December 1983 - Marvel UK monthlies, 40 years ago this month.

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The winds of change were blowing wherever you looked as 1983 prepared to make way for 1984. In the final month of that year, military rule ended in Argentina and democracy was restored with the launch of Raúl Alfonsín's first term as President.

Meanwhile, in Turkey, ANAP's Turgut Özal formed the new government of Turkey, thus beginning a new civilian regime in that land too.

But, in our cinemas, it was the return of the old, as Sean Connery reprised the role of James Bond, in Never Say Never Again, an adaptation of the novel Thunderball which had already been filmed in 1965. The "unofficial" movie would be the seventh and final time the Scot played the world's most famous secret agent.

Over on the UK singles chart, the Number One spot, that December, was held by just one song. And that song was the Flying Pickets' cover of Yazoo's early 1980s smash Only You.

On the British album chart, the Number One slot was initially hogged by Paul Young's No Parlez before even that was forced to make way for the unstoppable behemoth that was Various Artists' Now That's What I Call Music.

What's this? Unless my senses deceive me, the book the world knows as Daredevils has bitten the dust and merged with The Mighty World of Marvel to leave the company with just four monthly mags!

You can tell it's bad news. Look at how sad even Wolverine's looking about it, on that cover.

Then again, maybe he has other reasons for feeling down. After all, it seems Yukio's killed Asano, forcing our hero to recognise her treachery and hunt her down.

Meanwhile in the fun-filled wonderland of the United Kingdom, following Jim Jaspers' eradication of all super-beings, two young girls in hiding talk about Captain Britain.

And Night-Raven experiences Part 2 of the adventure that is Quiet Town.

Other magazines may falter but, like its all-but immortal hero, Doctor Who Monthly just keeps on going.

In this issue, we get a history of the Cybermen and a look back at the Celestial Toymaker. Who would have thought that villain would return almost exactly 40 years after the publication of this issue?

And I do believe this month's much-touted poster is of that very villain, as played by Michael Gough.

But that's not all. We're also fed the conclusion of the comic strip Four-Dimensional Vistas which features that other First Doctor foe the Meddling Monk.

Speaking of the First Doctor, William Hartnell's widow is interviewed.

And there's a report on the Chicago Doctor Who Convention.

The bulk of this issue belongs to The Demon in the Dark in which, after a death-defying encounter with Barachan pirate Bor'aqh Sharaq, Conan reaches the Argossean capital.

After that, he receives a six-page tale called Hunters and Hunted!

And there's the Solomon Kane adventure Red Seas in which the pistol-packing Puritan comes to the aid of a Portuguese merchant vessel.

Britain's favourite sci-fi mag returns to thrill us with news of such gems as Spacehunter, Jaws 3D and Metalstorm! Much loved films, all.

But there's even more for us to sink our teeth into, as the issue also scrutinises House of Wax, Parasite and Friday the 13th 3D.

3D is definitely the theme of this issue and, to prove it, it even offers up a retrospective of the 3D movies of the 1950s and 60s.

Elsewhere, John Brosnan takes a look at the history of underwater Fantasy movies.