America and Agent 13 seek to stop the Red Skull’s Fourth Sleeper from destroying large chunks of the United States.

Zzzax is back!

And I still don't have a clue how many times the letter Z should feature in his name.

Neither does he, I suspect.

And neither does the Hulk, I suspect.

Then again, the Hulk probably doesn't know how many times the letter Z should feature in his own name.

Sadly, the voltage-packed villain isn't here to stay, because the scientists who inadvertently recreated him soon discover a way to stop him.

Following that, the Super-Skrull takes the captured Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to the Skrull homeworld, only to be greeted by hostility from the locals.

Next, Conan finds himself tied to the ground and left to the tender mercies of the rats of Ravengard.

And Brother Brimstone's stalking the streets of Hollywood!

But he won't be for long if Daredevil has his way.

It's a tale of pulse-pounding drama, as the Tarantula continues his reign of terror.

Perhaps more importantly, Harry discovers Peter Parker's secret identity!

In Thor's strip, Infinity's finally thwarted when our hero and his allies manage to prevent Odin from merging with the menace.

But this means Hela will now be after the thunder god's blood.

Iron Man finds himself captured by a fabulously wealthy man called Midas. Not to mention that man's mysterious sidekick Madame Masque!

As far as I can make out, the Thing and Morbius return to Earth, after their recent banishment, where they defeat the Living Eraser by using his own technology against him. 

And Doctor Strange's physical form has fallen victim to Dracula.

However, what the fang-flaunting fiend doesn't know is that his victim's mind has astrally fled his body and is looking for a solution to his problems.

Happy Herb Trimpe gives us the cover to a story we can only know as Society of the Psychedrome.

If only I could remember anything about that tale, other than that Jason and Alexander are in it.

Following that, we - and Ka-Zar - encounter a place called Tordon-Na, the Golden City! And I can't say that one's ringing any bells for me either.

But I do recall the next section because it's SFX on the Planet of the Apes Part II: Simian Illusions in which we discover more about the magic of the effects men and women who worked on the movies.

Next, things are set to go conquistador on us when the Man-Thing stumbles across a hidden community in the swamp. One that possesses the legendary Fountain of Youth.

And we end the issue with yet more of Marvel's adaptation of the original movie. In this week's exciting episode, we've reached the bit where our intrepid astronauts have their first encounter with the cheeky simians.

Speak Your Brain! Part 131. Musical duets!

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

***

Image by Tumisu
from Pixabay

A wise woman once sang, "Surprise surprise. The unexpected hits you between the eyes."

But what could possibly surprise a man of my sagacity?

There's only one thing.

And that's the feature in which it is not I but you The Reader who gets to decide just what is to be the topic of the day's debate.

Multifold are the subjects that could be covered, running the gamut of A-Z and back again.

Therefore, hesitate ye not to launch that topic via the comments section below and we shall discover just how surprised a man can be.

2000 AD - July 1988.

ThanKs to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for Their Sponsorship of This Post, via The Magic of Patreon. 

***

Who remembers Glenn Medeiros?

I certainly do.

And July 1988 was doing its best to make sure it stayed that way, as he spent almost the entire month at Number One on the UK singles chart, thanks to his smash hit Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You, before being dislodged by Yazz and the Plastic Population's The Only Way Is Up.

Over on the accompanying album chart, July launched with Tracy Chapman holding sway, via her self-titled album, before that was usurped by Now That's What I Call Music! 12.

Change was afoot in politics because the Soviet government voted to end the CPSU's monopoly on economic and other non-political power and to further economic changes towards a less rigidly Marxist-Leninist economy.

While, in engineering, Istanbul's Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge was completed, providing the second connection between the continents of Europe and Asia via the Bosporus.

But what of cinema?

Just what was on offer to us when we handed over our money for that ticket?

It was a month that saw the release of such never-to-be-forgotten masterpieces as Short Circuit 2, Arthur 2, It Couldn't Happen Here, Phantasm II, The Dead Pool, Die Hard, A Fish Called Wanda, Big Top Pee-wee, Caddyshack II, Cocktail and Monkey Shines.

Upon consideration; of that lot, I think Die Hard was the film most likely to get me to hand over my money, bearing, as it does, a remarkable resemblance to how I live my own life.

And of the galaxy's greatest comic?

What news?

It was, as so often before, producing a diet of Bad Company, Strontium Dog, Judge Dredd, A.B.C. Warriors and Sláine. Not to mention the return of Tyranny Rex.

But there was novelty too, with the arrival of an intriguing-sounding strip called Tribal Memories in which writer Peter Milligan and artist Tony Wright present the story of Mohammed “Mo” Robinson, a cynical memory trader in a future where personalities are assembled from memories that have been bought.

The internet informs me that he visits our world, seeking a Maasai warrior whose memories are completely authentic, and what begins as a satirical sci-fi tale of cultural commodification develops into an exploration of colonialism, exploitation and prejudice.

August 11th, 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. 

***

It seems like I can't stop talking about Mars, of late.

And that may be because we've reached the 50th anniversary of the week in which Viking 2 entered orbit around the Red Planet.

Back on Earth, the Great Clock of Westminster - often erroneously referred to as Big Ben - suffered internal damage that would cause it to stop running for over nine months!

Also not running - mostly because he'd been caught - was John Stonehouse who, I'm sure you're aware, was the last person to serve as Britain's Postmaster General. More to the point, this was the week in which he was sentenced to seven years in jail for fraud.

And the charts?

Number One on the UK's singles listings was, as previously, Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee. While the Beach Boys' 20 Golden Greats retained its position atop the accompanying LP rankings.

Don't Go Breaking My Heart is an amiable enough song but there were other tracks I approved of on that week's Hit Parade.

Among them being:

You Should Be Dancing - the Bee Gees

Back in the USSR - the Beatles

You're My Best Friend - Queen

The Boston Tea Party - the Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Leader of the Pack {1976} - the Shangri-Las

and

Good Vibrations {1976} - the Beach Boys.

Should you wish to investigate, you can encounter that singles chart here.

While its parallel album chart dwells within.

Hooray! It's that one in which the Fantastic Four come up against robot duplicates of all their greatest foes - and of the Mole Man!

To be honest, despite being a non-stop cavalcade of action intended to celebrate the gang's 100th issue, it's not a great tale, as the robots can't fight their way out of a carrier bag and the Mad Thinker and Red Ghost - who are behind it all - somehow manage to blow themselves up!

I suspect the Sub-Mariner tale is the one in which he and the Thing tussle over the Serpent Crown while Betty Dean shows up and bemoans the fact that she's now the horrifically old age of, erm, fortyish.

Not only do we get that mighty drama but Nick Fury's trapped by Hydra when he investigates their boss.

Having been rescued from Hell by the Son of Satan, the Ghost Rider gains a temporary motorbike made from Hellfire but has the problem that, when he reverts to Johnny Blaze, at daybreak, the injuries he's acquired, of late, are likely to kill him.

And Captain America tries to stop the Red Skull's Fourth Sleeper robot as it rampages around America! 

As we can all tell from that cover, Jason, Alexander and friends continue to have a troubling experience in their encounter with the Demons of the Psychedrome.

And I do believe we've reached the end of the yarn in which the Man-Thing and his supporting cast are roped in to act out the life of a dead clown.

Manny, of course, must fight a trio of supernatural beings to protect that clown's soul.

Ka-Zar's entangled in an adventure called Beyond the Vale of Savage Time. An epic of which I have no knowledge, other than that he may have to fight a gorilla - to the death!

And we wrap up the issue with the continued reprinting of Marvel's adaptation of the original Planet of the Apes movie.

It's good news for all fans of twinkle-toed action, because the Tarantula makes his stabby debut.

And does so by hijacking a boat trip our hero and his chums are riding on!

I've always had a soft spot for the Tarantula but this does raise the question of whether there's ever been a good super-villain whose talent is jumping around? The Kangaroo was rubbish. Batroc was rubbish. Leapfrog was rubbish. The Toad was rubbish. Much as I love the Tarantula, he clearly is rubbish. I am starting to spot a pattern here.

Not doing much jumping around is the god of thunder who finally uncovers the secret of Infinity. And it means Odin is going to have to do battle with Odin!

For what feels like the millionth week running, Iron Man's facing the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes.

Then, in a tale I remember well, Morbius and the Thing are removed from this reality, by the Living Eraser. Banished to another dimension, they must help a man called Supremor regain his throne. Presumably because it's a bit duff being called Supremor if you're not supreme.

And Dr Strange is still in big trouble in his struggles with Dracula.

It's a nightmare come true!

It's the week when The Mighty World of Marvel increases its price to 9p!

No wonder the government had to go to the IMF for more money in 1976. They clearly wanted to be able to carry on buying all four of Marvel UK's weeklies!

Meanwhile, it's the fight we all wanted to see; the Vision vs the Super-Skrull.

Although, admittedly, they never quite get round to fighting, because the Vision acts like a big sad quitter and departs the scene but it's all beautifully drawn, Carol Danvers turns out to be the Super-Skrull and Goliath loses his growing powers.

However, before we reach that epic, there's the Hulk to be dealt with when the fist-brained thumper of thugs and monsters has a return bout with Zzzax after Bruce Banner is hired as a janitor, by a lab whose latest experiment accidentally revives the creature!

Conan's strip, meanwhile, gives us a flashback to the barbarian's youthful encounter with a mysterious priestess called Ursla!

And, in Daredevil's strip, Karen Page launches her acting career while Daredevil investigates a troubled TV production. I suspect it can only mean Brother Brimstone is about to put in his first appearance!