December 29th 1973 - Marvel UK, 50 years ago this week.

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

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A wise man once said, "It's ChristMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSS!!!!!"

That man was Noddy Holder. And December 1973 was the first time he said it because that was when Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody claimed the coveted Christmas Number One spot in the UK.

Somehow, I can't help feeling I've said this before.

Regardless, over on the LP chart, Elton John's latest platter that mattered Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was hogging the pinnacle.

Given that that Slade single is my favourite Christmas song of all time, it goes without saying that it's a track I approve of. However, at this time of year, even a Scrooge like me feels inclined to spread the love around and, so, other tracks I approved of on that week's singles chart were:

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day - Wizzard

My Coo-Ca-Choo - Alvin Stardust

The Show Must Go On - Leo Sayer

Lamplight - David Essex

Roll Away the Stone - Mott the Hoople

Dance with The Devil - Cozy Powell

Amoureuse - Kiki Dee

Mind Games - John Lennon

Photograph - Ringo Starr

and

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John.

I do notice there are no less than two versions of Deck of Cards in the Top 50. What had we done to deserve that special honour?

Should you wish to study that year's UK Christmas countdown further, it can be found here.

While the accompanying album chart resides right here.

Now the Hulk's in trouble!

He has to take on a man whose power is sand!

How can even our hero ever hope to prevail against a man who's coarse and rough and irritating and gets everywhere?

Quite easily, as it turns out but, first, he has to realise that he should be fighting him at all.

That's because, in a scheme to steal some secret military documents, Sandy cons him into believing he's his only friend in the world.

The Fantastic Four, meanwhile, are still, as far as I'm aware, in Dr Doom's embassy and having to face whatever new madcap malevolence the metal-masked menace has machinated.

I do believe this is the tale in which Doom and Reed partake in a mental dual in which the FF's leader convinces the villain that triumph is finally his.

Oh, the melodrama! Spidey and JJ have been captured by the Kingpin who's out to drown the pair of them!

Not to worry, Spidey's web dome soon removes that threat and, now, the wallcrawler's free to deal with the rotund robber.

But there's more drama yet to be acted out as, in a surprising burst of nobility, Fred Foswell sacrifices himself to save the publisher who gave him a second chance.

An individual to whom you definitely wouldn't give a second chance is the Absorbing Man.

And that's a shame because he's getting one.

The mimicry-based menace is loose on the streets of New York - and only Thor can stop him.

But just how do you stop someone who's at least as powerful as you are?

Hooray! This is the first issue I had that featured the new Avengers lineup!

And what a challenge they face when they must thwart the hulking horror of General Gorgo.

As far as I can remember, he's a Vietnamese tyrant who seems unstoppable until it turns out he's a robot and the Scarlet Witch blows him up with her hex power.

I do believe this issue also contains the conclusion of Dr Strange's first encounter with Dormammu, in which the smog-faced villain has to pledge never to invade Earth, thanks to having needed the sorcerer's help in preventing the Mindless Ones from destroying his kingdom.