Thursday 7 July 2016

July 7th, 1976 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

It's been an exciting week for all football fans, as Wales have taken on Portugal in a European Championship semi-final.

But were our favourite Marvel heroes of exactly forty years ago having to leave the field equally thwarted in their ambitions? Or were they instead dispatching their enemies faster than you can say, "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?"

Marvel UK, Avengers #147, Conan

Just two issues of The Avengers to go but there's still no rest for Conan as he encounters yet another Lovecraftian horror from beyond the other side of sanity.

Marvel UK, Planet of the Apes #90

If I remember right, Terror on the Planet of the Apes was the title of the first Jason and Alexander story. I therefore conclude that this is also a Jason and Alexander story.

I don't have a clue what the Ka-Zar tale is, as I don't remember him ever having problems with a volcano - except for in that tale where World War II is still being acted out by people old enough to know better. As that story was reprinted in a much earlier issue, I assume this is not the tale in question.

Super Spider-Man with the Super-Heroes #178, the Punisher

It's a landmark issue, as the Punisher makes his shoot-first-ask-questions-later debut.

I believe the Jackal also makes his debut.

This was the issue in which I first noticed that Gil Kane was no longer drawing the strip. I was so observant.

Mighty World of Marvel #197, Hulk vs Wendigo

The Hulk gets caught up in a dastardly plot involving the Wendigo and a curse.

I suspect a certain future X-Man may be putting in an appearance before long.

Marvel UK, The Titans #38, the Fantastic Four

I remember this tale as involving a man with a monocle and a killer camera. I also remember it as not being a classic.

I assume the Captain America tale is the one with Baron Zemo and a deadly death-ray equipped satellite with which he aims to take control of the world.

6 comments:

Phil said...

Zemo. I recall him getting crushed under tons of rock the first time he died. Does anyone recall how he was still alive? Or was Cap just careless? Or perhaps he was already an agent of Hydra and pretending to kill Zemo! ( ok I won't bring that up again )

Steve W. said...

Phil, if I remember rightly, the Baron Zemo in this tale was an impostor, possibly his nephew or some other relative.

Dougie said...

I think the Zemo impostor was his pilot or some other flunky. Pretty gutsy of him. I read the middle part of this story in colour circa 72. I was struck by the Panther's grey uniform and Sharon Carter's Raspberry Beret.

Anonymous said...

That's a terrific Avengers cover - I had that issue. Conan should have been on the cover more often.

Anonymous said...

I believe the "new" Baron Zemo (if the word "new" can apply here) was in fact the son of the original, who like his father was loyal to Nazi ideals, and also, like his father, disfigured his own face. The original Zemo got his mask super-glued to his face after exposure to Adhesive-X, the Nazi's secret super-weapon. I have no idea how glue could have changed the course of the war at that point.
Junior, calling himself the "Phoenix," got disfigured when he tumbled into a vat of acid, which happens a lot in comics, but thankfully, rarely in real life.
M.P.

Steve W. said...

Thanks for the info, Dougie and MP. I think we can conclude that Silver Age Baron Zemo had a convoluted and baffling history.