May 8th, 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 saw disaster hit the Friuli area of Italy when an earthquake struck, killing more than 900 people and leaving another 100,000 homeless.

Things were lighter in Britain with Liverpool winning their ninth Football League title, thanks to a 3–1 away win over already-relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers.

And what of the UK singles chart?

At last, the Brotherhood of Man had been toppled from the pinnacle!

And what an irony that it should be by ABBA, the band they modelled themselves so closely upon. The sensational Swedes managed it with their latest platter that shattered Fernando.

The Scandinavians were also triumphant on the accompanying LP chart, thanks to their Greatest Hits album seizing the top spot.

Fernando is, of course, a classic but there were other tracks I also liked on that week's Hit Parade. Amongst them were:

S-S-S-Single Bed - Fox

All by Myself - Eric Carmen

Girls Girls Girls - Sailor

Arms of Mary - Sutherland Brothers and Quiver

I'm Mandy Fly Me - 10cc

Fool to Cry - the Rolling Stones

Hey Jude {1976} - the Beatles

Devil Woman - Cliff Richard

Blueberry Hill {1976} - Fats Domino

and

Show Me the Way - Peter Frampton.

Should one wish to further pursue the issues raised in this post, that singles chart can be found here.

While the corresponding album chart dwells within.

I know little of this week's Conan adventure, other than that the cover says he's in the Garden of Death.

I can only assume this means he must battle killer vegetables.

I have no doubt he defeats them.

Also as revealed on the cover, the Black Panther tells his origin story to the Avengers. And who would have guessed the forces of AIM were involved?

Meanwhile, Shang-Chi finds himself up against a robot created by someone called Mordillo.

And the Phantom Eagle's still doing something or other in World War One.

Unless I miss my guess, we've reached the return of the Tom Sutton pencilled saga set on a huge ship. And, this time, it encounters another huge ship. But, even more dramatically, it has to survive an encounter with a giant sea-monster!

Ka-Zar's still up against El Tigre and a super-intelligent Maa-Gor who continue to plan their takeover of the planet.

And I do believe we reach the senses-shattering conclusion of the Black Panther's battle with Killmonger, as a child comes to the rescue and some of us feel cheated that it wasn't the Panther who caused the villain's downfall.

Spider-Man wraps up his fight with the Hulk but, more importantly, this tale introduces me to the word, "Geodesic."

And to think they say comics aren't educational.

Thor's still trapped in Mephisto's realm, while Loki, in the thunder god's body, only goes and threatens the United Nations.

Iron Man's managed to convince everyone that one of SHIELD's LMDs is Tony Stark, in order to help protect his secret identity. But Jasper Sitwell's not bothered about that. He's more concerned over the disappearance of his beloved Whitney Frost.

Dr Strange is in the Dark Dimension, trying to put an end to Umar's latest plans. But, perhaps, more significantly, Clea discovers who her real father is!

And the Thing has plenty to worry about, with the mighty Thor under the spell of the Puppet Master and out to kill the other members of the Fantastic Four!

It looks like a lucky break for horror writer Harold Harold Harold who's promised his editor he can get an interview with a vampire and, wouldn't you know it, he then stumbles across a weakened Dracula. It seems Harold³ might just achieve his goal.

In a swampier vein, I believe the Man-Thing, Korrek and Howard the Duck are confronted by a bunch of unkillable demons before Dakimh the Enchanter gets involved.

And I think the Ghost Rider's heading towards an encounter with a mysterious exorcist called Daimon Hellstrom.

As that cover makes clear, the Hulk's managed to land on Counter-Earth, thanks to having been put on board the Inhumans' rocket.

And his arrival on that planet has attracted the attention of none other than the President of its United States!

Following that, Daredevil's promised Karen he's going to quit super-heroing but immediately has to change his mind when the Stunt-Master turns up at a parade he's attending and tries to kill him.

Meanwhile, the X-Men team up with a number of their own enemies to take on the Mutant Master who turns out to not be a mutant at all but a monster from outer space!

And we finish the tale with our heroes all getting brand new costumes, designed by Jean!

After that, we encounter a Roy Thomas/Werner Roth short which reveals the origin of Cyclops.

The Fantastic Four are still trapped in Latveria.

And now they have to bring a halt to a gang of rampaging robots, as Stan Lee's words and Jack Kirby's pictures start to increasingly deviate from each other.

On an island, somewhere, Captain America must face a Bucky furious with him for leaving him to die.

But is it Bucky?

Or is it all a plot by that bounder the Red Skull?

I suspect the Sub-Mariner's discovering more about his origins.

Nick Fury and his agents of SHIELD are doing something or other.

But hold the front pages!

The world's in serious trouble!

Because Rick Jones has been captured by Thanos!

Thankfully, the superstar singing sensation may be about to get some help - and exposition - from two men called Eros and Mentor.