June 16th, 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 fling ourselves into the thing they call Yesteryear!

"Barbarism beyond belief!" claims the cover, clearly underestimating just how much barbarism I can believe in.

But this is the last issue I ever owned of Marvel UK's Avengers - and not too far off being the last issue ever published, as Conan and the Sonj find themselves prisoners of a pair of pervy sorcerers who live in a tower and can't wait to get their oats. All depicted by John Buscema and the Crusty Bunkers.

In a far colder clime, the Avengers find themselves confronting a Ronan the Accuser who's not only turned Hank Pym into a caveman but also managed to brainwash Goliath into helping the Kree Sentry battle the team.

And it seems Shang-Chi is caught up in The Night of the Ninjas!

This is it. The arrival of a tale mankind shall never forget!

Or at least it'll never forget the title because it's the debut of the yarn known as The Magick-Man's Last Gasp Purple Light Show.

And that means the return of Jason and Alexander. Not to mention Brutus.

Meanwhile, in the present, Ka-Zar's up to something or other. Possibly in his Conanesque phase.

And I do believe this is the issue in which Captain Marvel acquires his Cosmic Awareness, whatever that is.

But, hold on. If he has it, does that mean Rick Jones has it too?

Can it be?

Can Dracula have finally met his Waterloo?

Yes, it can.

But it's not the incorrigible Dr Sun to blame.

It's that far greater menace the world knows as "Circulation Decline." Which is ironic, as Dracula, presumably, doesn't even have any circulation.

Anyway, this is it. The last issue of Marvel UK's Dracula Lives. Next week, it shall survive only as a lodger in the company's Planet of the Apes mag.

However, there is one last hurrah for the lord of the vampires before he makes that manoeuvre, as Quincy Harker and friends resurrect him to defeat the aforementioned evil brain.

And, then, the Foolkiller thrills us all by revealing his origin, before deciding, rather foolishly, to take on the Man-Thing.

But here's a nightmare for us all. While Drac and Manny may be making the move to Planet of the Apes, the Son of Satan's making no such transfer.

And that's bad news because, this week, we receive the first part of his second adventure. The one in which we discover his origin and see just how he stole Satan's trident. But the book's cancellation means we shall never get to see the second part of that tale. Infernal curses indeed.

It's good news for all lovers of Antipodean antagonism when the kicking, clobbering, cobbering Kangaroo returns to use his awesome power of jumping about a bit, against Spider-Man.

You've got to hand it to him. He may be useless but he's an optimist.

Although I seem to remember his optimism not saving him from being incinerated at the end of this tale.

Then, we encounter The World Beyond! An episode which, I believe, sees the launch of an epic drama in which the mysterious Infinity gets to menace the universe. So great is his power that Odin himself sets off to tackle the fiend.

But will he ever return?

Following that, I do believe the Thing and Iron Man conclude their battle with an out-of-control Prester John.

But poor old Dr Strange. He doesn't have to worry about Infinity but he does have to worry about Eternity!

It's true. The galaxy-packed galoot appears above New York City and announces the end of the world!

And Iron Man has a new foe to survive when he confronts the might of the Night Phantom!

Hooray! The Missing Link is back!

A monster I've always had a soft spot for. Mostly because he's easy to draw.

Anyway, back on Earth, following his recent adventure on Counter-Earth, Bruce Banner finds himself befriended by a small mining town but soon discovers that one of its inhabitants is very large and pink...

When it comes to the X-Men, shock follows shock, as we're treated to The Death of Professor X. A man who's died more times than I've had hot dinners.

And that's at least five times.

It all happens when Grotesk decides to activate his earthquake generator.

That's followed by Part Two of the tale in which Cyclops and Professor X must tackle the Living Diamond. An event that leads to Scott agreeing to join the newly formed X-Men.

Elsewhere, Daredevil must tackle Mr Hyde, the Cobra and Jester in an abandoned theme park.

Hooray! Torgo makes his debut!

But that may not be good news for the Thing who must fight him to the death, to please the Skrulls.

But what's this? The other members of the Fantastic Four have found a Skrull spaceship and are on their way to rescue their orange colleague?

Back on Earth, the Ghost Rider's fighting Crash Simpson, in a bid to save Roxanne Simpson's life. 

Below the sea, the people of Atlantis have to endure another attack by Attuma, as they seek a new place to live.

Jim Steranko arrives on Nick Fury's strip, as the tussle for control of the Overkill Horn continues.

And the reader will, no doubt, be shocked, as, following a date with Sharon Carter, Captain America makes the bold decision to retire from crime-fighting!