Forty years ago today - September 1986.

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

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Just what does Marvel have to throw at us in the books it has chosen to cover-date "September 1986"?

The world's greatest barbarian gets into yet more bother when King Thamos and his men pursue him across the high seas.

To make things even worse, the Cimmerian and his crew are then, inevitably, captured by pirates!

And I suspect it won't be long before he's captain of that pirate ship.

All I know of this one is we get the return of Happy Hogan and, it seems, the return of Pepper Potts!

But it has just struck me that Marvel has a character called Hogan and a character called Hogun and one of them is happy and one of them is grim.

It certainly makes you think.

It seems there's nothing but trouble brewing for the world's most patriotic punch-up merchant when he dresses up as a member of Ultimatum, in a bid to take on Flag Smasher.

But what's this? Cap then accidentally shoots dead a member of Ultimatum!?!

Needing to raise funds towards Flash's legal costs, our hero's hired by Silver Sable who wants to put a halt to Jack O' Lantern's activities.

But the pair, instead, find themselves up against the Sinister Syndicate!

You might think there'd be more members of the Sinister Syndicate than there are of the Sinister Six but, in fact, there are fewer.

Meanwhile, Ned Leeds leaves Betty, and the Sandman's out for a stroll when he stumbles across the scrap between Spidey and the Syndicate.

But which side, if any, will the silica-slinging super-doer support? Spider-Man and the Silver Sable or the sinister Sinister Syndicate?

It's all hitting the fan now, with both the X-Men and Hellfire Club having to take on the might of Nimrod.

And it's all brought to us by the powerhouse pencils of P. Craig Russell!

While Balder becomes ruler of Asgard, Thor's on Earth where the recently released Thug Thatcher kills a man and becomes the new Zaniac!

I must admit I'm struggling to recall just who was the old Zaniac.

As for this month's cover star, it seems that Justice Peace is based on Judge Dredd.

There are high stakes at stake when Spider-Man tries to protect a runaway boy, with explosive powers, from the attentions of SHIELD and their Mandroids!

With Bruce in a hospital bed and the Hulk clobbered by the Avengers, the duo begin to expand and become intangible!

That sounds like a job for the Vision who, himself, becomes intangible and merges with Bruce before merging Bruce with the Hulk.

But holy horrors, having done that, the Vision then struggles to free himself from the Hulk!

It would appear the Fantastic Four enter the time-warped Central City where they're worshipped as gods!

Daredevil encounters the infuriating infamy of Madcap who, as Nomad once discovered, spouts nothing but cobblers and can't be harmed.

Captain Marvel discovers the Grey Gargoyle, Mister Hyde and Whirlwind have all been broken out of jail.

And then the Grey Gargoyle and Screaming Mimi attempt to break free the evil female version of Yellowjacket!