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 the end of an era for the people of China, thanks to the death of Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong who died in Beijing, following a series of heart attacks.
I can declare that I recall that event well.
But how well shall I recall the events portrayed within the following comics?
John Romita continues to fill the vacancy left by Jack Kirby and does it in style by managing to portray Sue Richards as a woman of style, glamour, dynamism, resourcefulness and initiative. An achievement that few before him have ever seemed to want to attempt.
I suspect an unconscious Crystal was meant to be on the cover but was somehow omitted. Otherwise, I'm not sure who the "She" is that the Torch is referring to.
When it comes to Subby, the avenging son continues to battle Karthon for possession of the Serpent Crown, before Captain Barracuda captures both men while attempting to steal a nuclear weapon!
Nick Fury has problems of his own when Baron Strucker attacks him with the dreaded Satan Claw!
Lumbered with having a nuclear explosive implanted in the back of his neck, Captain America returns to Exile Island in a bid to confront the Red Skull but is going to have to deal with those cheeky Exiles first.
And the Ghost Rider continues to have trouble with Dude Jensen's new incarnation as the Satan-powered Roulette
But what's this? Planet of the Apes becomes that rarity, a Marvel UK mag that reaches a hundredth issue?
Given that the book was launched to cash in on a craze, it can only be viewed as a major achievement.
Not that I know who Dr Cassius is.
Following that, we encounter a multi-page Glossary of the Planet of the Apes which tells us everything we could ever want to know about the characters and places of that famous franchise.
And we conclude the issue with the latest instalment of the reprint of Marvel's adaptation of the original Planet of the Apes movie.
But this can't be right. Where's Dracula and where's the Man-Thing? Has all trace of Dracula Lives now vanished from the comic that now bears its name?
But one who never gets any respect from anyone.
Regardless, he's out to get his revenge on J Jonah Jameson for some slight or other, and it's up to everyone's favourite Spider-Man to save the Parejo puffing publisher from a perp even more pugnacious than himself.
Regardless, he's out to get his revenge on J Jonah Jameson for some slight or other, and it's up to everyone's favourite Spider-Man to save the Parejo puffing publisher from a perp even more pugnacious than himself.
But does the fuzzy felon have a secret ally?
And is that ally the Jackal?
Finally realising that killing death is a stupid thing to do, Odin revives Hela but, happily, Sif’s on hand to touch the goddess of death with her love for the thunder god.
The Invaders must prevent Master Man and his Nazis from destroying a British battleship carrying Winston Churchill.
Elsewhere, the Thing battles a fire demon but he does, at least, have help from the mysterious Scarecrow.
And Tony Stark and Madame Masque infiltrate Stark Industries - only to encounter that rogue Life Model Decoy which is now dressed as Iron Man!
There's only one thing for it. Our hero's going to have to dust off his original armour and fight it to the death.
Not that it does him any good, as the Hulk quickly makes scrap metal of it.
The Avengers, meanwhile, split into two teams. One of which ventures into space, in pursuit of the Super-Skrull, while the other visits the Great Refuge, in a bid to liberate it from Maximus.
Conan finds himself up against the Dweller in the Pool which he soon feeds to killer vegetation.
And Daredevil manages to rescue Karen Page from the clutches of Brother Brimstone then exposes the villain's true identity just before the local tar pits dispose of the wrongdoer, for good.
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12 comments:
Man o man! If Thanos had known Odin had killed Death itself, he would have been mad!
So, farewell then Mao Zedong...
If you're interested, Steve, here's a British tv clip from 1976 of Edward Heath remembering the Great Helmsman on his passing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ZyBgpNvQU
Of course with the purge of the Gang of Four the following month, and the rise of the revisionist Deng Xiaoping, that left the British Tory party as the last bastion of true Maoism (despite the pro-Khmer Rouge tendencies of Heath's successor as leader).
As Boris Johnson, Blue Guard of the Brexit Cultural Revolution, put it in 2016: "Let a thousand flowers bloom..."
-sean
Baron Strucker and the Satan Claw! That's really where Jaunty Jim Steranko finally came into his own, finding his signature approach writing and drawing the SHIELD stories.
Although his work probably suffered more than most from the lack of colour in Marvel UK reprints. Although not for much longer...
-sean
Wow, an unmistakable Frank Thorne cover on one of the Marvel UK mags (PLANET OF THE APES). Not a particularly GREAT example of his art, but still worthy of note, as he didn’t do many covers for Marvel besides Red Sonja.
Also worth noting : “Parejo-puffing publisher” and a “perp more pugnacious” :)
b.t.
My second and (for a long time) final issue of the Titans. And of course the FF story finished on a cliffhanger. My next FF story was that reprinted in Captain Britain #1, by which time Buscema was on art, Reed was stuck in the negative zone and the Thing was no longer a man of character.
Speaking of which, I also half recall this week’s MWOM, which was from the great ‘coverless’ era of 1976. A local newsagent sold previous week’s comics for 2p each, having removed either the full cover, or at least the title block. Presumably after claiming the sale or return credit.
Thatcher’s bloody Britain, eh?
DW
DW, wasn't it Callaghan's Britain at this point...?
I've heard of comics sold cheaply in the 70s without covers in the US. It seems like an obvious scam when you read about how the newstand system worked over there back then.
But in the UK the comic biz didn't operate on sale or return. Except when publishers ran special offers, which often happened in the early weeks - occasionally months - of a new title, in an effort to encourage newsagents to stock them (high sales at the outset often determining their future).
Which suggests that Marvel UK were re-promoting at least MWOM. Possibly this would have been related to the spate of mergers...?
-sean
Steve, the competition for this week's British Marvels included the Sept 18th cover dated (so it would have been on sale by the 15th) issue of Action, the one with the notorious Kids Rule OK cover by Carlos Ezquerra. Which can be seen here -
https://www.greatnewsforallreaders.com/blog/2017/8/5/classic-cover-artists-carlos-ezquerra-part-1
- with some of his Battle covers underneath. Major Easy, El Mestizo, and Charley's War... Nice.
Anyhow, that issue was the one that led to a piece in the Daily Fail -
https://downthetubes.net/british-comics-reference/action-the-sevenpenny-nightmare/a-brief-history-of-action/action-the-media-backlash/comic-strip-hooligans/
- that caused IPC editorial director John Sanders to appear on Nationwide the following week (ok, now I am getting a bit ahead of your post) where instead of the interview he'd agreed to, he was harangued on air by guardian of the nation's morals Frank Bough - oh the irony! - and Action got cancelled within the month.
-sean
Yes, the same Frank Bough who wore fishnet stockings and high heels in private if I remember correctly.
Planet Of The Apes only lasted until #87 and I've always considered POTA & Dracula Lives to be different comic.
That should be A different comic of course!
BBC Radio 4 is currently broadcasting a fascinating 10-part series about the Hitler diaries fiasco.
Sean, yes I was using a Rik Mayall voice when typing Thatcher. I don't think Im misremembering the 'bargain box' and so perhaps it was the first few issues of the merged MWOM and Avengers title that were offered sale or return. Comics were continually merging around that time (great news on page two, pals) and so perhaps that's why this practice seemed to last longer than a few weeks. Then again, a month is a long time for a nine year old...
DW
Didn't Frank admit to being coked off his nut for long period of breakfast tv. During the Selina Scott era. All allegedly, of course.
DW
DW, I think it's been quite a while since it was just an allegation about Frank Bough (;
Although personally I have no problem with cocaine fuelled s&m lifestyles - everyone's got to have a hobby, right? And that one seems... interesting. Harassment of some of his female colleagues at the BBC was not really on though.
Still, at least he didn't write or draw comic strips about killer sharks, and third division football hooliganism. Did you read Action at all, or were you just a Marvel kid til Tharg and the progs came along?
-sean
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