March 1st, 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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In Britain, we might have spent the early 1970s complaining about our comics being in black and white.

But in Australia, they had to put up with their TV shows being in black and white.

But that was all about to end.

Because this was the week in which that fair land's broadcasters finally switched to full colour.

Now, at last, viewers could see just what colour Skippy was.

Thinking about it, I think he was grey.

A bit of a waste of money switching to colour, really.

I am, of course, working on an assumption that Skippy was the only thing being broadcast on Australian TV in the 1970s. Which I'm sure must be true.

When it came to the UK singles chart, that was still being dominated by the stop-start magic of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel's Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me).

While the summit of the parallel album chart was now claimed by none other than Status Quo, with their latest platter that mattered On the Level.

Maybe it's just me but I don't recall the Schemer ever managing to be this dynamic in the actual story.

For that matter, I don't remember him having death-gas either.

I do, though, remember him having death-beef with the Kingpin. And, as far as I'm aware, that death-beef continues in this very issue.

Meanwhile, Iron Man's up against the Freak, otherwise known as Happy Hogan. And the musclebound maniac's only gone and abducted Pepper Potts!

Can Tony Stark's Enervator - the device that created the Freak in the first place - possibly be the route to stopping him and curing Happy?

Meanwhile, out on the streets of New York, The Wrecker's succeeded in killing Thor.

And that can only lead to Hela putting in an appearance.

But, somehow, our hero manages to talk his way out of being dead. When my time comes, I'm definitely going to see if that works for me as well.

And there's more good news for the thunder god because, determined to stop the Wrecker, Sif and Balder come up with a great plan.

They'll reactivate the Destroyer.

What could possibly go wrong?

I do believe we get the ceiling-shattering conclusion to the Hulk's first visit to the home world of Jarella, when Psyklop breaks up their happy relationship - only to get on the wrong side of his own dark gods!

I do believe Daredevil's still blind, thanks to the antics of the Cobra and Mr Hyde and is going to have to make them think he's not blind at all, mostly by walking around on a tightrope while not being able to see.

And things are also looking bad for the Fantastic Four in their struggle with the now-cosmically-powered Dr Doom.

Or perhaps they're not.

Because Reed Richards has come up with just the device to stop him.

A robot bat!

What's that it says in that blurb on the left? "Fifty fingers of death!"? That's like the world's worst marketing for the signature product of Findus.

Inside, we find the first part of the only story I've ever read that contains the Sons of the Tiger, as they try to stop Fu Manchu getting up to some naughtiness or other at the United Nations building.

Following that, we encounter a classic Avengers adventure when the gang go back in time - via Dr Doom's time machine - in a bid to find out just what happened in the incident that killed or didn't kill Bucky.

And I think you can guess that means plenty of Zemo, rockets and giant robots.

I think it also means a mention of Marilyn Monroe, even though the story's set in the 1940s.

And, of course, Dr Strange and the Black Knight are in another realm and trying to survive the menace of Tiboro!

The Cowering Blonde of Gil Kane is back.

Inside the book, Dracula's still in A Town Called Death!

Elsewhere, Jack Russell's forced to try and kill a reclusive millionaire, thanks to the schemings of Luthor Kane who's holding Jack's sister hostage.

Next, we encounter a one-page article about the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

And Frankenstein's Monster's still in London, having to overcome the modern-day descendant of the scientist who created him.

Hold on a minute. Despite what it says on the cover, that's not the Lawgiver. The Lawgiver's an orangutan, and that ape's clearly a gorilla.

And, for that matter, those other gorillas have remarkably hairless arms and legs!

Whatever, within this mighty tome, the Lawgiver falls into a deadly river and, somehow, this leads to an encounter with a Davy Crockett style ape called Gunpowder Julius.

Following all that drama, there's a one-page article about Booth Colman who plays the TV version of Dr Zaius.

Then we find a nine-page spotlight on Arthur P Jacobs, principle producer of the Apes films.

As you may have noticed, this means the issue would appear to be devoid of any Tales of the Watcher.

But without his morality tales, how am I supposed to know how to live my life?