Fifty years ago today - December 1971.

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

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A wise woman once told me diamonds are forever.

It was Shirley Bassey.

And December 1971 was when she told me.

I know this because it was the month in which the film of that title was released.

It, of, course, starred Seen Canary, returning to the role he'd previously vacated in recognition that George Lazenby could play the part better than him.

For some reason, Diamonds Are Forever is a film that doesn't seem to get much love from James Bond fans but, to me, has never seemed any better or worse than most films in the series.

Elsewhere in that month's world of cinema, an even more controversial film was unleashed.

And that was Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange; a film so devoid of both oranges and clockwork that it was banned for several decades by its own director, which I'm sure taught it a valuable lesson it would never forget.

Meanwhile, in space, the Soviet Mars 3 lander touched down on the appropriate world and transmitted a signal for a few seconds before going silent. Making it the first Earth craft to reach that planet. 

It's all gone King Kong, as Rascally Roy Thomas sends Spider-Man to the Savage Land to fight Gog, a giant alien who's been adopted by Kraven.

It's never been one of my favourite Spidey tales - being too far removed from the web-spinner's natural milieu - but you do, at least, have to dig that Gil Kane cover.

And I know this issue's a favourite of Charlie Horse 47's, thanks to its high incidence of up-the-nose shots.

Neal Adams' stint on the Kree/Skrull War 

rumbles ever onwards, as the Avengers must face the Mandroids and then help free the Inhumans from Maximus' latest takeover attempt.

It's also an issue in which we learn anyone can access the Avengers' Mansion simply by climbing up out of a manhole. So much for all their fancy security systems.

Can it be true? Can Captain America and the Falcon really have broken up?

More importantly, can there really be a group of people who thought it was a good idea to call themselves, "Femme Force?"

We might associate early Conan tales with Lord Barrold Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Smithington the 3rd but the cover of issue #12 shows just what Gil Kane can do when let loose on barbaric derring-doings.

Not only that but he gets to draw one of this issue's two stories.

However, in the first one, Barry gives us Conan becoming Captain of the royal guard in Zahmahn. But, when the jealous Queen catches him canoodling with a servant, she flings them both in the dungeon, to be devoured by the Dweller in the Dark.

In the second tale, Kane gives us the adventures of Kalligor who wants to marry a Baron's daughter and, so, sets out to kill something called a Hydragon.

It's Gil Kane again!

Mr Kline sends the Scorpion to capture the Black Widow, aiming to lure DD into battle.

During that fight, the Widow seems to let the Scorpion fall to his death, provoking accusations of murder.

While all this is going on, Foggy confronts Kline...

...and discovers he's a robot!

It's the return of one of my favourite villains, as Diablo shows his class by taking over the Latin American country of Terra Verde and getting Crystal to run around with barely any clothes on.

You see? he's not all bad.

It's the start of the yarn in which the Leader decides to replace the nation's politicians with evil robots that are made of pure evil.

Made of pure evil? No wonder people won't be able to tell the difference between them and the real thing.

Loki's in charge of  Asgard, and Thor's been sentenced to death. Can things get any worse for the forces of good?

Yes, they can because the villain's decided he's going to marry Sif, whether she likes it or not.

It's the man called El Tigre!

Except I don't have a clue who that is.

Frankly, I don't have a clue who three of the seven people on this cover are.

I also don't know where Marvel Girl is.

So, that's what Marvel's up to this month. And it's almost as thrilling as Christmas.

But what of its rival? What are a randomly selected collection of its mags up to?

In our main tale, Dick Grayson and his college friends travel to Rutland Vermont's Halloween celebration where he and Batman get entangled in a revenge plot against a Nazi.

In the book's other tale, Batman finds himself confronting The Screaming House.

Didn't Dracula find himself up against a screaming house in my previous post? There were, clearly, plenty of them about in the old days.

Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love hits its second issue and, thus, we must battle to survive The Honeymoon of Horror and The Mystery of Dead Man's Cove!

But the highlight of this month has to be a one-page text piece by no less a scribe than future Nightmare on Elm Street director Wes Craven, asking if you have psychic powers!

I've only included this one because the cover features a woman who bears the magnificent name, "Kolossal Kate."

Sadly, I can shed no light upon just who she is or what she's up to.

Nick Cardy gives us another memorable cover, as the book that aims to surprise us returns.

Thus it is that we get such terrifying gems as One False Step, Murder Spree, Death Mask, The Man Nobody Could See, The Ghost Who Laughed at Locks and You Don't Dare Dig the Gruesome Groupies!

You may have guessed that I have no idea what happens in any of them.

I do, though, have a massive need to know what the last of those stories involves.