Fifty years ago today - November 1971.

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

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November 1971 proved to be a month of mystery when, during a severe storm above Washington State, a man calling himself D.B. Cooper parachuted from the plane he'd hijacked - along with $200,000 in ransom money - and was never seen again.

Who was D. B. Cooper?

Where had he come from and what became of him?

Nobody knows, as, according to Wikipedia, the case remains the only unsolved skyjacking in history.

One place he definitely didn't land on was Mars.

We know that because it was also the month in which Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to successfully enter that planet's orbit - and it saw no sign of him.

Elsewhere, computer science took a mighty leap forward with the release of Earth's first microprocessor, the Intel 4004.

And this month's British Empire Dismantlement Story was that Oman gained its independence.

But at the very heart of what remained of that empire, motorists were about to gain a little freedom of their own when the 10-route motorway interchange known as Spaghetti Junction opened, north of Birmingham city centre.

So keen on traffic was that interchange that 10 routes proved not enough to satisfy it and, thus, by the end of the following year, that total had expanded to a mahoosive 12 routes.

Following his unfortunate mishap, whilst trying to rid himself of his super-powers, Spider-Man finds himself having to deal with both the Lizard and Morbius.

Still, at least he's turned up well-armed.

It's the Avengers vs a herd of cows, and Ant-Man vs the Vision's tonsils, as Neal Adams arrives and the Kree/Skrull War steps up a gear, thanks to a memorable reenactment of Fantastic Voyage.

For the first time in living memory, a Captain America cover doesn't feature the Grey Gargoyle.

Instead, it features a mystery villain who tricks the People's Militia into trying to burn down Harlem.

Could it be the Red Skull?

Could it be Baron Zemo?

Could it be Irving Forbush?

It's the Red Skull.

Obviously, it's the Red Skull. The mystery villain's always the Red Skull.

And, somehow, Cap'll still be shocked.

In other news, I notice this issue has a brand new logo as its masthead.

This is it! Barry Smith and Roy Thomas give us their adaptation of Robert E Howard's Rogues in the House, as Conan gets released from prison to help a thief and ends up helping a priest tackle a giant ape that has ideas above its station.

My strongest memory of this one is the priest Nabonidus has a living room that's completely lined with mirrors.

If only I had a living room that's completely lined with mirrors, so I could look at myself, all day long, and appreciate my beauty, as others can.

It's the big one, as the Black Widow saves Daredevil from drowning and then the pair of them finish off the Owl.

However, that's not the main event.

What really matters is the mysterious Mr Kline's revealed to be the robot MK-9 who now takes to referring to himself by the name Assassin.

That's a villain with far too many names for one robot.

Hooray! Dr Doom takes over leadership of the FF, as they look to take on the meganormous threat of the Over-Mind.

But can even the epic leadership skillz of Doomsie triumph where those of Reed Richards failed?

Erich von Däniken's dreams all come true at once, as the incredible Hulk takes on a giant statue and a bunch of Ancient Egyptian gods from space!

Needless to say, those puny gods have no chance against the Hulk!

And neither does the statue.

Iron Man tangles with someone called Mikas.

Frankly, I know nothing about Mikas, nor about this story.

I do, though, know this issue features a reprinted back-up strip in which Giant-Man must thwart the first appearance of the villainous Black Knight and his flying horsie.

It's Thor and the Silver Surfer vs Durok the Demolisher.

Although, in truth, it's mostly the Silver Surfer vs Durok, as Thor quickly abandons the fight and flies back home to Asgard.

Happily, the Surfer's time-travelling powers prove more than adequate to defeat the rampaging monster.

Now that Marvel's been dealt with, it's time for me to whip out my randomiser and, for purposes of comparison, see what DC was offering with a November cover date.

It seems that, these days, there's no escape from the Phantom Stranger on this site. And here he is again. This time, teaming up with Batman, although just how he teams up with the dark night detective, I've no idea.

I've also no idea why he'd even need to team up with him.

I do believe this issue also features a Challengers of the Unknown reprint from way back in 1963.

I've included this one purely because it has a striking Bernie Wrightson cover.

No sign of Bernie inside, though.

Instead, we get four tales of the strange and supernatural with such titles as The Man with My Face, The Day Nobody Died, Track of the Invisible Beast, Hyde -- and Go Seek! and A Bottle of Incense.. A Whiff of the Past!

Three tales fill this comic.

In the first, someone called Desaad kidnaps Lois Lane and Dave Stevens, in order to lure Superman to an amusement park where he uses the science of Apokolips against our hero.

Then there's an adventure for someone called Dr Pat in which her career leaves her with no time for men.

I don't know whether her problem's resolved by the end of the tale. Nor do I know if the tale's any good but I do know it first saw print in 1949.

And, finally, it's trouble for the Thorn when K.A.R.L.  the super-computer comes up with a plan to destroy the somnambulist super-doer, on behalf of Poison Ivy.

We get a DC-sized dose of romance when five stories help us prepare for the world of Love.

In the first, Heidi studies piano with reclusive maestro Damon Crewell and soon falls for him, despite his harsh temper. Harsh temper? I'd dump him, if I were her.

Next, Michelle's boss encourages her to date his son Dean. But then she learns Dean's already secretly married!

Next, Jill likes John but she's far too lively for him. So, she tries to restrain herself. I can offer no information as to by what means she restrains herself.

Next, shy Linda's wrongly branded a snob, but she comes out of her shell when Tom starts to date her. But, horror of horrors, she finds out he only did it to win a bet! She should demand at least half his winnings. She could make a fortune this way.

And, finally, Nancy's dying sister fixes up Nancy with her boyfriend, so Nancy and he can be happy together after she's gone. Well, that's just plain creepy.

But forget all that. Just look at that cover. Have you ever seen one that's more crying out for Roy Lichtenstein to swipe?