March 20th, 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. 

***

Drama hit the United Kingdom, this week in 1976 because, as our regular correspondent Colin Jones recently pointed out, it was the week in which Prime Minister Harold Wilson resigned!

Elsewhere, Patty Hearst was convicted of having robbed a San Francisco bank, two years earlier.

Clearly in a more peaceable mood than Patty, was Tina Charles, as her only message to the world, that week, was, as so often, "I Love to Love." And it was a message that palpably hit home because, thanks to it, she remained Number One on the UK singles chart.

But there was change at the top of the accompanying LP rankings. For, their summit was grabbed by none other than Status Quo with Blue For You. I've never heard that album but, somehow, I feel like I know what it's going to sound like.

But what of television?

There wasn't much on the BBC, on March 20th, that leaps out at me but two things which do catch my eye were on BBC One, that very morning.

Those two things were Marine Boy and Champion the Wonder Horse. Who can forget Marine Boy clobbering people, with his electric boomerang and using his chewing gum that allowed him to breathe underwater?

Granted, I'm not sure why someone would give a child an electric boomerang if they knew he spent all his time underwater. Clearly, someone hadn't thought this through.

That person cannot have been Champion the Wonder Horse because we all know that Champion thought of everything.

As far as I'm aware, it's bad news, this issue, for Conan - as he's forced to work in a gold mine!

I suspect it won't be long before he's helping himself to a great big cartload of its contents.

But, first, he's going to have to fight off a giant slug!

Elsewhen, with the male Avengers making a Horlicks of tackling the Masters of Evil, it's up to the Lady Liberators to step in and save the day.

But is the day really saved?

And how does the Enchantress fit into all this?

When it comes to Iron Fist, I do believe the neon-knuckled, ninja-nobbling sensation's having to fight off vegetation during an adventure called In the Forest of Fear.

It's one of my favourite UK Planet of the Apes covers, as simians prove they can't tell the difference between toads and slugs.

Still, they do, at least, know to always shoot them in the nostrils, and that's what matters.

From that cover, I can only assume Jason and Alexander are back for their newest adventure. One that it seems they're unlikely to survive.

But that's not the issue's main story.

That honour falls to the last part of Marvel's adaptation of Conquest, in which the apes have their triumph and Caesar gets to deliver a speech.

Following that, Ka-Zar polishes off the menace of Victorius, despite having refused to take the super-soldier serum that would have boosted his prowess. Then, job done, Kev returns to his jungle home.

In Wakanda, while the Black Panther's fighting someone called Sombre, Killmonger and his men are rounding-up dinosaurs, for when they might come in handy.

But hold on.

Where are Jason and Alexander, as advertised on the cover?

They're nowhere to be seen is where they are. Yet again, a printing error has descended upon a Marvel UK mag and a cover has appeared before its time.

I am intrigued by just who it is Drac thinks he's ordering the Werewolf and Man-Thing to strike.

As - apart from him - they're the only people in the room, the only people they can strike are each other.

I'm no military expert but getting your allies to fight each other seems a bit self-defeating.

Then again, it is the 1970s. Maybe he's actually ordering them to go on strike.

I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. I hear monsters are low-paid and have to work nights.

Having said that, I suspect that nothing resembling the activities on this cover will occur within the comic itself.

Instead, I'm going to guess that Dracula's still being sought, for their enquiries, by the men of Scotland Yard. But can even the lord of all vampires survive an encounter with a feminist fashion designer?

Next, Jack Russell's hairy alter-ego is out in  the snow and on the hunt for the young daughter of Buck's current girlfriend!

Following that, Man-Thing becomes more eco-warrior than even Dave Angel, when F.A. Schist and his men decide it'd be a good idea to drain the swamp and replace it with an airport!

If I remember rightly, this is the epic in which Spider-Man loses his mask and has to wear a polythene one bought from a fancy-dress shop. A mask through which he can't breathe properly.

I think he also gets an ulcer, while he's at it.

And Aunt May's gone missing.

Because she's got a job, working for Doc Ock!

That's more new developments than you can shake a stick at but, on Asgard, it's the same old story.

Literally.

The realm Eternal is again under threat from an unstoppable foe - in this case Surtur - and no one can stop him except for Odin but Odin's having one of his epic power naps!

Fortunately, at the last possible moment, Balder finally manages to wake him and he swiftly dispatches the villain, causing everyone in Asgard to sing his praises and declare eternal loyalty to him

Everyone except Loki, of course.

Then, there's an oddity, as we get a one-page article dedicated to Dan Dare creator Frank Hampson.

We then get the answers to the Marvel Mastermind quiz. And I've no idea what those answers are, nor what the questions were.

Next up, Iron Man's fighting the Hulk.

But he isn't the Hulk! He's a robot being used by the Mandarin!

I'm assuming Dr Strange is still up against the deadly menace of Silver Dagger.

And we wrap up this action-packed issue with the Thing, Captain America and Sharon Carter on a far-flung future Earth that's ruled by the Badoon!

Captain America makes the cover but the issue kicks off with the X-Men deciding to attack the underground realm of Tyrannus, after the underground menace's latest escapades.

And, for that, they get their hands on a boring machine.

That is, a machine that can bore holes.

Not a machine that they all find boring.

After that, the Sub-Mariner fights the latest underwater menace to threaten Atlantis - and discovers It Walks Like a Man!

At the Avengers Mansion, Captain America's being tormented by bad dreams of his World War Two adventures.

But are they as innocent as they seem?

And do they have anything to do with the fact that the brand new AIM robot of death, the Adaptoid, is posing as Jarvis the butler?

Captain Marvel, meanwhile, is still battling the maddening menace of the man called Megaton.

And, while Nick Fury has a punch-up with the Druid, Jasper Sitwell sets out out find the location of that villain's HQ!

Can it be?

Can the Hulk have teamed up with that dastardly brute the Juggernaut, in order to bust out of Hulkbuster Base?

Yes, it can.

But not for long, as, given the volatile nature of the duo, it's not long before they're at loggerheads.

And ones that can only be resolved by the mental powers of Professor X and Marvel Girl!

When it comes to Daredevil's strip, it's Karen Page who takes centre stage when, in need of time off, following the "death" of Matt Murdock, she pays a visit to her dad's house.

Only for it turn out there are spooky shenanigans going on there!

Now that Sue Richards has just given birth to the spawn of she and Reed, it looks like she's not going to be getting into any life-or-death scraps in the near-future.

And that can only mean one thing.

That it's time for Crystal to join the Fantastic Four, in her place!

Reed Richards isn't convinced she's up to he task but an attack by the Wizard, on their Baxter Building HQ, will soon give her the chance to demonstrate her worth.

And, most intriguing of all, this week's issue contains the inclusion of a Neil Tennant article about Marvel's operations in the various countries of Europe.

Speak Your Brain! Part 119.

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

***

Image by Tumisu
from Pixabay

As we all know, the greatest film ever made was Fiend Without a Face, that stirring tale of what happens when an air force base in Canada is attacked by evil brains summoned up from the depths of one man's id.

How we gasped as they laid siege to a house.

How we shuddered as they came down the chimney.

Those, of course, are brains no man would ever wish to encounter. But here's a brain-related activity any man would give his right cerebral cortex to take part in.

And that's the feature in which the first person to comment gets to decide just what is to be discussed.

It could be almost any topic under the sun. Therefore, feel free to get the ball rolling and we shall see just what drama unfolds before us.

2000 AD - February 1988.

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

***

It was time to get your skates on if you were around in February 1988.

Not to mention your skis.

And that's because it was the month in which the 1988 Winter Olympics were held in Calgary!

Elsewhere - and not as cheerfully - it seems a Nazi document implicated Austrian President and former secretary-general of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim in World War II crimes.

When it came to movies, the month saw the release of such unalloyed gems as The Serpent and the Rainbow, She's Having a Baby, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Action Jackson, Alien from L.A., Frantic and Hairspray.

And guess what?

I've never seen any of them.

However, I suspect The Serpent and the Rainbow is the one I'd enjoy most, as it's a horror film and made by Wes Craven.

When it came to music, the month kicked off with Tiffany's I Think We're Alone Now atop the UK singles chart. But it wasn't long before that was deposed by Kylie Minogue's Hi-NRG Stock, Aitken and Waterman created dance smash I Should Be So Lucky.

No signs of change were visible upon the corresponding album chart, though, thanks to Introducing the Hardline According to... by Terence Trent D'Arby hogging the apex for the entire period.

And what of the galaxy's greatest comic?

As we've grown to expect, it was still giving us such old standbys as A.B.C. Warriors, Strontium Dog, Judge Dredd, Nemesis and the inevitable Tharg's Future-Shocks.

 
But there was, at least, one new thing, because Prog 561 featured Hap Hazzard in the form of a four-page adventure written and drawn by Steve Dillon. I've never encountered it but 2000AD.org tells me - and everyone else - that it's set on the trading world of Fred's Planet and features the youthful Hap and Tricky engaging in life, love and get-rich-quick schemes.

March 13th, 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. 

***

We all need things in our life we can love and, this week in 1976, Tina Charles was taking it to the limit, as she was telling everyone she knew - and didn't know - that, "I Love to Love." Still, it wasn't doing her any harm. She was, as she had been the week before, at the very summit of the UK singles chart, thanks to the song of that name.

Also retaining its Number One status was The Very Best of Slim Whitman. This time, on the corresponding LP chart.

As we all know, I Love to Love is an irresistibly bouncy bundle of catchiness that we'll never forget but there were other tracks I approved of on that week's UK singles chart. And among them were:

Dat - Pluto Shervington

Squeeze Box - the Who

Mamma Mia - ABBA

(If Paradise is) Half as Nice {1976} - Amen Corner

and 

Yesterday - by the Beatles.

For any brave soul who wishes to delve deeper into the subject, that UK singles chart lives here.

While the corresponding album rankings dwell within.

Looking at that singles chart, it is striking that there are two versions of Let's Do the Latin Hustle on it. One at Number 20 and the other, directly beneath, it at 21.

And, just to add to the confusion, we can also find (Do the) Spanish Hustle by the Fatback Band at Number 10.

Clearly, you were no one, in March 1976, if you didn't know how to hustle.

It's a ground-breaking moment for us all, I'll be bound, as my favourite Defender makes her senses-shattering debut!

Or does she?

Is she, instead, the Enchantress, in disguise, seeking to gain revenge upon all men because she's been dumped by the Executioner?

I suspect she is.

But you have to hand it to the Valkyrie. There aren't many super-doers who could have three different alter-egos in their first three appearances.

But, of course, it means we also get the first and - as far as I'm aware - last appearance of the Lady Liberators, when the Masters of Evil decide to wreck a load of people's Halloween celebrations.

And what of Conan?

Neal Adams takes over on the art front, as the battling barbarian must survive The Curse of the Golden Skull.

I don't know much about this week's Iron Fist tale but I do know it's called Valley of the Damned and, presumably, we shouldn't confuse it with the classic films Village of the Damned, Children of the Damned nor the obscure favourite These are the Damned.

And we end the issue with a Lee, Lieber, Kirby short classic in which the owner of a factory that uses only robots is, himself, revealed to be a machine!

Can it be?

Have Spider-Man and Dr Strange teamed up again, so soon after they last did so?

No.

They haven't.

Instead, our lead adventure's one in which the wonderful web-spinner delivers the defeated Martin Blank into the care of the nearest hospital before then running into the surprise return of Dr Octopus, while out searching for the missing Aunt May!

As for Dr Strange; in his strip, he's still inside the Eye of Agamotto - with the Silver Surfer - and now encounters a bunch of people who seem to be the Defenders but aren't. This means we get two doses of the Valkyrie in the same week.

After that, the Thing and Captain America accidentally find themselves on a future Earth ruled by the ruthless Badoon. I can only suspect a meeting with the Guardians of the Galaxy is on its way!

Then, Iron Man has a scrap on his hands when none other than the Incredible Hulk acts oddly out of character by kidnapping Janice Cord!

Next, Loki's fled Asgard, to escape the attack of Surtur but Thor and his friends stay behind in a bid to prevent the rampaging fire demon from destroying the kingdom

All of that's great, of course, but what really matters, to me, is that, if the cover's to be believed, I'll get a free colour sticker!

Of what, I cannot say. 

Judging by that cover, things are getting shouty on the Planet of the Apes.

But why not? It's a well-known fact that Shouty on the Planet of the Apes was going to be the next film in the series, after Battle but, sadly, they changed their minds and it never got made.

As we can probably guess, we've reached the stage in Conquest in which Caesar's stirring up rebellion among the apes.

And, speaking of obstreperous primates, the Black Panther's still battling those legendary giant white gorillas of Wakanda - and showing them they won't be taking over the planet while he's around.

Elsewhere, having taken SHIELD's latest Super-Soldier serum, the somewhat elderly Victorius is out to show Ka-Zar who's boss.

And it looks like he might just succeed!

In this thrilling issue, Frank Drake encounters Brother Voodoo while, in London, the star of the comic has a run-in with the busies.

Next, Jack Russell, Topaz and Buck take a holiday in the snowy wilderness, along with Buck's new girlfriend and her young daughter.

But how long can it be before the Werewolf by Night starts to see that child as a potential snack?

And Man-Thing is in caught up in a tale called Cry of the Native!

I think it's the question we've all asked; "Who'd win a fight between the Hulk and the Juggernaut?"

And this is the week in which we get our answer!

Although, come to think of it, I don't think we do, as an intervention by Professor X brings the whole battle to a sudden halt.

Daredevil, meanwhile, gets another crack at Mr Fear, despite his disaster against the villain, last time out.

And it turns out the villain is, in fact, Starr Saxon in disguise!

But not for long, he's not, because he then plunges to his death from his big flying disk-thing.

Rather more fortunate are the Fantastic Four who wrap-up their first encounter with Annihilus, just in time to get back the Earth and give Sue the dose of cosmic energy she needs in order to survive her current ailment.

And even more in time for the birth of Reed and Sue's baby!

Following that, we get a Lee/Kirby short in which a fleeing criminal takes refuge in a barber's shop.

Only to discover it has its own way of dispensing justice.

"Lo! The Eggs Shall Hatch!"

I'm not convinced that's going to go down as one of the great story titles of all time.

Regardless, I have no doubt it'll be a stressful situation for Nick Fury.

Elsewhere, the Juggernaut's won his battle with the X-Men and, given the magical nature of his powers, it looks like they're going to have to recruit the aid of Dr Strange and the Ancient One if they hope to win the rematch.

But if the X-Men think they've got problems, that's nothing compared to Captain America who's up against a Red Skull who now owns the Cosmic Cube and is determined to make use of it!

Captain Marvel's still grappling with the nuclear menace of Megaton.

And, as referenced in last week's post, Prince Byrrah has gained control of Atlantis!

And, now, in alliance with Krang and Attuma, he only goes and banishes Namor, a man you'd have thought must be used to that sort of thing by now.

The Marvel Lucky Bag - March 1986.

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

***

Thrills, spills and life-changing shocks. That's what I expect when I enter a cinema.

And that's just from eating a choc ice.

But what of the films that were awaiting us as we entered the place of which Elvis Costello once remarked that stars are only painted on the ceiling above?

March 1986 was a month which saw the unleashing of such gems as The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation, Highlander, Crossroads, Police Academy 3: Back in Training and The Money Pit.

I must confess I don't think I've seen any of those - not even The Care Bears Movie II - but I'm going to have a guess that Highlander is the best of the bunch, as I've actually heard people talking about it, unlike the others.

However, there is always the possibility that I could be wrong in my assessment.

In other news, seeing that list has made me realise that - whenever I see the words, "Care Bears," - inside my head, I'm seeing Ewoks.

The fight-happy puritan continues to sustain his own comic and, in this issue, he's, somehow, among a shipful of slaves delivered to the Caliph Abu-Ben Ar.

It sounds bad for our hero... ...but, perhaps all is not lost, as Caliph Abu-Ben Ar's son is a man who wants to do away with slavery!

Marvel's sprawlingest-ever epic reaches its, no doubt, senses-shattering conclusion, with the Beyonder in a quandary because he's vowed to destroy all of existence but fears he might miss it when it's gone.

That in mind, he, for some reason, sets out to create a machine which will recreate him as a mortal - but with a portion of his power intact.

Now what are our heroes supposed to do?

And how does the Molecule Man fit into it all?

I don't know if the world was ever crying out for a Wonder Man comic but it's got one anyway, and one that's destined to last for a whole single issue!

In that one single issue, Simon acquires and - loses - employment as a security guard for Cordco Delta Lab 3.

And, as if that wasn't enough to keep us enthralled, we also get a reminder of his origin story!

I've not looked at Web of Spider-Man for a while on this feature but the Grand Comics Database tells me the brother of one of the punks from the previous issue is out to murder Peter Parker!

Sadly, as I've not read that previous issue, I can shed no light upon who those punks might be. Possibly, the Sex Pistols but I feel the UK Subs are also acting mightily suspiciously.

And, now, Firestar outdoes Wonder Man by getting her own mini-series.

One in which her powers show themselves for the first time, triggered by the demise of her grandmother.

Needless to say, it's not long before she gets noticed  - and is recruited by the White Queen!

And it's all thanks to Tom DeFalco and Mary Wilshire.

I've no idea at all what happens in this one but I do know it's the last issue, that the tale within it is called Eyeteeth Part III: Army In the Pocket and is brought to us by the mighty talents of Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy.

And, finally, for this month, as far as I can make out, more of the expected fun occurs when Sage becomes a king - only for Groo to turn up.

Forty years ago today - March 1986.

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

***

What new adventures await us as we prepare to dip our toes into the pool of hindsight?

As far as I can recollect, this month's issue's largely a remake of last month's, with Thor, once more, helping his fellow New York frogs defeat a gang of unfriendly New York rats.

Although, this time, he does so with the help of a magic flute and a bunch of alligators.

While he's at it, he also gets his hands on Mjölnir and regains his super-powers.

He then sets off to Asgard, in search of a showdown with the man to blame for it all - Loki.

Now safely ensconced in the Latverian Embassy, Dr Doom's captured our heroes and is trying to recreate his original body, with the use of his occult powers.

When that fails, he has an even better plan. He'll summon the Beyonder and order him to do it!

The only problem is the Beyonder doesn't like him. Or anyone much.

I do believe that, now having some of the Beyonder's power added to that of the Phoenix, Rachel Summers decides to take another crack at destroying him.

Needless to say, everyone she knows tries to convince her that's a stupid idea.

Things get experimental on the story-telling front when an odd tale sees a whole bunch of different things occur in a whole bunch of different places with a whole bunch of different people and it culminates in a department store Santa trying to rob Peter Parker’s neighbours!

While the mindless Hulk blunders around in the desert, looking for things to smash, Bruce Banner brings together an outcast group of scientists to form a team capable of stopping the brute.

Speaking of which, that's precisely what Doc Samson is also determined to do.

Except he's determined to do it by using the persuasive power of his fists!

We encounter a sad little tale in which the Porcupine, fed up of always losing, decides to quit his life of crime and sell his armour to whoever'll have it.

Well, it turns out Cap'll have it - just so long as Porcy agrees to help him bring the Serpent Society to justice for their murder of MODOK. 

Unfortunately, the prickly plunderer may not live long enough to collect his reward.

I'm struggling to recall anything that happens in this one, other than that the Avengers fight the Beyonder.

And, of course, they get nowhere, in their bid to defeat him.

If the Avengers think they've got problems, they should try being Daredevil.

His life as Matt Murdock now wrecked by the Kingpin's machinations, our hero confronts the villain and ends up being dumped in a river while locked inside a sinking car.

Is this the end for him?

Kingie thinks so.

But perhaps the rotund rascal shouldn't count his chickens before the fat lady sings.

After all, in his time, the man without fear's survived far worse crises than being chucked in a river...

As far as I can make out - from hushed whispers on the internet - Imhotep attacks General Soto's men while the Witch Queen and her daughters hide in a swamp.

I bet Conan and his sword'll have something to say about it all.

In a bid to prevent the Beyonder from destroying his wretched kingdom of misery, Mephisto places a wager with the all-powerful entity. One that will see everyone's favourite web-slinger psychologically tormented by the demon Zarathos, as he tries to foil an assassination attempt on the Kingpin.

Iron Man's got problems too. Madam Masque's mind is in the body of Beth Cabe, and vice versa.

Can the man of ferrous decide just who's who?

And, if he can, can he work out how to get their minds back into the right skulls, without killing the pair of them?

March 6th, 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. 

***

For decades, there have been two songs I've always got confused with each other, within the confines of my mind.

Those two songs are Love to Love You Baby by Donna Summer and I Love to Love by Tina Charles.

Now, at last, I know why I get them mixed up. Not only do they have similar titles, they were both on the UK singles chart at the exact same time.

It's true. This very week in 1976, Donna's track was at Number Twenty-One while Tina's ruled supreme at Number One!

Admittedly, I also tend to get Tina Charles mixed up with Teena Marie who I get mixed up with Kelly Marie.

No such confusion for me on the accompanying album chart, that week - even though The Very Best of Slim Whitman was at Number One and The Best of Roy Orbison was at Two.

But can it be?

Our main tale's protagonist and antagonist are both feeling out of sorts?

They surely are. 

Not only has Quincy Harker decided he's too old for vampire hunting, Dracula's decided his own waning powers can only be down to the subterfuge of Dr Sun!

Elsewhere, the Werewolf by Night finally manages to defeat Dr Glitternight. But what a villain Glitternight is. It takes some talent to be outwitted by a werewolf.

And the Man-Thing's tangled up in the machinations of some sort of previous priestess of Atlantis!

I do believe Conan's having a battle with a giant statue.

One that's impervious to the mightiest of his weapons!

And, as we can all tell from that cover, Aries and his gang have captured Manhattan.

But that won't last.

Not with Daredevil about to free the Avengers from his deadly clutches.

But what of deadly knuckles?

Here's where we find out because we finish the issue with the news that Iron Fist is still fighting Iron Man in Tony Stark's factory.

As is quickly apparent, those dastardly fiends the Rhino and Abomination are still causing no end of trouble for our hero, after seizing the Hulkbuster Base.

But can Bruce, Jim and Jim's girlfriend stop whatever it is the villains are up to, before they get round to doing whatever is is they're up to?

Elsewhere, Daredevil's still sulking about his defeat at the hands of Mr Fear.

And he still hasn't managed to find Starr Saxon - the only man who knows his true identity!

In the Negative Zone, Reed Richards manages to drain enough energy from Annihilus's Cosmic Control Rod to save Sue's life when he and his mates get back to Earth.

Assuming, of course, that the larcenous locust will let them go there.

I do believe Conquest of the Planet of the Apes carries along in its not-so-merry way.

Mostly, I believe that because the ape on the front cover says so, and who am I to argue with an armed gorilla?

As for the Black Panther, he's a man who would argue with an armed gorilla.

And we know that because, after fighting wolves, last week, he now has a punch-up with Wakanda's supposedly mythical giant white apes!

Meanwhile, Ka-Zar throws away the super-soldier serum that Nick Fury gave him, and then sets off to lamp Victorius.

On his way there, he defeats Gemini and the Plunderer.

But Victorius may prove to be a tougher opponent, by far.

According to the Bank of England's inflation calculator, that 75p Sea Monkey charge, advertised on the cover, works out at £5.10 in modern money.

This compares to their current price of £10 from Argos.

I have, therefore, no doubt this proves Sea Monkeys to be a better investment than gold.

The Bank of England also tells me this comic's 9p cover price would, nowadays, be 61p and Marvel UK's portrait format comics' 8p price tag would be 54p.

In other news, the Gibbon isn't exactly a man blessed with luck. Following his humiliation at the hands of Spider-Man; this week, he bumps into Kraven who decides to mind-control him into murdering the wall-crawler!

Next, Silver Dagger's trying to get Clea to renounce the "dead" Dr Strange.

Meanwhile, the "dead" Dr Strange has entered his own Eye of Agamotto and is having an encounter with the Silver Surfer, for reasons I struggle to recall.

As for the Thing, he's been left to look after Wundarr who decides it'd be a good idea to release all the animals from the local zoo.

Elsewhere, the Incredible Hulk's under the control of a mystery villain who sends him on a mission to kill Tony Stark.

But is all as it seems?

And Loki's still the ruler of Asgard - thanks to his possession of the Odin Ring. But he quickly comes to realise the job may not be all it's cracked up to be, when Surtur shows up, looking to destroy the kingdom and all within it.

It's giant-sized trouble for the X-Men when the Juggernaut awakens from the coma he's been in.

And he now has Professor X's mental powers!

After that, Prince Byrrah shows up in Atlantis and challenges Subby to a fight to decide which of them should rule the realm.

Needless to say, the villain cheats, making sure the combat zone's littered with hidden weapons and booby traps.

And it looks like his foul plan is going to succeed!

Elsewhere, Rick Jones and his sidekick Captain Marvel must survive an attack by Megaton the Nuclear Man!

And Nick Fury must survive the menace of The Devil's Egg!

Finally, for this issue, Captain America has a major new concern on his hands, as it looks like the Red Skull's managed to steal, from AIM, a brand new device called the Cosmic Cube.

And it can grant its owner the power to do anything!