October 5th 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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Martial arts mayhem was still ruling unsurpassed in Britain, this week in 1974, with Carl Douglas' Kung Fu Fighting retaining the singles chart pinnacle it had claimed seven days earlier.

However, there was change - of a sort - atop the corresponding LP listings, thanks to Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells having now snatched pole position from his own Hergest Ridge. Clearly, there was no stopping the lad.

It's like a flashback to the early days of the venture, with Jim Starlin giving us a MWOM cover. Although, admittedly, this time, it wasn't drawn specifically for the comic.

Inside, I do believe Hulkie's crashed back to Earth, following his outer space adventure and is about to have another run-in with the Sandman who, in his urge to find a cure for being made of glass, decides to invade a hospital and force Betty Ross to give him a quick and total blood swap.

I can't see the jade one taking this lying down.

Meanwhile, the man without fear has been sentenced to death by the Owl - as has a judge - and this leads to the feathery fiend unveiling his greatest weapon yet - a giant robot owl that looks like it weighs more than a planet and would struggle to get off the ground even if gravity had never been invented.

The Fantastic Four are still having their first ever meeting with Galactus. And I do suspect Alicia is having her first ever meeting with the Silver Surfer.

But can she convince him of the innate goodness of humanity?

Judging by his whingeing about the awfulness of humanity in his later solo series, seemingly not.

This week's cover does somewhat oversell the threat Man-Mountain Marko poses to Spider-Man.

Still, at least he does pose a threat to the Shocker's girlfriend.

And that's bad news for us all because she's the latest custodian of that pesky ancient tablet the whole world seems to want. Latest to want it is Marko's employer Silvermane, ageing head of the Maggia.

Next, it's a tale never to be forgotten, as the Chameleon decides to trick Iron Man into fighting Captain America, for reasons I can't recall.

To do this, he, of course, shows up at Tony Stark's factory, claiming he's Cap and has been given a good beating by the Chameleon who's now posing as the star-spangled superstar.

Possibly the most disappointing aspect of this tale is the sight of Iron Man knocking Kraven the Hunter out with one punch, making Spider-Man's numerous epic labours to defeat the villain look a bit pathetic.

Thor, meanwhile, pays a visit to the trolls' homeland in a bid to retrieve his stolen hammer.

And, there, he encounters the mysterious captive alien Orikal and releases him from his flame-lined prison.

Iron Fist claims the front cover and reiterates his legendary ability to beat up pavements, as he must confront the menace of the Scythe.

In total contrast to what we've been getting from Shang-Chi's strip, he's an assassin, sent to kill our hero.

Elsewhere, the stars of the comic are still behind the Iron Curtain and still trying to liberate the Black Widow from her former communist overlords.

But for that to happen, Captain America must overcome her husband the Red Guardian, a man designed to be equal to him in every way.

Needless to say, he doesn't turn out to be equal to him in every way.

Not that it does Cap much good, as he's soon captured by others.

And what of the doctor of strangeness?

He's still trying to recoup Victoria Bentley from the clutches of Scientist Supreme Yandroth who's now resorted to inflicting monsters from his id on his opponent.