Fifty years ago today - July 1975.

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

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There are times in this life when no introduction is necessary.

Which is a good thing because I don't have one. 

I seem to recall this being the one in which the Avengers keep leaping into exploding floating balls, for no good reason at all. Until the Beast rescues them by coming up with the radical plan of not leaping into exploding floating balls.

No wonder he was seen as the intellectual of the X-Men.

And, speaking of intellectuals, doesn't it turn out the villain of the piece - the Stranger - is nothing of the sort and is really the Toad disguised as the ever-antagonising antagonist?

It's the first colour Conan comic I ever owned, bought at an indoor market in Blackpool. That market was on Lytham Road. Maybe, from now on, I ought to declare on which street I bought every single comic I've ever owned

As for the story inside, I recollect it features the usual attempt to rob a tomb or somesuch.

And that prompts a giant golden scorpion to come to life!

And that means Conan must kill it!

As if that's not excitement enough for us, I do believe this thriller sees the return of Murillo and the debut of Tara of Hanumar.

I don't have a clue if this Demon-Druid's related to the Demon Druid who once fought Thor. Nor why he's wearing an outfit that doesn't in any way, shape or form suggest the word, "Druid," to me.

Either way, it all looks like trouble for Cap.

It looks like the Black Widow and Man Without Fear have loads of trouble on their plates, as they try to rescue Foggy Nelson from the clutches of Hydra!

I've never read this tale but am familiar with Arkon and have long been of the opinion that he needs a good slap.

I do believe it's the first-ever Hulk story to be narrated in the first-person, by the Hulk. Which, as the Hulk normally tends to refer to himself in the third-person, is a strange concept indeed.

More importantly, the brute must face the forces of the Mole Man, as he tries to find a cure for a young girl's blindness.

I'm not sure I've ever read this one.

Unless it turns out the "Hulk" is actually a robot built by the Mandarin, and bursts out of a crate.

In which case, I have read it.

It does raise the question of just how many robot Hulks there are. There was one in Fantastic Four #100. Dr Doom once built one as decoy. One even turned up in The Eternals. By Gadfrey, you could put together a veritable army of Marvel's robot Hulks!

It's not just Conan who's having trouble with scorpions this month. So is Spider-Man.

But his real problem is trying to discover just how Gwen Stacy's managed to be suddenly alive again.

Another story I'm not sure I'm familiar with and whose contents I can shed little light upon - other than to say it clearly features Ulik. Plus, its Marvel Value Stamp features Volstagg.

Regardless, I like to think Ulik wins this time. For some reason, I'm always disappointed when he loses.

That's Marvel's big-hitters accounted for.

But what of another big hitter?

A company that's an ever-present rival to Marvel?

That company is, of course, DC.

Therefore, let us see what a random selection of its publications which bear the same cover date are looking like.

As is instantly apparent from that cover, we're being granted access to a reprint of an early issue of All-Star Comics.

But not just any issue.

Indeed, it's none other than issue #3, from 1940. The one that featured the first meeting of the Justice Society of America.

Yet another Sword-and-Sorcery thwarting hero hits the spinner racks of this fair world when Stalker erupts from the imaginations of Paul Levitz and Steve Ditko.

I've not read this issue but it seems that, in a bid to become a great warrior, our hero sells his soul to someone called Dgrth, not realising it'll be taken from him while he's still alive!

Sometimes I think it's like you can't trust people who show up, trying to buy souls.

At last, a legend arrives, as Lady Cop hits the beat and deals with so many incidents in her first day at work that it's a scandal they don't give her a medal and let her retire.

But will she ever find the man in boots who killed her friends in the incident which prompted her to become a police officer in the first place?

What's this?

King Kong has a comic of his own?

No. He doesn't.

Instead, we're treated to some sort of Ka-Zar type strip that I assume to be set in the dim and distant past.

In this pterodactyl-pounding publication, someone called Attu and her new-born son Kong are banished from their tribe, by someone called Trog.

Attu's then rudely murdered by a bunch of beast-men, and Kong swears to avenge her death.

However, no sabre-toothed tigers seem to be involved in that revenge bid.

Sadly, this book will last for just five issues before becoming extinct.

Forget anything Marvel can offer, this month.

Why?

Because DC brings us the greatest super-hero of them all!

God!

Yes, it's true. Sheldon Mayer, Nestor Redondo and Joe Kubert treat us to their adaptation of all your favourite tales from The Bible; including Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and his Flood, and the Tower of Babel, amongst many others, all crammed into just 68 pages.

It's the one we've all been praying for, as the Shadow gets to battle and then team up with The Avenger.

But who's the true villain of the piece?

That's Shiwan Khan, a man who reckons he knows all the Shadow's tricks.

But, as the man of mystery demonstrates, there are some tricks he didn't learn in Tibet...