Not in 1979, it wasn't. A week ago, in that year, the UK had been experiencing an election campaign. And, this week in that year, it was still experiencing an election campaign. I hope they didn't try to stretch it out for a third week. Such a thing would have been madness and could have put us all off democracy for life.
But who cared about that?
No one did.
All we cared about was Leo Sayer.
I know that because, forty years ago today, he was at Number One on the UK album chart, thanks to his latest LP, The Very Best of Leo Sayer.
Despite this, in all truth, I couldn't claim to have been a Leo Sayer fan. Once he stopped dressing like a clown and sounding a bit sinister, his magic quickly faded for me.
I have no idea what happens in the main strip this week, other than that the man on the cover, with half his face missing, is clearly the villain of the piece.
Elsewhere, the Micronauts are still looking for their missing colleagues, in the world of humans.
This week's Tales of the Watcher is The Thing From Planet X.
The Thing From Planet X would appear to be an evil plant that wants to take over the Earth and can only be stopped by the crashing of the spaceship he's hijacked. I hate it when plants get ideas above their station.
I've no information at all on the doings of Adam Warlock this issue but am confident that he and Thanos are still battling to bring down the Magus.
The Hulk's now being pursued by the law, as is his brand new friend whose name escapes me.
The Black Knight and Captain Britain are still fighting against whoever it is they're fighting against.
Nick Fury's trying to have a date while dealing with multiple assassination attempts.
A contract killer's still out to bump off Night-Raven - and it looks like he might succeed!
The Eternals are still preparing for the arrival of the Space Gods.
But, of course, the news everyone's been desperate to hear is that the Scarlet Beetle has finally made his debut in the pages of the Ant-Man strip.
And it's time for celebration because I can, right now, confirm that that red insect of terror is in this issue, has recruited an army of insects, has stolen Hank Pym's growth formula and is now all set to conquer the world!
Godzilla's still in this comic - and eating Seattle.
This is all I know.
I also know you shouldn't try to eat Seattle. It's rude.
In a development almost as exciting as the Scarlet Beetle showing up in Ant-Man's strip, the Hypno-Hustler shows up in Spidey's.
If the Scarlet Beetle and the Hypno-Hustler should ever team up, what force on Earth could ever hope to stop them?
Too bad Godzilla didn't wait a few decades to eat Seattle. Then maybe he would've eaten Pearl Jam too.
ReplyDeleteI fear the Hypno-Hustler could never live up to the expectations I have built up in my head.
ReplyDeleteUnlike these covers which just set low standards and fail to meet them.
A week was a long time in politics? Maybe once Steve, but that was before the Brexit referendum; now, every day is some sort of political groundhog day.
ReplyDeleteIn Hulk Comic the Black Knight and Captain Britain were up against Mordred. And possibly a local milkman (although that might be the next issue).
-sean
Looking at these Marvel UK covers I have had the horrendous thought that if instead of seeing Mighty World of Marvel and Spider-man Comics Weekly in the newsagents as a young lad I had encountered these monstrosities I might never have become a comics fan!
ReplyDeleteNever mind Leo Sayer - a bit of music history was recently made. The 17 year-old American singer Billie Eilish reached No.1 in the UK albums chart (and the U.S. Billboard album chart and many other countries' album charts) with her debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO. Billie Eilish (full name Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O' Connell) was born in December 2001 which means she is the first artist born in the 21st century/3rd millennium to achieve a #1 album. We oldies can remember a time when the year 2000 was in the far future but now 2000 is so long ago that people born after that year are having #1 albums.
ReplyDeleteIt was ex-Prime-Minister Harold Wilson who coined the phrase "A week is a long time in politics" but, as Sean said, that's not the case nowadays. Two hours is a long time in politics now :D
Colin, what depresses me is seeing middle-aged people in YouTube comments sections complaining that music nowadays isn't as good as it was, "Back in the days when we had real music," when the days they're getting nostalgic for are the early Noughties.
ReplyDeleteSimayl, and the contents would have driven you away, even if the covers hadn't.
Sean, thanks for the Mordred info.
Tim, I like to feel the Hypno-Hustler is the greatest villain created since Galactus.
KD, perhaps he then went in search of wherever it was that gave us Nickelback.
Steve-
DeleteI'm with you on that, oh my brother!
Steve, personally I find "back in the days when we had real music"-type comments depressing when they refer back to any era, whether its the early 00s, 70s or whenever, as if personal preferences were objective fact.
ReplyDeleteIts particularly sad when someone you know, who was into the most basic two-chord punk music back in the day, complains that their kids just listen to noise and don't know what real music is...
-sean
I agree with you,Sean, but it seems inevitable that members of each generation are going to believe "their" music is better than "the noise the kids listen to now". That mentally has been prevalent since even before the Big Band Era, and it'll never stop until the end of time.
DeleteMeant "mentality". Damn spellchecker.
ReplyDeleteSteve, for a brief, glorious time Leo Sayer made us all feel like dancin'. Like dancin' the night away.
ReplyDeleteActually that song Long Tall Glasses was pretty cool!
I used to get him mixed up with Al Stewart, for some reason.
M.P.
For some reason, I always used to get Al Stewart's Year of the Cat mixed up with America's Horse With No Name.
ReplyDelete