October 13th, 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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I think we all remember the joke that went, "Mississippi is a very long word but can you spell it?"

And we never needed that joke more than we did, this week in 1976.

That's because seizing the top spot on the UK singles chart was none other than Mississippi by Pussycat. How well I remember the video that went with that one.

But what of the accompanying album chart?

Its pinnacle was still being gripped by ABBA's Greatest Hits, being, as it was, sixteen years before their Gold album would arrive to destroy all challengers.

I must confess I'm not totally convinced that Mississippi is an all-time classic but there were songs I approved of more on that week's Hit Parade. And among them were:

Dancing Queen - ABBA

Sailing {1976} - Rod Stewart

Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band

The Rubberband Man - the Detroit Spinners

Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry

The Killing of Georgie - Rod Stewart

Couldn't Get It Right - Climax Blues Band

The Tears of a Clown {1976} - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Love and Affection - Joan Armatrading

Benny and the Jets - Elton John

and

Without You {1976} by Nilsson.

If you've personally been affected by the above content, that week's UK singles chart can be found here.

While the adjoining LP chart dwells within.

But now for bigger news because it was a more than momentous week for comic fans in this very land, as Marvel UK launched its second-ever super-hero (Apeslayer having been its first) with the debut of a comic that would no doubt fill our souls with swelling patriotic pride.

And it was in full colour!

Apart from the bits that weren't.

This is it! A hero like no other - apart from Spider-Man and Nova - is here!

And he even gives us a free gift of a super-hero mask while he's at it!

Tragically, I never had that free gift because I never had issue #1 but the strip's written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Herb Trimpe. So, even with my absence, how could it not be a success, guaranteed to run and run?

As far as I can surmise, it all begins when posh boy Brian Braddock arrives at the Darkmoor Research Centre, for work purposes, just as it's attacked by Joshua Stragg who plans on capturing its nuclear scientists for use in his dodgy business ventures!

A hasty strategic withdrawal on a motorcycle sees Brian fall off a cliff!

Which might seem like the end for our not so plucky protagonist but, thanks to the intervention of Merlin the Magician is, in fact, only the beginning!

Following that, the Fantastic Four are in crisis, with Reed Richards trapped in the Negative Zone and headed for the fate he seems to be headed for every time he enters that realm.

And only the babysitter can save him!

And then we experience From Hell -- Fury! in which Nick of that surname meets new agents Sidney Levine and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, only for Captain America to reveal he's uncovered information about a mysterious past event known as, “The Big Blackout.”

Will man and ape ever learn to live together in peace and harmony?

Judging by the cover, I'm beginning to suspect they may not.

But I am always impressed by how easy humans in these comics find it to beat up gorillas. I'd like to see the writers and artists of these strips try to beat up a gorilla and see just how far they get with it.

Regardless, our focus this week is not on humans but on apes, as Caesar and Aldo explore the ruins of a city destroyed by nuclear conflict - and Aldo gets his hands on a rifle!

Far, far south of there - and in the present - Ka-Zar, Tongah and the Zebra People are still having trouble with Sheesa and her army of the dead!

Dracula introduces us to a shocking short titled The Monster in the Cellar in which a writer decides to compose a horror story in which a writer has a monster in his cellar.

Needless to say, it's not long before that story starts to come true for him.

And to finish the issue, Taylor's still on trial in Marvel's adaptation of the first Apes movie.

And that's when he discovers just what's happened to Landon.

We encounter another twist in the mission to rescue Glenn Talbot from the clutches of the Russians, when the man his rescuers think is Talbot declares himself to be Soviet agent Gregori Kronski!

I do believe the Avengers continue to battle the Skrull fleet in space.

Conan helps Princess Stefanya tackle the corrupt rulers of Phalkar.

And Daredevil tackles a corrupt sports syndicate by disguising himself as a boxer called Kid Gawaine.

Forget Captain Britain. Clearly determined to not be outdone by its neighbour to the north, France gets its very own super-doer when the Cyclone makes his first appearance but only hangs around for long enough to be defeated by a fan.

Thor's not had much luck against Durok the Destroyer either. Will the Silver Surfer fare any better?

Iron Man's probably still tangling with Midas in some way or other.

The Invaders, however, discover the three Norse gods they've been battling are aliens manipulated by Brain Drain. Freed from his control, those aliens choose death.

And The Power to Purge! sees Spidey and the Human Torch tackle Morbius the Living Vampire. During that confrontation, the vampire known as Jefferson Bolt dies.

But hold on. What's this?

The Fantastic Four are not only in Captain Britain's mag? They're also still in The Titans?

It's clearly madness but, no doubt, a cunning marketing ploy.

Anyway, Janus is destroyed in the Negative Zone and that leads to the FF's latest clash with Annihilus.

In Cap Goes Wild, the hero comes up against a Life Model Decoy designed to look like and discredit him.

Then, gasp as we encounter the origin of Black Bolt. His origin being that he was born.

In A World Against Me, Subby battles Naga for the Serpent Crown but accidentally kills a woman who's been impersonating Lady Dorma.

And the Ghost Rider's still fighting the awesome power of the One Man Zodiac, who doesn't last very long.