Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Ten years after the imprint's launch, we find Marvel UK publishing three titles a week, compared to the single title it was publishing a decade earlier. I suppose a threefold increase in output constitutes a triumph. So, hooray for Marvel UK!
Therefore, as nothing interesting was happening in the world on this week in 1982, and there was no change at the top of either the British singles or album charts, I shall fling myself straight into the company's tenth-anniversary awesomeness.
Together?
Marvel's flagship hero and the Hulk's oldest foe?
Can it be true?
Yes, it can be, though I've no idea how, as I've never read this tale. I'm assuming, however, that it's reprinted from the pages of Marvel Team-Up.
Regardless, we also get a free Jack Kirby Fantastic Four poster that depicts the Thing struggling to retain his balance on one of Reed Richards' less practical flying devices.
But, of course, what really matters is we can win one of those fancy new Dungeons and Dragons games that all the hip kids are talking about!
Sadly, I'm uncertain as to just which tale's contained within. Given the provenance of recent tales, it's possible we're being served up a reprint of the US Incredible Hulk #131 in which the green grappler first encounters Jim Wilson and chocolate bars - and then has to fight Iron Man.
We also have a tale dedicated to everyone's favourite stunt cyclist Ghost Rider but I've no idea at all as to just what he's up to, this issue.
And what are he and his TV friends up to, this week?
In the immortal words of Toyah Wilcox, it's a mystery.
But, then, mystery is the whole point of Scooby-Doo. So, how can we complain?
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28 comments:
Are you sure the Gargoyle in that Super Spidey TV Comic was the Hulk's oldest foe, Steve, and not the Etrigan knock-off who was a member of the Defenders in the early 80s, and co-starred in MTU #119?
Its only fair to point out that Marvel UK didn't have any monthly titles when they started, so a decade on they were doing a bit better than a threefold increase.
Or a twofold one.
Mind you, with the He-Hulk's comic gone that isn't going to help you fill out the Thursday post most weeks, especially when Mark Onboarder doesn't come through on the Scoobies...
-sean
But this is the last '40 Years Ago' post, Sean, so there'll be no more need for Scoobies.
Next week it's Mighty World Of Marvel #1...isn't it?
I do believe you're right, Colin.
Sean, I don't have a clue which Gargoyle it is.
Steve, you're mistaken about no change at #1 on the singles chart. Musical Youth's 'Pass The Dutchie' reached #1 on September 28th 1982 and I remember it made the BBC news that night because the song had leapt to #1 from about #30 the previous week. Also a group of teenage West Indians reaching #1 was regarded as a good news story by the BBC I think.
The latest YouGov opinion poll gives Labour a whopping 33% lead so maybe Calamity Liz will be the shortest-surviving PM on record. Anything is possible when Tory MPs go into full-on panic mode.
According to a recent survey 40% of people in the UK think they can use as much energy as they want this winter and they won't pay any more than £2,500. Those people are in for a big surprise when their bills arrive and I trust that Steve Does Comics readers are not so deluded!
Given the frequency of inane moral panics about records back then Colin, its kind of surprising there wasn't any controversy around 'Pass the Dutchie' being a version of the Mighty Diamonds' 'Pass the Kouchie'.
'How does it feel when you got no herb...'
-sean
I thought it might be the Grey Gargoyle!
...that they're referring to, up there on that cover, that is.
(cough)
M.P.
Marvel Team-up #119 featured Spiderman and Gargoyle (from the Defenders). This was cover dates July 1982 and so probably released around March. It could have been a rush reprint, which Marvel UK did from time to time. Pass the Dutchie did seem to hit the number one spot from nowhere.
DW
MP - I'm with you, brother...
It wasn't until a few weeks ago, when SDC reviewed HULK 1 that I recalled there was another GARGOYLE.. of the non-gray species.
Multiple Gargoyles, multiple ETERNALS... Would it have been that hard to find an alternative name?
BRITMANIA!
Folks I notice that Two-Morrows Publishing is releasing BRITMANIA recalling all things pop culture about the "BRITISH INVASION" of the USA in the early 1960: music, TV, Film..
Ever curious, Charlie wonders about the UK's perspective of all this?
Was it in the UK lexicon to speak of:
- A BRITISH INVASION of the USA in the early 1960s?
- The "2ND BRITISH INVASTION" in the early 1980s?
Or were these just American slogans for those times?
It's kind of like Charlie wonders about AUSTRALIA. Do Aussies call themselves "DOWN UNDER WONDERS?" Hell, as far as that goes, do Aussies' maps show Australia in the bottom right-hand corner of the world or is it in the center of the map? How can you conceive of yourself as a Down Under Wonder if you are in the center of the map?
And as far as that goes, Charlie was perplexed for years trying to understand why the "WEST INDIES" were south of Florida and the "FAR EAST" was to our west!
UK brothers... lets stick to comics and not economics... otherwise Charlie might mention that the "trickle down economics" your government is proposing via tax cuts for all, notably the wealthy, has been empirically disproven here in the USA.
We have lots of data thanks to George "dum dum" Bush Jr and Donald "bonsepur" Trump. Reason being that the rich don't really buy incremental shtuff and incrementally stimulate the economy. They already have all the shtuff they want. It's not like they suddenly say, "Wow Melba... The Gov shaved $1 BB of my taxes this year!!! Let's build a factory and create jobs!!!" Rather what they do is "Hey, let's do a share buy back and I'll be even richer!" Or, "Call our accountant Lucky Louie! We need to move a crap ton of $$$ off shore before they decide to tax it!"
Don't worry, Charlie - that "trickle down" nonsense has been discredited here too but our new Prime-Minister is a far-right fanatic who doesn't care about evidence. She's only been PM for three weeks and her insane policies are already causing economic chaos with the pound-sterling in free-fall.
Yes, the terms "British Invasion" and "Second British Invasion" are well known here but I've never heard "Down Under Wonder" before, although "Down Under" and "Oz" are well-known terms for Australia.
By the way, Charlie - the first coins bearing the head of King Charles will be in circulation by Christmas. If you want to see them just google King Charles coins.
Colin, you're right. I forgot to advance the chart site's page by a week from the previous time I'd looked at it.
News reporters' repeated reference to the, "£2,500 price cap," really is one of the most aggravating things I've heard from the media about anything. How hard can it really be to explain things in a non-confusing and non-misleading way?
I think my favourite media headline about the budget - sorry, fiscal event - was last Saturday's Mail, Steve - 'At last! A true tory budget'. Then a couple of days later they had a front page complaining about the unpetriotic banksters speculating against the pound. You couldn't make it up.
Colin, don't forget two of those three weeks Liz Truss has been prime minister were taken up with the queen's funeral and all that bollocks, so really she tanked the British economy with her first act in government. Pretty impressive going.
I can't wait for her next move - she was going on about sorting out the Irish protocol yesterday. With these idiots' level of competence, we could be looking at a 32 county Republic pretty soon...
-sean
Charlie
Yes maps in Australia show Australia at the bottom right. Geographically, Australians are probably better informed than most and very aware of the distance from other continents.
Down Under is more of a marketing term and I'm sure some drongo has used Down Under Wonder. Probably in the entertainment industry. I still attach the term to the Paul Hogan tourism ads from the 80s.
DW
The thing that most strikes me about Liz Truss' epic fail is the sheer lack of imagination. Trickle down economics? Wasn't that debunked about 20 years ago? She's probably been planing and scheming for this moment for decades and had absolutely nothing. Shakes head.
DW
Imagine being one of those headcases and finally getting the chance to put your mad Ayn Rand-type theories into practice DW, and its actually the markets that trash them. And after you'd given them massive tax cuts, and removed the cap on their bonuses! You've got to laugh.
-sean
Sadly, my country is full of such types, Sean.
They seem hell-bent on returning us to a sort of feudalism, with them on top of course.
The crassness and cynicism are terrifying.
I, for one, have no desire to relive the 13th or 14th century.
I'm a happy-go-lucky guy, generally. But I'm starting to think Orwell was right.
With glee, people elect tyrants now.
M.P.
I thought Bojo was the worst Prime Minister since records began. Now, I stand corrected. To be honest, though, it's probably a tie, as joint worst in history!
Phillip
Charlie, DW - apparently you can buy inverted maps which show the Southern Hemisphere at the top but I've never actually seen one. There's absolutely no reason why the Northern Hemisphere should be at the top of a map and it's only because the world's power and wealth existed in the Northern Hemisphere when modern mapping began so that image of the world has stuck ever since. Lines of latitude and longitude on a map also distort the size of continents in relation to each other and make Africa and South America seem smaller compared to Eurasia and North America. My sister owned a map with the latitude/longitude lines removed so the continents could be shown in their true sizes and it was startling to see how enormous Africa and South America really are!
Dunno Phillip - when it comes to worst British prime minister in our lifetime theres pretty stiff competition. Has the current generation of tories been worse than Thatcher? Obviously they're more incompetent... but I'd suggest being 'successful' at reshaping society made herself the worst.
And to be fair unlike some other PMs of recent memory they haven't got the UK into any crazy wars. Yet.
Anyway, the important thing is that right now Arsenal are 3-1 up against Spurs. With only ten minutes left to go...
-sean
COLIN, DW -I just learned that one could fit the USA, Europe, and CHina (?) into the African continent. never realized it was so huge!
DW - I first heard the term "DOWN UNDER WONDER" from my Uncle who managed professional tennis players in the 1970s notably AUSTRALIANS Phil Dent, Kim Warwick, Bill Lloyd. We would see them frequently in the summers since they preferred to stay by my uncle in Chicago, between the Wimbledon and US Open, rather than return to Oz and face the jet lag multiple times. And my Uncle being a bit of a character would often announce "The Down Under Wonders are here!" as they would walk into our house, lol.
As I watch Arsenal send Tottenham down in Flames and the announcers are talking a bit about the upcoming World Cup, it does cause this yank to wonder if Roy of the Rovers ever made it to the World Cup?
Roy definitely played for Ingerland - actually, iirc, in the late 70s he was briefly manager, after Don Revie got the push.
Although I couldn't tell you how often he actually played in the World Cup. It couldn't have been too many times though. After all, it is England...
-sean
From memory the Tiger comic ( where Roys story's took place in the 1970s) didn't temd to focus too much on international games and when they did the countries they played against in many cases, were made up (Morovia etc). England did play Scotland in the Roy 1970s era comic as I recall that story and at that time Scotand were the more successful team in World Cup qualifying in the 1970s ( then proceeded to crash out of the tournament to minnows) and England were going through a lot spell . In 2010 there was a Roy of the Rovers special that featured Roy's career as England manager (possibly from the 1970s that Seems mentions) but im not sure if they won the cup in that comic. Roy fed played for England in the comics at World Cups.
Made up countries? I would love to read a comic about Roy and his England team playing Latveria in an away match.
-sean
Sean, you'll be delighted to know that tonight's 'Archive On 4' on Radio 4 was all about Kate Bush.
I wonder what she thinks of Liz Truss?
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