Fifty years ago today - March 1974.

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

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Legion are the men who've claimed to be able to foresee the future but only Steve Does Comics can foresee the past.

It's a case of fully mind the bullocks, as Taurus captures the Avengers in the least likely trap of all time - a shed with space travel capabilities.

And, at last, we discover the answer to the mystery that's been haunting us all for months, when we discover that Taurus is, in fact, Cornelius Van Lunt!

From what I can gather, Conan returns to Aghrapur and saves King Yildiz from a golem made of stone.

It's a jam-packed comic, this month.

Not only is Cap busted out of prison by the unfortunately-named Sanitation Unit but the Falcon and Panther rescue Leila from Stoneface!

Then Falc finds out about Cap's murder charge - just in time for Moonstone to show up and give them both a bashing!

This can't be good news. Foggy Nelson's been shot while investigating something called the Black Spectre!

Needless to say, DD abandons wherever it is he is and returns to New York to do something about it.

Moondragon, meanwhile, says farewell to our hero and departs for the stars.

It's easy to knock her but there's not many women who can say goodbye to a man and then depart for the stars.

I've no recollection of what happens in this one but I do know Darkoth the Death Demon's in it.

Judging by that cover, it would seem someone called the Seeker's also in it.

Based on his appearance, I'm assuming he's not the Seeker who showed up, in pursuit of the Inhumans, in Fantastic Four #46 but is, instead, a new Seeker.

The Cobalt Man makes his return and celebrates it by going completely mad.

Not to fear. If there's anyone can punch some sanity into a man, it's the Hulk.

I would love to know, though, just why the decision was made by Marvel to replace his Iron Man style armour with what looks suspiciously like an American footballer's outfit.

The world's most block-headed villain makes his debut - and he's in league with the Jackal!

More importantly, this is the issue in which the Spider-Mobile makes its block-headed debut.

And so cool is it that it doesn't need to be in league with anyone.

I don't think I've ever read this one but my razor-sharp senses tell me Hercules is back.

That's Marvel's output dealt with but we should never forget that, somewhere across New York, lurks the base of its deadliest enemy. An enemy that just loves to churn out comic books.

And what shall we find in a random sampling of DC's offerings which bear that month's date upon them?

When a scientist somehow gets a magic eye implanted in the middle of his forehead, he sets out to do good deeds in exchange for the adoration of the public.

But it soon turns out there's a price to pay for such a power.

And, unless Superman can put a stop to that man's relentless do-gooding, it's the planet Earth that'll have to pay it.

But that's not all. In the book's second tale, Superman loses his sight, until he realises his condition's purely psychosomatic and connected to a commitment he's made to entertain a group of blind children.

Can it be? The caped crusader? And the clown prince of crime? In league with each other? And at odds with Gotham City's finest custodians of justice?

Too right it can.

Or I assume it can, as I'm not totally sure I've read this tale or how such an unholy alliance can have come to be.

Luis Dominguez gives us, surely, the most disturbing Phantom Stranger cover ever, as the trilby-toting tormentor of night-dark souls encounters The Devil Dolls of Dr. Z!

While, in the backup strip, the Spawn of Frankenstein would appear to be up against a snake god!

You can say what you like about Prez but it's a comic whose covers know how to make me grab it from a spinner rack.

In a dark remake of The Mouse That Roared, the United States accidentally finds itself at war with Transylvania.

And that means the nation's first teenage president's going to have to survive an encounter with Dracula.

But a very different version of that fiend to the one we're used to.

I can remember little of this issue but I know we get two adventures; one which bears the title The Golden Women and the White Star and one which carries the name The Shrinking Formula.

I do recall that, in the latter tale, our heroine must defeat a villain while being no bigger than an ant.

Needless to say, she's still more than up to the task.