The Marvel Lucky Bag - April 1976.

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

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How many films have I seen that came out in April 1976?

None.

Am I going to let that prevent me from mentioning them?

Why would I let it do that? After all, among those movies were such imperishables as The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox, The Bad News Bears, All the President's Men, The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, Eat My Dust! and Hollywood Boulevard.

Based on my zero experience of them, I'm going to assume the best of that bunch was All the President's Men.

But what of comics?

Laughing Bob Larkin gives us a cover we'll never forget, as Planet of the Apes hits its 19th issue.

And it does so by presenting us with the twin adventures Demons of the Psychedrome and The Savage is King! I believe that at least one of those tales involves Jason and Alexander.

But this is a magazine. And that means it also gives us articles. And that means this issue presents us with The Written Worlds of the Apes in which Jim Whitmore reviews several paperbacks linked to the franchise.

And what's this?

A devil-hound? Loose on the moors?

It can only be a job for Sherlock Holmes, as unleashed upon us by Dashing Doug Moench and Vivacious Val Mayerik.

You may have thought The Invaders was all the Golden Age heroic action you needed from Marvel but it turns out you were wrong because the Liberty Legion turn up to do something or other, fashioned by the fingers of Roy Thomas and Don Heck.

I must disgracefully admit I've never seen the movie version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

In fact, the only time I've ever encountered Captain Nemo on celluloid is in Mysterious island.

Fortunately Otto Binder, Romy Gamboa and Ernie Patricio are here to let us know just what happens in the book, thanks to their thrilling adaptation of it.

Come to think of it, I've never seen any movie version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame either.

But, yet again, Marvel has come to my rescue, as Naunerle Farr and June Lofamia give us their version of events.

I have, however, seen the Time Machine.

In fact, I've seen both film versions of it and can declare I prefer the first.

But here's another stab at the beast. This time, delivered by Otto Binder and Alex Niño, in which a Victorian scientist travels to the far future and has an adventure upon which the fate of what's left of humanity must rest.

Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was, indisputably, not a patch on Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde but it did its best.

And you know who else are doing their best? Kin Platt and Nestor Redondo, as they bring us their vision of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of potions gone wrong.

Not content with that, Marvel brings us its adaption of Tarzan.

I mean, The Land that Time Forgot.

I mean, its tale of Ka-Zar having a fight with a pterodactyl over the streets of London, thanks to Klaw and his new business partner from another dimension being up to no good. 

It's all drama drama drama for our hero.

After Radion blows up the Post Office Tower, I Ron Fist has to find a way to stop the nuclear nincompoop before he does even more damage to London's skyline.