October 1985 - Marvel UK monthlies, 40 years ago this month.

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

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Sadly, the need to cram in an extra post dedicated to Atlas Comics - plus the way the days have aligned themselves, relative to the month as a whole - means there's no space available for Speak Your Brain, this month. Instead, I'm having to squeeze in our look at what Marvel UK was up to, exactly 40 years ago.

But before that, the charts must be tackled.

In a world filled with super-powers, there was only one power that mattered in October 1985.

And that was the power of love, as the song of that title held the pinnacle of the UK singles chart for the entire month, thanks to the somewhat punishing voice of Jennifer Rush.

There was, however, far more churn occurring on the UK album chart, with Madonna's Like a Virgin, Kate Bush's Hounds of Love, George Benson's Love Songs and Simple Minds' Once Upon a Time all briefly seizing the summit, at some point.

Colin Baker invites us in for a look at the latest activities of the publication dedicated to the universe's greatest saviour!

And, within its hallowed pages, we encounter a look back at the Doctor Who Fanaid Convention, followed by an interview with Jacqueline Hill, best known as 1960s companion Barbara Wright.

Then, we discover the second instalment of the magazine's exploration of the history of comedy in the show, and an interview with Raymond Cusick, designer of the Daleks.

But we should never overlook the fact that we also encounter the comic strips Abel's Story and Enlightenment.

And we should definitely not overlook the fact that, if we buy this issue, we'll get a free Doctor Who bookmark! An event so momentous that it gets a major mention on the front cover!

As we can guess from that cover, Britain's greatest hero's in for an African adventure. 

What might not be so obvious is he's gone there in a bid to uncover the truth about his brother Jamie.

And that brings him into conflict with Dr Crocodile!

That's followed by Abslom Daak having encounters with things that are both Mercuriuser and Curiouser.

Next, Night-Raven finds himself at the End of the Line.

Then, he finds himself in Midsummer Madness, Episode 1.

And the Space Thieves  are still mixed up in the oddly titled serial mankind can only know as PARTS vs. the Universe.

Everybody's favourite periodical devoted to the worlds of the larger-than-life is back and is taking a look at the upcoming resurrections of such old shows as The Twilight Zone, Amazing Stories and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, among many others.

After that, John Boorman tells us of his latest project The Emerald Forest.

Following that, Clint Eastwood tells us about his career as both an actor and director, seemingly in relation to his latest fillum Pale Rider.

And there are also  interviews with Douglas Adams and Gary Busey. Not to mention the magazine's latest news, reviews and viewpoints on the genres of Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror.