Forty years ago today - August 1977.

August of 1977 was a big month for fans of space exploration. On the ground, the Big Ear telescope, working on behalf of SETI, received the legendary Wow! signal that has baffled and perplexed the world ever since. Was it proof of alien life sending us radio signals?

Who can know?

All we can say with certainty is that, clearly, we were all going to have to keep watching the skies.

And, if we did, we'd see another space-related event because, in that sky, the Enterprise space shuttle had a famous test run in which it launched from the back of a flying Jumbo Jet.

Of course, if 1977 had any real class, the Human Fly would have been standing on top of the space shuttle as it took off. I can only conclude that NASA has no sense of showbusiness.

Sadly, back on Earth, things weren't so thrilling for Elvis Presley and Groucho Marx who both chose that month in which to meet their maker.

Someone else who was suffering was Daredevil who lost his monthly status and found his mag moving to a bi-monthly schedule. Could it spell curtains for the man without fear?

What a terrible bit of speech for that mystery hand-waver to be lumbered with.

Like Conan cares if death's ten feet tall. He probably can't even count anyway. He's probably like, "Ten? That's the number after One, isn't it?"

There's a lot to be said for ignorance when you're a barbarian and it comes to walking into mystery rooms.

The FF are on a mission to rescue Agatha Harkness from the menacing witchcraftery of her home town.

Was her home town Salem?

Isn't Salem a real place?

And I thought people in Europe had plenty to gripe about with the way Marvel insisted on stereotyping them.

It's the story the world's been crying out for, as Iron Man tangles with Frankenstein's Monster.

I have actually read this one but can't recall what happens in it.

I think there might be a mad scientist involved.

Is water also involved or was that in another story?

Speaking of water, Spider-Man teams up with Nova in a murder mystery that's resolved thanks to the order of the months in a year.

Thinking about it, the solution to the crime does rely on a fairly unlikely coincidence that is almost certain to never happen in any murder you might ever want to try and clear up in real life.

The White Tiger makes his debut.

I can't really remember much about this one. Or the White Tiger, for that matter. Doesn't he steal a parchment during a student protest? What he wants the parchment for, I know not.

Apparently, Thor's still on his quest to find the missing Odin.

After months of me saying, "Is this the issue where he gets blinded?" at last we reach the issue where he gets blinded. I knew we'd get there eventually.

Regardless, I didn't like it. It's a very unpleasant thing to happen to our hero and I don't like it when bad things happen to people.

I assume we've reached that story where Ultron decides to make a robo-wife for himself, using his, "Mother's," mind.

I can't help feeling there's something a little strange going on with this tale.

I remember reading this and not having a clue who Jack of Hearts was.

I did however decide that I wasn't impressed by him.

And that costume has way too much going on in it.

From the cover, I'm assuming this is the fill-in issue in which doppelgangers of the original X-Men appear from nowhere, in the Danger Room, and start fighting their new counterparts and it all turns out they're products of Professor X's id.

It wasn't the greatest X-Men tale of all time - especially as it had only been six issues since the last time the new X-Men had had a punch-up with the originals.