Thursday 18 July 2019

July 18th, 1979 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

At a pinch, how long do you reckon it'd take you to run a mile?

I don't like to boast but I figure that, with the right wind behind me, I could do it in not much more than a day and a half.

However, in this week of 1979, there was a man running it even faster than that.

That man was Sebastian Coe who set a new world record for the distance by completing it in 3 minutes, 48.95 seconds. It was part of blitz that saw him break all three middle distance world records in just 41 days and become the first man to hold them all simultaneously.

But what about that other great athletic activity - dancing? It was the week when Chicago's Disco Demolition Night publicity stunt went horribly amok at Comiskey Park, forcing the White Sox to forfeit their game against the Detroit Tigers, thanks to damage done to the field by an explosion and rioting fans. That is what happens when you arouse the wrath of Disco.

And if the world thought it was all up for the art form, it thought too soon because, in Britain, while Replicas by Gary Numan and Tubeway Army had just clinched the Number One spot on the LP chart, just behind it, at Number Two, was the album which bore the title The Best Disco Album in the World. I just hope Disco Duck was on it or there was no way it deserved to call itself that.

Star Wars Weekly #73

Baron Tagge's out for revenge against Darth Vader for blinding him - and it somehow involves Tattooine. And that means it involves Luke Skywalker.

Meanwhile, Adam Warlock's about to wrap up his battle with the Star-Thief and it's in this very issue that he discovers he's now bigger than the solar system which spawned him.

Hulk Comic #20, Captain Britain

The Hulk and his mutant friends finally bring justice to the mad scientist who's to blame for them all being there.

After months of being a totally pointless addition to the Black Knight's strip, Captain Britain finally gets to do something when he comes up against the physical incarnation of death and his lovely horsie.

Speaking of death, it's a historic day for Ant-Man when he encounters Janet van Dyne for the first time and keeps remarking on how much she resembles his dead wife. I'm not sure that's going to turn out to be the healthiest relationship. Also, she's a schoolgirl.

Elsewhere, Ikaris pays a visit to the pseudo-Greek gods of the Eternals' universe.

Night-Raven finally polishes off the Tongs.

And the Watcher asks, "What if Rick Jones had become the Hulk?" I'm not massively up on the world of modern comics but hasn't Rick Jones since gone on to do exactly that?

Anyway, in this version of events, Rickhulk has the temper of the original Hulk but speaks entirely in Stan Lee style teen-speak, chiding Thunderbolt Ross's army for being square cats and, like, totally Nowheresville, man.

Marvel Comic #351, Ms Marvel vs the Scorpion

I don't know what else happens in this issue but I do know Ms Marvel's having her second encounter with the Scorpion, on top of trying to find out why she keeps having blackouts.

Meanwhile, at the behest of AIM, mad scientist the Destructor's out to succeed where the Scorpion's so obviously failing.
Spider-Man Comic #332

Daredevil tackles the Masked Marauder and his men while Spidey, still blind, battles to prevent the Marauder's Bombdroid visiting mayhem upon New York.

For anyone having trouble imagining what a bombdroid looks like, it's basically a big, metal, flying bird.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

That Spider-Man Comic cover looks like the work of Paul Neary, but the main figure is definitely a swipe. Its bugging me where I've seen it before, especially as I've a feeling its from somewhere obvious. Any thoughts Steve?

Who gets so worked up about records that they hold a public burning? The Disco Demolition thing always struck me as having a somewhat dubious subtext.
The slogan "disco sucks" gave it away really.

-sean

Steve W. said...

Sean, I'm afraid I can offer no enlightenment as to where the original Spider-Man image may have appeared. I have an impression in my head of him pulling grating or a steel hatch away from something, in order to gain access to somewhere.

As for the Disco Demolition, I must confess that, at the time, I would have had a fair amount of sympathy for it, as Disco had become so omnipresent it was enough to drive a man to insanity. However, over the years, nostalgia has made me feel far more affectionately towards the genre than I once did.

Redartz said...

Steve and Sean- I liked disco early on, but by the late 70's was sick of it. However, not so sick that I'd consider blowing up my vinyl. Actually, that brings uncomfortable memories of a group I saw a few years later. One of those "to protect your children we plan to burn these evil records" religious types. Some of us from art school attended their rally to see what was going on. Pretty scary, all smiles while calling for organized burnings. Yeesh.

Incidentally, later on I warmed again to disco. Even have some KC...

Charlie Horse 47 said...

Disco Demolition - I was there. July 12, 1979. White Sox field in Chicago was burning... LOL

The owner was Bill Veeck as in wreck and 100,000 people showed up to blow up disco records.

God god... young folks were climbing up the water down spouts to get in on the second story.

Watch the youtube video. IT's enjoyable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1CP1751wJA

Charlie Horse 47 said...

Would it bother UK dudes to buy Hulk when Cpt B was on the cover and no sign of the Hulk?

Also, Charlie thought Hulk was #1 Comic and TV show in the UK, not Spidey? W.t.h... Hulk mad and smash puny spider!

Anonymous said...

I watched a couple of US news vids about the "Go back home" stuff Charlie - going by the comments, some of your countrymen are even crazier than the brexit-loonies.
Sorry to hijack the comments here, but I'm curious - what are the odds on a second term do you reckon?

-sean

Steve W. said...

Charlie, I can't speak for anyone else but seeing Captain Britain on the cover wouldn't have put me off the comic. Then again, it wouldn't have got me excited to read it, either.

Redartz and Charlie, it sounds like the perfect time to put on Disco Inferno.

Charlie Horse 47 said...

Sean - unfortunately you ask a good question... :( I'll try to answer this is in a clinical way... so as to maintain the decorum at this venerable www site!

My best guess, based on the last election, and polling thus far, is that he should lose handily though not ridiculously.

But... if the a progressive candidate of the Democratic party wins the primary and the notion of nationalized health care and such are problematic to both conservative/centrist democrats and centrist republicans who would otherwise not vote for Trump, then maybe he could win somehow.

I use the word "progressive" in the clinical sense of being willing / wanting to change vs. "conservative" which means "adverse to change" or "maintain the status quo."

So a Biden would likely beat him handily b/c Biden is a conservative 80-year-old white-dude in the middle.

Sanders, Warren, et al. could be problematic if a hunk of Conservative / centrist Dems or centrist Republicans, who would o/wise not vote for Trump, find their agenda too risky in their minds.

As a matter of simple economics, because they are far more cost effective, the USA will adopt national health insurance and national university education. But, it is still in the "debate" stage.

I guess I'll leave it there and be hopeful I did not spin up anyone... :)

Charlie Horse 47 said...

You know... Charlie doesn't mind a bit of disco now and then.

"More, more, more" by American (swedish?) porn actress Andrea True is a fav.

"Do a little dance" by KC and the Sunshine Band that Red mentioned is anther fav.

"Yowza, yowza, yowza" by Chic always gets CHarlie the mood to bump around.

Though, when I do play / hear some disco I inevitably think of my good friend's father in law, a former Nazi SS Storm Trooper, screaming (!) at me to stop playing a Bee Gees album because it was "too soft!" I did turn it off, lol!

Charlie Horse 47 said...

What if Trump and his minions win again???

They might send me back to Scotland???

God help me... get out the hemlock!!!

dangermash said...

Re Sean's question about the Spider-Man swipe, there are a couple of similar scenes in ASM #74 but I've just taken a look and the UK cover hasn't been swiped from either of them.

Anonymous said...

More to the point Charlie, why didn't Trump go back to Scotland instead of complaining about the last president?

Thanks for your considered opinion on 2020, even if it is a fairly centrist view (;
Of course, you're much better placed to understand your own country than me, but I'd have thought the people who voted Trump in 2016 after Obama previously - who logically must exist - would be key. Are they really likely to go for a "moderate"?

Good call on Andrea True and Chic though.

-sean

Anonymous said...

I was sure if anyone knew you would, dangermash.
My suspicion is it might be from one of John Byrne's MTUs...

-sean

Charlie Horse 47 said...

Sean - politics is funny business, lol... I mean, there is no degree in "running for office."

Realy, I'm just trying to express the unbiased thinking that is floating around the USA. Basically Trump has his 40%. Barring something weird like the Electoral College or a war, he should lose to the Dems. BUT... if the Dems are too progressive (a la the Rainbow Coalition in the 1980s) well then they put things at risk.


Anonymous said...

Charlie's right.
Most of us are disgusted right now.

M.P.