January 10th, 1976 - 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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This week in 1976 was a great one for all lovers of human rights, freedom and liberty, as it was the week in which the Pol Pot regime proclaimed a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.

I think it's a good rule in life that if you live in any country that has the word "Democratic" in its name, get out of there as fast as you possibly can.

Closer to home, the Third Cod War heated up when British and Icelandic ships clashed at sea.

But that is all conflict. What of the art form that has the power to soothe the savage breast?

Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody was still Number One on the UK singles chart, while, on the neighbouring LP rankings, Perry Como's 40 Greatest Hits reclaimed the top spot it had previously surrendered to that group.

Bohemian Rhapsody is, without saying, a landmark event but other events I approved of on that week's Hit Parade were:

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

Let's Twist Again/The Twist - Chubby Checker

Art For Art's Sake - 10cc

Mamma Mia - ABBA

You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate

Itchycoo Park {1975} - The Small Faces

Midnight Rider - Paul Davidson

In For a Penny - Slade

Evil Woman - Electric Light Orchestra

and

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon.

Should any wish to pursue, further, the issues raised by this post, that week's UK singles chart lives here.

While the neighbouring album chart dwells within.

And television?

On January 10th, 1976, BBC One was showing The Brain of Morbius, that nightmare Dr Who serial in which a brand new monster is stitched together from bits of other monsters, to give us a terrifying creature with a lobster's claw for a hand, and a goldfish bowl for a head.

Clearly such a tale could inflict madness upon the strongest of minds. Therefore, I shall have to take refuge in whatever it was that Marvel UK was offering us in that very week.

This would appear to be an issue in which, if the cover's to be believed, you can find out if you were at the Roundhouse with Stan.

Sadly, I never had this issue and, so, I shall never know if I was at the Roundhouse with Stan.

I suspect the Man-Ape wasn't there either, as he was far too busy planning his vengeance against the Avengers.

No doubt, missing out on a meeting with Stan is why he's so angry on that cover.

Speaking of which, I'm not sure what's going on with the cover's Savage Sword of Conan lettering looking like it's been coloured in by someone who's become hopelessly besotted with a packet of Opal Fruits.

Meanwhile, inside, we discover the Avengers are not just up against the Man-Ape - as we'd been assuming - but are, in fact, headed for a confrontation with the Lethal Legion!

And Dr Strange is still caught up in that adventure involving Baron Mordo and Cagliostro 

It's the Titans' second Emergency Issue in a row!

And who better to deal with such a thing than the Inhumans, who know all about emergencies, as they spend all their time having them.

And, just to prove it, Magneto's still trying to make them work for him - and Black Bolt still has amnesia!

Meanwhile, Subby's in a mood because it looks like Lady Dorma's run off with Warlord Krang.

And our hero's quest to retrieve her could bring him into conflict with a certain man in armour.

Hydra are still threatening to blow everyone up, with a huge bomb.

Captain America continues to try and stop the Red Skull's giant Sleeper robot as it terrorises Germany.

And, at last, Captain Marvel discovers just who Zo is.

And it seems he's some creep working with Ronan the Accuser to overthrow the Supreme Intelligence.

And, thanks to all this, Cap gets a new costume and yet more new powers which, as far as I can make out, are the power of flight and of super-strength which I'm pretty sure are powers he already had.

Anyway, for reasons I don't remember, it's all a fat load of use to him because he then gets himself trapped in the Negative Zone.

Could it be? Has Dracula turned into a damsel-rescuing hero?

Not really. He's still evil but he does, at least, make an attempt to prevent Shiela Whittier from killing herself.

Elsewhere, we encounter a three-way fight between the Werewolf, DePrayve and Hangman. I have noticed that three-way fights seem to be a thing, of late, in that strip.

The Man-Thing's up to something or other.

And to wrap up this issue, we, somewhat randomly, encounter a short tale from the early days of the Sub-Mariner's Atlantis.

As we can all see, the Spider-Slayer's still causing trouble for our hero.

But not to fear. According to the cover, I'm going to thrill to Spidey's Greatest Triumph!

Iron Man's still having to deal with the return of the Crusher.

And Thor's up against dying zillionaire Kronin Krask who wants to transfer his mind into the body of the thunder god!

I must confess Conquest is my least favourite of the original Apes films. I'm sure it was well-intentioned but I did find it overly dull and sterile.

It also didn't answer the question of why the moon had gone missing in the first Planet of the Apes movie.

Anyway, this week, I do believe Caesar's starting to discover there's something rotten in the state of Denmark.

In our present-day, Ka-Zar remains caught up in a tale that involves drug dealers on the streets of New York - and the abduction of Dr Wilma Calvin.

Meanwhile, the Black Panther discovers that But Now the Spears Are Broken and gets to have a fight with a rhino.

It's the story where, after all these years, Betty Ross finally gets interesting.

But I am intrigued by the colour scheme for the dialogue on this week's cover! I don't think I've ever seen speech coloured quite like it! It's like one great big mass of hyper-links!

Regardless, now blessed with a giant robot body, MODOK is on his way to abduct the gal from the nuthouse, except the Hulk keeps getting in his way.

Just when Daredevil fans might have thought Starr Saxon's finally out of the way, the villain flees captivity and our hero has to go off in pursuit of him, tailed by the Black Panther.

And can the Fantastic Four possibly survive the latest attack of the Wizard and his Wonder Gloves?

But, just when we think it's all over, we get a Lee/Ditko short in which an alien sets out to conquer the Earth, with the aid of an untrustworthy chair!

Big changes would appear to be afoot, as the Thing and Bloodstone both land strips in the mag that never quite knows what it is.

And that would suggest that both the X-Men and Scarecrow have been given the boot!

Fortunately for all lovers of stability, Giant-Man's still with us. And he finds himself facing The Coming of the Magician!

Next, we find a minor classic, as the Leader and Kurrgo have a bet as to who'd win a fight between the Hulk and the Thing, and we get to see it all brought to life by the pencil of Jim Starlin.

Finally, Bloodstone must battle The Dweller From the Depths!