February 1st, 1978 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

This week of forty years ago was a good week for all fans of  reggae, as magnificent one-hit wonders Althea and Donna knocked a certain bagpipe waltz off the top of the UK charts, thanks to their smash hit Uptown Top Ranking. Forty years later, I still don't have a clue what exactly it is they were trying to say to me but I do know it's surely the first classic Number One of that year.

But, even as that epoch-making event was occurring, what about the heroes of our favourite comics company? Were they in their pants and ting and, if they were, were they strictly roots?

I suspect they weren't but there's only one way to find out.

Luke Cage shows up. Does he become a member for a while?

I have a feeling he does but I could be getting confused with his stint in the Fantastic Four.

Then again, maybe he didn't have a stint  in the Fantastic Four and I'm getting that mixed up with this.

Either way, I believe this tale involves some evil-doer using Nighthawk's fortune for nefarious purposes.

What those purposes are, I'm not totally certain of. Does it turn out that Nightie is inadvertently funding the Sons of the Serpent?

But I can't help feeling the good Doctor is being unnecessarily defeatist there. Surely a man who can take on Dormammu could flatten Luke Cage without trying?

Then again, Batman can beat up Superman but often has trouble dealing with the Penguin, so, who can know?

Mahkizmo shows up.

That really is one of the worst super-villain names ever.

As predicted, at some point, somewhere in this site's comments section, this issue features the Fantastic Four's Silver Age trip to Hollywood to make a movie produced by the Sub-Mariner. As a kid, I always loved that tale, especially its confrontation between the Sub-Mariner and the Thing.

There's little I can say about this issue, other than that it features Jack of Hearts again. For such a minor character, it was remarkably hard to get away from him in this era.

Liz Allen's half-brother is back.

No doubt he has a plan to cure himself of his nightmarish affliction and make the world a safer place.

No doubt Spider-Man does everything he can to wreck that plan and then congratulates himself when he does so.

Marvel UK were clearly keen on using Boris Vallejo to drive sales. Four issues in and he's already been responsible for every cover.

I had the American original of this issue. I recall Conan going to an abandoned island, for some reason or other, and encountering a dead giant on a slab, one who's made of metal and, inevitably, comes back to life and starts killing everyone he meets.

Needless to say, his invulnerability to all harm doesn't save him from Conan.

I believe this tale may also include a giant python and a woman who's been asleep for centuries and knows nothing of the passage of time since she fell into her slumber.