January 3rd, 1976 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

Hooray! It's a brand new year!

And that can only mean one thing.

That it's time for me to foist a brand new feature upon the world of blogging.

And here it is - my spanking new feature where I look at what Marvel UK were publishing forty years ago this week and I totally fail to recognise any of it.

I can't believe I've never thought of doing this before.

Maybe I'm imagining it but I'm getting a Rich Buckler vibe from parts of that cover, most notably Captain America.

That aside, it's the return of the mendacious Man-Ape.

I always liked the Man-Ape. He was definitely a man with an attitude problem.

It's the legendary Emergency Issue, which I never had and was totally unaware of until I gained access to the internet.

I'm still not totally sure what the story behind it was and why other Marvel UK comics were unaffected.

Gil Kane's Cowering Blonde makes her senses-shattering return.

That poor girl's shins must be worn out by now.

Modok's still causing trouble for our hero.

I do always wonder why he messed about with these schemes when he was the inventor of the Cosmic Cube and could therefore, presumably, make another one any time he wanted.

And the Spider-Slayer's still causing trouble for Spider-Man, which somehow isn't quite as dramatic as the thought of Modok causing trouble  for the Hulk.

At last, a Planet of the Apes cover which features someone who can actually shoot straight.

Admittedly, he clearly hit his target from a distance of just ten inches but it's more than most people on Planet of the Apes covers could manage.

Even more excitingly, it signals the start of the mag's adaptation of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes which I seem to remember having been drawn by the always stylish Alfredo Alcala.

"Once again Giant- Man must face the horrifying Human Top!"

I think they might be slightly overplaying the Human Top's ability to cause a sense of terror in an observer.