Forty years ago today - January 1982.

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

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Brace yourself, dear Reader. For it is time, once more, for me to defy time itself and leap forward into the past.

As far as I can remember, the Silver Surfer manages to unleash the deadly menace of the Molecule Man upon the planet.

Fortunately, the Avengers are soon on the scene, to tackle the valency-violating villain.

Not so fortunately, they don't do so well against him.

And Tigra's picked the very worst time to have a psychological meltdown.

I do believe Conan's in far-off Khitai and still helping the wife of his old friend take on an evil sorcerer.

Long-time readers will not be startled to discover the barbarian is triumphant in all his battles there.

Even the one against a magical female ninja.

Daredevil discovers three really is a crowd, when Iron Fist and Power Man show up and cramp his style.

They've been hired by Foggy to protect a stooge who's agreed to prove the link between a new mayoral candidate and the Kingpin.

Speaking of whom, while all this is going on, Kingie's having a meeting with Elektra about the prospect of him hiring her.

Here's a twist no one saw coming.

Mostly because it's extremely unlikely.

This month, it turns out Johnny's girlfriend Frankie also has flame-based powers.

But how?

That's just it. She doesn't recall.

However, as her memories return, she realises she gained them by accident when her stepfather Phineas Horton tried to revive his World War II creation the original Human Torch.

Bruce, Rick and Betty decide to return to Bruce's old cave in the desert, in order to work, yet again, on a cure for the scientist.

But fate intervenes when Glorian shows up in a nearby town and starts making the residents' dreams come true.

For some reason, this can't be allowed, and a fight soon ensues.

The Unicorn reappears. 

And he's gone completely round the bend. 

If I'm not mistaken, after defeating Iron Man, he ends the tale by deciding to walk all the way to Russia.

Unfortunately, there's an entire ocean between America and Russia and, therefore, walking there is a great way for him to accidentally drown himself.

The Vulture's been hospitalized and is in poor spirits but makes a rapid recovery when he befriends Aunt May's life-affirming fiancé. 

Suitably reinvigorated, the criminal resumes his career of larceny, choosing to hide-out in May's nursing home.

Of course, this leads to the inevitable scrap with Spider-Man.

Our hero's captured by the Sultan, causing Spider-Man and Nick Fury to rush to the rescue.

Unfortunately, the issue ends with our heroes plunging from the sky, and the villain firing a nuke at the nation's capital.

It's nice to see the Bi-Beast back, and fighting someone other than the Hulk.

Fired from his job, Don Blake takes on a new role as doctor on a ship belonging to Stark Industries.

Needless to say, it all takes a turn for the worse when the Bi-Beast captures the vessel, looking to turn its crewmen into his own personal army.

It's a very odd tale, as Kitty decides to tell the youthful Ilyana Rasputin a fairy tale to get her to nod off.

A fairy tale in which all the characters are weird variants of the X-Men.

I've a feeling the Gold Bug decides to pull off a major heist, in order to restore his credibility with the mob.

But the 24-carat moron manages to steal a highly radioactive something-or-other from ESU. A something-or-other that puts him and the mobsters he's trying to impress in deadly peril.

Wasn't Moonstone out to pull off an impressive crime to rebuild her credibility with the mob, last issue?

Things are starting to look more than a little familiar in Spideyland.