January 4th, 1975 - 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 may have been a brave new year, this week of fifty years ago but some things were still hanging over from the previous one.

And one of those was that, in the United States, John N Mitchell, H R Haldeman and John Ehrlichman were found guilty of the Watergate cover-up.

On a much lighter note, it was also the week in which Roger Hargreaves' Mr Men series was first broadcast by the BBC.

As we can tell from that cover, the almost powerless Avengers are up against no lesser foe than the mighty Thor.

And, to make it worse, he's working for the Collector who's decided that right now would be a great time to add the lot of them to his collection.

Meanwhile, Shang-Chi's still in the Amazon and gets to combat a jaguar.

Needless to say, the jaguar's total lack of formal martial arts training means it proves to be no match for our hero.

And Dr Strange is still battling the latest servant of Satannish. The man they call Nekron.

Tragically, I never had this issue when I was a child. Who would have thought 1975 would have begun with such heart-rending deprivation?

Can it be? Can Marvel's adaptation of the original movie finally have reached its stunning climax?

Yes, it can, as Taylor finally discovers the truth of the world he's been stranded upon.

That cover blurb does raise the obvious question though. Were Marvel comics and Aleister Crowley books the only places in the 20th Century where one could still find human beings using the word, "Lo?"

Following that, we get a one-page biography of actor Mark Leonard, better known as both Urko and Mr Spock's dad.

Ka-Zar, meanwhile,  is managing to bring peace to the Savage Land when he forces an end to the feuding of Germans and Britons who won't let past grievances lie.

Meanwhile, Dr Doom has his work cut out when he has to see-off an uprising by Prince Rudolfo. That crafty prince has not only managed to escape Doom's dungeons. He's also found allies in the mysterious Faceless One and bandage-tastic Doomsman!

Hooray, the Chameleon's back!

And concocting an art theft which'll frame the ever-luckless George Stacy for a crime he hasn't committed.

More importantly, I seem to recall this being the tale in which Spider-Man basically out-and-out tells the whole world he's Peter Parker, and yet everyone around him seems to be too dim to notice.

There's trouble for Tony Stark when his dubious cousin Morgan agrees to help Count Nefaria discredit Stark by faking an alien invasion in front of him.

The only problem is that a real alien invasion shows up, Tony thwarts it and now he's a hero.

Lastly, a weakened and hypnotised Thor is still on the wrong side of the law, thanks to him having helped the Circus of Crime steal a big metal bull.

From what I can make out, our fang-packed fiend must deal with the threat of the Moorlands Monster when he and Lenore return to 20th Century England. His plans to kill Rachel van Helsing, however, are foiled by the deformed son of a nobleman.

Next, Jack Russell and Buck Cowan flee with The Darkhold but are followed by Miles and Marlene Blackgar who'd very much like to reclaim that tome.

And, finally, this issue, Frankenstein's Monster saves a girl who's been tied to a burning boat, by the residents of her own village.

Even the gods aren't safe when the Hulk's on the loose!

And it turns out that neither is the Sphinx, as it and another stone robot from space must contend with the gruesome grappler's temper.

In Daredevil's strip, the stakes are raised even further when the Masked Marauder decrees that Mike Murdock Must Die!

He can say that again.

Elsewhere, the Human Torch and Wyatt Wingfoot are continuing their first encounter with Prester John and his Evil Eye.

The Evil Eye which Johnny decides would be the perfect tool for gaining access to the dome-enclosed city of Attilan.

But is that realisation going to send the boy mad?