December 13th, 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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Change was noticeable by its absence, atop the UK music charts, this week in 1975, with Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and Perry Como's 40 Greatest Hits retaining their Number One statuses on the single and album listings, respectively.

Bo Rhap is, of course, a long recognised standard but other tracks I approved of on that week's singles chart were:

You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Ft Chill Wills - Laurel and Hardy with the Avalon Boys Featuring Chill Wills

I Believe in Father Christmas - Greg Lake

In for a Penny - Slade

Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale

Space Oddity {1975} - David Bowie

Love is the Drug - Roxy Music

Mamma Mia - ABBA

and

Itchycoo Park {1975} - the Small Faces.

Should the enquiring reader wish to further pursue the issues raised by this post, that week's singles chart resides here.

While its accompanying album rankings dwell within.

After months of giving us the likes of Giant-Man and the Cat, Marvel UK finally wheels out one of its big-hitters, with the Scarecrow!

Now, no one can doubt the comic is destined for the greatness that has, so far, been denied it!

Meanwhile, Giant-Man and the Wasp head to Santo Rico to try and bring down its newly elected Communist president El Toro.

In another seat of political power, Count Nefaria's captured the X-Men and trapped the whole of Washington DC in a giant dome!

And, as already mentioned we're introduced to the Scarecrow who lives in a painting and likes to burst out of it, laughing at people!

I do believe Conan's still adapting The Hand of Nergal.

While, in the present day, his lookalike Arkon's trying it on with Wanda.

But it looks like he has more pressing matters to deal with, as the Avengers are invading his planet, and Thor's concocted a plan to resolve everything, more or less peacefully.

And I think Dr Strange is still fighting Shuma-Gorath who's finally revealed his true, octopus-like, form!

The Inhumans travel to San Francisco where an amnesiac Black Bolt's got himself involved in civil rights protests.

Only for them to bump into Thor who thinks they're up to no good!

Elsewhere, Subby goes to investigate the earth tremors that have been rocking Atlantis.

Only to discover they were caused by a drilling machine controlled by Hank Pym!

It would be nice to think this can all be resolved sensibly but I think we all know it'll be resolved by a punch-up.

Elsewhere, Nick Fury's been abducted by Hydra who intend to set off a huge bomb!

In England, it's World War Two and Captain America and Bucky are trying to rid Greymoor Castle of Nazis.

And what of Captain Marvel?

Returning to Earth, with his new powers, he quickly finds himself having to battle a communist robot!

Fortunately, for him, at the same time that's going on, the Black Widow's invading the base of the people who built it - and she's out to put a stop to their activities.

It's issue #60 and Dracula suddenly finds himself having to share top-billing with the Legion of Monsters!

Not that there's any sign of the Legion of Monsters actually inside the comic. It's just the same strips we always get.

In Drac's tale, he's still in pursuit of that statuette he's been in pursuit of for weeks.

In the Living Mummy's strip, Dr Skarab utilises the Scarlet Scarab's power, in a bid to defeat the Elementals.

And I think the Werewolf by Night's still battling the affable scientist who's accidentally turned himself into a brutish thug by drinking his own experimental potion.

But did I say it's just the same strips we always get?

In fact, I was wrong because we finish this issue with a three-page tale in which a researcher proves correct, to his own cost, his theory that maggot eggs are always present in living tissue. And that's reprinted from 1953's Adventures into Terror #19.

Despite that cover, I can confirm that Zira and Cornelius do not get to watch Ka-Zar and the Black Panther fighting dinosaurs on TV.

Instead, they have to put up with the human race turning against them. 

The Black Panther, meanwhile, has to worry about his own kingdom turning against him, as he sets about recovering from his bruising and water-logged first encounter with Erik Killmonger.

As for Ka-Zar, stuck down a hole in the ground, he helps AIM capture the Man-Thing.

Not that it stays in captivity for long.

I've no idea what's going on with that cover which seems to have nothing at all to do with anything that happens inside this week's issue.

Instead, we get the Hulk defeating Aquon, before a shocking denouement sees Captain Omen's crew explode like tomatoes in a microwave.

That's followed by Daredevil having problems with Starr Saxon who's discovered he's secretly Matt Murdock.

I do, of course, mean Daredevil is secretly Matt Murdock. Not that Starr Saxon is. The latter revelation would be madness, even by the standards of a man who once pretended to be his own non-existent twin brother.

Despite the cover blurb's claims, I believe the Stiltman plays no part in this tale.

And the Fantastic Four are still in the Microverse and in search of the Silver Surfer.

But will Psycho-Man find them before they can complete their mission?

My razor-sharp senses tell me Professor Smythe and his Spider-Slayer are back!

And Tony Stark's also in trouble. He gets kidnapped by people from the future, to stand trial for a crime he's not even committed yet!

It seems he's going to invent a super-computer that's going to take over the world!

And Thor takes a leaf out of The Blob by transporting the unbeatable Thermal Man to the Arctic where he'll be too cold to cause any more mischief.