The Marvel Lucky Bag - August 1973.

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

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August 1973 saw no shortage of famous films in the cinemas of mankind. It was a month, after all, which saw the unveiling of such works as American Graffiti, Jesus Christ Superstar, Westworld, Electra Glide in Blue, The Naked Ape, Enter the Dragon and High Plains Drifter.

It also saw the release of the, possibly, less celebrated Blackenstein, and something called The Boy Who Cried Werewolf which starred Kerwin Mathews of 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jack the Giant Killer fame. Frankly, they both sound like the kind of film I have to see.

Judging by that cover, Doc and the gang find themselves up against a bullet-proof giant!

That, and that alone, is all the light I can shed upon the interiors of this tale.

A brand new title hits the shelves!

And does so by reprinting that epic tale of how Hercules almost became a Hollywood star but became, instead, trapped within the dismal realm of Hades!

There's also a Tales of Asgard reprint in which Loki convinces King Hymir to put Thor to a deadly test. A test the thunder god must win - or become a slave of that evil monarch!

As if Spider-Man didn't have enough to worry about with one early 1970s lycanthrope in his life, he now has to put up with another, as he and the Werewolf by Night must scupper Moondark's plot to take over San Francisco.

It's a hard life in the jungle and, after just five issues, Shanna's mag hits the buffers. However, with its demise, it introduces Nekra to the Marvel universe.

I have a feeling this is the one which gives us the weird retelling of Yellow Submarine, as a quartet of strangers arrive in their golden submersible to request Namor's help in overthrowing the tyrant who's taken over their undersea paradise of Zephyrland.

The living Mummy makes his bandage-bothering debut and immediately goes looking for the descendant of the man who cursed him, fully 3,000 years ago.

And another new mag makes its entrance. This time, sporting a cover by Esteban Maroto.

Upon its myriad pages, we get an adventure for Morbius the living vampire, a 1950s Bill Everett werewolf tale, a photo-heavy vampire retrospective by Chris Claremont, an adaptation of John Polidori's The Vampyre, something called Satan Can Wait and Mark Evanier's look at the worst vampire films ever made.

What's this? Warlock discovers that Counter-Earth's Doc Doom is a good guy and it's Reed Richards who's a villain?

Not only that but the latter scientist is also the unstoppable powerhouse known as The Brute?

It's non-stop drama when the man called Victorius kidnaps Bobbi Morse and takes her to his AIM fortress.

Nick Fury gives Ka-Zar the super-soldier serum and sends him after them - but, when he gets there, the jungle lord throws away the serum before going in to confront the wrongdoer.

Tactics are clearly not our hero's strong point.