Speak Your Brain!

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

***

Here it is; the return of the awesome feature where the first person to comment gets to set the topic for discussion in the comments section below.

Who'll be the first to break their silence?

And when?

And how?

Forty years ago today - June 1981.

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

***

Mere days ago, there was a solar eclipse.

I didn't see it.

It was cloudy. 

It's always cloudy when I want to look at the sky.

Will such torment never end?

Not if Fate has its way.

But what of the stars of our favorite Marvel comics? Forty years ago, were they being eclipsed by their multifarious nemeses, or were they, as, always shining brightly within their firmament?

Conan bumps into Murillo, for the first time in ages, only to discover that, having become ruler of a kingdom, the former rogue in the house has grown corpulent and lazy.

But not too lazy to lead Conan and his men on a mission to discover why his subjects keep vanishing.

This brings them to a cave and a battle for survival with a bunch of diminutive creatures ruled by a woman called Elaynia.

I assume she'll spend the whole of next issue trying to get her leg over with Conan because he has that effect on women, especially the bad ones.

A super-arsonist is on the loose in New York.

And only Cap can stop him.

I've a feeling it's all to do with big business and an insurance scam.

The Fantastic Four find themselves facing the menace of Stygorr, which I would be excited about but I'm struggling to remember just who he is.

It is, however, nice to discover the Negative Zone has a third inhabitant, on top of Annihilus and Blastaar. It was starting to look like the most lifeless place in the universe.

The world's mightiest mortal finds himself in Japan and under attack by Glenn Talbot's demented flying tank. While, nearby, a film director blathers on and on about his principles.

Blacklash is still out to kill Tony Stark's security chief who's got a contract out on him, thanks to him having once aroused the wrath of the mob.

But Iron Man's not going to stand for such homicidal happenings.

However, Blacklash might have other thoughts on that matter.

Not that it does him any good because the security guard's still alive and well at the end of the tale and the mobsters have had their cards well and truly marked by the golden Avenger.

It's what you've always dreamed of. Sand and water combine to take on the webbed wallcrawler.

But not until after the villains have fallen out with each other because they've both taken a fancy to the same woman.

I believe this is the issue in which Peter Parker's Country singing neighbour Lonesome Pincus makes his senses-shattering debut.

Nitro makes his explosive return.

And his daughter makes her first appearance, as she and her lawyer try to clear the villain's name, only to discover, the hard way, that the powder keg pensioner fully deserves his terrible reputation.

Thanks to the machinations of Loki and Karnilla, a snow giant's unleashed upon the streets of New York and, now, Thor has to bring it down.

I think this one has a subplot about a snowplough driver, or something.

The X-Men are still prisoners of Dr Doom and Arcade, and each member of the team's been put in a prison specifically designed to thwart his or her powers.

Needless to say, it all looks hopeless for our mutant heroes.

Or is it?

At the issue's conclusion, it's a shock for Doom, as it becomes clear that one X-Man - Nightcrawler - has escaped his cell.

The Kingpin's in New York, ready to sort out the gangsters who are out to get him.

But, first, he must deal with Daredevil who's aiming to get his hands on the evidence Kingie has against those gangsters.

This turns out to be a terrible idea, as the Kingpin promptly beats the hero up.

Rather less happily for the villain, his wife Vanessa's killed during his attempt to rescue her from his foes.

An immortal Roman soldier called the Berserker is on the loose, armed with a bucketload of alien-created weapons.

How can the Avengers possibly hope to stop him?

And how does it all tie in with Rachel Palmer and the mysterious objects the Shadow Lord gave her, before his death, last issue?

June 10th 1981 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

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

***

Bad news descended upon Adam and the Ants, this week in 1981, as their single Stand and Deliver was finally dumped from the UK singles chart's top spot, thanks to the mega-smoothness of Smokey Robinson and his hit Being With You.

Over on the album chart, however, there was no change, with Stars on 45 by Starsound still ruling the roost.

What could topple the robotic medley merchants from Holland? What? What?

My knowledge of this one is thin, to put it mildly.

I do know Thor's up against a very odd-looking storm giant, and the Fantastic Four are tangling with Diablo.

Meanwhile, Doctor Strange meets Brother Voodoo.

Bizarrely, the cover declares these tales to be "All new!" even though they're reprints. Clearly, the company has a different definition of the word, "new," from the rest of us.

It's drama of the most nightmarish kind, as Biggie Benson's robot, having dealt with Daredevil, turns upon Biggie himself!

Let that be a lesson to all gangsters out there. If anyone offers you a killer robot, quickly run in the opposite direction.

Apparently, the Black Panther's up against the Ogar who's not a character with whom I could claim to be familiar. However, I suspect we're still heavily involved in adventures revolving around King Solomon's Frog.

Spider-Man's still trying to foil a predicted assassination attempt during a New York marathon - and finding himself having to rescue plenty of runners from their own carelessness.

Elsewhere, the Cat's still on the loose.

Judging by that cover, it would appear Spidey and the Hulk are in serious trouble in this week's Team-Up tale.

Hooray! Tony Stark's regained control of his business, from SHIELD! I think.

But, now, he's got other problems on his plate because he must stop a rampaging Dreadnought, which makes me think we're heading for the return of Madame Masque, following her period of not being evil.

Elsewhere, the Dazzler and Defenders are still up to whatever mischief they're up to.

I'm willing to bet Captain America's still trying to stop Baron Blood killing everyone in a quaint English village.

Not that you'd know it, as the tale doesn't even get a mention on the cover of his own book.

That cover also promises us Nick Fury, though I suspect that may be in the pages of Iron Man's tale, rather than in an adventure of his own.

Thanks to the blundering incompetence of the X-Men - and Kitty Pryde in particular - ROM's found himself in Limbo and confronting the awesome power of the Space Phantom.

Why do I feel like I've said all this before?

Captain Marvel would appear to be battling Isaac the Living Computer. Isn't that the one on Titan? The one that Mentor built?

I possess some vague memory of it having gone mad and turning evil at some point. Maybe this is that point.

Elsewhere, Mr Spock's captured on Barak-7.

But I know not the current state of play when it comes to Conan and the Micronauts.

The Marvel Lucky Bag - June 1981.

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

***

Good God above! What was that you were confronted with in June 1981?

It was the sight of your local cinema bursting at the seams.

That's because it was struggling to contain a whole pile of theatrical awesomeness.

"But Pourquoi?" I hear you demand.

And the answer is it was the month which saw the release of the following movies:

Clash of the Titans, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Cannonball Run, Superman II (in the US and UK), Dragonslayer, The Great Muppet Caper and For Your Eyes Only.

Not only that but it also saw the re-release of a bunch of Herbie movies and a reissue of Freaky Friday.

Frankly, with all that going on, I doubt any of us had time to read any comics.

But that's not going to prevent me from taking a look at them.

Hooray! The Ghost Rider shows up in The Defenders!

And this is why:

The Defenders attack Ghost Rider, thinking him in league with the Six-Fingered Hand. But, upon discovering their error, they join with him to fight Asmodeus Jones who's out to give his fans' souls to Fashima.

Frankly, I didn't understand a word of that but that's a striking Michael Golden cover. So, who cares?

Plus, the Ghost Rider does feel like a character who belongs in a Defenders story.

Neal Adams give us the cover, and a whole host of artists like Mike Saenz, Bob Aull, Phoebe Berry, Ken Steacy, Jim Starlin, Jean Bello, Marc Bright, Steven R. Bissette and Rick Veitch give us the insides.

Interestingly, Harlan Ellison is credited as writer on one of the tales, a thing called Life Hutch.

It's the final issue of the magazine that started out as The Rampaging Hulk.

Does it go out in style?

I don't know but I do know it departs with a tale from Lora Byrne and Gene Colan, plus a story by J. M. DeMatteis and Gene the Dean.

There's also an article called Happy Accidents, featuring the work of Jack Kirby, Marie Severin and Earl Norem.

It's another striking cover from Bill Sienkiewicz, as Moon Knight travels to Chicago to rescue Marlene.

Sadly, there's no information as to whether he rescues Boycie.

Anyway, he's also out to stop the villains who put a hallucinogen in the city's water supply.

Thanks to Kitty Pryde managing to fling him into Limbo, ROM finds himself up against the pulse-pounding terror of the Space Phantom.

What's that? You'd have to be crazy to tackle Flash Gordon?

That's right! Crazy tackles Flash Gordon!

It's the fight we all wanted to see, as She-Hulk tackles Man-Elephant!

Well, at least she's not tackling the Elephant Man, which would be straight-out bullying.

Apparently, our heroine's still wanted for the murder of Jill Ridge but evidence may soon emerge that will clear her.

Fifty years ago this month - June 1971.

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

***

Singer Jim Croce once opined that he wanted to save time in a bottle.

And it seems he wasn't alone because, in June 1971, the presenters of immortal children's TV show Blue Peter set out to save time in a capsule.

Sort of.

It was the month in which they buried a time capsule in the grounds of BBC Television Centre, to be opened in the far-distant future of the year 2000.

And there were others who proved to be equally motivated, for I remember our primary school getting us to do the same thing. Except, we buried ours in the school grounds, rather than BBC Television Centre, what with us not having access to that.

Regardless, I'm assuming this move was inspired by the actions of the Blue Peter team.

Is our time capsule still there?

Was the Blue Peter capsule opened in the year 2000?

I can furnish no answers to either of those questions.

Elsewhere, in Luxembourg, new negotiations began, to enable the UK to join the European Economic Community. And I can reveal that those negotiations were successful.

Also in the field of Politics, it was the month in which Education Secretary Margaret Thatcher ended the distribution of free school milk in state schools, earning herself the nickname, "Margaret Thatcher: Milk Snatcher."

My memory of free school milk is it was always left in crates, outside the school's front doors, meaning that, in summer, it was always rancid from the heat and, in winter, it was frozen solid. To be honest, drinking it was not one of the great joys of childhood.

It's a landmark month in the life of Conan, as he first encounters the not-so-trustworthy Jenna. 

With her gift for making friends, it's not long before she's kidnapped to be sacrificed to a giant bat.

Conan saves her.

Believe it or not, she also saves Conan!

Still, she does steal his gold.

That's the Jenna we all know and love.

Spidey must battle a resurgent Green Goblin while flatmate Harry Osborn battles (not very hard) against drugs.

How can our hero defeat his arch-enemy without the dastardly villain revealing his true identity?

Personally, I'd just break his neck and incinerate the body but that's why I'm not a super-hero.

And, also, why no one knows my secret identity.

Once Spidey, Cap and the Falcon all stop fighting each other, they team up to thwart Stone-Face's evil plans which seem to involve the building Glory Grant lives in.

It does strike me that cover's far too jam-packed, with the red and blue of Spider-Man and Captain America's costumes blending into each other, and the Falcon's outfit suffering the even worse indignity of blending in with girders.

I really don't have a clue what's going on in this one but, if that cover's to be believed, it's clearly not short on incident.

Once again, a Reed Richards attempt to return Ben Grimm to his natural form has led to disaster, as the now-evil Thing goes on the rampage and turns against his teammates.

Not to worry. I've no doubt it can all be sorted out by a quick fight with the Hulk.

Speaking of whom, the Hulk has his first-ever encounter with Jarella - and wedding bells are beckoning.

But will it bring ever-lasting happiness for our green-skinned love lummox?

I think we all know the answer to that one.

And so does Psyklop.

Iron Man with his arm in a sling and about to be killed by mere hoods with mere bullets?

Has our metal-clad mangler ever seemed more weak, feeble and useless than he does on this cover?

Not pleased with Thor's interference in her recent plans, Hela decides it's time for him to die, and sets off in search of him.

I think this issue is the first time we ever see her without her mask.

And, of course, she looks lovely because she's drawn by John Buscema who gives her little skulls where her pupils should be.

Still in bad shape, after their battle with the Sentinels, the X-Men now have to contend with the power of Magneto.

Or, at least, Iceman does, as he's the only team member who's still standing.

Fortunately, the Stranger's on hand to thwart Magneto's dastardly plans.

The Kree/Skrull war gets its overture, as Sal Buscema gives us a classic cover which, thankfully, completely misrepresents what happens inside.

Come to think of it, what does happen inside? I have memories of excess energy having to be siphoned from Mar-Vell, in order for him to survive but I struggle to recall just where that energy came from.

That's Marvel taken care of but what are the month's highlights from their dreaded competition?

Neal Adams gives us a striking cover but, inevitably, doesn't draw any of the interior.

However, we do get tales of terror pencilled by Jim Aparo, Gray Morrow and Don Heck, with scripts by John Albano, Robert Kanigher and Mary Skrenes, in that order.

Relying on my awesome memory, I think this is one of those, "The princess has been kidnapped but, never mind, Wonder Woman looks just like her. So, she can get married on her behalf, instead," type stories.

This one would appear to be both written and drawn by Mike Sekowsky.

It's a momentous moment in the history of comics, as Ra's Al Ghul discovers Batman's secret identity.

You have to say he's a fast worker. As far as I can make out, this is his first-ever appearance.

Then again, how hard is it, really, to work out that Bruce Wayne's Batman? It's a miracle half of Gotham City doesn't know who he is.

It seems to also be the second-ever appearance of the villain's daughter Talia.

I've no idea what happens in this one. I've only picked it because it has a Neal Adams cover.

I'm assuming it involves Batman tangling with a knight on a horse, in a tale written by Frank Robbins and drawn by Bob Brown.

I don't think I've ever seen Bob Brown draw Batman. I'm assuming he portrays him in a similar vein to the way Carmine Infantino did.

Believe it or not, I've actually read this one.

It involves some sort of sand replica of Superman that keeps showing up - and I'm fairly sure it's not just this issue it shows up in but that it keeps reappearing, for issue after issue, gradually draining all of Superman's powers into itself, as the waning hero tries to solve the mystery of its origin.

Sadly, I can't recall what that origin is or why the creature keeps showing up.

I'm fairly certain it ends up dying, though.

Possibly sacrificing itself to save our hero.

June 3rd 1981 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

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

***

On this day in 1981, we were heading towards a mystery.

Not that we knew it at the time. But it was the day on which Shergar won the Epsom Cup.

That wasn't the mystery. A horse simply ran faster than a bunch of other horses. The mystery happened two years later when, having been put out to stud, Shergar was stolen, never to be seen again.

To this day, nobody knows what happened to him.

Except for the people who stole him.

Barry Smith makes his Daredevil debut when Hornhead finds himself under attack from Biggie Benson's killer robot - in his own gym!

As the issue kicks off, DD's wrapped up in a gym mat and it looks to be curtains for the hero.

The Black Panther's still having trouble with a villain who can't decide whether he's called Hatch-22 or The Six Million Year Man.

Whatever he's called, he's nothing but trouble.

It's the one where Spider-Man acts like a self-pitying jerk for twenty pages while saving various accident-prone marathon runners from themselves, in a bid to prevent a rumoured assassination attempt on a local big-wig.

Madame Webb offers Spidey some help but not the kind of help that's actually of any help.

We also get to see the thrill of Spider-Man and the Hulk teaming up with Woodgod.

What the Hulk's doing in his own strip, I couldn't say for certain.

I suspect he may still be in Japan and faffing around on that volcano while Glenn Talbot tries to kill him.

On top of all that, we get yet more of the Cat's very earliest adventures.

That's a very striking and effective cover for Cap.

Inside, Winghead's still in England and having to cope with the return of Baron Blood who's helping himself to the haemoglobin of everyone he can get his hands on.

Tragically, I can shed no light upon the doings of the Dazzler and the Defenders, though I'm sure the Defenders are still trapped on the planet of the Lunatiks.

Conan's out to end the rule of the king of the city populated by persons of restricted height.

But, first, he has to contend with an electric fence.

Needless to say, no mere electricity can stop Hyboria's mightiest meathead.

Meanwhile, having teamed up with ROM, the X-Men manage to inadvertently fling the space knight into Limbo.

When I say, "the X-Men," I'm pretty sure it's Kitty Pryde who's to blame.

Also, this week, we get a new tale for the Star Trek gang, and Captain Marvel's up against Stellarax whose name's misspelt on the cover.

Apparently, he's an Eternal, created by the forces of Titan, for some reason or other.

Thor's up against the nightmare horror of the Odin Force.

Sadly, it's been so long since I read this tale that I don't remember why he's doing it.

I've no doubt, though, that everyone's favourite god of thunder will triumph and order be restored.

Thinking about it, doesn't Volstagg manage to save the day, somehow, or am I just imagining that?

And, of course, the FF are still confronting the peril of Diablo.

The Hulk's rescued Betty Ross from Boomerang but, now, she's worried it's the Hulk who's going to bump her off.

No wonder she ended up in that lunatic asylum.

It's the Night of the Laughing Dead, as the Man-Thing finds himself drawn into the unhappy life of Darrel the Clown.

It's this tale I always think of whenever I think of the Man-Thing.

"Sword and Sorcery in a timeless time!" declares the front cover, nonsensically.

I would assume this issue deals with the siege of Makkalet, the shocking fate of Fafnir and the legend of the Living Tarim.

Galactus has returned to Earth!

And he wants his old herald back!

Unfortunately for the Big G, the Silver Surfer decides to escape by fleeing into the realms of Sub-Atomica.

And that means the FF have to go in there to retrieve him.

And that must surely mean an encounter with Psycho-Man is inevitable.

Spider-Man must tackle the sucker-tipped menace of the Beetle, while trying to fend off the Human Torch.

I don't remember much about the battle but am I right in thinking this tale features the first-ever appearance by Mary Jane Watson, albeit with her face hidden by a flower?

Also, that there's some sort of love rivalry going on between Betty Brant and Liz Allan?

The X-Men trade blows with the Avengers when both teams set out to clobber the fiend known as Lucifer.

Also, it appears Professor X returns, having replaced his wheelchair with what seems to be a tank.

In the book's second story, having survived its scraps with the Avengers and Lucifer, the team goes on to have its first encounter with Ka-Zar and the Savage Land.

The cover's from Journey into Mystery #89 in which a bunch of gangsters kidnap Don Blake and Jane Foster, demanding the pair treat their injured leader.

However, I'm not convinced that's what's actually inside this comic, as that'd mean Marvel UK is printing stories out of sequence and I'm sure they'd never do such a thing.

Moon Knight finds himself facing the Mind Thieves when he's caught up in a chain of inexplicable events.

Then, the Lethal Ladies series presents Lady Daemon who I suspect will be rather darker than Lady Cop.

In it, a sorceress joins a battle between the forces of good and evil as embodied by two sisters.

Blade's still fighting the Vampire Legion.

And, apparently, the Death Master's on the trail of Night Raven, which sounds like bad news for the enigmatic hero.

On some planet or other, Leia becomes engaged to a king called Denid, much to the annoyance of Luke who still has the hots for her.

Erm, anyway...

But things only get worse for Luke, as someone or other decides to chase him around a forest, with a gun, trying to blast him into oblivion.

Killraven's still in the Herb Trimpe era and he and M'Shulla are in a New York river, trying to down a Martian tripod, with their bare hands.

Meanwhile, the Warlord's still plotting to smash our plucky band of adventurers with his literally iron fist.

And, by the issue's end, it looks like he's going to manage it.

In this month's tale of the Watcher, a man's desperately trying to make those around him realise an alien creature's on the loose in their midst.

It's going to turn out to be him, isn't it? It'll turn out he's got amnesia and has forgotten he's an alien. That's how such stories always end.

Yet another Marvel UK monthly hits the newsstands - and it's one I'd never previously heard of.

In this sensational first issue, the Inhumans are about to encounter the horror of the Kaptroids. Or, as my dad always insisted on calling them, "The Kraptoids."

We also get the origin of Iron Fist, and an Omega the Unknown tale called Welcome to Hell's Kitchen. 

This book seems destined to last for just nine issues, which, given the strips it features, is perhaps not a great shock.

Tom Baker may have left the show but there's no getting him out of the magazine, as it gives us a review of his final adventure Logopolis and a retrospective of Image of the Fendahl which I'm pretty sure co-starred Dominic Cumberbatch's mum.

We also get a new comic strip called The Deal.

On top of that is a look at the Blackpool and Longleat Doctor Who exhibitions. The former of which I visited twice in my youth.

There's a look at the sometime Doctor Who director Peter Grimwade, while a monsters' gallery profiles some of the more popular aliens who've tried to invade the Earth.

If all that isn't enough to satisfy any reader, the back cover features a pin-up of Leela looking like she's ready to murder us all.

The Avengers find themselves battling the Bloodhawk, a villain I've struggled to retain any knowledge of.

They also find themselves battling the Stinger, a foe I've retained even less knowledge of.

And, speaking of stingers, the Champions must battle the nightmarish colony of Nazi war criminal bees the world knows as Swarm.

The original X-Men, meanwhile, find themselves, once more, up against the ferrous felony of Magneto.

What's that you cry? "One new title per month isn't enough for us. We need two!"? 

If so, you've got your wish, as the company inflicts yet another new mag upon us.

This time, it's Marvel Madhouse which is, clearly, an opportunity to use up a load of old Stan Lee and Marie Severin humour material, with the odd dash of Jack Kirby thrown in.

Conan's now reached part 3 of The Treasure of Tranicos which appears to involve him and a bunch of other people blundering around in a cave full of corpses, in search of treasure.

It does pose a question. Conan's always trying to get his hands on treasure - and usually succeeds. So, what does he do with it when he gets it? He clearly doesn't carry it all around with him and he seems to have no worldly goods, apart from a sword and a loincloth. We know he goes for the odd drink and possibly hires the odd lady of the night but that wouldn't use up the vast reserves of treasure he must have acquired over the years.

So, where does he keep his wealth and what does he even want it for?

Issue #34 of everyone's favourite sci-fi monthly takes a look at The Howling and For Your Eyes Only.

We also get a look at the special effects of Outland, news of The Monster Club, Inseminoid and The Son of Frankenstein.

On top of all that, we're treated to a retrospective on 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I cannot find a cover for Young Romance pocket book #8 anywhere online.

Nor can I unearth any information about what's in it.

I'm assuming it's as filled with teary young women who discover that love brings nothing but misery as always.

And Frantic celebrates its 16th issue by also being nowhere to be found on the internet.

Therefore, I can shed no light upon its, no doubt, hilarious contents.