Fifty years ago today - July 1963.

"Woh oh oh oh, July, how I love you truly."

That's right. My unhealthy Shakin' Stevens fixation, that has made me an outcast amongst my fellow man, brings me to the seventh month of the year.

But will our favourite Marvel heroes be rocked and rolled by the fate that awaits them in July 1963?

Or will they be merely Lost in France?

Oh, no, hold on, that's Bonnie Tyler. I always get Shaky and Bonnie mixed up.

This is the story where I first encountered Ant-Man.

Because he leapt into action and rescued the Fantastic Four from Dr Doom's devastating masterplan, I got the impression he was the world's best super-hero and on a whole other level from the FF.

What a complete and total fool I was.

Loki's up to no good. And my razor-sharp senses tell me the United Nations may be involved.

One of my favourite early Spidey tales.

And one of my favourite Steve Ditko Spidey covers - as Dr Octopus makes his debut.

It's the team-up the word probably never demanded, as Paste-Pot Pete and the Wizard unite.

No wonder the Torch is concerned. I mean, who could hope to prevail against such weapons as a mirror and a pot of glue?

Update: Since I posted this, Joe S Walker's pointed out that this issue also features the first appearance of Dr Strange, so it's an historic comic indeed.

Was that the story where he first battled Nightmare?

Nightmare was no threat. How could he be? He didn't have a pot of glue.

Hooray! Kala makes her debut, as Iron Man faces the compulsory threat from beneath the Earth's surface that all Marvel heroes seemed to have to defeat at some point in their formative days.

When a hero goes into battle armed with a sewing needle, you know he has conceptual problems.