May 18th 1974 - 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. 

***

People, take my advice. If you really love them, don't think twice.

I think we all know from where those imperishable words originate - and what their significance is.

Of course. They come from that all-time classic track Sugar Baby Love by none other than the Rubettes and the reason for me quoting it is that, this week in 1974, it hit the top of the UK singles chart, proving, yet again, that Glam was still far from being in its grave.

Also very much still with us were the Carpenters who were ruling the roost on the British album chart, thanks to their compilation The Singles 1969-1973 which seemed to have been at Number One since the dawn of time 

Things get serious for Shang-Chi who finds himself on the Island of Lightning Death.

I don't recall too much about this one but I do know he's up against his dad again and that Paul Gulacy's art is getting more Sterankoesque by the second.

Back in the United States, the Avengers continue their tussle with the Living Laser who's busy destroying buildings in what I can only assume is his latest attempt to gain the love of the Wondrous Wasp.

Sturdy Steve Ditko may have quit the strip but Dr Strange continues his war on evil, as the sorcering sawbones discovers that from the nameless nowhere comes Kaluu!

Presumably, not related to Baloo from The Jungle Book.

And there are related problems for the Hulk.

Fresh from his "victory" over the Absorbing Man, the brute finds himself teleported, by a cult, into the realm of the Undying Ones and the monstrous Night-Crawler who has nothing to do with the character  of the same name from the X-Men.

But can our hero rescue the trapped Dr Strange?

And how does a woman called Barbara Norriss fit into it all?

Meanwhile, in the more everyday confines of New York, the powerless Fantastic Four conclude their latest battle with Dr Doom, thanks to the assistance of Daredevil.

What's this? The webbed wonder, trapped in a prison? Charged with something or other?

Can he possibly escape?

And, while he's at it, can he prevent all the other prisoners from escaping?

And, while he's at that, can he prevent them from killing George Stacy?

Too right he can.

Next, Iron Man must face the menace of Mr Doll who, bearing no resemblance at all to the Puppet Master, can control people, via the use of his Voodoo-style dolls.

Such is the menace from this menace that it forces Shellhead to develop a brand new suit of armour, as designed by Steely Steve Ditko.

On a far larger scale than that, Jane Foster's flatmate with the widescreen face declares that she now owns the planet Earth.

Not convinced that she does - let's  face it, she doesn't even own the apartment she lives in - Thor heads into the depths of space to do something about it.

The Marvel Lucky Bag - May 1984.

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

***

There was a time when every single one of the world's biggest grossing movies was made by either George Lucas or Steven Spielberg.

Except for one.

Which was made by both of them.

That film was Raiders of the Lost Ark and, given its success, it could only be a question of time before it got a sequel.

And, in May 1984, a sequel is what it got when Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom whipped its way into our cinemas.

Except, Wikipedia informs me that it's actually a prequel.

Off the top of my head, I'm struggling to remember much of what happened in it but I'm going to assume it's the one with the big rolling ball, the roller coaster ride in a cave and the annoying child.

Also, every time I see the title Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the Sisters of Mercy song Temple of Love starts playing in my head.

And I declare that to be a good thing.

It's tragedy for all lovers of great art, as the A-Team's comic reaches its demise after just three issues. Was it always intended to last for just three outings or had it suffered from disappointing sales?

That I cannot know and I pity the fool who would dare to even speculate upon such a subject.

 However, what I do know is that stuff happens in this comic.

And I also know that I don't know what that stuff is.

I'm sure, though, that much unlikely derring-doing is bound to be involved.

Can that cover be true? Can Marvel's greatest comic devoted to a non-team now be little more than an X-Men spin-off?

It would appear not to be, as the internet informs me that, in addition to the Angel, Iceman and Beast, the comic does still feature the Valkyrie.

It also features a character called the Walrus - as well as Leap-Frog and Frogman for any who've ever wondered if those two amphibious villains have ever been seen together at the same time.

Tragically, I can unleash no information upon just what the plot entails.

It may be 1984 but some of us can't get enough of that Lee/Kirby magic.

And so it is that a brand new set of reprints enters our lives, with its one and only issue.

In it, we get a 41-page epic, thanks to the Sub-Mariner acting totally out of character, losing his rag and declaring war upon the human race.

This tale was, of course, first presented to us in the pages of Fantastic Four Annual #1, way back in 1963.

But that's not all. We also get a bunch of Fantastic Four pin-ups drawn by none other than John Byrne.

Prepare to mourn because it turns out the A-Team's book isn't the only publication hitting its doom this month.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe also bows out. 

In this case, it does so with a look at the weapons, gadgets and hardware used by our favourite characters, including such treats as Ant-Man's helmet, Hawkeye's Skymobile and the Book of the Vishanti!

But who cares about any of that?

There's only one thing matters, right now!

And this is it, as Marvel's biggest event to date enters our lives and boggles our brains!

It all kicks off when the company's greatest heroes and heels find themselves abducted, in order that they can fight each other on behalf of a character called The Beyonder.

Will any of our best-loved characters survive the encounter?

Too right, they will.

We know that because each and every one of them returns from it, in the pages of their own mags, this very month.

It's a long time since I looked at Marvel Team-Up in this slot but how could I continue to ignore it when its cover gives us such a good view of Spidey's brand new suit?

Inside, Daredevil and the Black Widow seek to gather the evidence needed to clear a boy wrongly accused of murder.

Spider-Man joins in the fun but ends up at odds with Hornhead who's had to make a deal with the Kingpin in order to solve the crime.

And here's another title I've tended to overlook.

But that cover asks so many questions that I can no longer neglect it.

Tragically, for humanity, I can shed no light upon what happens in this one but, given the Thing's disappearance from the pages of The Fantastic Four, I can only conclude that its circumstances tie in with the events of The Secret Wars.

Forty years ago today - May 1984.

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

***

I cannot deny it. I was one of the few people in Britain who missed the Northern Lights, this weekend.

But why should a man of my quality care about that when there are even greater spectacles to be witnessed in this world?

And when nearly all of them can be found in the pages of forty year old comics?

It's a turning point in the existence of Tony Stark, as his equally homeless girlfriend dies giving birth during a blizzard, leading the one-time entrepreneur to finally resolve to get his life on track.

Rhodey, meanwhile, returns from the Secret Wars, to get on with his everyday job of super-heroing.

And Iron Man's not the only one back from that event. So is Spider-Man and, thanks to it, he's sporting a brand new costume that's not just a suit but an alien symbiote.

And that means it has all sorts of special abilities, including the power to think for itself.

But is that really as good a thing as some might assume?

Someone who knows nothing of all this is the Black Cat who, now that she's got her very own set of super-powers, goes in search of the web-spinner.

The only problem is that, thanks to the Secret Wars, he's nowhere to be found.

The X-Men are back from the Secret Wars - and find themselves deposited in Japan where a giant reptile's happily fulfilling stereotypes about the behaviour of vacationing monsters in Japan, and blundering around, flattening cities.

Meanwhile, back in the United States, a man called Senator Kelly is pushing for the creation of a Mutant Control Act.

Tedious Tarzan knock-off Micah Synn is back and being recruited by the Kingpin to serve his sinister purposes.

However, the English jungle lord annoys the hoodlum by not being nice enough to women, and thus it is that Kingy decides to let Daredevil give him a good beating.

While a pregnant Invisible Woman battles for her life, in hospital, Alicia tells the She-Hulk about the time Sue had to single-handedly battle a villain called Karisma who was controlling the Thing and trying to get him to kill the ocularly frustrating heroine.

The X-Men aren't the only ones having to deal with a giant, city-wrecking reptile, this month because Thor's, yet again, facing the seemingly invulnerable menace of Fafnir.

And his sole ally is the elderly viking Eilif whose only ambition is to die in battle.

The Hulk's also back from the Secret Wars.

But it seems he got the fuzzy end of the lollipop, as he's returned with a broken leg and a serious anger-management problem.

Then again, he has plenty to be angry about, thanks to returning villain the Boomerang having abducted his girlfriend.

And it gets worse because, once that crisis is dealt with, Banner discovers former crimelord Max Hammer's been using the scientist's brand-new gamma cure to heal the sick.

That might have been good news but it turns out the cure possesses an alarming tendency to turn its recipients into raging monsters!

The Avengers too are freshly back from the Secret Wars.

However, they're immediately confronted with the problem that they've got too many members.

Fortunately, a solution's quickly concocted which involves splitting the team into two and sending one half off to live on the East Coast while the rest remain in New York.

The sharp-eyed observer will have guessed that, this month, Conan finds himself up against a female werewolf.

However, the barbarian is not one of those sharp-eyed observers and thinks she's a sweet, innocent girl who lots of rough men keep wanting to kill for no good reason.

Naturally, this leads him to want to protect her.

Naturally, this puts everyone, including himself, in deadly peril.

All I remember about this one is that Baron Zemo, the Red Skull and Mother Superior are in it.

Also, by some means I don't recall, Nomad gets himself bashed about a bit.

May 11th 1974 - 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. 

***

If it's true that, as Paul Young once told me, everything must change, there was little evidence of that atop the UK single and album charts of exactly fifty years ago, with ABBA's Waterloo and the Carpenters' The Singles 1969-1973 retaining their respective holds on their respective Number One slots.

Obviously, one is a lover of all things ABBA but other tracks I approved of on that week's UK Hit Parade chart were:

Sugar Baby Love - the Rubettes

Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks

Everyday - Slade

This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us - Sparks

Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley and his Comets

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) - Genesis

There's a Ghost in My House - R. Dean Taylor

Emma - Hot Chocolate

I Can't Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles

America - David Essex

Judy Teen - Cockney Rebel

and

W.O.L.D. - Harry Chapin.

Should you wish to investigate such matters in greater depth, that week's UK singles chart may be found here.

While its parallel album chart resides within.

Interesting to note that the Wombles have two singles in the Top 40.

Quality stuff.

It's the Hulk's toughest battle yet, as he has to combat the copycat criminality of the Absorbing Man!

And, as far as I can remember, he doesn't do much of a job of combating it, as Absorby wins the fight...

...only to lose the battle with gravity when he discovers that trying to hold up a mountain, using the absorbed strength of an unconscious Bruce Banner, is what some might call a, "tactical error."

Lovers of Daredevil will be devastated to discover his strip is once more absent from this comic.

But they'll be delighted to discover it's because he's present in the Fantastic Four's strip!

You guessed it, tiger, it's the one in which, after being nuked by the Frightful Four, the team have lost their super-powers, and Doctor Doom takes advantage of it by seizing control of the Baxter Building.

Fortunately, Daredevil's on hand to assist the heroes in their quest to remove their armour-clad squatter.

That's a noticeably dynamic cover from Ron Wilson.

Inside, Jim Starlin may have departed the strip but we don't have too much to complain about because Paul Gulacy takes his place, as Shang-Chi finally agrees to assist Sir Denis Nayland Smith in his war against his own father.

That's Shang-Chi's father. Not Sir Denis Nayland Smith's. Waging war on Sir Denis' father would be a total waste of time when there's a Fu Manchu to be stopped.

Elsewhere, the Avengers find themselves up against the Living Laser who you wouldn't have thought would be much of a challenge for them but, no doubt, they'll make a right old Horlicks of trying to thwart him.

But what's this? He's decided the best way to make the Wasp fall in love with him is to kill her boyfriend? That well known way of winning over a woman?

Having said that, didn't Yellowjacket win her over by claiming to have killed her boyfriend?

And it worked for him.

Meanwhile, it's all kicking off and bowing out in Dr Strange's strip when Dormammu and Eternity decide to have a punch-up in what I think may be Steve Ditko's last story on the strip.

Can the universe survive such a clash?

And can the strip survive such a departure?

Can it be? Has the Vulture finally defeated Spider-Man?

Not as far as I can remember but he does flee the scene, leaving Spider-Man to spend some valuable, "Me Time," being unconscious.

Meanwhile, the Melter's still causing trouble at Tony Stark's factory - and it seems our hero's helpless to stop him.

However, the villain hasn't counted on one thing. Iron Man's ability to whip up some armour that's so aluminium that the Melter's gun is incapable of harming it.

And, finally, Thor's still battling to rescue Hercules from Hades!

And, at last, he finally manages it!

But, now, it looks like he's going to have to rescue Jane Foster who's having all sorts of problems with her flatmate from space.

The Marvel Lucky Bag - May 1974.

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

***

Mere days ago, we were recalling the output of Hammer Studios and its impact upon our lives.

How appropriate, then, that May 1974 saw the release of one of their myriad classics with the unleashing of Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell. How we gasped as the unscrupulous scientist created a monster that looked like he'd been experimenting on the corpses of five cavemen, three orangutans and a carpet.

But that wasn't the only cinematic release that May because we were also granted our first chance to see both Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry and Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, neither of which have I ever seen but, even in my reclusive abode, I have heard talk of both, oft conducted in hushed whispers.

Cap's looking ready to fly into the fray on that cover but what I need to know is whether it is, as I suspect, the issue in which the Kree clobberer first turns cosmic?

Even if it isn't, I do know it's the one in which we first discover the origin of Moondragon.

I'm assuming, therefore, that this means we also learn the origin of Drax the Destroyer.

A brand new mag hits the shelves, with what appears to be the only issue of it that'll ever be published before it transforms into Giant-Size Fantastic Four.

But what a way to make its mark, with yet another clash between the Hulk and the Thing.

However, unless my memory fails me, this is a clash with a difference, as, by some means I no longer recollect, the pair manage to swap bodies, leaving the Hulk, for once, as the weaker combatant.

Not that he lets that stop him.

We also get a whole fistful of super-villain pin-ups as created by Jack Kirby way back in the 1960s.

And another new mag enters out lives. One that's destined to last for more than one issue.

In fact, it will last for five issues.

In this one, we're presented with such yarns as The Rats!, Heartstop, The Last Man!, His Own Kind!, The Nightmare Patrol and In the Shadows of the City, brought to us by the likes of Gerry Conway, Ralph Reese, Roy Thomas, Alfredo Alcala, George Alec Effinger, Walt Simonson and a plethora of others whose talents are beyond both impeachment and reproachment.

Things notch up a gear for the king of Wakanda when Killmonger's latest weirdo Baron Macabre raises a legion of the dead to battle our hero.

Meanwhile, Zatama - Presumably no relation to Zatanna and Zatara - is murdered and, with grim inevitability, the perma-unpopular Monica Lynne finds herself accused of the deed.

It's one of those issues that demonstrates a Man-Thing comic can be made viable, as we get the never-to-be-forgotten Night of the Laughing Dead in which Darrel the Clown commits suicide then treats us to his life story before we get to watch Manny battle for the man's very soul.

Neal Adams gives us a cover that demands we buy this issue.

But what of the insides?

The main tale is Night of the Dark God by Thomas, Kane and Adams, adapted from a Robert E Howard original I've no memory of, despite almost certainly having read it.

In it, Conan returns to Cimmeria, only to discover his childhood sweetheart Mala has been abducted by Vanir raiders. It all ends with Mala killing herself while our hero receives unexpected help from a band of Picts.

There's also a look back at everyone's favourite movie Jason and the Argonauts, a Joe Maneely reprint titled Origin of the Crusader and the Barry Smith drawn Dweller in the Dark.

Seeking a cure for the condition that's left his people in a state of suspended animation, Subby explores a long-lost shipwreck - but hasn't counted on the presence of the monstrous Piranha and his army of whatever it is he has an army of.

In our main tale, someone called Papa Shorty receives the Amulet of Damballah and uses it to summon the zombie.

We're also gifted a look back at the movie White Zombie, a tale called Who Walks with a Zombie? and yarns that bear such names as With the Dawn Comes Death (Part 2), Voodoo War! and Death's Bleak Birth!

I have to say, you'd have to be seriously addicted to restless corpses to read that much material on the subject each month.

At last, a martial arts legend enters our lives when Iron Fist flashes his neon knuckles at anyone who gets in his way.

In this epic, Fisty passes the final tests in his K'un-Lun training and is granted the privilege of immortality if he so wants it.

I can only assume he doesn't so want it because I don't remember it ever being claimed that he's immortal in any issues after this one 

And because he's a man who can multitask; while he's doing it, he also conducts flashbacks into how he first arrived there, as a child, and into the death of his parents.

Fifty years ago today - May 1974.

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

***

A time portal has appeared in my living room.

And I cannot resist the urge to step through it.

At last, Conan finds himself a female who can adorn a cover without cowering.

According to the blurb, she's a were-woman, proving, once again, that no one in the 1970s Bullpen seems to know what the "were" in "werewolf" actually means.

Apparently, what happens inside is someone called Amytis betrays Conan who then kills someone called Gimil-Ishbi. He also fights Lilitu before quitting the Turanian Army.

Judging by that cover, Libra's aiming for the title of World's Most Constipated Looking Super-Villain, as Mantis finally finds out who her dad is.

It would appear Cap and Falc are out to give Nick Fury the slap we all know he deserves.

And that's all the wisdom I can share about this issue, other than to say it clearly features a guest-appearance by the X-Men.

This all rings a bell. But only in the very vaguest of ways. Is Nekra something to do with the Mandrill?

Whether she is or isn't, it seems it all relates to the fact that, while defacing American landmarks, the Black Spectre tries to force Daredevil and the Black Widow to work for him.

I genuinely have no idea what happens in this one and, sadly, the cover lends me few clues. But I do know the tale within bears the dramatic title Doomsday: 200° Below!

I do know what happens in this one, though.

It's another belter when the Hulk finds himself in the Great Refuge and up against none other than Black Bolt.

Realising our hero's too strong to contain for long, the leader of the Inhumans has him put into a rocket and fired at Counter-Earth.

The Molten Man's back - and causing trouble for Spider-Man!

I do believe this is the one in which Molty's out to find a cure for his condition and, for no good reason, Spidey keeps trying to sabotage his attempts to find that cure.

But I do suspect that means this is the issue in which Liz Allen makes her surprise return appearance.

My memories of this tale are super-humanly fuzzy but I do believe Pluto's prisoner on the cover is none other than Krista, sister of the magnificently strapping Hildegarde.

That's Marvel's big hitters accounted for.

But what of that company's biggest rival?

Just how does a random sampling of its output that bears the same cover date look?

It's looking like a great big slab of super-hero goodness, as Detective Comics gets the 100-page treatment - kicking off with Batman investigating an abduction and ending up having to fight an enraged bear.

But that's not all. This issue also contains such gems as The Fear That Haunted Hawkman and Doll Man in A Million-Dollar Corpse!

The Green Lantern, meanwhile, encounters Too Many Suspects!, Batman and Robin unearth the Inside Story of the Outsider! and there's tense action for the Golden Age Manhunter when he tackles the Cobras of the Deep.

But, most importantly of all, the Bronze Age Manhunter reveals just where the evil army of his clones originated.

A brand new mag and a brand new heroine smash their way into our shops, as Rima the Jungle Girl emerges from the undergrowth to, no doubt, startle us all.

But, the cover demands to know, "Is she beast or human?"

My guess is that she's human.

I don't know anything about the main story but I do know it's called Spirit of the Woods and is brought to us by Robert Kanigher, W H Hudson (responsible for the original novel), Nestor Redondo and Joe Kubert.

The backup strip is a thing called Four Tombs! and is the product of Robert Kanigher and Alex Niño.

I think we can guarantee this comic will look good, if nothing else.

And another new mag hits our shops.

Not that you'd know it from the cover, as this is officially issue #164, thanks to it inheriting the numbering from the now-defunct Jimmy Olsen comic it replaces.

And, appropriately, the issue kicks off with an Olsen yarn as "Mr Action" must figure out who's behind the vandalism of a project created by his father to help troubled teens.

We also get Supergirl in sensational solo action against Brainiac, Krypto becoming a Hollywood star,  Jimmy Olsen (again) in The Gift-Wrapped Doom, Perry White leading his staff on The Death March!, and finish off with The Three Wives of Superman.

All three of whom, I'm fairly certain, come to an untimely end thanks to their marriage to the man of steel.

Speaking of that hero, we get a giant-sized reprint of the first-ever Superman story, as he delivers a witness to the governor to stop an execution, then stops a wife-beater.

Not only that but he must intervene when Lois Lane attracts the homicidal wrath of someone called Butch Matson.

Finally, Clark Kent sets out to discover which treasonous scum is behind a senator who's pushing legislation that will get the United States involved in a war in Europe.

But it's not all Kal-El, this issue. We're also provided with an adventure for Chuck Dawson, a tale called The Mystery of the Freight Train Robberies! starring Zatara, The South Sea Strategy, Sticky-Mitt Stimson, The Adventures of Marco Polo and action for such characters as Pep Morgan, Scoop Scanlon and Tex Thomson.

As we all know, anything Superman can manage, Batman can match. And, so, he too gets a Limited Collection Edition in his name.

In this one, we encounter The Case of the Joker's Crime Circus!, The Case Batman Failed to Solve!!!, The Mayors of Yonville!, Hate of the Hooded Hangman!, Hot Time in Gotham Town Tonight!, Ghost of the Killer Skies! and a look at Batman on the Screen.

As if that wasn't enough for any sane reader, we're also supplied with a free Table-Top Diorama as created by no lesser authority than Neal Adams.

And I've included this one purely because of the Jerry Grandenetti cover. Inside, we're treated to three ancient stories of terror as reprinted from 1952.