April 5th, 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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Comedy rocked our world, this week in 1975, when it saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail released in UK cinemas.

In the world of sport, Manchester United clinched promotion to the First Division, just one season after having been relegated from it.

You'd never know it from that cover but this issue features the second half of the tale in which our hero gets the Prowler to pretend to be him, so that Peter Parker and Spider-Man can be seen in the same place at the same time by the same people and, thus, dispel his friends' suspicion that Spider-Man and Peter are in reality the same person.

This is, of course, in the wake of Peter having, last week, declared himself to be Spider-Man.

But, despite that cover, I can confirm that, at no point in this tale is Gwen Stacy in any kind of danger.

Elsewhere, Iron Man's getting a good thumping from the Sub-Mariner. And, so, he locks himself in a room to buy himself time to recharge his batteries.

Meanwhile, feeling a bit rundown himself, Subby takes a dip in the ocean, in order to recharge his own batteries.

In no need of recharging any batteries at all is Thor, who's in Karnilla's house and having yet another punch-up with Ulik.

Gwen Stacy may be in no danger but Shalla-Bal certainly is.

And that's because it's time for Marvel UK to publish my favourite Silver Surfer story of them all, as the menacing Mephisto makes his diabolical debut and attempts to tempt the pewter powerhouse.

The X-Men, meanwhile, are having their first clash with the Blob who they try to recruit to their ranks and, when he spurns their offer, they wipe his memories.

Seems a bit extreme of them.

Are they sure they're the good guys?

I've no idea what's going on on this cover but it certainly looks striking.

Inside, his fight with Batroc successfully concluded, Iron Fist now has his first encounter with a woman called Misty Knight.

I do believe the Avengers conclude their run-in with the Scarlet Centurion and successfully put right the timeline that had seen them become a menace to humanity.

And Dr Strange must defeat a Nightmare who's made a terrific job of ruining everyone's New Year celebrations.

And what's this? More thrills from Marvel's greatest foiler of simians?

Too right it is!

This week, we discover yet more of his origin, as we see just how he came to be a gladiator in the apes' games and just how he escaped to become their greatest nemesis.

After that, there's even more cause for celebration because we encounter the UK debut of the Guardians of the Galaxy, as a bunch of highly modified humans - and Yondu - rise up to fight the rule of the evil alien Badoon.

And, finally, we blunder upon Lee and Ditko's The Secret of the Black Planet.

That's the one in which an escaped convict on another world decides to escape in a conveniently-placed rocket ship.

Only for it to turn out to be a living creature that he's only just gone and climbed into the mouth of!

I do believe this is the one in which the Hulk lifts up an entire cliff in one of the most memorable comic book panels of my childhood.

He is, of course, doing this because he's in conflict with Havok over Lorna Dane who he's mistaken for Jarella.

And Daredevil's still in Canada and fighting a Beetle who's determined to unmask him, thanks to the machinations of Stan Lee and Gene Colan.

Meanwhile, Reed Richards continues to be trapped in the Negative Zone and on collision course with a planet that's going to disintegrate him on contact.

Can no one save him?

I have a suspicion a certain aquatic Inhuman may be able to do just that.

And I do believe this may be the story which sees the finger-blasting debut of none other than Blastaar himself.

In a twist we never saw coming, the lord of vampires travels to America and has the misfortune to feed on a man who's a drug addict. Does this mean Dracula will now also become a drug addict?

Only time - and the rest of this story - will tell.

The werewolf by night continues to be on show in a carnival. Needless to say, fighting's broken out.

And, like Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster is in modern day New York.

But it's not drug addicts he has to worry about. No, he has to worry about street gangs!

It's the first Conan story I ever read, as Zukala and his transformational daughter make their first appearances, and our belligerent heads off to their castle to tackle them, having been promised a big fat reward by the local peasants.

Meanwhile, in the backup strip, I'm assured that Kull's arrogance sees the release of an ancient menace he's barely able to thwart.

Fifty years ago today - April 1975.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

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British Summer Time's arrived!

And that means we've had to fling ourselves one hour into the future.

But now let us fling ourselves fifty years and one hour into the past!

After what feels like centuries, the Celestial Madonna Saga still rumbles along.

And, this time, we discover the senses-shattering truth of the origin of the Vision - and how it ties in with the disappearance of the first Human Torch!

Isn't this the flashback tale that reveals how Conan got his cherry popped by a mysterious woman in a log cabin?

And she turned out to be a wolf-fixated witch?

Then again, maybe I'm just imagining that story ever existed.

And maybe Conan's just imagining it ever happened.

I don't think I've read this one but I take it Sharon Carter's still not dead by this point?

Clearly, someone's been to the same tailor as Kraven.

More importantly, Matt Murdock gets the Black Widow to attend a party thrown by Foggy Nelson.

And, with the sort of luck that only people who hang around with Foggy Nelson can know, they're promptly attacked by Hydra and El Jaguar!

I recall nothing of what occurs in this one but, judging by that cover, it's all kicking-off as the brand new Doomsman makes his presence felt.

Much as I love this era of the Hulk, I can't claim the Devastator's one of Marvel's greatest villains.

In fact, so far away is he from being one of Marvel's greatest villains that I remember nothing about him, other than that he's Russian.

And that he's dead by the end of the issue.

Speaking of not being Marvel's greatest villain, here comes the Cyclone, the only super-menace ever to be defeated by an electric fan.

Still, it does give Spidey, JJJ and Joe Robertson a chance to visit France for reasons I don't recall.

Nope. I have no idea at all as to what happens in this one.

I'm assuming Thor and Loki have a fight.

I would also assume that Firelord puts in an appearance.

That's Marvel's main superstars. more or less, dealt with but we should never forget they aren't the only people we'll encounter should we enter our local vendor of quality reading matter.

We'll also encounter the denizens of DC.

Therefore, for contrast and comparison, let us see what a random sampling of that company's product bearing the same cover date looks like.

Limited Collectors' Edition #C-35 brings us the original Captain Marvel - and a cover of somewhat doubtful aesthetic appeal.

But, inside, we discover 68 pages and a string of yarns reprinted from the 1940s and '50s.

Not to mention such features as Shazam! The World's Mightiest Family, Shazam! Puzzle Page, How to Draw Cap's Friends and Foes, Shazam! On Television!! and the obligatory table-top diorama these projects always seem to include.

That cover can only mean one thing.

We're about to encounter a reprint of the whole of 1942's Wonder Woman #1.

Brace yourself, then, for action, as the amazing Amazon bondages her way through a string of uplifting adventures, including the origin story in which she first meets Steve Trevor.

We also meet a 4-page biography of Florence Nightingale, A Message from Phil, Sweet Adeline, The Greatest Feat of Daring in Human History!, Little Oscar's First Air Raid - and an ad encouraging America's children to buy at least one 10-cent Savings Stamp each week, in aid of the war effort.

It's always exciting when a new comic hits our spinner racks and that's exactly what happens with the launch of 1st Issue Special.

And its debut appearance stars none other than Atlas himself.

Not that I know anything beyond that, other than that it's written and drawn by Jack Kirby.

The gravely grim ghost of retribution is back.

But he's not drawn by Jim Aparo!

He's drawn by Ernie Chua, with Aparo on inks.

And Jim Corrigan's alter-ego must halt the lunatic practices of a museum curator who has people delivered to his workplace where he plans to make an exhibition of them.

Following that, we find the launch of a Seven Soldiers of Victory series which sees a septet of Golden Age heroes on a mission to do something or other in a tale that I think was written in the 1940s but never drawn and published until now.

What's this?

A mystery person trying to join the Justice League?

One who appears to have wings?

And has already been a member?

Who can it be?

Well, obviously, it's Hawkman!

And he re-enters the mix when the gang help him thwart the plans of the Equalizer.

And I don't mean Edward Woodward.

I mean an interplanetary villain who's unleashed a plague on the people of Thanagar. One which makes them all equal in physical and mental capabilities.

And then the crafty crook does the same with the JLA!

In our brand new opening tale, the dark-night detective must do something about The Scarecrow's Trail of Fear!

Then, we receive reprints of The Round-Robin Death Threats and Where There's a Will-- There's a Slay!

But, also, there are various short features of interest to the dedicated Batfan, including one about strange old laws.

It's  a comic that only a mad thing wouldn't want, when the Legion prepares to give a peace negotiator a big trophy.

But, before it can happen, Superboy, Mon-El, and Ultra Boy are attacked by their parents! 

It can only be the work of our heroes' crime-packed counterparts the Legion of Super-Villains!

And, when it comes to reprints, the publication offers us the always endearing Lana Lang's Superboy Identity Detection Kit! and The Evil Hand of the Luck Lords!

The horror comic that never seems to take itself too seriously gives us Magic by Moonlight Only..., Satan's Revenge and The Hanging Man. All narrated by Eve.

Off the top of my head, I only recall the cover story which I think involves a battle of witches/sorcerers within the confines of a pharmacy and is drawn by Ruben Yandoc.

This month, the world's spookiest dispenser of tales of conflict gets 64 pages.

And it uses those pages to deliver such nightmares as Escape, The Moon Is the Murderer, The 13th Man, The Pool..., Monsieur Gravedigger, Bloody Halloween, The Day after Doomsday, Colonel Clown Isn't Laughing Anymore!, Death-Gram and The Deadly Seeds.

Not all of which are reprints.