Fifty years ago this month - March 1968.

Did readers who eagerly bought the Marvel comics cover-dated, "March 1968," realise, as they handed over their money, that it would prove to be a date of epic import - because it was to start a process that would soon see the former minnow become the biggest comics company in America?

Suddenly freed from its cramped distribution deal with DC, the company was now in a position to launch as many titles as it wanted to.

Needless to say, it wasn't going to turn down a chance like that and, thanks to it, the venerable titles Tales of Suspense and Tales to Astonish were about to breathe their last, in order to be replaced by a brand new group of books.

Doctor Doom's brilliant plan to gain entry to the Baxter Building, by pretending to be Daredevil, gathers pace.

Meanwhile, Daredevil's plan to have Latveria declare war on every single one of its neighbours and be destroyed in a nuclear holocaust, if Doom doesn't come rushing back and reverse their body swaps, also gathers pace.

I can't help thinking Doom didn't think this one through properly.

The Avengers come up against Typhon.

I do believe this was the last issue of Hercules' original run in the strip.

I wish I could say he'd made a huge impact while he was there but I can barely recall what he did in any of the stories. My main recollection of him is him fighting an imaginary Hydra for an entire issue while all the real action was going on elsewhere.

Regardless, thanks to his departure, the group is about to be reduced to just three members, only one of whom has super-powers - and that one is the Wasp who isn't exactly in the Galactus category when it comes to abilities.

How will the world's mightiest super-team survive this? How?

Isn't this the one in which the Silver Surfer decides that the only way to stop human beings fighting each other is to go on the rampage and become a threat to all mankind, in order to force it to unite against him?

And there was me thinking Doctor Doom came up with stupid plans.

I do believe the whole point of this tale is to reintroduce him to readers and rob him of a large chunk of his power, in readiness for the launch of his own strip, a few months after this. Yet again, the end of that distribution deal is making its presence felt.

I also believe this cover was re-used for issue #1 of Marvel UK's The Super-Heroes, seven years later.

Hooray! The Spider-Slayer's back!

In fairness, I must declare this to be my favourite incarnation of the robot. I especially like the scene in which it crushes a phone box, with its bare arms, while Spider-Man is trying to use it.

It's the final issue of Tales of Suspense and, judging by that cover, it could be the final adventure of Iron Man.

I do believe he's trapped on a Maggia gambling ship that's under attack by SHIELD, just as it's in the process of sinking.

Can Shellhead survive?

More importantly, can Jasper Sitwell and Madame Masque find true love and happiness among the waves?

Not to be outdone in the defunctory stakes, Tales to Astonish also arrives at its final issue.

But that clearly isn't getting the Hulk down. He's too busy invading Asgard.

I don't recall the exact reasons he ends up there but I suspect Loki may have a hand in it all. Possibly, he wants the Hulk to beat up Odin or to beat up Thor or possibly both of them.

Sadly, beating up Odin is a bit beyond even the Hulk, and Thor is nowhere to be seen but that doesn't stop Hulkie getting up to his usual mayhem and mischief.

No wonder Thor's not in Asgard. He's too busy trying to stave off death.

Literally.

The Wrecker's given our hero a good whacking with his crowbar and now Hela's showed up to take him on the journey for which there's no return ticket.

Except she doesn't, because Thor asks her to give him another chance to fight the Wrecker...

...and, like a mug, she agrees.

What kind of death deity is that woman? Does she have no sense of duty?

"The Death of Professor X! Not a hoax! This is for real!"

Didn't it turn out to be a hoax?

Didn't it turn out he'd been hiding in the cellar for about two years, pretending to be dead, for no good reason, and getting Jean to play along with it all? I have a good mind to sue for false advertising.

Then again, I don't suppose the X-Men were exactly in a good mood either, when they found out what he'd been up to.

I don't have a clue who Voltorg is but I do feel the master of the mystic arts shouldn't be battling robots.

I genuinely don't have a clue what that giant lettuce thing is that's coming between our hero and his foe. If Strange shouldn't be fighting robots, he definitely shouldn't be fighting lettuce.