Forty years ago this month - May 1973.

I've had an unbelievably exciting day today, buying a new lawnmower cable and some potatoes. But were our favourite Marvel heroes having an equally sensational day exactly forty years ago - or could they simply not live up to my standards of drama?

This isn't promising. It's more of that Avengers v Magneto story I've never liked.

But, having seen off the Avengers, I'm sure Magneto'll be quaking in his boots at the arrival of Marvel's two puniest super-doers outside of Ant-Man.

Conan continues his post-Barry Smith career.

Is this the issue that ends that war he was fighting for what seemed like centuries? That was always my favourite Conan storyline.

I always liked Dr Faustus even if he was a bit of a one-trick pony.

Hawkeye shows up and makes a complete berk of himself.

It's the return of everyone's favourite underpant-wearing dragon!

I really do wonder where he, Fin Fang Foom and Grogg used to get their underpants from. I mean, was there a shop that specialised in retailing to dragons?

Hooray! The Gremlin shows up!

I love this story.

But then I love every Hulk story from this era.

"ONE horn of destruction!"

In Stan Lee and John Buscema's How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way, there's a panel showing a monster stiffly smashing through a wall, with a warning that that's not how to draw someone smashing through a wall. I don't like to be critical but Iron Man on this cover does look remarkably like the figure in that panel.

The Hulk continues to smash his way through Toronto in a tale that introduced me to the word, "Geodesic."

Sadly I've never had the chance to use the word, "Geodesic," in any conversation ever. This makes me sad and regretful.

Ulik gets himself a cross between a tank and a bulldozer, and Thor's being defeatist again.

How he ever managed to win a fight, with that attitude, is beyond me.