Therefore I'll just give a second plug to my legendary Steve Does Trailers blog that's already shooting up the UK blog charts, like an Ed Sheeran record on speed, and then get straight on with looking at what gems Marvel UK was giving us almost exactly forty years ago.
This tale was my first ever exposure to Stegron.
I knew at once that I didn't like him.
Leaving aside his lack of social skills, he seemed a blatant knock-off of the Lizard, who's always been my favourite Spidey villain.
Clearly this meant I could never tolerate the Jurassic interloper - especially when they had him fighting the Lizard who we all know would make mincemeat of him.
Meanwhile, the seemingly interminable Mole Man saga is finally over and we get what sounds like a very overcrowded Fantastic Four tale that features not just the Inhumans and Frightful Four but also the full-on feminist force of the titanic debut of Thundra.
Elsewhere, Captain Britain is up against a werewolf. Unlike his barney with the Loch Ness monster, I have vague memories of this tale but must admit they are indeed very vague.
Elsewhere, the Avengers and Defenders are still working their way through the climax of the Evil Eye Saga.
I had two copies of this issue and therefore used the cover of one of them as a wrapper for one of my school exercise books. I remember that remarkably well.
Sadly, I recall nothing at all about the actual insides of the comic. I'm assuming the Hulk is still on his post-Jarella rampage.
Just three weeks to go before this book climbs into its own personal bunker and decides to end it all.
Ooh! PS. I need to make a public service announcement that I should have made years ago but have never remembered to post.
In the blog's sidebar, there's a gadget that says, "Subscribe To."
It then says, "Posts," and, below that, "Comments."
If you install a feed-reading extension on your browser and then click on the bit of the gadget that says, "Comments," from that point on, your browser will tell you when there are new comments and show them to you. This means you never need miss a comment again for as long as you live. This is especially useful if people make comments on older posts where you'd be less likely to notice them.
You should also find a similar, "Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)," link at the bottom of the comments section, which should work in the same way.
I assume it also works with any feed-reader app you might have on your phone but I've not tried it yet, so can't guarantee it.
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19 comments:
On August 10th 1977 there were just 6 more days till Elvis's death...
...and 6 more days till "Angelo" reached No.1 in the singles chart, yay !
I've just bookmarked Steve Does Trailers.
Bring back Steve Does Top Of The Pops !
Your Uncle Charlie in Chicago is confused! Did one of these three covers have an FF story in it?
I was on holiday in Cornwall that week and remember Angelo a lot more clearly than this week's comics. Actually, I mainly remember all of the local shops having loads of US colour comics, in that special summer sea-side way. That and repeats of early six million dollar man episodes that I hadn't seen. Good times.
DW
Charlie
Yes, the FF had moved to Spiderman by then. Bigger things were on their horizon, though...
DW
Pretty sure Thundra didn't appear in the FF til the next issue, Steve. I think you're actually describing the complete story from the original US monthly, but of course it was broken up into parts for the Spidey & CB reprints.
FF 129 divides pretty well into an encounter with the Inhumans first, and then a fight with the Frightfuls...
A particularly good Carlos Ezquerra Fury cover there. Misleading buyers again.
-sean
I liked Stegron, but only because he was in one of the first Spider-Man comics I ever owned. I was rooting for the Lizard, though.
I realize what a goofy characters Stegron is, but when I read it as a kid his plan to reanimate the dinosaurs in the New York Museum of Natural History seemed slightly less implausible then it does now.
Have you seen that place? Holy Moly.
There were some big fossils in there. I saw it about ten years ago, and I was instantly transported to my childhood.
M.P.
While Fury maybe coming to and end we only have a few short years to wait and see if your ambivalence towards it extends to Marvel UK's second attempt at a 'war' comic, Forces In Action. Looking forward to your near future review of the mid-past rehash of a distant past format, soon, ish.
'and end'? Ugh. Note to self: don't post first thing in the morning.
Thanks for the bookmark, Colin.
Thankfully, Steve Does TOTP is well and truly dead. Just the thought of having to do a commentary on two episodes a week of Modern Romance sends shivers through my soul.
DW, in this era of TV super-heroes, it does surprise me that they've never brought The Six Million Dollar Man back. Admittedly, they'd have to up his price tag to keep in line with inflation but, still.
Sean, Thanks for the Thundra clarification.
MP, sadly, the only dinosaur I've ever seen in person is Dippy the Diplodocus in the London Natural History Museum, who's relatively modest in size. Sadly, I believe they've since replaced him with a blue whale.
Timothy, I'm totally unaware of Forces in Action. It's therefore something I'm looking forward to.
When Trump just said "he is going to respond with Fury to North Korea" you think he means Nick Fury??? He does know Fury is only a comic book character???
I wouldn't count on it Charlie - he's probably hassling someone at Langley right now who's trying to explain to him why there isn't a helicarrier available.
-sean
Lol. And when he finds out there isn't one he'll ask Iron Man to help???
Hey! How would you gents know that FF was in the Spidey book if not advertised on the front like Captain Britain?
Also just curious if calling him Captain Britain dampened sales in Scotland? Just asking...
Charlie, I can't speak for the others but I know the FF are in the Spidey book because the Grand Comics Database site says they were. It is strange though; I have no memory of them being in it at all, or of ever having read that particular story, even though I definitely had this issue.
I'm afraid I can offer no illumination as to how well the good Captain went down in Scotland.
Charlie, I know the FF were in the Spidey book because I was reading the Spidey book so I remember. In September '77 the FF got their own weekly called "The Complete Fantastic Four" which included the original Lee/Kirby stories as a back-up strip. Only another 7 weeks till Steve features that new comic.
I don't think Captain Britain was unpopular in Scotland - 1977 was long before the more recent rise in Scottish nationalism. Anyway, the idea of Scotland leaving the UK seems to be receding if the recent UK general election was any indication.
Not sure CB even went down well in England - his comic didn't last too long. I only ever got it for the FF and SHIELD - Steranko! - reprints (but then, being of the Irish persuasion I'm not really the best judge of the Captain's appeal)
The FF carried over to Super Spidey from CB with the merger. Basically, Charlie, regular readers generally knew which series were in a title because the lineups were fairly stable (apart from Titans?).
Not sure why they didn't have more info on the cover for casual buyers at this point though - they did before, and again later. Still - who doesn't have a quick look through a comic before buying it?
-sean
What would a Captain Scotland look like?
I'm assuming you guys wouldn't want him to wear a kilt, but I think an energy-powered Claymore would be cool.
There can be only one!
M.P.
Can you imagine finding all those wonderful American comics like that? Would've been too much for my fifteen year old self!
Well Scotland is part of Britain so that should've been okay. Just think the character wasn't properly realised then. Not until Alan's Moore and Davis came along...
I agree, Dean. That was the first time I ever enjoyed reading his adventures.
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