The Marvel Lucky Bag - December 1975.

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

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I'm not sure anyone would label December 1975 a vintage year for movies but it did see the release of such never-to-be-forgotten offerings as The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, Emmanuelle 2, The Man Who Would Be King, Carry On Behind, Breakheart Pass, The Hindenburg and Hustle.

I do believe I've not seen any of them. Not even Carry On Behind. Therefore, I shall leave it to others to pass judgement upon the status of any of those films in relation to the firmament of cinema history.

Covers that feature their star standing atop a pile of his foes tend to be reserved for barbarians, especially those of the Conan variety but, not to be outdone by the likes of them, Adam Warlock goes for that epic trope!

Exactly what happens inside, I'm not too sure but I do believe it to be the penultimate episode of his war with his future self.

Weird Wonder Tales brings us an Ed Hannigan cover we'll never forget, when The Totem strikes!

Which does raise the obvious question of who'd win a fight between The Totem and Tomazooma the living totem.

Personally, judging by that cover, I'd go for The Totem.

But, until we get the answer to that fateful question, I can tell you that, in this issue's lead story, the titular tower of timber terrifies two convicts into a state of shock - and then goes on a rampage through a reservation and its nearby town!

After that, we encounter Taboo! The Thing from the Murky Swamp!

And then we must survive a story called The Great Disappointment which I am sure will not live down to its title.

Especially as it involves a Soviet expedition to the moon, which ends with the cosmonauts being eaten by it!

And it seems American scientists knew all along that the moon is alive. And that's why they allowed the Soviets to get there first.

What a bunch of so-and-so's.

Needless to say, all these melodramas are reprints from Marvel's pre-Fantastic Four era.

Marvel Spotlight brought us the adventures of the Son of Satan.

And, now, Marvel Premiere brings us the adventures of his sister!

And it would appear this issue's main adventure involves our anti-heroine preventing someone called Dansker from destroying the world, in his attempts to escape from Satan.

Meanwhile, the backup strip is a reprint of her first-ever appearance, as sourced from 1973's Vampire Tales #2.

It's the only issue of the Inhumans' mag I ever owned.

But what an issue, as our idols must do battle with a bunch of ancient giant robots from space, which emerge from the ground and insist on swallowing members of their race.

Marvel has already given us its senses-shattering adaptation of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

And, now, it brings us its take on his earlier 7th Voyage.

As we all know, this involves a Cyclops, a Roc, a dragon and a living skeleton.

Not to mention an evil sorcerer, a beautiful princess and a sad genie.

I have to say, John Warner and Sonny Trinidad are going to do well to cram all of that into 20 pages.

Satana may have landed a starring role in Marvel Premiere but her brother only goes and bags himself an entire comic of his very own.

And in what style he launches it, as he pays yet another visit to Hell.

Only to discover it's not the happy and contented place it normally is.

And I close with a rare visit to Spidey Super Stories, as the web-headed wonder encounters Shanna the She-Devil who's dressed slightly more modestly than usual.

Beyond that, I can say little, other than that the pair encounter a villain called the Trapper.

From that name - and the presence of Shanna - I'm going to assume he's been poured from the same mould as Kraven the Hunter.