May 3rd, 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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Drama was much in evidence, this week in 1975, thanks to the Vietnam War coming to an end with the Fall of Saigon when North Vietnamese forces seized the city, forcing a mass evacuation of American troops and South Vietnamese civilians. As the capital fell, South Vietnam surrendered, unconditionally, to be taken over by a provisional government.

On a slightly smaller scale was West Ham United's triumph when they won the FA Cup by defeating Fulham 2–0 at Wembley.

Also victorious, that week, were Mud who reached the pinnacle of the UK singles chart, thanks to their single Oh Boy.

And matching that were the Bay City Rollers who seized the summit of the accompanying LP chart, with their smash hit album Once Upon a Star.

As we can see from that cover, Spidey's still battling Doc Ock in a tale that seems to have been going on for months.

And I do believe this week's instalment climaxes with Ock all set to fling our helpless hero from the top of a skyscraper!

Elsewhere, Iron Man frees Pepper Potts from the Titanium Man's paralysis beam - and then goes on to defeat him on live television, gaining the admiration of the entire nation.

Even that of Senator Byrd!

But, of course, there's big trouble in store for Thor and his gang, thanks to daft old Ulik having unintentionally unleashed the unbelievable terror of Mangog!

From the presence of Captain America on the cover, I'm expecting the launch of the tale in which the Hulk's captured at an airport and put on trial. Thus, presumably, inspiring the legendary TV movie that sees the Hulk team up with a spectacularly badly-dressed Daredevil.

Speaking of whom, Hornhead's still out to thwart the Trapster, thanks to the glue-loving villain's attempt to invade the Baxter Building. And I think this may be the part of the adventure in which Dr Doom finally shows up.

And armed with a remarkably similar plan to that of the Trapster.

I do have reason to believe the Fantastic Four's strip is missing. I can only put that down to their presence in the Hulk and Daredevil yarns.

Here's a cover so creepy that I'm not sure a mind as impressionable as mine should even be exposed to it.

Inside, Iron Fist is, for now, gone from the comic, supplanted by the return of Shang-Chi who has what I think to be his first encounter with British government agent Clive Reston.

More pressingly, he and Reston also have an encounter with a gang of Phansigars who dramatically smash their way in through a bunch of windows.

Next, we're treated to more of the shocking origin of the Vision - and of Ultron who turns out to have been created by Hank Pym!

It all ends with the Avengers deciding to let the Vision join their ranks, and the revelation that even an android can cry.

Back to our cover star, and Dr Strange - now called Dr Sanders - pays a visit to his old friend Kenneth Ward.

But something is amiss in the Ward residence.

Something that I'm sure will have strange echoes of the writings of HP Lovecraft.

As is immediately apparent, Apeslayer's still having trouble with those pesky simian tripods.

Within the book, he discovers LaGuardia Airport is a major supply and weapons depot for the apes, and decides to launch an attack on it. But, like the Hulk in his strip, he and his Freemen are quickly taken captive.

That's followed by an 8-page article that reveals how Roddy McDowall gets transformed into an ape whenever he shows up at work.

But, perhaps far more excitingly than even that, a momentous occasion's arrived for us all - because Adam Warlock's only gone and landed a strip of his very own!

It's the one in which the High Evolutionary decides to create a replica of Earth, on the far side of the sun, and the Man-Beast decides to ruin it for everyone.

Needless to say, the man from the cocoon has a few things to say about that.

Sadly, I know little of this week's Dracula tale but am aware that it's called The Night of the Screaming House!

Elsewhere, I do believe Jack Russell's hairy alter-ego's trapped in a pit, thanks to the machinations of a man called Sarnak.

But what's this?

We now encounter a brand new strip?

And that strip is Brother Voodoo?

And we discover his origin?

And that he used to be a psychiatrist?

Or was he a psychologist?

And now he's a voodoo expert?

Conan and Jenna are the guests of a mountain tribe but the gaffe-prone prostitute's kidnapped by a mysterious winged creature that takes her to a tower surrounded by flesh-eating flowers!

It seems like its curtains for her but, fortunately, Conan just happens to have a herd of woolly mammoths to hand.

And, speaking of men who know how to use a mammoth, what's Ka-Zar up to?

He's up to nothing because, despite what it says on the cover, he's nowhere in sight.

Instead, we're presented with Kull and his encounter with The Death-Dance of Thulsa Doom!

This is one of only two issues of The Super-Heroes I ever owned, although I seem to have acquired it two years too late, as I recall first reading it while - on television - people were lighting beacons on hilltops to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Call me a dirty, treasonous, commie republican if you like but I must confess I found the Silver Surfer story more gripping than any mere bout of mass bonfire-lighting could ever hope to be.

Anyway, as we can see, the shiny nincompoop encounters the descendant of Frankensten who's determined to learn from history and totally repeat his ancestor's mistakes.

As for the X-Men, they suspect a gifted long-jumper on TV may be a mutant.

But when they try to recruit him, they discover he's actually the Toad in disguise and that his TV appearance was all part of whatever Magneto's latest plan may be!