Fifty years ago this month - July 1970.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.

***

Things were getting dramatic in July 1970, when two tear gas canisters were thrown into the chamber of the House of Commons. 

By whom, I've no idea.

For what purpose, I've no idea.

Sadly, the Wikipedia article which furnished me with this information totally failed to furnish me with any explanation for it.

Doubtless, the only tears being shed in Egypt, right then, were ones of joy, as it was the month in which the Aswan High Dam was completed.

That might have seemed like a major achievement for the Eqyptians but it was nothing compared to the one Thor Heyerdahl was trying to prove, that month.

His papyrus boat Ra II arrived in Barbados, as he attempted to justify his belief that, in such boats, the Ancient Egyptians may have been able to cross the Atlantic and contact the peoples of the New World. And blow me down if he wasn't succeeding in his attempt.

No doubt, lots of people were also succeeding in Edinburgh, as it was holding the Commonwealth Games. Granted, far more people were likely to be losing than winning but I'm trying to put a positive spin on things.

But easily the most surprising news from July 1970 is it was the last ever month in which the Royal Navy issued grog to its crews.

Frankly, discovering the crews of our nuclear submarines would no longer be supplied with copious amounts of booze horrifies me. Now how could they be expected to handle Polaris Missiles responsibly?

The Man-Ape is back - and out for revenge against the Avengers.

To be honest, you wouldn't expect a man whose only talent is wearing a dead gorilla would give the combined members of the world's mightiest super-team any great challenge.

Somehow, though, I suspect he will.

The plot of this one evades my recall but it would appear that, for some reason, SHIELD suspects Cap of being a traitor and he has to prove his loyalty; presumably, by smashing that leaping gentleman in the face.

But I suspect it's all a subterfuge and Nick Fury's just pretending to distrust Cap, in order to flush the true villain out into the open.

If I remember correctly, DD's battle with Brother Brimstone reaches its climax, in the vicinity of a museum's tar pits.

I'm assuming this means Brimstone's going to meet a tarry doom.

This has all been brought about by the horny hero investigating murder on the set of Karen Page's current soap opera.

Hooray! Marvel's first Silver Age super-heroes reach their 100th issue and do so in style by fighting virtually every enemy they've ever had.

Well, not really, as they're just up against robot replicas, thanks to the Puppet Master and Mad Thinker.

Sadly, it all goes wrong for the villainous pair when their Hulkbot acts a little too much like the real Hulk for their welfare.

The Glob's back and he has just one thing on his mind!

Thinking about it, he doesn't even have that, because he doesn't have a mind.

But the Leader does and he uses it to resurrect and then control the muddy menace.

Is this the issue in which the Leader reverts to his original identity as a lowly truck driver, in order to trick Bruce Banner?

Firebrand's stirring up all kinds of trouble, for reasons I can't recall.

Whatever those reasons, I'm sure the security of Stark Industries'll be jeopardised, requiring Iron Man to get involved.

It's a historic issue, as the Black Widow gets herself a new costume and decides to test her latest gadgets by taking on Spider-Man.

Unknown to her, Spidey's got the flu, making him well below-par.

And she still flees, in a panic, the moment he threatens to fight back.

If this issue was done to sell the new Black Widow to readers, in preparation for her gaining her own series, this story doesn't do a great job of it. Stan could, at least, have had her give Spidey a decent fight.

The Stranger's holding the Abomination, along with a host of other beings from around the universe, in his prison when Thor comes blundering into it all to try and help them out.

Thanks to this, Don Blake finds himself having to take them all on, armed only with a walking stick.