Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
***
A new year may have been well and truly out of the starting blocks in 1974 but there was precious little sign of movement at the peak of the UK singles chart, with Slade's unstoppable anthem Merry Xmas Everybody still hogging the top spot.
And it was an identical scene atop the album chart, with Yes still ruling the roost, thanks to their latest bid to give Roger Dean work with Tales From Topographic Oceans.
My love for Slade goes without saying but there were other singles I approved of on that week's Top 50. And those songs were:
The Show Must Go On - Leo Sayer
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day - Wizzard
My Coo-Ca-Choo - Alvin Stardust
Dance with The Devil - Cozy Powell
Lamplight - David Essex
Roll Away the Stone - Mott the Hoople
Amoureuse - Kiki Dee
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Mind Games - John Lennon
Photograph - Ringo Starr
How Come? - Ronnie Lane & Slim Chance
and
Living for The City - Stevie Wonder.
Should you wish to explore the matter in greater depth, that week's UK singles chart may be found here.
While the corresponding LP chart is located within.
Verily, I say the nay. And, possibly, neigh, as well.
It can be announced that a whole new era of Marvel UK begins as, from now on, all its weekly books get the shiny-fronted treatment once reserved for the world's mightiest super-team.
And how excited was I when I first clapped eyes on this book?
Not in the slightest, as I must confess I never had this issue. Oh, the bitter horror that I should have missed out on such a momentous event.
Behind that cover, with the Hulk once more in custody, Thunderbolt Ross tries to find someone who can keep the jade juggernaut imprisoned.
And he finds him.
In the Leader.
Who's going to trap him in an unbreakable rubber prison.
Why do I get the feeling that trusting the Leader might not turn out to be the best decision Thunderbolt's ever made?
Then again, has he actually ever made a good decision? I'm struggling to think of one.
When it comes to the Fantastic Four, despite what it says on the cover, Dr Doom's nowhere in sight. Instead, the Mole Man's kidnapping large chunks of New York real estate - and only the FF can stop him.
Assuming they can prevent the Avengers from doing it first.
However, he's only doing it to hide out from the police and it's a mere a matter of time before he's fighting Spidey, and May's having another of her turns.
Elsewhere, Thor and the Absorbing Man are still battling on the streets of New York.
But, fearing the villain might still contrive to lose, Loki transports him to Asgard where he gets into a scrap with everyone in sight.
Needless to say, the thunder god's all set to pursue him but there's a complication when reporter Harris Hobbs discovers his secret identity and demands to be given a tour of that fabled realm, in return for his silence.
It seems they have.
For, between them, they manage to convince the Avengers that Iron Man wants the sabre-swinging scoundrel to be the team's newest member. And, so, a new member he becomes.
Needless to say, it's not going to be long before hostilities break out again.
Tragically, I can shed no light upon just what Dr Strange is up to in this issue.
I've no doubt, though, that it'll be something positively preternatural.
Posts
53 comments:
Thanks, Steve - that means a lot to me. SDC's read most of it before, though (although, this is the improved version!)
Anyway, if anyone loves re-runs, here's the link:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Marvel+Comics+Were+Fun%21&crid=18OANDDICCIRD&sprefix=marvel+comics+were+fun+%2Caps%2C507&ref=nb_sb_noss
Phillip
Pietro looks strange, in green. In my memory banks, he's always blue - e.g:
https://www.comics.org/issue/537664/cover/4/
Phillip
Not only was 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' the number one album this week, but it seems the second position was taken by 'Brain Salad Surgery'. I suppose at least it meant HR Giger had gainful employment as well as Roger Dean, but still... Yikes!
Steve, what do you mean you don't know if Thunderbolt Ross ever made a good decision? Do you not read the comments on your own blog? As I pointed out under the previous post, he once shot Rick Jones.
Btw, Dr Strange ways up against Tiboro, the tyrant of the sixth dimension in the snappily titled story 'Beware... Tiboro! Tyrant of the Sixth Dimension!"
-sean
Phillip, he does. Green is definitely not the right colour for a speedster.
*was up against
Duh.
-sean
Sean, thanks for the Doc Strange info.
But, surely, once shooting Rick was a mistake. Given that Rick lived, the correct decision would have been to shoot him twice.
Fair point, Steve.
Btw, maybe you or someone else here could help me out, as I'm a bit vague on this era of the Avengers - whats the deal with the Swordsman? Am I correct in understanding his 'power' was ér... having a sword?
It doesn't really seem like he should be giving the Avengers much of a problem? Or qualify for membership. I mean, even Hawkeye is more powerful than that. After all, he's got a bow and arrow!
-sean
Didn't Quicksilver wear a green outfit for some time before he changed it to a blue one? Whatever happens to Quicksilver, is he still around?
Some nice singles this week Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, Radar Love by Golden Earing and of course Bowies Sorrow.
This week's Avengers cover is a straight reprint of Avengers monthly #20 and so Pietro still rocked the green duds at that time. I think I prefer the green costume but assume the blue was chosen to better evoke quicksilver/mercury. With MWOM and SCW gaining glossy covers we enter the classic era (for me, as these are the formats I first remember).
Congrats Phillip, on the book. I'll grab a copy.
I'd say Mind Games and Sorrow are my favourite tracks in this week's top 50. How did Mind Games only make t to no.26? The only single from the top 50 I've seen performed live is 'You wont find another fool like me' when Lyn Paul played a Pontins' holiday camp a few years later. I suspect her career had peaked by then...
Plenty of great albums in this weeks top 50. I didn't realise Quadrophenia charted across 1073/74, as it seemed to belong to the 60s. That being the point, I guess.
DW
*1973/74. The Who were definitely later then William the conqueror...
DW
*than
FFS
The epic Dr Who adventure INVASION OF THE DINOSAURS began exactly 50 years ago today on Saturday, January 12th 1974. Obviously the special effects would look a bit ropey by modern standards but that's part of the charm of classic Who. Anyway I was enthralled by IOTD and for me it remains one of the most memorable Dr Who stories - all six episodes are available on BBC iPlayer and I intend to watch them to celebrate the 50th anniversary :D
Phillip, congratulations on your e-book and congratulations on buying your first mobile phone. I've had a mobile phone since 2003 but they are now becoming a necessity due to the switchover to an internet phone service. I've got BT's Digital Voice which means my landline phone now plugs into my router so if my broadband goes down my phone service goes down too and a mobile phone is the only way to contact BT or 999 until the BT engineer shows up. Everyone will need a mobile phone when the entire country has been switched over to the new internet phone service.
Colin
I remember Invasion of the Dinosaurs as it was part of Pertwee's last series, and Sarah Jane's first. I'm pretty sure the BBC deleted the master tape of the first episode, assuming it was part of the Troughton story 'Invasion'. I believe they sourced a black and white replacement and colourised it.
I think this was the first series of Doctor Who I watched in colour. What opulence.
DW
DW, I've just been watching the first three episodes of INVASION OF THE DINOSAURS and the first episode was simply called INVASION which I thought was a bit strange. Anyway I enjoyed the three episodes and the special effects weren't too bad except for the Tyrannosaurus Rex which was dreadful and unintentionally hilarious.
It was so much more enjoyable than boring modern Who and singing goblins. Episode three ended with Sarah Jane Smith being captured and leaving Earth on a spaceship - what a cliffhanger!
Like DW, the arrival of glossy covers marks the start of Marvel UK's classic era for me. Now everything was in place for when I discovered Marvel comics in November of 1974.
Congrats, Phil! I'm a bit scattered at the moment but I will check out the link. I am curious.
Yeah, I agree, green is not the color for a speedster. Red is probably the best color, but that was taken. Y'know, the Flash.
And as we all know, green in Marvel Comics usually signifies a character who is bad, or, in the case of the Hulk, somewhat ambiguous.
M.P
DW - Thanks for the vote of confidence. I really appreciate it.
Colin - Thanks. Yes, for decades I've proudly declared myself an anti-mobile phone dinosaur.
Nevertheless, my brother's been nudging me towards a mobile phone, for a while now. He says, eventually a mobile phone may be necessary for banking, etc (the 2-stage verification - or whatever it's called - which was why I caved in and bought it, in respect of my book project). My phone, however, was Argos's cheapest - so its capabilities are basic.
Regarding Dr.Who, I'm old enough to remember Pertwee, but not the Dinosaurs episode. To me, the greatest Dr.Who episode ever, was the Krynoid (Tom Baker) story, in which a rampaging giant plant was bombed by Hawker Harriers!
M.P. - Thanks, M.P. I suppose, then again, there's the Whizzer - he was yellow!
Phillip
Yeah, you do need a mobile phone* for stuff like that these days, Phillip, even if you use cash most of the time.
I've had one for a while that cost a tenner - and I got £5 of free calls with it! Unfortunately you will have to put up with people who make jokes when they see it (I wouldn't mind, but it's the same ones every @#&%ing time).
Mind you, I do often leave it at home when I go out. Which would seem to defeat the object of having a mobile, but who wants everyone to be able to get hold of them all the time?
Or leave a record of their movements available to the authorities? Hey, when you're as dangerous to the system as me, you can't be too careful...
*Translation for our American friends: cellphone
-sean
Sean, scoundrel that you are, we have something in common. I carry only a simple trac phone when I drive, in case I have car trouble. If I need a tow, say.
Or if I find myself in a Mad Max-type situation and am attacked by mutants.
Otherwise, nuts to the whole thing, a land-line is fine. Who needs the aggravation?
I figure if it's an emergency, and maybe somebody's dead, they're not gonna get any more dead in the time it takes me to get home.
M.P.
Sean - Yeah, the rate banks are disappearing from the high street, eventually we'll all be forced onto internet banking, and will have to prove our credentials - in one way or another. And - God forbid - you lose your debit card! Your tip - a while back - about keeping readies under the mattress prompted me to get some spare cash out, too!
Phillip
Here's a good one for neo-Luddites, Phillip - I was just reading in the paper that in English and Welsh law computers are presumed to be reliable.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/12/update-law-on-computer-evidence-to-avoid-horizon-repeat-ministers-urged
Just wait till the use of AIs becomes more widespread in this country...
-sean
I originally bought a mobile phone in 2003 to keep in contact with my elderly mother wherever I went. My mother died in 2009 but by then I'd gotten used to having a mobile phone so I kept it. Nowadays I couldn't be without my mobile as it has various important apps on it such as the Halifax banking app, the British Gas app, the OVO app (my electricity supplier), the BT app and the BBC Sounds app which I use for listening to Radio 4 programmes I've missed!
I would not know this, but for having a smart phone, lol.
60 years ago today the first Beatles album in the United States was released by VJ records here in Chicago, Illinois. It was aptly entitled, “introducing… The Beatles. “
Our household used to listen to the “V “in VJ records, her name was Vivian and she had a talk radio program on the Gary, Indiana, station WWCA. She introduced every show with, “living with Vivian! “And then she ended every show playing “Good night, sweetheart “by whichever group was popular with that song.
Happily enough, this Christmas, I was talking about VJ with my dad. He suddenly breaks out with, “good night, sweetheart…. “Reminding us all of how the show ended, lol. It really was a heartwarming scene given he is 88!
Btw... if you have a desire to read that AVENGERS story as an actual comic, you need that tactile experience like Charlie, it should be on sale at your local comic book store. It was reprinted in total a few months back by Marvel for like $3.99.
Sean, I seem to remember the Swordsman having a button on his sword that allowed it to fire some sort of force blasts at people. Whether his sword had that during his first appearance, I don't recall.
Colin, I think Episode One of Invasion of the Dinosaurs was just called Invasion because the producers didn't want the audience to be tipped-off in advance that it featured dinosaurs.
I suppose it made a change from all those Dalek stories where the Episode One cliffhanger was always the revelation of a Dalek; which was clearly meant to shock the audience, even though the story had the word "Daleks" in its title.
Re Sean's question
In Avengers #19 Swordsmn is just a guy with a sword. Fit and athletic but just a guy with a sword.
In Avengers #20, Mandarin upgrades the sword by putting three (?) buttons on the handle to replicate some of the powers in his rings.
Swordsman's just one of those villains like Stilt Man who has silly powers/weapons but who somehow looks great on a comic page.
Well, it was still pretty exciting when you got finally see a Dalek even if the word was in the title, Steve.
Charlie, who cares about some old Beatles record, when 50 Years ago 'Rhapsody in White', the first album by the Love Unlimited Orchestra came out?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WslPSwEgQqE
Nice pic of Barry White and the ladies on that record cover there (don't know about his hair though).
-sean
Thanks, dangermash.
-sean
Cryptic quiz question...
What animal connects Barry White & the Beatles? (cryptic hint: Marvel's Norse god!)
Phillip
The answer must be a walrus...
The Beatles had a song called I Am The Walrus.
Barry White was called The Walrus of Lurrrve.
(I don't understand the Norse god hint though).
DM - true enough. I was just musing about
the “yellow” Cat who simply dons a yellow uniform with zero training!
Colin - Absolutely spot on! Regarding the hint, "Thor" was the walrus appearing at Scarborough, and other coastal towns, a few years ago!
Charlie - Yes - the yellow cat's abilities appeared fully formed, spawned by whatever formula that female version of Dr.Erskine (Dr.Tumolo) gave her. Cap, too, was merely callow Steve Rogers (didn't look like he'd survive basic training), yet after taking the super-soldier formula, appeared to gain skills with it. That being said, wasn't Rogers forced to peel potatoes, as a punishment, by a sergeant-major, once (?) - so must have had basic training, either before or after taking the super-soldier formula.
Phillip
Anon-
It was my understanding that "Cat" suit had certain inherent powers, like with Patsy Walker.
Nobody bothered to explain it.
...waitaminnit...is that you Charlie?
Anyway, I liked that story about your dad.
Vivian sounds wonderful.
Miserere nobis, it is literally warmer on the sunlit side of Mars equator than it is here right now.
M.P.
That's right about Patsy Walker's powers coming from the suit, M.P. (although she was later trained on Titan by Moondragon).
Greer Nelson on the other hand initially got her powers from the suit but they stayed with her even she wasn't wearing it. That was because of Dr Tumolo's experiments, which involved training, but yeah - the principle behind that wasn't really explained too well at the time.
Iirc though, Tumolo later turned out to have something to do with the cat people - which was all part of Greer becoming Tigra - so magic may well have been involved.
-sean (I will get out more in future)
That's right, Sean! I think...
I seem to remember there being a race of subterranean cat people.
There were a lotta weird types living under the Earth in Marvel Comics.
Somebody oughtta draw a map, or something.
M.P.
Yes! I'm all for more comic book maps, M.P.
Jack Kirby did a fantastic one of the world of the Great Disaster in an issue of Kamandi, and there was Wakanda in Jungle Action. Besides just being cool, I feel like story-telling would be tighter if more comics had maps.
Like, where exactly did Tyrannus live, in relation to the Mole Man? And how did the Deviants fit into all that? I suspect some of the writers may just have been making it up as they went along...
Apparently Alan Moore used an actual plan of the Fortress of Solitude from an old silver age comic to plot the Superman annual he did with Dave Gibbons. Thats how to do it imo. (I mean, obviously that was a plan rather than a map, but the general principle applies).
-sean
M.P. - Are the cat-demons in Morbius what you're thinking of? Balkatar, the cat-demon, was summoned -by Daemond - to kill Morbius. Instead, however, he wanted Morbius to kill his own people, as the cat-demon world was overpopulated. Maybe Balkatar was a Thomas Malthus fan!
Phillip
MP! SEAN! Et al!? Charlie was a huge fan of maps particularly regarding CONAN. I can’t remember the issue I saw where it depicted a layout of the hole Conan landscape which I had always assumed to be part of Africa or the Middle East?
And who didn’t love those diagrams of the fortress of solitude or the Batcave? I don’t recall any Marvel characters having such diagrams besides FF Baxter Building?
I was trying to read up on the origins of the CAT. Frankly, it gave me a headache given it is only 7 o’clock in the morning here in Chicago. This is largely because I mistakenly started reading about HELLCAT and realized I was in never never land when it said she married SON OF SATAN.
But google say CAT 3 was drawn by BILL EVERETT! Is it worth a look on that alone TRUE BELIEVERS?
No, not really Charlie.
Btw, I recall Marvel printing a diagram of Daredevil's billy club.
Although tbh as diagrams go it wasn't particularly impressive.
-sean
Sean - The diagram of Daredevil's billy club was in MWOM annual 1979.
What about a diagram for the Swordsman's sword, showing the stud that activates its force blast?
Would that level of excitement overwhelm you?
Phillip
It would have to be a pretty amazing diagram, Phillip. But probably it wouldn't. Now Hawkeye's bow and arrows on the other hand...
Only kidding - I doubt that would interest me much either really.
Actually, thinking about it, Marvel did publish a cutaway diagram of Titan once. Although from what I recall it could have been better (sorry, but it wasn't as impressive as you'd expect).
-sean
Sean - Roger Stern's Spidey & Cap had floor plans/diagrams of their respective apartments. I've some inkling that the Baxter Building(?), might have been afforded similar treatment, too.
Phillip
Wasn’t there like an entire issue of MARVEL UNIVERSE that was nothing but schematics and maps and blueprints of famous Marvel locations (the Blue Area on the Moon, Xavier’s Mansion/ School, the Savage Land etc) and vehicles (the FF’s Pogo Plane, the Avengers’ Quinjet, the SHIELD Helicarrier)? Or did I just dream that?
Don McGregor was so offended by the 50s reprints that filled out the back pages of JUNGLE ACTION that he took it upon himself to create cheap page-filler items (development sketches re-purposed as pin-ups etc) and one issue had a detailed cut/away diagram of T’Challa’s palace.
b.t.
b.t.-
In the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, I don't recall any maps of Subterranea. Definitely an oversite!
heh, I seem to remember there being a schematic for Stilt-Man's suit.
I highly doubt it was scientifically sound, otherwise somebody woulda built one.
And yeah, Phil, I think those cat people were from Morbius.
What was that, Adventure into Fear? 70's Marvel weirdness at its best!
Y'know, they tried to make everything as scientifically valid in the Handbook as they could, but they had a heck of a problem explaining how Bruce Banner could acquire mass when he turned into the Hulk.
"Law of Conservation of Mass", and all.
I hadda look that up, but it is a real thing.
M.P.
b.t. - When you're right, you're right!
M.P. - Not sure, as I read it as a Marvel UK reprint!
Steve - Thanks for letting me post a link to my book. According to the metrics, my book made 52p that day, based on 115 pages viewed on Kindle Unlimited ( nothing's yet registered for any other day.) That's almost 1/3 of a pence, per page! My brother - who published a travel book on living & working in India, 10 or 15 years ago, already warned me to manage my expectations!
Phillip
Sorry, I meant 52p/151 pages viewed. Obviously 52p/115 pages isn't anywhere near 1/3! It's too early to think straight!
Phillip
Unfortunately I read on paper, Phillip - much longer than one of Steve posts on screen and my mind glazes, so I've never used Kindle. But maybe I'll give it a try and check out your book (although I still haven't got round to any of Steve's novels yet, so I'm not promising anything).
b.t., I checked, and it seems Marvel actually have a whole book of maps out. Although unfortunately - judging from the pics online - it appears they've outsourced it to proper illustrators, and seems a bit coffee table. It does not look very comic booky ):
https://www.marvel.com/articles/culture-lifestyle/marvel-universe-map-by-map
Gotta say Marvel Universe: Map By Map is not a very good title. A Timely Atlas would have been better (geddit?)
Or maybe Tales From Topographic Comics...
-sean
*glazes over
Btw the Marvel map book does at least include Monster Island. So Subterranea doesn't seem too unlikely... M.P., maybe you should check it out?
-sean
That's very kind, Sean - but please feel no obligation. My comment was just about authorship not being like Robin Masters, flushed with cash, on Magnum! My book may be priced too high, anyway - it was a difficult decision. You have a choice of 30% profit or 70% profit - but for 70%, the book has to be priced between £2.99 and £9.99 (there's other stuff, too.)In addition, mine gets taxed at 30%. Now - at £9.99 - I'm supposed to be getting £6.95 - but I'm not sure if that includes the 30% tax or not. Over X-mas, I discussed it with my brother. Personally, I'm a cheap-skate, and generally go bargain-bucket on everything. My brother, however - less of a cheap-skate - thought the book's target audience is middle-aged guys, who'd pay a little more - and even magazines cost a fiver, now.
As regards physical books - I've got that option ready to fire off. However, I think a paperback costs £5.16 (?) - I forget - to print; that's even before I put my price on top of it - never mind the tax, etc. And a hardback would be even more to print. With those, the author's profit's less than an e-book - it might be 60% (I can't remember exactly.) I thought £9.99 would be a good figure, too, regardless, for working out numbers, as it's £10, in all but name, so you could just add a nought - pretty much - for calculations.
Sorry for this boring ramble!
Anyway, I'm feeling a lot more positive now I'm published, regardless of whether my book makes any money or not.
The Kindle's real advantage is for when you wake up in the middle of the night. Rather than tossing and turning with insomnia, you can just find podcasts on topics of interest - then listen to them until you fall back to sleep.
Phillip
Just to repeat what I said in a later post…
I took a look in Marvel Masterworks this morning and can report back with more information about Swordsman's sword.
In Avengers #20, Mandarin kits it out with extra weapons. He doesn't say that they use the same technology as his rings but Swordsman observes out loud that they work like the rings.
How many buttons though? Not two or three but either four, eight or twelve! There's one panel where there are clearly four buttons on one side of the handle. Could there be four on the other side too? Or would that make it too difficult to use the sword without zapping cats? And it looks like there might be another four buttons along the hand guard, on the blade side rather than the hand side. These might be difficult to press and the Marvel colourist ignores them, so they may just be there for decoration.
And what do the buttons do? Well, Swordsman tries out one of them while Mandarin's there and it turns out to be a flame thrower. He doesn't bother trying out any others or even asking what they do. Makes him look dumb although we know the real reason is that it allows writers of future stories to make up new functions and that we won’t be counting.
Does he use the buttons in fights? Well, in Avengers #20, #29 and #30 he presses a button three times. All three times the sword sends out electro blasts. On one of those three occasions he calls it "man made lightning" which is weird. Sounds like me when I forget the German word for cow and have to call it a milk animal.
And I couldn't believe how dumb Swordsman was. In either #29 or #30 he's up against Hawkeye, who has the advantage of being some distance away so he can use his arrows, whereas Swordsman can’t slash him with the sword. Oh, but his sword has weapons that will work at that sort of distance, I hear you say! Maybe he'll do that. But with so many buttons to choose from, how will he decide? Oh, wait, he's decided. He's thrown his sword at Hawkeye. I think I've found the dumbest ever act by a Marvel villain.
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