October 11th, 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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On October 11th, 1975, Model World made its first appearance on BBC television. In it, man of the people, Robert Alexander Baron Schutzmann von Schutzmansdorff showed us all how to make a model railway from bits of paper and cardboard.

Believe it or not, this was the most interesting thing that happened in the world on that day.

There was only one thing for it! We were going to have to take refuge in the thrills and spills of Marvel UK, as never before!

But, before that, what of those vital UK charts?

When it came to the singles listings, David Essex was still ruling the roost with Hold Me Close.

While, on the LP rankings, Rod Stewart stood supreme with Atlantic Crossing.

Hold Me Close is, of course, a classic but there were other tracks that gained my approval on that week's Hit Parade. Among them were:

Sailing - Rod Stewart

SOS - ABBA

Moonlighting - Leo Sayer

The Last Farewell - Roger Whittaker

Space Oddity - David Bowie

and

Love Is the Drug - Roxy Music.

Should one wish to study the matter in further depth, that week's UK singles chart can be discovered here.

While the accompanying album chart dwells within.

The Avengers tackle the team who'll become the Invaders, in what my razor-sharp senses tell me can only be Blackpool.

But, first, I do believe Conan finally discovers the truth about the Living Tarim whose existence has been the main cause of all the unpleasantness of the past few months.

Then, the Black Knight finds himself drawn into the Grandmaster and Kang's chess match, even as Yellowjacket, Cap and the Vision find themselves confronting a trio of 1940s super-doers.

And Shang-Chi's still having an adventure in the back of Groucho Marx's taxi.

Despite what that cover might imply, the king of vampires hasn't decided to enter the world of show business.

Instead, he's spending the night in a haunted house possessed by the spirit of an Aleister Crowley like character.

Elsewhere, I do believe Jack Russell gets his hands on a ring which enables him to keep his human mind, even while he's in the form of a werewolf.

And that's good news because he's going to need all the smarts he can summon when he comes up against the bludgeoning bulk of Baron Thunder.

And I do believe the Living Mummy's hanging around in a desert, for reasons I'm not sure of.

We're still escaping from the Planet of the Apes.

Although "escape" may be the wrong word because our chimpanzee adventurers find themselves in a cage at the zoo and having to pretend they can't speak, in order to preserve their safety.

Next, I do believe Captain Marvel must confront the Sub-Mariner, for reasons I can't recall. AND he has to put up with the malevolent Yon-Rogg watching his every move for signs of treason!

And it would appear Adam Warlock's still having trouble with Counter-Earth's version of Reed Richards - also known as The Brute!

Drama can't get more dramatic than this because not only does Spider-Man wake from a dream, to discover he now has six arms, we also get our first encounter with Morbius the living vampire!

Well, Spider-Man may have six arms but AIM have three Iron Mans.

It's true. Those badly behaved beekeepers have managed to make three duplicates of Tony Stark's armour!

And I think we can assume they're not going to use them for the betterment of mankind.

Elsewhere, I think Thor's still looking to beat up Him for trying to steal his girl.

If we don't count that cover from the other week, Tiger Shark makes what I believe to be his Marvel UK debut.

And it all happens when Bruce Banner heads to Niagara Falls after discovering Betty and Glenn are honeymooning there.

Quite what he expects to do when he gets there, I don't know but what he actually does get to do is launch into a scrap with the fin-foreheaded fiend who thinks the Sub-Mariner must have sent him.

Following that, Daredevil's fists engage in vigorous political debate with the Stilt-Man's face when the telescopic terror is hired to kill Foggy Nelson, in the mob's ruthless attempt to prevent him from becoming District Attorney.

And the FF have problems when the Silver Surfer decides the best way to unite mankind is for him to become its deadly enemy!

It's terrible news for Giant-Man fans, as the crane-sized crime-clobberer gets literally rubbed out by the Living Eraser!

That's followed by the senses-shattering conclusion of the Cat's origin.

And I do suspect the X-Men have to prevent Magneto from making clones of the Worthington family!

But an oddity does strike me.

Which is that all the heroes on this cover will go on to be replaced, in their roles, by someone else.

The original X-Men will be replaced by the New X-Men, Greer Nelson's Cat will be superseded by Patsy Walker's Hellcat, and Hank Pym will be replaced, as Ant-Man, by Scott Lang and, as Goliath, by Clint Barton and Bill Foster.