January 24th, 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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Come, let us leap forward into the past!

The Lethal Legion might be doing their best to get all the attention but I'm more intrigued by the cover's claim that Dr Strange is meeting the greatest star of all.

But we all know Taylor Swift is the greatest star of all.

Is he meeting Taylor Swift?

As for Conan, I think he's still having problems with those seven pesky wizards he was having problems with, last week.

As for the Sorcerer Supreme, I suspect he may be trying to get Sise-Neg to fight Shuma-Gorath, in a bid to save us all!

From that cover, I'm guessing this is the one in which Flash Thompson's Vietnam experiences come back to haunt him - and Dr Strange somehow gets dragged into it for reasons I struggle to recall.

Less exotically, but more buzz-sawly, I do believe Iron Man finds himself up against the gallivanting Gladiator - and that the Maggia seem to be to blame!

And Thor's still hanging around with the Circus of Crime while Ulik does whatever the Ringmaster tells him to.

It's a dramatic cover, even though a more militarily-minded man than I might claim that gorilla's pointing his gun above his intended victim's head, which is not the ideal place to shoot at.

Still, given how bad everyone's aiming is on every Planet of the Apes cover, I'm starting to suspect artists have been bound by a rule preventing them from showing anyone pointing a gun at anyone and they, therefore, have to contrive ways to avoid it while still creating a sense of impending doom.

Anyway, inside we get the latest instalment of Conquest.

And that's followed by a one-page feature revealing A 3-Stage Make-Up Lesson for Apes.

Following that, Ka-Zar defeats The Pusher, and Dr Calvin wakes, from her coma, to discover her wayward son Vinnie's now a hero.

And, in Wakanda, the Black Panther enters King Cadaver's secret HQ beneath a graveyard...

I would claim the Bi-Beast makes his dashing debut, this issue, but I suspect - going by the misleading nature of the past few weeks' covers - that we're going to have to wait for that one.

And so will the Hulk as he, first, has to deal with the maddening menace of Betty Ross!

Daredevil's still reminiscing over his origin, thanks to Stan and Gene.

And not a mention of Stick.

The ungrateful swine.

And a powerless Ben Grimm has to deal with the Mad Thinker's latest escaped robot.

But will he be powerless for much longer?

I do believe the X-Men are tangling with El Tigre - only for the villain to transform into Kukulkán!

Subby's blundering around with amnesia and has been convinced, by the Secret Empire, that he works for them.

And, now, they want him to kill the Hulk!

Nick Fury finds himself caught up in something called Operation Brain Blast.

Cavewise, Rick Jones frees Captain Marvel from the Negative Zone.

But not to worry. Rick has plenty of negativity of his own to make up for it.

Finally, Captain America and Batroc are still running around town, trying to find a deadly cylinder that could kill everyone within miles, if it explodes.

My knowledge of Drac's tale, this week, is vague but I suspect the lord of vampires is looking back upon his first-ever encounter with Blade.

Jack Russell, meanwhile,  has to contend with yet anther monster Dr Glitternight has based on his beloved Topaz.

And the Man-Thing's still encountering a racist Sheriff.

But, as a bonus, we encounter a Lee/Kirby thriller in which an escaped convict flees to Easter Island, only to discover its statues are alive and well and space aliens who bear a remarkable resemblance to Thor's Stone Men from Saturn!

Can it be?

I think it can!

I do believe this is the first appearance of Thanos in a Marvel UK comic!

Come to think of it, he seems to be holding the Cosmic Cube. Does that mean it's also the first British appearance of that object, as well?

Either way, I think we can take it for granted it's the first UK sighting of the Blood Brothers.

Bloodstone meanwhile, finds himself up against the Hellfire Helix Hex, whatever that is.

And, thanks to Egghead's evil schemings, the Wasp and Giant-Man are tricked into attacking Spider-Man!