The Marvel Lucky Bag - July 1974.

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We all love a good movie.

Some of us even like bad movies.

But would we find more of the former or of the latter if we traipsed gently to the cinema in July 1974?

I shall leave that to you to decide, by revealing it was a month which saw the release of the following cinematic offerings: Carry On Dick, Mr Majestyk, Death Wish and The Internecine Project.

Frankly, it's hard to believe anyone would vote against Carry On Dick as being the movie of the month.

In fact, I can't believe it never even got an Oscar.

I do believe this is the end of the Thanos/Cosmic Cube saga in which our hero defeats the all-powerful Titan by giving his cube a good karate chopping.

And not even the villain's attempt to age him to death can stop him!

Someone at Marvel's clearly decided one werewolf comic a month isn't enough for any sensible reader and so it is that J Jonah Jameson's son gets his very own strip.

Will it be as successful as Werewolf by Night and just how will it distinguish itself from that book?

Simple. He's wearing bright yellow and that's all the difference I need to keep me happy.

I don't remember too much of what happens in this yarn but that's a memorable cover and, as far as I'm concerned, that's good enough reason to include it here.

According to the Grand Comics Database, the world's greatest non-team must attempt to prevent the Squadron Sinister and Nebulon from destroying the planet.

As we're all still here, I'm going to assume they succeed.

I said Marvel now has two werewolf books.

I was wrong.

It now has three!

Admittedly, this one will only last for one issue but it does give us a chance to see Jack Russell team up with Tigra the werewoman!

And, unless I miss my guess, this is the very tale in which Greer Garson ceases to be the Cat and becomes Tigra.

Also, Hydra are involved.

And Cat People!

There's also a two-page feature detailing the origins of the Werewolf by Night strip and there's a Reed Crandall drawn tale in which a blind man has the eyes of a wolf transplanted into his head and, therefore, becomes a werewolf!

But it's not only lycanthropes who're getting the Giant-Size treatment, this month.

So are the Defenders.

From what I can make out, this would appear to be a string of reprints of solo Dr Strange, Hulk, Sub-Mariner and Silver Surfer tales, held together by a framing narrative of Valkyrie being told their stories, by someone or other.

Billy Graham takes over as artist, while Don McGregor continues to supply the words.

There's a shock revelation for the Panther when he enters the tunnels beneath a cemetery, fights King Cadaver and Baron Macabre and then discovers Killmonger's only been looting the Wakandan armoury!

Ron Fist demonstrates his awesome ability to pointlessly karate chop pavements, on a cover that promises us huge thrills, spills and kills.

In this one, as far as I can make out, Fisty returns to New York, only to have the Shang-Chi problem and immediately blunder into an assassin. This time, it's one called the Scythe.

I don't normally include Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos in this feature. Mostly because I can't stand it. However, I do feel I should mention this story, as after a mighty 120 issues, this is the last one.

Do our team go out in style?

That I cannot say but it seems they find themselves Trapped In the Compound of Death!

It's the comic anyone with a functioning brain would want, as Marvel's flagship character finds himself having to confront the horror of Dracula.

Or he would if they ever actually got to meet in the story.

Instead, in a massive letdown I still haven't recovered from, we get the tale of Spider-Man boarding a ship which contains a doctor who may be able to help Aunt May pull through her latest health emergency.

However, Dracula and the mob are also after that doctor!

But there's more because we also get a Human Torch adventure in which an art thief frames Spidey, meaning he quickly comes to blows with Torchy. This is, of course, a reprint from 1963's Strange Tales Annual #2.