March 15th, 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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Change was not to be found atop the UK singles chart, this week in 1975.

And that meant good news for those who like songs to be spoken, rather than sung.

And that's because If by Telly Savalas was still ruling the roost.

Change, was, however, being visited upon that week's British LP chart, with Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti entering at Number One.

Following that thrilling summation of the mid-1970s music world, let us see just what our favourite weeklies are offering us.

They're offering us the Black Widow in a brand new costume when Madame Natasha goes full-on Emma Peel and decides to celebrate by tackling her male counterpart.

Meanwhile, in China, Iron Man's got plenty on his plate, thanks to having been abducted by the Mandarin and having to tackle the towering terror of Ultimo.

And not only that. Back in America, Senator Byrd's shut down Tony Stark's factory, having decided the billionaire's in contempt of Congress by not showing up to an official hearing.

On the streets of New York, Thor's battling a Destroyer reanimated by the spirit of Sif.

The good news is Odin's finally seen sense and restored the thunder god to full power.

The bad news is that's likely to do him a fat load of good against the Destroyer.

From that cover, I do suspect we're encountering the first part of the story in which the Avengers return to the present day, after their trip to the 1940s. Only to discover they're now in a timeline in which the original team have wiped out all other super-doers, on behalf of a mystery benefactor called the Scarlet Centurion!

And it's double trouble for them because, this week, they're also in action against Ymir and Surtur, thanks to having received an invite from Dr Strange to help him tackle the antipodal giants.

I do believe this tale redraws the Vision as Thor, in order to avoid confusing UK readers who've not yet been introduced to the amazing android.

Sadly I'm not totally sure just what Shang-Chi's up to this time round.

I'm sure, though, that it'll involve assassins.

And Fu Manchu.

And philosophising.

Blade gets his first cover appearance.

And, as we can tell, he's confronting the king of the vampires on a cruise ship.

Elsewhere in the world of monsters, Jack Russell's captured by someone called Swami Rihva and put on show in his travelling circus.

Then, Frankenstein's Monster is cheated of his revenge against the last living Frankenstein.

And, finally, this issue, George Alec Effinger and Billy Graham present a one-off thriller in which the best athletes of Westfield Heights High School are struck down by an unknown illness.

This is, of course, reprinted from the pages of 1972's Journey into Mystery #2 and I'm going to guess the mystery "illness" is none other than vampirism.

I do believe we're set to discover, within, the latest instalment of the thriller in which an injured gorilla and human must team up if they're to survive the harsh environment in which they find themselves.

That's followed by an interview with Dan Striepeke, head of 20th Century-Fox's Make-up Department, about his role in the making of the Apes movies.

And that's followed by Marvel's adaptation of Theodore Sturgeon's Killdozer in which a humble earth-mover gets ideas above its station and goes on a homicidal rampage across an obscure island.

I could be wrong but I suspect Jarella doesn't really die in this tale. Sadly, I don't think her would-be assassin is quite so fortunate as her.

Elsewhere, Daredevil's still blind and still having to thwart the threat of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

And I do believe the Fantastic Four finally win their tussle with the Cosmically-Powered Dr Doom, by tricking him into flying into the invisible barrier that prevents the Silver Surfer from leaving this planet.

As we can see, we're offered yet more of the origin of the Silver Surfer. How we shall gasp, as he saves his world from Galactus, only to become the herald of that very being.

And the X-Men must confront Magneto for the first time, thanks to him having taken over the missile base he took over last week.

Conan looking a bit ineffectual on that cover.

Thankfully, he's far more potent inside the book where he leads a group of humans in a rebellion against their ape-like masters.

Kull's also up to something but I'm not too sure what.

I do, however, know the story's called To Kill a King. So, from that, I shall assume someone's out to kill him or that he's out to kill someone else who happens to be a king.