Thursday 23 June 2022

June 23rd 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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This week in 1982 delivered good news to those who like peace, because it saw the end of the Falklands War, as British forces retook the rather delightfully named South Sandwich Islands.

But things were also looking good for the woman the world knew only as Charlene because, that week, her hit I've Never Been to Me smashed its way to the very peak of the UK singles chart.

In the forty years since, has she finally achieved her ambition and been to herself?

Sadly, I cannot say. I've tried to offer her assistance by seeing if you can find a route to yourself via Google Maps but, sadly, it seems you can't.

Over on the UK album chart, a very different kind of destination was proving popular, as Roxy Music hit the top spot, with their LP named in honour of the isle of Avalon.

Google Maps has also failed to provide me with directions as to how get to Avalon.

So much for technology.

Super Spider-Man TV Comic #485, Electro

Electro's back!

And he's more electrical than ever!

Fortunately, our wondrous webhead has the sense to don a rubber costume when facing him, thus rendering the villain's powers useless.

We also get the chance to win 30 Marvel annuals and we can discover whether our drawing's inside this issue.

But why would it be inside this issue? I'm pretty sure that's not where I left it.

Incredible Hulk #13

Information about this one's hard to unearth but I'm going to guess Hulkie's still on a far-away world and still battling the meganormous gob that is the Galaxy Master.

Iron Man's also in action but I don't know just what action.

And, as with Spidey's comic, we can win 30 Marvel annuals and discover whether our drawing's inside.

Scooby-Doo and Friends #18

Once more Onbarder, AKA Mark, has come to the rescue, and he's supplied me with the cover to Scooby-Doo and his TV Friends #18.

Also thanks to him, I know that, in this issue, Captain Caveman finds himself in a tale called The Shipping Magnet, written by no less an entity than Jack Kirby biographer Mark Evanier.

Elsewhere, there's news from Scooby-Doo's Ghostly Club House.

And there's a tale called The Moon Fleet which seems to have nothing to do with John Meade Falkner, and everything to do with aliens kidnapping Scooby.

For those who want to find something to do with their hands, we also get a page that tells us how to make a Hair Bear Gripper Wallet.

20 comments:

onboarder said...

lol - its good to see the scooby-doo comics back in the spotlight.

onboarder said...

The moon fleet story Steve references is the part 2 to the Laff-a-Lympics story from last week where in the comments there was discussion about the ending with one of the teen angels and the gang about to start a race. The artist for Laff-a-Lympics was also Dan Spiegle. (Story is the Miraculous Moon-Meet)

Anonymous said...

Isn't Avalon generally associated with Glastonbury, Steve? I've been there a few times - before there even was a Google - and its not that hard to find. Although apparently it might be difficult to get to at the moment, because of the rail strike.
On that subject, before coming here I just read that Arthur Scargill was helping out on the picket line in the peoples republic of Sheffield today. Brilliant. How early 80s is that?
Up the workers!

Btw, its the anniversary of the brexit referendum - six years ago (has it really been that long?) - so happy independence day to you, and all your British followers.

-sean

McSCOTTY said...

Jeeeeez it's not 6 years ago is it? thats scarey I thought it was 3 years max - thank goodness the UK government hasn't made any other daft mistakes since BREXIT!

Anonymous said...

Scooby Doo ate A lot of eggs and drink a lot of soda pop! Just saying…

Colin Jones said...

I too noticed that yesterday was Thursday 23rd June - the first time that 23rd June has fallen on a Thursday since referendum day in 2016. But the Brexiteers have become like Trappist monks on the subject of all those wonderful benefits of leaving the EU. They need us more than we need them! We'll hold all the cards!

Colin Jones said...

NEWSFLASH: the Tories have lost both of yesterday's by-elections. Is this the end of Boris??

McSCOTTY said...

No real surprise in Wakefield Colin, but that 24,000 deficit that the Liberal Democrats turnaround in Tiverton and Honiton to win by over 6,000 votes is quite amazing.

Anonymous said...

They'll probably switch back at the next general election though Paul.
Enough of the English will likely still vote in a tory government, especially with a change of leader (they always fall for that one).

-sean

Anonymous said...

Is anyone else having a tough time deciding which of the three covers is their favorite?

Anonymous said...

Changing the subject - good idea. Especially as its getting back to the comics.

Yeah, best cover is a tricky one. I'll go for Scooby Doo & his TV Friends #18, if only for the celluloid strip running down the edge on the left.
Its not particularly original - I think Jack Kirby did that kind of thing first, back in the 50s:

https://pencilink.blogspot.com/2016/02/double-life-of-private-strong-1-jack.html

- but its a nice design element all the same.

-sean

Anonymous said...

What the heck is a "T.V. comic", as it pertained to Spider-Man?
Does it have scenes from the T.V. show (argh)?

M.P.

Colin Jones said...

MP, I'd stopped reading Marvel UK by this point so I don't know what a Spidey TV Comic is either. But Marvel UK's weeklies had clearly gone badly downhill since the glory days of the '70s.

Anonymous said...

Good lord gents! DC Thomson just emailed me. If I subscribe to Platinum Magazine, they will mail some Ole Henricksons Banan-bright eye cream which they claim is worth 33 pounds.

I ask our UK contingent: Deal or No Deal?

Umm… what is. Banana Bright???

Colin Jones said...

Charlie, I'd never heard of Banana Bright until today - £33 for a pot of "eye cream"??

I've never heard of DC Thomson's Platinum Magazine either!

Colin Jones said...

Kate Bush is at #1 for the second week with 'Running Up That Hill' and I've been on a Kate Bush binge on YouTube, listening to her old songs. I know a lot of them already but some I've never heard before such as the entire album '50 Words For Snow' from 2011 which is still the most recent Kate Bush album. The best song on it IMHO is 'Wild Man' about a search for the Yeti. I considered buying '50 Words For Snow' when it was first released in 2011 but didn't.

Steve W. said...

Colin, I find it quite difficult to sit through Kate Bush albums. I find I can only deal with her in small doses. But it's always fun to listen to individual tracks.

Colin and Charlie, I'm afraid I too am totally unfamiliar with Banana Bright.

MP, I don't know about this issue but Spider-Man's TV comic often includes features about the monster smash-hit TV show that barely anyone ever watched.

Sean and Anonymous, I will also go for the Scooby cover as the best of the trio.

Colin and McScotty, it seems we're entering exciting political times.

Onboarder, thanks for the Scooby info.

Anonymous said...

Colin-

You mentioned the Yeti. I recently read that around 1960 or so Sir Edmund Hillary went on some sorta expedition to find that mysterious lurker of the frozen wastes.
He didn't find jack $#!t, of course, but the weird thing about it (one of the weird things about it, anyway), was that he was accompanied by Marlin Perkins.
You fellers from the U.K. may not be aware of a nature show called Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, but it was great fun. Episodes usually involved Marlin's assistants (Jim or Stan) being sent out to rassle an animal to the ground and tag it. This was done for "research purposes." It might be a wildebeest or a cheetah, something kinda dangerous, anyway.
I kept waiting for Marlin to say something like, "Now Jim is going over to that baboon and tie a radio collar around its balls." And Jim responding, "%@#* you, Marlin."
That never happened, but still it made for interesting T.V. It must've left a lotta confused animals walking around afterwards, confused about why they got hog-tied and let go.
"What the hell happened back there?!?" they might wonder, pensively, as they staggered away.

M.P.

Anonymous said...

Colin, Kate Bush might not have made an album since 2011 but look on the bright side - at least that means she didn't embarrass herself with a song about how wonderful Theresa May was.
Even worse, she could have made a whole album! Just think - you might have had to sit through '50 Words for Brexit'.

-sean

Anonymous said...

Or 'Hounds of Gove'...

-sean