Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Change was absent atop the UK single chart, this week in 1973, as the Simon Park Orchestra retained the Number One spot, thanks to their TV instrumental Eye Level.
Change, was, however, present on the accompanying album chart, as the Rolling Stones found themselves dumped from the summit by Slade's latest platter that battered, the LP the world knows as Sladest.
That record got us partying hard but what of Marvel UK? Was its output, that week, rocking our world?
While this is indeed good news, it does somewhat spoil the tension for the reader, having been told the ending before even encountering the beginning.
I'm not convinced I ever had this issue but I do remember reading the tale in Bring on the Bad Guys and can exclusively reveal that, thanks to an explosion, the Green Goblin loses his memory and no longer remembers our hero's secret identity.
Or even his own secret identity.
And Peter Parker's always claiming to be unlucky.
And here's a strange coincidence because I do believe this issue's Thor tale also featured in Bring on the Bad Guys.
It's the one in which Odin grants the thunder god 48 hours to defeat the Absorbing Man, which he does by the unlikely feat of turning the volatile villain into helium and then watching him float away.
Finally, we round off the issue with a Tale of Asgard in which the youthful Thor first encounters Hela while trying to prise Balder's sister Sif away from the delectable death deity.
From what I gather, the team of dastardly-doers has been assembled because the Baron wants to exact revenge upon Captain America.
I assume this is connected to the silly sausage having accidentally glued his mask to his face.
After that, Baron Mordo plots to steal the secrets of the Ancient One. Sending his spirit form to Tibet, he causes someone called Hamir to poison the intended victim. However, Dr Strange senses his master's predicament and engages Mordo in a mystical punch-up.
It's a landmark event, as we reach the first Mighty World of Marvel issue I saved instead of throwing away.
Granted, that was more by luck than strategy, as, when I started collecting comics - rather than just reading them - this happened to still be in the house, despite already being several weeks old at the time.
Inside it, the Hulk comes up against the communist community's equivalent of himself when he encounters a caveman who's been transformed into a pink monster by radiation and then dumped in New York for the hated capitalists to deal with.
We also get the tale of the Infant Terrible, as a child from space is stranded on Earth and recruited by criminals to aid them in their law-breaking.
But how can even the Fantastic Four hope to stop such a fabulously powerful creature?
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35 comments:
Yes, thats correct about Baron Ze.. well actually he's just Zemo in that Avengers story, which I believe was has first appearance (yeah, for years I assumed he was some old character from the 40s too, like the Red Skull). The posh title came a bit later.
Anyway, thats correct, Steve - he wanted revenge on Cap because he broke the vat of superglue that caused Zemo's mask to stick to his face permanently.
I checked out the singles chart for this week, and did not know that Bryan Ferry had a hit with his version of 'A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall'. Its a somewhat counter-intuitive approach to a Dylan song, doing it in the (then current) style of Roxy Music, which makes it interesting. Unfortunately its a bit crap though.
There must have been something in the water, as Bowie was also doing the ironic post-modern 60s cover version thing this week, with his new 'Pin Ups' album. Thats a bit crap too.
-sean
There are no crossbow bolts coming over the parapet! Sean's proved this, so now the rest of us can stick our heads above it!
On that cover, Zemo appears to be pretending to face Cap, whilst flipping his stick/ray gun over his shoulder, and zapping Thor (behind him). (I know radioactive man's actually blasting Thor!) With the Melter positioned, almost off-scene, he looks like the Masters of Evil's Mr.Big, rather than Zemo (who's mucking in, like a flunky!)
The Missing Link - Cave Man types were 10 a penny. The First Man - or whatever his name is - in Thor (Marvel Superheroes Annual 1979 or 1980?) The Animus was Cave man-like, too. Plus, there's another, rattling around in my memory. Even Billy - in Alfredo Alcala's 'Feeding Billy' - who literally had a cave - is that type of character.
Isn't the Missing Link concept passe? Don't anthropologists now believe lots of different human predecessors were alive - in parallel - rather than it being a linear progression?
Phillip
Over the top, Phillip! Live free or die.
Or at least comment on Steve's latest blog post.
Just wanted to add that the musical highlight of the week was the release of Kraftwerk's third album 'Ralf & Florian' (they'd been reduced to a duo after various splits and whatnot).
Its very much a transitional record - the missing link, if you will - half way between the earlier out-there hairy era, and the style for which they became better known. Here's a contemporary clip of them playing 'Tanzmusik' on West German tv (with new third member and electronic 'drums') -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIbSkw4yvec
The next album was 'Autobahn' in '74...
-sean
That presenter's got a better head of hair than 'Whispering Bob'. Maybe Kraftwerk's lead instrument-player could have tried standing on one leg, like Ian Anderson!
Phillip
Phillip, I think the idea of a missing link is indeed old hat nowadays (not that I'm an expert on the matter) and the origins of modern humans are much more complicated than they used to be. Even Neanderthals can no longer be regarded as a separate species to Homo Sapiens because it's now known that they interbred with humans and produced fertile offspring (we all have Neanderthal DNA) which is supposed to be impossible for two separate species.
The Missing Link turned up again in MWOM in the summer of 1976 just before the merger with The Avengers in MWOM #199.
Colin - At school, I remember learning about australopithecus, Olduvai Gorge, etc. At the time, I inferred the unknown Missing Link must be situated inbetween apes & australopithecus. All those old text-books must now be consigned to the dustbin of scholastic history!
Phillip
Phillip, you were taught more interesting stuff at school than I was! But the same reappraisal has happened to dinosaurs of course - we must now talk of "non-avian" dinosaurs going extinct 65 million years ago because birds are now officially considered to be dinosaurs. And the modern understanding of dinosaurs is very different from the lumbering, tiny-brained, cold-blooded big lizards that we read about in books in the '70s.
Colin - Olduvai Gorge was definitely a highlight. Less successful was a subsequent whole class text. The next book featured a cartoon figure in a deer-stalker hat, wielding a magnifying glass, declaring: "History is about detective work!" Aged 12, I found this intellectually patronizing as, to me, history being about "detective work" was stating the obvious! Other babyish cartoon pictures followed! Maybe, for somebody in my class, such things weren't self-evident, but why "dumb down" the lessons for everybody? Still, must give credit where it's due - being taught a bit of basic anthropology cancels out the following patronizing 'Sherlock' cartoon, helping us supposedly dimwitted Yorkshire pupils understand the obvious!
Phillip
btw - Tanz (in Tanzmusic)means 'dance' (Sean's clip.) Stating the obvious mode (the words sound similar), once you've cheated by looking it up!
Phillip
Phillip and Steve, do you have any opinions about the cancelling of HS2? Considering that you both live in the North of England will the north/south divide get worse now that HS2 will no longer extend to Manchester?
Obviously any other SDC readers can chip in too. In my opinion it's amazing how other countries can build high-speed rail networks without any problems but the UK government makes a complete dog's breakfast of it (on second thoughts I'm not that amazed!)
Colin - you obviously are not including the USA in high speed rail, lol.
We got close, mind you, in Texas to having mag-lev (!) between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio but Herb (the drunk asshole) Kelleher quit his job as founder and CEO of Southwest Air around 2000 to move to D.C. and figure out a way to to kill this $BB project.
He succeeded. (Duh.) He and his lawyers found an arcane law from the early 1900s prohibiting the Government from guaranteeing loans to railroads.
Speaking of sports! Who needs Arsenal – Man City when the 2023 World Conker Championship is on the agenda October 8, in Southwick, Northamptonshire! Charlie will hopefully be live streaming this most thrilling event!
And Chicago hit a sports trifecta today:
- The Bears won for the first time in a year.
– 30 years ago today Michael Jordan retired from Basketball for the first time!
- And the venerable Dick Butkus passed today. He was THE "monster of the midway" when I was a kid. Some say the best ever. Got to see him play once and stop a running back at full speed like the guy literally ran into a brick wall. Dick then slammed him to the ground.
As far as COMIC BLOGGERS signing off...
To be sure BitBA and BAB hurt.
But I was also bummed Lew Stringer hung up his spurs in December 2019, thus ending “Blimey! The British Age of Comics.” Being an artist and long time collector, he certainly had great insights.
I’ve not found a suitable replacement for the DC Thomson-ish side of things. Any thoughts? (I probably asked this before but man do I have trouble recalling stuff sometimes, now.)
After looking at the timeline of the earth, it seems pretty clear that the universe is well organized for creating the building blocks of life e.g., organic molecules and onward.
Getting from organic molecules to us is the hard part?
I mean the earth is 4.5 BB years old and life started 3.8 BB years ago.
700 MM years to start life (eazy-peazy) compared to another 3.8 BB years to get to us (complicated)… whatever us is.
Geeze - I didn't even notice ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY by Joe WALSH was on the charts 50 years ago.
That song was played on FM, during the weekend evening hours, with regularity for decades like it had overdosed on metamusal!
And let's not forget RINGO'S smash hit PHOTOGRAPH debuted this week!
#1 in many countries around this globe! Co-written with GEORGE HARRISON.
Always love me some Beatles!
About this "missing link" business, I know that humans and apes share a common ancestor.
Does that make it wrong for me to hate monkeys?
M.P.
Colin - To me, HS2's a complete waste of money. Train journeys allow you to see the scenery. Travelling at over 200 mph (or whatever it is) means you'd miss everything. No one wants to travel massively faster - you just want a seat. So why not just pay for extra carriages? Plus, if HS2 is built, even more northerners would work in London, increasing the north-south divide - and even more southerners would retire in the north, making northern house prices increase. Mr. "List" Sunak's right - although his pie-in-the-sky "northern network" won't get built, something he knows very well, even whilst he was announcing it.
M.P. I hated the Mandrill. The only decent 70s monkey was Nkima, in 'Tarzan Lord of the Jungle' - oh, and Monkey - as in "Monkey, Sandy & Pigsy", of course. I don't know if that Japanese show about a Chinese myth ever made it across the Atlantic.
Phillip
Phil, are you talking about the Saturday morning Tazarn cartoon? I remember that.
That was a pretty good cartoon.
Ny brother actually got slapped by a monkey one time. We were at a zoo and he was about five years old and got too close to a cage.
Completely spun him around. He didn't cry but he had murder in his eyes.
That whole episode may have permanently altered his temperament.
That would explain a lot.
M.P.
I misspelled Tarzan!
M.P. - Yes, that's the one. Sparked me reading Edgar Rice Burroughs!
I suppose your bro' was lucky it was a slap, and not a punch! That cage's bars needed to be closer together!
My family once went to Flamingo Land (a mini-zoo/fun park). The orang utans would hold their hands out, beckoning for food. Then, when you didn't provide any, they would spit at you! Even as a kid, this struck me as a pitiful spectacle.
Phillip
Colin, as far as I'm concerned, HS2 should never have been proposed, approved or started. The priority should always have been improving transport links between the major northern towns and cities, rather than a scheme that would have primarily benefited London which had already had massive transport infrastructure spending devoted to it.
No wonder Dr Zaius didn't think much of man, Phillip.
Colin, HS2 has been replaced by 'Network North', so I don't know what all the fuss is about. I hear in Sheffield they may, possibly, get a new line to Chesterfield. What more could northerners want? And yet they're always complaining.
-sean
Steve, yes, HS2 didn't make much sense to start with, especially considering the cost (which was obviously always going to end up being even more than originally projected). Funny how the government had no problem committing to that level of spending at a time when they were also pushing 'Austerity', isn't it?
The bigger scandal - ignored by the Anglocentric media of course - was Boris Johnson cancelling the bridge to Ireland he promised.
Although to be fair he did put a border in the Irish Sea, which was a much better idea...
-sean
Sean - For Southern 'optimism', epitomized by Janie Jackson, as opposed to Northern whingers, go to 17:50:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZeeVdM54p0
Phillip
Dunno about that, Phillip. This would have been better -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8q3Q2JIJQQ
-sean
Unfortunately, Ken's in a bad way now, Sean. It's a pity a saviour-figure, opposed to Bojo's premiership (let alone him being Mayor) never stepped up, in the nation's hour of need!
Phillip
Steve and Phillip, your opinions of HS2 are very different from the "angry, left-behind northerners" attitude that's been presented in the media in recent days! The Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, was certainly pretty furious about the cancellation. I must admit that I did wonder why getting to London half an hour quicker was such a big deal in this internet age when you don't even need to leave the house to do a lot of things. I also wondered why HS2 was intended to stop at Manchester rather than going on to Glasgow or Edinburgh. Don't they count?
Colin - For the BBC to appear impartial, whatever the topic, it always interviews both "sides", even if this doesn't reflect majority opinion, on whatever topic it is. Creating supposed "conflict" - which media ratings thrive on - is an added bonus to this strategy! I know you've already considered such things, but I'm just verbalizing it!
Phillip
Glasgow or Edinburgh, Colin? There's no tory constituencies in Scotland, so who cares?
I saw an official list of the 'Network North' projects replacing HS2... it includes stuff in Kent and Somerset! (It also did not escape my notice that to show where everything was going to be it was accompanied by a map of Britain, rather than one of the UK)
Phillip, I believe Ken has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. Sad to hear.
One of the few politicians you could actually say something good about. Even though he was English (;
-sean
*Correction - there are actually a few tory MPs in Scotland. Apologies for the exaggeration (although it's a slight one, and the basic point holds).
-sean
Colin, the original plan was for HS2's eastern leg to, one day, be extended to Edinburgh and for its western leg to be extended to Glasgow but, when the eastern leg to Sheffield and Leeds was cancelled, that was the end of Edinburgh's hopes of ever getting high-speed rail, and the cancellation of the western leg ends Glasgow's hopes.
I didn't know Ken Livingstone has Alzheimers. So does Glenys Kinnock apparently. I think it was Ken Livingstone (or Tony Benn?) who said "General elections would be abolished if they changed anything" and there won't be much change it seems when Tweedlesunak is replaced by Tweedlestarmer. But I recall ken Livingstone saying that Hitler had been elected which is incorrect because Hitler was appointed as Chancellor not elected!
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