September 14th 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. 

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This week in 1974 wasn't a good one for people with sizeable egos who wanted to keep their jobs.

That's because it was the week in which Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was deposed by the Derg, bringing an end to the Solomonic dynasty's near-700-year-long reign and launching a civil war.

Similarly, Brian Clough was dismissed after just 44 days as manager of defending league champions Leeds United, thanks to a disappointing start to the season. Fortunately, that didn't kick off a civil war.

There was good news for one man, though, as it was also the week in which, brand new President of the United States, Gerald Ford signed Proclamation 4311, gifting a full and unconditional pardon to his predecessor Richard Nixon.

When it came to the UK singles chart, that roost was still well and truly being ruled by the Osmonds with their latest platter that mattered Love Me for A Reason.

Change was, however, afoot on the corresponding album rankings, thanks to Mike Oldfield's Hergest Ridge entering at Number One. This meant that, with Tubular Bells still riding high, Oldfield was occupying the top two slots on the British LP chart.

I must confess the Osmonds single isn't one of my favourite tracks of the 1970s but songs I did approve of on that week's UK Hit Parade included:

Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas

Annie's Song - John Denver

When Will I See You Again? - the Three Degrees

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? - Jimmy Ruffin

Mr Soft - Cockney Rebel

Rock the Boat - Hues Corporation

Rock Your Baby - George McCrae

I Shot the Sheriff - Eric Clapton

I've Got the Music in Me - the Kiki Dee Band

Pinball - Brian Protheroe

Band on the Run - Paul McCartney and Wings

Long Tall Glasses - Leo Sayer

and

Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot.

It is strange and bizarre to see that Rock the Boat, Rock Your Baby and Rock Me Gently were occupying the Numbers 24, 25 and 26 positions, respectively, while Number 27 was held by Mud's Rocket. Why do I get the feeling people were going into their local record shop, asking for, "That song that starts with Rock," and being given a random selection from one of those four releases?

Whatever the truth of the matter, should one wish to investigate things in more depth, that week's UK singles chart can be found here.

While the accompanying LP chart resides within.

It's almost as bad a week for the Hulk as it is for Brian Clough.

First of all he gets swatted away, like a mere flea, by the gigantic Klaatu. Then he gets knocked out and captured by Xeron the Star-Slayer. Then he wakes to discover he's a prisoner on a spaceship.

And then, to top it all off, he discovers his old foe the Abomination's also on board - and outranks him!

Elsewhere, John Romita's stint on the Daredevil strip comes to an end - and does so with our hero getting the better of the Gladiator and Masked Marauder, with the puddle-headed pair finally realising Foggy Nelson isn't the man without fear.

Meanwhile, the Fantastic Four and runaway Inhumans are all in the Great Refuge where Maximus unveils his genius plan to annihilate every human being on the planet by using his machine that will only kill people who are not Inhumans.

Is there any hope for humanity?

And for inhumanity?

Out to clear his name, after hanging around with Magneto for longer than any sane PR man would recommend, Quicksilver decides the best way to do it is bring the fugitive Spider-Man to justice.

How can a man, even one blessed with spider-powers, possibly hope to stop a foe who can literally run rings around him?

Very easily, it turns out, as Quicksilver has the brains of a rocking horse, and Spider-Man has very strong arms.

The Unicorn's still causing trouble at Tony Stark's factory. He kidnaps Pepper Potts and threatens to blow up the plant unless Iron Man comes out to fight him.

Therefore, Iron Man fights him.

I can't help feeling the Unicorn's plans would be better if they didn't all involve him fighting Iron Man.

Thor, meanwhile is getting a good battering from Ulik but is saved when the king of the Trolls shows up and gets in the way of things.

What's this? Shang-Chi's strip has disappeared from the pages of our favourite comic dedicated to the Avengers?

But not to worry. His absence is only to give Marvel UK breathing space until new Shang-Chi stories are created for it to reprint.

In the meantime, a brand new strip's here to keep us thrilled, as I: Ron Fist smashes its way into K'un-Lun and, no doubt, into our hearts too, thanks to Ron's unique third-person narration and his one-trick-pony fighting technique.

Elsewhere, the Avengers are off to the Iron Curtain to rescue the abducted Black Widow.

But to do that, it looks like they're going to have to take on the Soviet Union's answer to Captain America - the Red Guardian!

And, very, very elsewhere, still trying to find Victoria Bentley, Dr Strange has entered a surreal world where he encounters the super-scientist Yandroth.

From what I remember, Yandroth has Victoria but isn't in the mood to give her up.