November 3rd, 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. 

***

All eyes, of late, have been on the elections in the United States and what they might mean for the safety of the world.

However, as Colin Jones recently pointed out on this very site; 50 years ago, this week, all eyes were on another president when Jimmy Carter narrowly defeated Gerald Ford to become the Deep South's first candidate to attain the post since the Civil War.

Only two weeks after we saw Spidey fight that French felon the Cyclone, the UK gets to see its very own hero tackling the Hurricane. Clearly, back then, there was a trend for super-villains to be blustery.

And it all happens when the windbag chooses Thames University as his battleground, attracting the attention of its most super-powered student Brian Braddock.

Following that, the FF's strip sees the Thing on a destructive rampage across New York.

Clearly, the situation needs to be calmed down and Reed Richards knows just how to do that.

He brings in Bruce Banner.

Because, as we all know, there's no one better at calming a situation than Bruce Banner.

Elsewhere, Nick Fury asks Captain America to investigate a mysterious group of men secretly gathering at the Statue of Liberty!

In the latest instalment of the melodrama that spans the gap between Conquest and Battle, Caesar wins his duel with Aldo and thus is a future of harmony between ape and mankind guaranteed.

Following that, a monster called Man-Thing, a man called Zeke and a dog called Dawg are in the Everglades, battling with possessed alligators.

And there's yet more trouble for Ka-Zar when Tongah goes foaming-at-the-mouth mad and attacks him, straight after trying to single-handedly beat up a tyrannosaurus.

When it comes to Marvel's adaptation of the first Apes movie, Taylor and his simian chums find themselves in a mysterious cave that contains secrets pertinent to the history of apekind.

That cover tells me we're about to get the tale in which the Hulk tackles the Mole Man and his hordes, in an attempt to restore sight to a blind girl. I'm going to venture that it's the first Hulk story to be narrated entirely in the first person.

Next, Luke Cage's new status as a hero for hire on the streets of Harlem leads to conflict with crime boss Diamondback.

But what's this? Can that crime boss secretly be his former friend Willis Stryker?

Conan's still having trouble with a giant shadow that likes to kill everyone. Against a foe like that, I'm suspecting he may need the help of a giant golden scorpion.

And A Life On The Line sees Daredevil and the Black Panther investigate - and attempt to stop - a gang that's been recruiting disadvantaged young people.

Spidey has more headaches than ever when the Jackal offers the Scorpion a chance for revenge against the hero.

This leads the villain to a hospital.

And this leads to the anthropomorphic arthropod being forced to apologise to Aunt May for frightening her.

Thor, meanwhile, is still trying to put an end to Loki's rule in Asgard.

And I do believe Iron Man continues to battle a security guard granted extra powers by a Lucifer determined to get back into our world.

The Invaders, on the other hand, are still trying to foil the U-Man's plot to kill Winston Churchill, with the Sub-Mariner feeling particularly motivated to do so.

And Spider-Man encounters a Vision suffering mysterious seizures. Trying to find the source of the problem leads the pair to the Puppet Master who now has control of an alien robot called the Monstroid. A machine whose activities are interfering with the Vision's brain functions!

Things are hotting up for both the Avengers and Olympus when the gang attempt to restore Hercules' lost memories and Hawkeye explains how he returned to Earth after the Kree-Skrull War and got himself a snazzy new costume that's bound to wow the fans.

Weirdly, my strongest memory of this one is that it features a chat between the Vision and Jarvis during sandwich preparation.

In another part of New York, Dr Faustus continues his campaign to drive Captain America mad with hallucinations of Bucky.

But can it be that the Star-Spangled psychiatric specimen has begun to see through the Freudian trickery? 

Elsewhere, Triton's been captured by a film crew but soon breaks free, overwhelms them and escapes into the ocean.

Prince Namor has much on his plate when he discovers the Mad Thinker, Puppet Master and Egghead are planning to conquer America by using a device that's capable of shutting down electrical and mechanical systems.

As you'd expect, this leads to him teaming up with the Original Human Torch. But, then, the pair discover the "Torch" is actually a brainwashed Toro!

Finally, Satan gets Roxanne Simpson to abandon her protection of the Ghost Rider who subsequently loses much of his power but must still fight someone called Inferno!