December 7th, 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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And now for something completely different?

This week in 1974, it would soon be time for something completely absent, as the last-ever episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus was broadcast by BBC Two. Still, not to worry. The gang would soon be appearing on the big screen, courtesy of their first true feature film.

In no similar hurry to depart, however, was Barry White who, that week, hit the top spot on the UK singles chart, with his latest smash You're the First, the Last, My Everything.

But there was to be no change in sight atop that week's British LP listings where Elton John's Greatest Hits maintained the dominance it had established the week before. 

Remind me never to try and kill Dracula with a battery-powered torch.

Contained within the pages of this issue, the king of the undead bumps off someone called Ilsa and turns her into a vampire.

However, she's well narked that her lost youthfulness hasn't returned and, therefore, allows Rachel to kill her.

Elsewhere, Andrea Timly captures Jack Russell, in an attempt to obtain the location of The Darkhold. Which I'm pretty sure is what also happened in last week's issue.

And even more elsewhere, Frankenstein's Monster is befriended by an Arctic tribe of Inuit but, somehow, finds himself being attacked by Neanderthals!

Ignore that cover. The scene it depicts doesn't occur this issue, having already been portrayed in last week's mag.

Inside, there's Hellenistic trouble for the Avengers - or will be - because no less a fiend than Typhon has decided to snuff out the Promethean Flame and, thus, make all the gods of Olympus disappear!

Can the returning Hercules do anything to put things right before he too is afflicted?

Back on Earth, the rest of the team have a major problem, with Magneto looking to push the United Nations around.

Shang-Chi, meanwhile is in the Amazon, trying to prevent his father from gaining access to a Nazi super-weapon.

And Dr Strange is still battling to free his girlfriends from the clutches of Dormammu.

He succeeds on that front. But can he prevent the fiery-faced fiend from taking over the Earth?

I think the cover makes it clear this is the issue in which Taylor loses his court case, totally fails to prove he has apelike intelligence and is sentenced to death.

I am impressed by how high Dr Zaius' chair is on that cover. I wonder how many steps he has to climb to get to it?

More pressingly, I do believe we see the conclusion to the Gullivar Jones saga, as the Earthman finally defeats the two-headed rogue who's been holding Princess Heru captive, and then liberates the people of Mars from his tyrannical rule. Hooray!

No sooner has Ka-Zar sorted out that unpleasantness involving the Petrified Man than we get the arrival of Damon the Man-God and his subsequent attack on the Savage Land. 

We also encounter our first encounter with Bobbi Morse.

Drama follows drama when Spidey manages to keep the Human Torch at bay for long enough to cure Curt Connors of being the Lizard.

And I do believe he does so by throwing a barrel of talcum powder on the scaly scalliwag.

Has anyone ever tried this with the Hulk?

But it's big-time trouble for Tony Stark when a small-time crook steals his attache case.

I don't need to tell you this is disastrous, as that case contains his armour.

And that means the crook can become the new Iron Man and go on a crime spree with it.

There's only one thing for it. Tony's going to have to don his original armour and fight the usurper, despite his bad heart not being up to the strain.

In Thor's strip, the thunder god, Sif and Balder defeat Magnir and Brona but it'll all be in vain if Odin can't stop Forsung.

Captured by Dr Doom, with the world thinking him dead, Bruce Banner is forced to build a great big bomb for the Teutonic tyrant.

Back in the United States, the good news for New York is that Daredevil defeats the Leap Frog.

The bad news for New York is Mike Murdock makes his ever-loving debut and shares his hip, swinging and zingy personality with us all. Like, it's a ring-a-ding groovy blast, oh Daddy-O.

Elsewhere, the Thing concludes his epic battle with the Silver Surfer.

Or, rather, it's concluded for him by Reed and Sue who finally show up to talk some sense into his head.

I do believe the back covers of this week's comics feature a house ad for a whole bunch of Marvel badges we can buy if we dig deeply enough into our piggy banks.

And blow me down if a reproduction of that ad can't be found by clicking right here.