February 3rd 1982 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

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

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If you weren't afraid, this week in 1982, you were either very brave or weren't a computer.

That's because the world had just been subjected to the very first computer virus; the Elk Cloner. Written by a 15-year old, the thing was happily infecting Apple II computers, via floppy disk.

That could be good news only for those who hate computers.

But, fortunately, we all know someone who loved computers.

They loved them so much, they'd taken that love to Number One on the UK singles chart.

That's right. Kraftwerk had, that very week, claimed top spot on the hit parade, with their double A-side The Model/Computer Love.

Over on the British album chart, the pinnacle was still held by Barbra Streisand's Love Songs which I've no doubt bore a heavy Kraftwerk influence.

In the world of television, Late Night with David Letterman made its debut on NBC, that week, and its first-ever guest was Bill Murray who would, 33 years later, go on to be its last-ever guest.

Elsewhere, sales of British tabloid newspapers were reported to have been boosted by the introduction of bingo, with The Sun now selling more than four million copies per day.

Accept no imitations? We don't have a choice because the Mimic's back!

 I must confess that's all I know about this one but I'm sure it's filled with 100% thrills.

I don't know exactly when this one came out but this is as good a place as any to park it.

You thrilled to John Boorman's movie in the cinema. Now you can thrill to it in the comfort of your armchair, as the Starburst Poster Magazine for Excalibur draws its sword, and sorcers it around in front of you.

I can't say anything much about the mag, due to total ignorance but I'm sure it gives us a full insight into the making of the film, and into its cast, its crew and special effects.

Who wants to escape from New York?

Snake Plissken wants to escape from New York.

And I know that because Marvel UK's treating us to yet another poster magazine.

And this one's dedicated to Snake's quest for departure.

As with the Excalibur mag, information about this publication's hard to find online but that cover makes it clear we'll get coverage of the stars and special effects, and behind the scene pictures.

Not only that but we'll also receive a great big poster, as well!

If they had any class, they'd be giving away a free eyepatch with it.

Because you The Reader demanded it, Marvel Superheroes has merged with Savage Action!

In our lead story, Captain Britain and Saturnyne battle the Status Crew. It seems the rapscallions blast Cap with a sonic beam to deprive him of his power and then try to blast him with a bazooka!

But, fortunately, Jackdaw sacrifices himself to save our hero.

Elsewhere, the Avengers are still getting to the heart of the origin of Wanda and Pietro, on Mount Wundagore.

Even more elsewhere, Night Raven stars in a tale called Death's Divide.

While Dominic Fortune stars in a tale called Ghoul of My Dreams.

Unless I miss my guess, we're getting the tale in which the Red Ghost tries to steal a mathematical treatise from the university and then tries to silence all witnesses, including a student Peter Parker's trying to help settle in.

And because it seems that even an intangible Russian and his super-apes isn't enough for us, we also get a free Doctor Strange poster, the results of the Be A Marvel Artist competition and the chance to win a Spider-Man pencil-by-numbers set.

Holy ghosts of Gallifrey! What's this? The magazine dedicated to Doctor Who manages to misspell the name of its star, on its front cover? I bet Tom Bayker never had this problem.

That aside, we get a look at the return of the Sea Devils (presumably, in Warriors of the Deep), and what we're told is, "The awesome power of the prime mover."

The comic's defied all critics and hit its 50th issue, one for every state of the country Captain America represents.

And it does so by printing the clash that had to happen, as America's most principled law-enforcer meets its least principled law-enforcer.

Even though I've read it, I can't remember what happens in it. I've no doubt, though, that the mismatched pair will initially clash before agreeing to unite against a mutual foe.

Elsewhere, it looks like Thor's got a battle on his hands because he's tangling with Hyperion.

And so we come to Marvel's adaptation of The Invisible Man. Many are there who think HG Wells' tale is a classic though, personally, I've never been able to see it.

Thinking about it, I remember Marvel doing two adaptations of the tale in the 1970s. The version I read was in Marvel UK's Planet of the Apes and was drawn by Val Mayerik.

But this isn't it. This one comes at us from the writing and drawing  talents of Doug Moench and Dino Castrillo.

Does anyone know the way? There has to be a way to stop Blockbuster.

And there is - because this is its last-ever issue.

It looks like it might be curtains for Black Bolt too, if that cover's to be believed.

I know little of the tale in question but it seems to feature villains blessed with such names as Mon-Tog, Skornn and Kree.

Also, we get to see the death of Warkon but I don't know who that is. So, I doubt I'll be too heavily traumatised by the loss.

When it comes to Iron Fist, on his flight to Master Kahn's fortress, our hero discovers he's rich. He then finds Colleen but she's been brainwashed into hating him.

And, finally, Omega's having troubles of his own in a story called Cats and No Dogs.

Josette Simon makes the front of the mag dedicated to the nation's second-favourite sci-fi show. And we even get a poster of her.

Sadly, that's all the light I can shine upon this month's contents but it seems we're to be given the chance to get even more sci-fi about things, as there's the opportunity to win the Philips Videopac home computer we've always dreamt of.

Yet more comic book hilarity greets our eyes. This time, from the pages of Not Brand Echh #9.

The cover's not giving too much away but I suspect that, this month, we get the story that features the first-ever appearance of Agatha Harkness and her cat.

And, inevitably, that can only be bad news for what's left of the Frightful Four.

Our Conan tale, this month, is A Dream of Blood, as adapted from the L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter novel Conan the Buccaneer. Marvel's version's brought to us by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Tony DeZuniga.

We're also treated to the Red Sonja yarn Master of Shadows, a tale I know nothing about but I can say it's delivered by Christy Marx, John Buscema and Tony DeZuniga.

We also get an explanation, via the Inside Comics feature, of what the Society of Strip Illustrators is. I suspect that group's title will prove to be self-explanatory.

That's a rather lovely cover by John Higgins.

I'm assuming that's not the John Higgins who plays snooker.

Among other things, we're presented with a tale called Tilotny Throws a Shape, starring such characters as Tilotny, Horliss-Horliss, Danda Sine and Splendid AP. Frankly, I don't have a clue who any of those people are.

We also get a four-page feature that lets us see the design sketches for C-3PO, the Millennium Falcon, an Imperial Stormtrooper, Princess Leia and R2-D2.

Sadly, I can reveal nothing else about this month's contents. Is Killraven still in the book? I don't know.

As we can plainly see, we're about to meet the Rhino for the first time.

But that's not all. This issue also sees the pulse-pounding revelation of the origin of the Green Goblin, and then his subsequent descent into amnesia. How can one comic contain such thrills without bursting at the seams?

The book may be called Rampage and its headline act may be the X-Men but, this month, it's Ben Grimm who makes the cover, as he, Quasar and the new Giant-Man must unite to defeat the audio-visual might of Klaw and Solarr.

I can't guarantee it but I suspect the X-Men are on Muir Island, trying to take down Proteus, while Jean continues to have Mastermind-induced delusions.

Judging by that cover, things are looking fairly terminal for our favourite count.

However, I've a sneaking suspicion Drac'll be back on his feet in no time at all.

According to the Grand Comics Database, in this tale, Dracula recalls the circumstances that led to him being discovered by Drake and Graves, which doesn't sound the most thrilling of plots but I suspect Wolfman and Colan will, as always, extract maximum drama from proceedings.

Amongst other thrills, this issue, we're treated to Aunt Sally's recipe page.

Is Aunt Sally noted for her cooking skills? I must confess I've never seen one minute of any of the TV adaptations of Worzel Gummidge.

I do feel this probably makes me culturally deprived.

It's all excitement for us, this month, as Britain's top sci-fi mag takes a look at the upcoming movie Dragonslayer which it assures us will be the big Fantasy film of 1982.

We also get interviews with Jenny Agutter and Sean Connery and a look at the making of John Carpenter's upcoming film The Thing.

As far as I can make out, this issue doesn't contain a single photo of Caroline Munro. Quick, someone call an electrician! Something's clearly gone wrong with the editor's programming!