Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Not a lot was happening in the world, on this week in 1982. Nor was there any change at the top of either the UK singles or album charts. Therefore, I shall spring mightily into my look at what was going on at Marvel UK, back then.
However, it's not long before he's in a conflict with Spider-Man. One that can only end in failure for the serpentine super-villain.
Bizarrely, if the cover's to be believed, we also get the chance to win a Dr Strange pop record. Heaven alone knows what that sounds like.
And by the Ghost Rider, of all characters!
Will our hero survive this indignity?
Not really. His comic's just a couple of issues away from cancellation.
I wish I could tell you what happens in his strip, this week but I'm not too sure. However, as last issue featured his epic battle with the Avengers, there has to be a fair chance that, this time, he's enduring the return of the Glob, as originally presented in 1970's Incredible Hulk #129.
Once again, we're indebted to Onboarder, AKA Mark, who's supplied me with the cover to an issue of Scooby-Doo and His TV Friends.
As you can see, this time, it's issue #30 that's in the spotlight.
This week, Scooby shows us how to make a cardboard chicken, Scrappy gets to tell us another tale, Huckleberry Hound's in Tin Can Town, and there's the freshest news from Scooby's Cover Competition.
For all who wish to pursue the matter further, Mark's uploaded the whole issue to the Internet Archive and it can be found right here.
Meanwhile, as we know, many of the Marvel UK covers featured on this site, of late, have borne cover blurbs demanding to know if we know the Fruit Gums secret.
Frankly, I don't but Mark's drawn my attention to a thread on the Do You Remember forum, dedicated to that very question. And that thread can be found by clicking here.
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16 comments:
I've been watching a bit of the BBC's live stream of the Queen's coffin lying in state.
Charlie has a long history with Hulk 129 from roughly 52 years ago! He convinced his nine year old brother to buy it so that Charlie could save his money to buy some thing else, most likely captain America lol
Yeah, robbing jewels and laying low in his expensive flat is what the cobra's up to.
But what's more interesting is that (copying and pasting from my comment on the US version a month ago) all the way through the comic there's a background story going on with a hulking Juggernaut-shaped brute stomping around in the shadows looking for some unnamed skinny guy that he can get his revenge on. All written and drawn so that the reader thinks it's Juggernaut seeking revenge on Spider-Man. Until you get to the big splash page reveal at the end when it turns out to be…………Mr Hyde seeking revenge on the cobra. After so many stories over the years with the kingpin being behind the scenes and the creators making little effort to hold him back as a surprise, this was a great bait and switch.
Steve, According to the Starlogged blog the Dr Strange single was by Paul Roland. I can't seem to find a recording of it online but I suspect it's a load of "vishanti" !
http://starlogged.blogspot.com/2013/03/1982-dr-strange-record-competition.html
Thanks for the info Steve, although tbh I'm still not really any the wiser about the secret of the Fruit Gums. However, it is somehow reassuring that Rowntree don't seem to know what it is either.
In return, I may be able to help you with the Dr Strange record, as I vaguely recall reading a review of one in Sounds.
At first I thought it had been by Robin Hitchcock, but after a quick bit of googling it turned out to be a more obscure one of those 80s Syd Barrett fans (an enthusiasm for the more arcane reaches of 60s psychedelia seemed to be a sub-cultural thing back then) called Paul Roland.
www.youtube/watch?v=YIRrHU4sJe4
Not really my cup of tea, but there you go.
The lyrics don't seem to have much connection to the character, but that never stopped anyone linking Black Sabbath's track with the comic book Iron Man, and I can totally see some dodgy independent label and Marvel UK not letting that get in the way of running a promotion that might help them shift a few extra records and comics.
Especially as Discogs confirms the single was released in '82.
-sean
Bollocks, Paul just sneaked in there before me!
Only kidding Paul. Its funny, but when I did a search for any info on the Marvel UK competition and the only hit was this post of Steve's...
Btw, on the subject of Sounds, thanks for posting Roscoe Moscow recently. Very enjoyable.
-sean
Sean, I couldn't open that link it that was to the Dr Strange song and I now need to hear it.
I think I replied on the Fruit Gums issue competition on Steve's blog, it was from memory ( couldn't find anything online) so I may be barking up the wrong tree.
Glad you enjoyed the Roscoe Moscow post.
Syd Barret??? Thats a blast from the past!!! Anyone for Brian Jones???
Not sure why that link doesn't work Paul. You're not really missing much, but just search 'Paul Roland Dr Strange' on Youtube and you should be able to get it (thats all I did).
Nice to know that it was the actual record in the competition.
-sean
Who killed Brian Jones, Anonymous? Well after all it was you and me...
-sean
Huh.
Paul, I double checked searching for 'Dr Strange' and it turns out that what I assumed were multiple posts of the same tune are actually two different ones by that Paul Roland fella. So its just as well that link didn't work, as I think it might have been mis-titled, and the wrong one.
The other 'Dr Strange' track - the slightly longer one - does make more sense as a single, and the accompanying graphic is taken from the cover of a comp called 'A Splash of Colour: Neo-Psychedelia in Britain 1980-85' so its probably the correct one.
But its still not all that.
-sean
I had completely forgotten about Huckleberry Hound.
He symbolized the charming, amiable southern hound, as opposed to the angry rabid kind that get all the press attention these days in articles about politics.
He might be on the endangered list.
M.P.
I checked out that link the "Scooby doo and friends" comic and it has some lovely cartooning.
I went to my local comic book Store this past weekend and Scooby Doo is still going strong! I think he is being published by marvel now.
Love me some Scooby snacks!
MP who Was the more genteel Southerner? Was it huckleberry hound or foghorn leg horn?
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