December 21st, 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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It's a tragedy that could make the hardest of men weep. Most pop stars are having a whale of a time at Christmas, as their hastily knocked up festive cash-in shoots up the Hit Parade and guarantees them an annual chart presence from now until the end of eternity, long after everyone's forgotten everything else they ever recorded.

But not Mud. The only emotion they were feeling as they hit the Number One spot on the UK singles listings, this week in 1974, was an empty sense of abandonment.

I am, of course, referring to the lyrics of their timeless Yuletide smash the world knows as Lonely This Christmas. Who can forget their emotions welling up, as lead singer Les Gray sat there on Top of the Pops, singing that song to a ventriloquist's dummy while polystyrene rained down upon him?

Not me.

But that probably says more about me than it does about the performance.

Over on the associated album chart, however, the pinnacle was held - as it had been for several weeks - by Elton John and his Greatest Hits LP.

Spidey continues his noticeably one-sided battle with the Prowler, by faking his own death.

Needless to say, this leaves his foe feeling somewhat traumatised.

When it comes to Iron Man, during a trip to his plant by the eternally unimpressed Senator Byrd, our hero manages to have his first-ever tussle with Attuma who, just for a change, is out to invade the surface world.

Iron Man, of course, is triumphant but Tony Stark now has to explain to the senator why the expensive submarine he was test-driving managed to blow up.

Thor, meanwhile, is still touring with the Circus of Crime whose Ringmaster has hypnotised him into helping them steal a big metal bull.

In a mystical dimension, Dormammu's still trying to gain access to our world.

And Dr Strange is still trying to stop him.

Frankly, as that cover makes clear, he's not doing a very good job of it.

But what's this? Umar's about to step into the ring and give the sorcerer a helping hand against her own brother?

All I can say is, "Thank God for familial betrayal."

But these are grim times for the Avengers.

With the defections of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the gang are now down to just three members. And one of those - Goliath - has lost his powers.

Not that he's bothering to reveal that to his other two teammates, because he's Hank Pym and if there's one thing Hank Pym doesn't make, it's good decisions.

While those three are bickering, Hercules, is still out to halt the rampage of the titan Typhon who, not content with having sent the Olympian gods into limbo, has decided to launch an attack on shipping in the Mediterranean.

Also in need of a boat is Shang-Chi who's in the Amazon and caught in the crossfire of Fu Manchu's men and a bunch of Nazis.

I do wonder where people in Dracula stories get their flaming torches from. In all my life, I've never seen a shop that sells them.

I once encountered a retailer in Sheffield that sold battleaxes and vacuum cleaners - which seemed rather an odd combination - but even they'd never thought to sell flaming torches.

Inside this book, Dracula and Taj use a mystical mirror to travel to 19th Century Transylvania.

And they're followed there by Drake and Rachel!

Elsewhere, Jack Russell visits an island, in search of The Darkhold. But, annoyingly, for him, while there, he's turned to stone.

Now I've got that ELO song stuck in my head.

Next is a short treat in the form of a chiller called My Name Is Death! by Stan Lee and Joe Maneely. It's a yarn narrated by an Iron Maiden and, from the names of the tale's creators, you may not be surprised to discover it's a 1950s reprint.

And, finally, this issue, Frankenstein's Monster is still hanging around with an Arctic tribe.

The Hulk continues to battle Dr Doom, and I'm thinking it's the issue in which he's close to killing the armour-clad clod until the lovely Valeria intercedes to convince him not to. An act which somewhat wounds Victor's pride.

But who cares about that when the real news is Daredevil's still taking on the Stiltman who's still teamed up with the Masked Marauder?

And, now, the Fantastic Four have their first encounter with the menace of Klaw who I have no doubt is out to steal a bucketload of precious Vibranium from Wakanda and the Black Panther.

Nine issues in and Marvel's adaptation of the first movie reaches its later stages.

It's that bit of the film in which the main cast are in a cave in the Forbidden Zone and discover a human doll that can speak!

That's followed by a one-page biography of Ron Harper, better known as Alan Virdon in the Planet of the Apes TV show.

And trouble's about to break out for Ka-Zar when he stumbles across a bunch of Germans and Brits who're still fighting either World War One or World War Two. I forget just which but, either way, it's a war and that's what counts.

And the curtain comes down on the issue with Diablo still holding Valeria hostage in an attempt to coerce Dr Doom into becoming his partner in crime.