December 15th, 1976 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

Never mind all the fallout from the US election result. There's an even more important result in.

And that's the final standings for this site's legendary, "How do you pronounce, 'Maggia?'" poll.

These are those results:

• Mag-ear. 9 votes (29%).
• Ma-gear. 1 vote (3%).
• Madge-ear. 1 vote (3%).
• Ma-jeer. 2 votes (6%).
• Some other way altogether. 11 votes (35%).
• I don't pronounce it any way. To speak of the Maggia is to die. 7 votes (22%).

So, there you have it. It's official. "Maggia," is pronounced some other way altogether. At last, decades of confusion are finally dispelled.

In retrospect, I can't help feeling I dropped a bit of a clanger when I composed the poll without taking into account the fact that many people on the internet are rhotic and therefore don't pronounce the word, "Ear," the way that most people in England do, thus causing no end of confusion and torment for the vote. Anyway, if you have further thoughts on how the word is pronounced, you're welcome to share them in the comments box below.

In the meantime, what were our favourite Marvel UK mags up to in an era when people were more concerned about the threat of Maggie than the Maggia?

Betsy Braddock there, in the days when she was a posh, white Englishwoman and not an Asian ninja mutant psychic armed with mind-daggers.

People might knock the literary value of comics but, surely, only a comic could give you that kind of a character development.

A cover that's a strange mash-up of both Battle and Beneath the Planet of the Apes.

I'm not totally sure who the red-haired, blue individual is on the left of the cover.

Judging by that blurb, it would seem that Conan's been shunted out of Mighty World of Marvel.

But why?

What dread turmoil could possibly have driven such a sturdy character from his normal home?

Here's our answer to that previous question!

The entire nation celebrates as Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos invade The Mighty World of Marvel!

Or possibly not.

To be honest, I can't help feeling I'd have been a lot happier if such a move had never happened. At the time, I viewed it as a catastrophic development for Marvel UK's flagship title - and I still do. Leaving aside the fact that I hated the strip, it didn't tie in at all with the feel of the rest of the comic.

At last, the Clone Saga is laid to rest and we never need worry about it ever again, as our hero dumps his replica in an incinerator and destroys him to pieces.

Blimey, that's a bit dark.

I take it the Captain America tale's the one in which the sentinel of liberty appoints Rick Jones as his sidekick.

You can read a review of that very tale by clicking on this very link.

And don't forget to vote in our Rick Jones poll at the top of this page. A feature unique and exclusive to this ground-breaking blog.