Forty years ago today - July 1979.

I have to think of a pertinent and pithy intro to this post.

I can't think of one.

I shall, therefore, launch straight into it and hope that if I don't draw attention to it no one'll notice.

This is it; the issue some of us have been waiting about fifty issues for, as Bêlit finally meets her maker, thanks to an island full of flying monkeys.

From what I can remember, most of the important stuff in this tale happens while Conan's asleep but our heroine does return from the dead for long enough to help the battling barbarian as he faces certain death at the fangs of a psychotic simian.

But the highlight of this tale is definitely Conan single-handedly taking on a huge pack of hyenas and winning.

Cap and Daredevil are still out to thwart Dr Faustus' evil plan to Nazify America.

Lost in space, alone against the Skrulls, their ship blown up by Nova's, and also zapped by an ageing ray; just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse for the FF, the Sphinx becomes all-powerful and decides he doesn't want to commit suicide anymore.

He just wants to rule the universe.

Peter Parker's back at college and it looks like the Lizard's on the loose.

But he isn't. It's Curt Connors' pet iguana that's somehow turned into a super-villain. How will Spidey ever be able to defeat a foe with the powers of an iguana?

To be honest, I don't know what powers an iguana has.

Thor meets Karkas and, after the obligatory fight, they set off to find Sersi in the hidden lair of the Deviants, somewhere beneath New York City.

Arcade's kidnapped the X-Men and is exposing them to the sort of gimmicks he once used against Spider-Man and Captain Britain.

As those gimmicks didn't work against Spider-Man and Captain Britain, I'm not sure why he thinks they're going to work against a whole team of super-doers.

Then again, he does have help from Colossus who he's brainwashed into wanting to kill his colleagues.

The Hulk's still fighting Machine Man, in an attempt to rescue someone from someone or other.

Wanda and Pietro are out to discover just where they came from, and find themselves in the shadow of Mount Wundagore, under attack from an unknown foe, as a talking cow shows up to help them.

Bullseye's out for revenge on the man without fear and is filming him fighting other criminals, in order to learn his moves.

Spider-Man meets Catwoman the Black Cat for the first time and much flirting ensues in between the fighting.

Now he's in trouble.

Iron Man accidentally kills a visiting politician, with his repulsor rays, thanks to Peter Cushing having set them off by remote control.