July 27th 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 there are two songs in the world I get confused with each other, they're Don't Rock the Boat and Rock Your Baby. Possibly, that's inevitable, as they were on the UK chart at the same time.

However, only one of them could triumph.

And that one of them was George McCrae's Rock Your Baby which, this week in 1974, achieved the distinction of hitting the Number One slot on the UK's singles chart.

A man not unfamiliar with hitting Number One on music sales listings was Paul McCartney. And so it was the week saw his Band on the Run hit the pinnacle of the British LP chart, as it rapidly headed towards becoming one of the biggest-selling albums of the decade.

Drama piles upon drama when not only is the Hulk being held captive by Thunderbolt Ross's men but Jim Wilson's abducted by Hydra who want the Hulk for themselves.

What can be their intention?

And can Jim possibly stop them?

Elsewhere, Daredevil and Spider-Man are the only duo who can halt the brazen rampage of the Masked Marauder as he continues to commit a string of felonies around the streets of New York.

But to do that they, they first have to stop fighting each other for five minutes. And that's a big thing to ask of two Marvel heroes.

Speaking of fighting, the Fantastic Four have double trouble on their hands, as both Dragon Man and the foot-stomping enigma that is Gorgon are busy demolishing abandoned areas in America's biggest city.

Who wouldn't want to own a comic with that cover?

A total madman. That's who.

In this breathless issue, Spider-Man manages to find the Hulk - per the Avengers' instructions - and even manages to knock him for a loop, thanks to the beast not reaching full strength immediately after his transformation from Bruce Banner.

Surely, nothing now can prevent the masked wonder from becoming a member of the world's mightiest team!

However, Spidey can't bring himself to hand his prisoner over to them and, instead, helps him escape, telling the gang that he totally failed to even locate his quarry.

Meanwhile, a brand new foe enters the life of Iron Man.

And that foe is a fiend so acidic that they named him after an orange.

That's right! It's the Mandarin!

At the request of the Pentagon, our hero invades the Chinese villain's castle, looking to give him the quick punch up the bracket that'll bring an end to his threat to the West. But will Shellhead even be able to escape with his life?

With Odin having forbidden Thor to marry a mortal, there's only one thing for it.

And that's for the thunder god to convince his father to turn Jane Foster into a goddess.

But is the incident-prone nurse really constructed of the stuff of which gods are made?

It's another issue I didn't own but I do know Shang-Chi visits a theme park - where people instantly try to assassinate him. Life really is Groundhog Day when you're a master of the martial arts.

The Avengers are now not just up against the Mad Thinker and his lackey Hammerhead. They're also having to contend with Piledriver and Thunder-Boot. The latter of whom has the same powers as Gorgon in this week's Fantastic Four.

Fortunately, even though this mighty trio may be too much for the Avengers, they're no match for the dumbheaded brawn of Hercules.

My knowledge of this week's Dr Strange epic is sketchy but I do believe the sorcerous surgeon's still battling with Zom, and that the Ancient One's hanging around Stonehenge for reasons that escape me.