Forty years ago today - November 1984.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

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Let us, once more, visit the past and see what secrets and wonders it contains.

Things are about to start getting serious, with Surtur and his legions all set to invade the planet Earth.

Or, at least, New York City which, in the Marvel Universe, is practically the same thing.

Still, at least there's time for Odin to tell Thor all about the time he and his brothers first encountered the giant fire demon, in days long gone.

But what's this? Roger's starting to get suspicious that Lorelei might not be the ordinary, everyday gal she claims to be?

Reed Richards' dad's time machine takes the gang back to the days of the Wild West.

Or does it?

How come there's hi-tech all over the place?

And just what do the locals know of Reed's missing father?

You know?

The scientific genius?

The one who was an expert at creating hi-tech?

And went missing after using his time machine to travel to the Wild West?

I remember this issue as being one long, non-stop fight, as Storm and Rogue must stave off the Dire Wraiths' siege of Forge's apartment - even though Storm no longer has her mutant powers and no one can be sure anyone is who they claim to be!

The reanimated cyborg corpse that is Silvermane is still on the rampage and still determined to reclaim a fragment of his missing soul from Dagger.

And it appears nothing can stop him. Not even Cloak, Dagger, Spidey, the Kingpin, the Answer and the Black Cat all working together!

But does, as it seems, the attempt cause the death of the Answer?

You have to hope so. He's quite annoying.

Thanks to Dr Strange, the green one finds himself on a baffling planet from which he can enter other worlds. Any one of which may prove a suitable home for him.

One of those worlds is a land inhabited by a giant child who views him as a doll for her to play with.

Needless to say, that's never going to provide him with the level of violence he's looking for.

And, so, he sets off to find an environment more suited to his unique temperament.

The aged Steve Rogers is still battling it out with the aged Red Skull who's eagerly looking forward to both their deaths.

But there may be a fate in store for the villain that's even worse than extinction because Baron Zemo and Mother Superior are not at all pleased with him, while the Falcon and Nomad have escaped the prison he put them in and are looking to introduce his jaw to their all-American fists.

It's a mighty and sensational crossover with Thor's book because, while the thunder god's own mag only tells us about Surtur's invasion of New York, this month's Avengers actually shows it!

It's true. The son of Odin unites with the Avengers and Fantastic Four to try and stop the big red thug and his big bad army from causing nothing but trouble wherever they go.

And I've got a feeling that might not be all. Because I do suspect that Beta Ray Bill may be about to make his senses-shattering comeback!

Daredevil and the Kingpin team up to bring down Micah Synn.

I'm not totally sure why Kingie needs Daredevil's help for that but there you go.

Meanwhile, Foggy Nelson is falling apart even faster than his relationship with Deborah Harris is.

It's a lesson for us all, as Conan takes under his wing, a clueless youth who tried to kill him in a failed revenge bid.

Together, the mismatched pair set off in search of a magic sword but - shock horror - the youth betrays him, the first chance he gets.

Needless to say, Conan doesn't waste any time in punishing him for that betrayal.

Thanks to a visit to the Baxter Building, Spidey finally discovers his costume from outer space is a living creature and not an item of apparel.

With Reed Richards' help he manages to get it off him. But that's not the end of his problems, as he still has to come to terms with Mary Jane knowing his secret identity and with having to allay the jealousy of the Black Cat.

And then there's the fact the Hobgoblin's decided to join forces with the Rose.

The Brothers Grimm make an unlikely return when Barton and Percival Grimes discover the villains' abandoned costumes and decide to use them to get rich and avenge themselves upon a local restaurant owner who once did something to annoy them.

Needless to say, Iron Man's on hand to tackle them.

Needless to say, because he's Rhodey and still hasn't got round to actually learning how to use the armour, he makes more of a meal of it than he should, and Tony Stark has to sort it out by the imaginative method of calling the police to deal with the wrongdoers.