July 5th, 1978 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

Supporting Marvel UK in the 1970s really was a roller coaster ride. One week it was up. One week it was down. And you could never know which it was going to be.

Happily, July, 1978, found it on the up again, as our favourite comics company gave us a whole new book to read and was suddenly producing five titles a month.

But what would that new title be?

What?

What!?!

There's only one way to find out.

But, before we do that, I feel morally obliged to give a plug to the UK singles chart of this week in 1978. Having just taken a look at it, I have to say it must have been the greatest singles chart of any week ever. It was so busting with banging tunes, it's a miracle it didn't explode under the strain.

Seriously, just just take a look at that lineup. If there's nothing on it that floats your boat, that boat must have hit a rock and be lying at the bottom of the English Channel, with no chance of being salvaged even if Captain Nemo fills it with a balloon and inflates it.

I've no idea what happens in this one, other than that Luke and his droidal chums are up against a very nicely-drawn sea monster that I like to think is the same one that turned up in Doctor Who's Terror of the Zygons, and that it was achieved by use of the same hi-tech green screen as that one was.

I do believe The Slithering Shadow was originally a Robert E Howard tale.

I also believe that, as I've read every Robert E Howard Conan story, I must, therefore, have read it.

Which makes it odd that I don't have a clue as to just which Howard tale it is.

I don't think it's the one with the obelisks and the toad monster. The cover image would suggest it's not the one in the sewers with the octopus thing. I'm therefore at a total loss.

Regardless, I've no doubt that a damsel will need rescuing, a monster will need murdering and a sorcerer will need a good sword up him.

This is another comic whose contents I'm not totally sure of, but I would assume the FF are still up against Gorr the gorilla.

It would seem the cover from this issue was reprinted in Marvel Treasury Edition #20, which is an honour indeed for a cover originally produced for a Marvel UK mag.

This is it! The big one! Marvel UK's future publishing direction starts to become more clearly defined, as, presumably inspired by the sales of Savage Sword of Conan, Rampage makes the move to a monthly schedule.

Looking at that cover, its lineup isn't that strong. It's basically just the one from the weekly mag, with the black and white Hulk tales thrown in but, soon, it will add the New X-Men to its roster and instantly become indispensable to all lovers of great comics.

As demanded by you the Steve Does Comics reader, J Jonah Jameson is to be found dangling from the Statue of Liberty - or at least dangling from Spider-Man who's dangling from the Punisher who's not dangling from the Statue of Liberty.

I suppose it's one way of preventing our hero from simply blocking the Hitman's gun, with webbing, which would somewhat instantly put an end to his menace.