August 4th 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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There's been plenty of fuss, lately, about oil but there can have been fewer more exciting weeks for lovers of that substance than this week in 1982. After all, it saw the UK government create Britoil, the privatised successor to the British National Oil Corporation.

And not once has the nation ever had to look back upon that moment with regret.

Over on the UK singles chart, things were even more exciting, as Dexys Midnight Runners scored their second UK Number One, thanks to Come on Eileen, a track that proved you could love a song without ever having the slightest clue what any of the lyrics are. Then again, their previous Number One Geno had already demonstrated that. 

Over on the British album chart, it was the Kids from Fame who ruled the roost, as their self-titled album was successfully keeping Dexys' Too-Rye-Ay off the top spot.

In the issue's lead story, Jim Jaspers tells Captain Britain how he masterminded the deaths of all superheroes and why he's turning the world upside down.

Cap subsequently finds himself in a graveyard of heroes.

And then The Fury shows up and blasts him to pieces.

Elsewhere, in Pittsburgh, the Avengers must fight the heat-tastic villain the world knows as Inferno.

And, finally, Dr Strange must face This Menace Reborn in which Baron Mordo launches a surprise attack but is thwarted when Strange’s astral form inhabits the body of Morgana Blessing’s white cat.

All mind-boggling stuff indeed but, of course, it pales into insignificance beside the cover question, "Do you know the fruit gum secret?"

Reader, I must confess I have failed you. For, I do not know its secret.

All five Doctors get to share the front cover when the mag dedicated to them looks at a bunch of their old adventures.

Among them is Colony in Space which I believe to be the first story in which the Third Doctor manages to visit another world, in his TARDIS.

Sadly, my memory of that serial is that it's as dull as ditchwater, although it does feature a pre-Coronation Street Helen Worth as its claim to fame.

If the cover's to be believed, Paul Darrow's still writing.

Writing what? I cannot say.

Elsewhere, we get a story called Cranpax Core. I've no idea what that is or who's written it but I do know Steve Dillon's the artist.

And, for the hardware lovers amongst us, we get a pin-up of the gang's second spaceship The Scorpio.

The Boomerang's returned.

Well, he is a boomerang.

Is this the one in which the villain tries to get hired as a replacement for Bullseye and Elektra, by the Kingpin who sends him off to kill Spider-Man in the not-unreasonable assumption that Spidey will flatten him?

Whether it is or not, we get Part Two of our great Fantastic Four poster.

And we can win a flight in an historical plane. Last week, we were told it was a fighter plane. I shall, therefore, assume the craft in question to be a Spitfire.

Marvel Madhouse confounds the cynics by continuing to appear and, this time out, Howard the Duck must face the might of Klout who I shall assume to be a wrestler.

I predict that Howard will survive the encounter.

Marvel UK's most monstrous monthly's back and examining Hammer Films and King Kong's life story.

As well as a look at the latest horror releases, there's coverage of Dracula rip-offs and variations. I will be amazed if Count Yorga doesn't get a mention.

Meanwhile, for lovers of nostalgic images, there's a free copy of the poster for Roger Corman's Fall of the House of Usher.

Now we're in trouble. The Hulk's trapped in the Leader's indestructible rubber prison, and the villain's seized control of Thunderbolt Ross's military base.

In our backup strip, Iron Man and Scott Lang find themselves confronting an armoured gang called the Raiders who I think have been sent by a rival of Stark Industries, as a publicity stunt.

Spidey's mag may have a multi-part FF poster but the Hulk's determined not to be left behind and supplies us with Part Two of a colour poster of his own.

Unless I miss my guess, Adam Warlock's having another of his returns from the dead. Does this officially make him a zombie? Or even the far-more-dreaded zuvembie?

I can only leave that decision to wiser heads than my own.

As for the official stars of the comic, I believe the X-Men are still having trouble with the Hellfire Club - and may even have been captured by them!

That's not the most scintillating cover I've ever seen on a magazine. Nor is it the most revealing when it comes to contents.

Sadly, I've not been able to discover anything about those contents, from online sources. Therefore, the doings of this month's issue seem destined to remain a mystery to me.

Marvel UK's mag dedicated to the most famous scarecrow since the one in The Wizard of Oz still refuses to die.

But that raises a vital question. 

Just what happens if you try to play Dark Side of the Moon while watching an episode of Worzel Gummidge?

I don't know. But I have other matters to fill my time with. Such as the fact that, this issue, we're being given a star profile of Cliff's old friend Una Stubbs.

Hot on the heels of Adam Warlock, the deceased, once more, stalk the world of Marvel UK, as our favourite sci-fi mag takes a look at movies that have starred the resurrected dead.

This means we can expect plentiful talk of Night of the Living Dead and I Walked With a Zombie. Personally, I prefer the latter of those two films. Other opinions may exist.

Once again, the adventures of Mystery Incorporated must remain just that, as they hit their 24th issue with no sign of cover nor contents to be found online.