But, of course, this time of year in 1975 was a very special one - because it was the time of year when the youth of Britain were ploughing their way through big Marvel UK comics. Big Marvel UK comics with hard covers.
That's right.
It was annual time!
Despite the company publishing seven weekly titles in late 1975, there were only three annuals that year. I didn't have any of them. What a nightmare Christmas it must have been.
It would appear that this book features the Valkyrie's debut, the first appearance of Arkon and a battle with the Squadron Supreme.
The Arkon one must have been a bit of a disappointment, bearing in mind that it had only recently appeared in the weekly mags.
I find it hard to believe that anyone could have been disappointed with the Valkyrie tale.
I can find nothing at all on the internet that tells me what's contained within this book.
I assume, from the cover, that the Hulk's in it and that it features the work of happy Herb Trimpe but couldn't swear to that in a court of law.
It seems that this features Ship of Fiends, Spider-Man Tackles the Torch and Dinosaurs on Broadway.
I'm trying to recall if the first of those is the Spider-Man vs Dracula tale and the third is the one where Stegron brings dinosaur skeletons to life. The Human Torch story could, of course, be one of a whole host of tales.
Maybe it's just me but I can't see the phrase Dinosaurs on Broadway without thinking of the Dr Who story Daleks in Manhattan. The shot of the half-human/half dalek at the end of that episode will be burned into my mind forever.
And not in a good way.
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Hi Steve. Despite only being a SMCW reader, I had two of these annuals.
The Avengers featured the Lady Liberators (so Val was the enchantress in disguise). The Arkon tale was (I believe) his second appearance. I think the annual features three successive Avengers tales somewhere around the #80s. The biggest disappointment was that the final tale left four of the team stranded in an alternative universe, slap bang in the middle of a story. I also remember being surprised guy Goliath's coolness - it was years later that I found out this was Hawkeye and not Hank.
The Spider-Man annual starts with the Spidey/Dracula issue of Giant Size Spider-Man. Spidey Tackles the Torch was probably from Amazing #8, although I couldn't swear to it. Dinosaurs on Broadway was a Spidey/Black Panther Marvel Teamup tale with Stegron. The dinosaurs are transported from the Savage Land - you're thinking of the skeletons brought to life in Amazing Spider-Man somewhere around the #150s. And I think the annual also had the preceding Marvel Teamup issue in there too - a Spidey/Kazar Teamup and Stegron's first appearance.
Happy new year old boy.
Thanks for the info, Dangermash - and a happy new year to you too.
PS. I remember having the same Clint/Hank thing with Goliath too. In my case, it's because the first Clint-Goliath tale I read was the one where the Avengers and Hulk tackle Psyklop. It was printed in MWOM before Goliath's identity change was printed in the Avengers and, at the time, I couldn't work out why he seemed like a totally different character in that story.
Steve
It looks like the Marvel annual featured:
Marvel Team Up #27, being Spiderman and the Hulk v the Chameleon in "A friend in need";
Sub-mariner #34 and #35, being the Sub-mariner, Hulk and Silver Surfer v The Avengers in "Titans Three" and "Confrontation". If so, they were pretty good choices, featuring a range of characters across stories unlikely to have already been reprinted. Sadly, no FF though...
Thanks for your continued efforts with the blog.
Cheers
Daren (DW)
Thanks for the info, Daren and thanks for the thanks.
Happy New Year, Steve and thanks for another year's entertainment!
Happy New Year to you too, John. :)
I've never read the Marvel or the Spidey annuals for 76 but they both feature stories I've never read. Now on my wish list for Xmas 2016!
I have the marvel and spiderman annual for sale contact via e mail if interested sallyannhautot@hotmail.co.uk
The Daleks chanting "Doctor Who!" at the conclusion of 'Asylum Of The Daleks' holds similar unpleasant connotations for me.
?
?
The annoying thing about that was that, when they next showed up, they remembered the Doctor perfectly well.
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