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Thursday, 4 April 2013

Forty years ago this month - April 1973.

A week might be a long time in politics but, judging by Marvel's output of April 1973, forty years isn't a long time in comics. Can it really be four decades since these tales first entered our lives?

And, if so, how come it feels like it was only yesterday?

Amazing Spider-Man #119, the Hulk in Canada, John Romita cover

It's a case of, "Rargh! Hulk smash puny spider!" And other such witty badinage, as Spidey's Canadian adventure begins.
Avengers #110, Magneto

Magneto shows up in a tale I've never found overly involving.
Captain America and the Falcon #160, Solarr

I had a copy of this up until a couple of years ago but don't recall anything that happened in it.
Conan the Barbarian #25, Gil Kane cover

John Buscema's first issue of Conan - but with a Gil Kane cover.

I remember once copying this cover with my trusty pencil and sketchpad.

Needless to say it was an artistic triumph worthy of the Louvre.
Daredevil and the Black Widow #98

Is this the one where everything goes all wibbly-wobbly in the park?
Iron Man #57, the Mandarin

The Mandarin seems to have no shirt on. Well, that doesn't seem very dignified.
Incredible Hulk #162, the Wendigo

Hooray! Spider-Man dealt with, the Hulk takes on a classic monster.
Fantastic Four #133, Thundra

Thundra shows up.
X-Men #81, the Juggernaut

My razor-sharp senses tell me the Juggernaut may be involved.

They also tell me that cover looks to be an unlikely combination of Gil Kane and Werner Roth.

Thor #210, Ulik

Is this the one where Ulik runs off and joins the circus?

Judging by the cover, I have a feeling it might not be but have no idea which story it is if it isn't.

5 comments:

  1. bliss_infinte4 April 2013 at 20:10

    Hooray! This is where I came in. That Iron Man was one of my first comics along with a couple of DCs. Became a Marvel child very soon after!

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  2. Anonymous7 April 2013 at 20:34

    Dignified or not. . . when the mandarin takes his shirt of he means business!

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  3. Dougie8 April 2013 at 14:51

    I'm fairly sure Ulik joined the Circus of Crime around 1969-70; this looks like the rather staid Conway/Buscema/Buckler period of Thor which was basically Kirby pastiche.

    I owned that Cap issue. It was many years before I realised Solarr was a drugs smuggler. The Avengers story was reprinted in the first Brit Avengers annual so it has enormous sentimental value for me.

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  4. Unknown27 August 2019 at 16:31

    this makes me so nostalgic. All these covers are the first american versions of the comics i possessed. i discovered a newsagent that carried the us and not the british reprints. i was ecstatic to hold what i felt was the authentic product in my mitts as opposed to the reprint imposters

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  5. Steve W.27 August 2019 at 20:25

    Sadly, I didn't have the American versions of any of these stories. I had to rely on the Marvel UK reprints.

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