October 26th 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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Thrilling things await us in this week's look at the output of Britain's excitingest comics imprint, exactly fifty years ago.

But what of the music charts?

It turned out Ken Boothe was in a generous mood, as he hit the top spot on the UK singles listings, thanks to his reggae track Everything I Own. And possibly, after the success of this single, he could afford to own quite a lot.

Also able to own a lot were, possibly, the Bay City Rollers who retained their perch atop the associated album chart, with their latest LP Rollin' which we must all have had on repeat play on our turntables.

With one mighty lunge, Dracula's free of his coffin, and a brand new book hits a newsagents near you!

And it's just in time for Halloween!

In our first tale of dread and terror, Frank Drake inherits Castle Dracula, just in time for its previous owner to wake up and cause trouble. No sooner is Drac up and about than he kills someone called Jeanie and turns her into a vampire.

In our second tale, a man called Jack Russell celebrates his 18th birthday by learning of his family curse. And I think we all know what that curse is but not why his parents were daft enough to call him Jack Russell.

While, in our third and final tale, Robert Walton IV leads an Arctic expedition to retrieve Frankenstein's Monster. While he's at it, he tells the cabin boy how that monster was created.

And that's not all, because I do believe this issue also contains a free poster recycled from the front of the US Dracula Lives #1.

But what's this? We don't just get the launch of one comic this week? We get two? Never before has Marvel UK demonstrated the level of ambition it is now!

And what a way to demonstrate that ambition, by creating a book dedicated to the greatest film the world has ever seen!

We don't just get a classic Bob Larkin cover. We also get an adaptation of the movie that started it all. Drawn by George Tuska, no less. In this exciting issue, three astronauts crash into a mystery planet - only to discover it's ruled by apes.

And humans are hunted as prey!

But there's even more. We also encounter a five-page article dedicated to the makeup process used in the film, and a fabby poster recycled from the first issue of the American Planet of the Apes mag! There's even a message from Stan Lee!

Truly, entertainment doesn't get more apetastic than this!

The comic may be called The Avengers but it's obvious who the editor thinks the star of the show is, as Iron Fist meets a man with nunchucks!

Even more excitingly, that cover announces that Ant-Man is back!

And it's because I demanded it!

Frankly, I don't remember demanding it but I'm sure the editor knows best what's good for me.

I do suspect this means we're getting the tale in which the Pyms' chauffeur turns out to be the Whirlwind and shrinks Goliath to insect size before trapping him in a deadly ants' nest, without his ant-controlling hat!

As for Iron Fist's tale, he's still invading Harold Meachum's office and must deal with the towering menace of the man they call Triple-Iron.

And deal with him, he does - with the help of a baffling ninja who keeps randomly appearing.

But just what kind of a state will Harold Meachum be in by the time the fist man gets to him?

And we close the issue with the second part of the re-telling of Dr Stranges' origin.

Now there's trouble because the Hulk's up against a seemingly endless parade of Leader-created replicas of his deadliest foes.

Can Jim Wilson successfully overcome an entire military base in his quest to foil the Leader's plans?

And can he overcome his total inability to understand how the base's wiring system works?

Daredevil, meanwhile, is still combating the threat of the Tri-Man.

And I do believe it's time for some downtime, as the Fantastic Four rest and recuperate, following their grapples with Galactus.

I suspect this means Johnny Storm's heading off to ESU to begin his studies.

And that means he's going to have an encounter with a mysterious youth called Wyatt Wingfoot...

From the looks of it, Silvermane learns it's not always a good idea to keep taking the tablets, as he seeks the key to eternal youth.

When it comes to Iron Man, I think he's having his first-ever encounter with the Black Knight.

But there are bigger problems afoot because, in Tony Stark's unexplained absence, Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan are starting to suspect our hero's killed their boss!

Thor, meanwhile, has problems of his own when a robot called Replicus, built on behalf of gangster Slugger Sykes, goes on the rampage across New York.

But is that robot all it seems?

And just what are the true motives of the mad scientist who created it?