December 8th 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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This week in 1973 held bad news for you if you were a fan of driving fast, because the speed limit on UK motorways was suddenly slashed from 70 miles per hour to a mere 50. This was done in an attempt to deal with problems caused by the fuel crisis.

Clearly, not so bothered about wasting fuel was NASA because it was merrily flying Pioneer 10 around the universe, possibly at a much faster pace than 50 miles per hour. And so it was that, this very week, the craft sent back the first-ever close-up photos of Jupiter.

Bringing everyone back down to Earth, it was also the week in which the United States' House of Representatives voted to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States. Not that they were in any kind of hurry but he was sworn in on the very same day.

While that was happening, on the UK singles chart, the Number One song was still I Love You Love Me Love by Gary Glitter.

And the accompanying album chart found its top slot occupied by Roxy Music's Stranded.

Obviously, subsequent events have robbed me of all ability to approve of that Number One single. However, the tracks I did approve of on that week's chart were:

My Coo-Ca-Choo - Alvin Stardust

Lamplight - David Essex

Roll Away the Stone - Mott the Hoople

Photograph - Ringo Starr

Amoureuse  - Kiki Dee

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day - Wizzard

Mind Games - John Lennon

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John

Showdown - Electric Light Orchestra

and

Dance with The Devil - Cozy Powell.

Should you wish to peruse the matter further, that week’s UK singles chart can be found here.

While the associated album chart resides right here.

Judging by that cover, I can only conclude this one contains the Earth-rattling conclusion to the Hulk's clash with Umbu the tuning fork-wielding giant robot from space. It's the tale in which our anti-hero saves the whole planet from a severe case of climate change; which only goes to prove that, despite his lack of social graces, the Hulk is as green as anyone.

Unfortunately, in the process, Bruce Banner gets zapped by a bucketload of radiation, collapses, face-down, on the floor and is immediately declared dead, by Ka-Zar who gives us a perfect demonstration of why he's not allowed to practise medicine.

As if that's not thrilling enough for any discerning reader, we also get the climax of Diablo's debut clash with the first family of Marvel, as the Thing finally comes to his senses and helps the Fantastic Four defeat the antagonistic alchemist before putting him back in the very hole from which he emerged.

It's a case of double trouble because Kraven the Hunter's so miffed that the new, unimproved Vulture's defeated his nemesis Spider-Man that he feels he now has no choice but to fell the feathery fiend, in order to prove who's top dog.

Of course, it turns out that neither of them is, as Spidey interrupts their fight and leaves them both in a pile on the floor. I do recall, especially that the wallcrawler decks Kraven with the sudden use of his, "Sunday Punch."

It's clearly a week for conclusions because we're also supplied with the end of the Thor story in which he must stop the Destroyer.

Fortunately, despite having a broken hammer, he proves more than up to the task and everyone will, no doubt, live happily ever after.

Wouldn't you know it, the Avengers are, yet again, forced into battle with the Masters of Evil, while Cap tracks Mr Zemo down to the jungle hideout in which he's holding Rick Jones.

According to the Grand Comics Database, the villain tries to bring an avalanche down on Cap but only succeeds in killing himself. Thus is the death of Bucky Barnes finally avenged.

Or is it? After all, is this the original Zemo? Or is this his son or nephew or whoever it was the fake Zemo was?

And it's a big day in the life of Dr Strange when he gets to have a scrap with Loki, who, being a god, proves to have noticeably more magic than the supernatural surgeon can comfortably handle.