September 8th, 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. 

***

September 8th, 1976, was a night of note for all comedy fans, with BBC One showing both Carry On Up the Khyber and the first-ever episode of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.

In the real world, however, the week's events were dominated by flying machines, for good or ill.

It was the week in which Viking 2 landed at Utopia Planitia on Mars and snapped its first close-up colour photos of the planet's surface.

Soviet Air Force pilot Lt Viktor Belenko landed a MiG-25 fighter jet on the Japanese island of Hokkaidō and requested political asylum in the United States.

More darkly, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules belonging to the Venezuelan Air Force crashed in the Azores, killing all 68 occupants.

When it came to the UK singles chart, ABBA were still ruling supreme, thanks to their smash hit Dancing Queen, while the Beach Boys retained command of the neighbouring LP chart with their 20 Golden Greats.

Dancing Queen is, of course, a timeless classic and, even after all these decades, I can indeed still feel the beat from the tambourine but there were other tracks I also approved of on that week's Hit Parade. And among them were:

You Should Be Dancing - the Bee Gees

The Killing of Georgie - Rod Stewart

Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Heaven is in the Back Seat of My Cadillac - Hot Chocolate

and

Sailing {1976} - Rod Stewart.

Should one wish to study the matter in greater detail, that week's UK singles chart may be found here.

And its adjacent album rankings dwell within.

It looks like it's all up for the human race - and for the Fantastic Four and Subby - when Magneto takes command of the Atlantean invasion of New York!

And he has Sue and Dorma hostage!

Still, there's always hope when Reed Richards is around.

Especially as he's built a weapon that could trap the villain in his own magnetic field!

Meanwhile, in his own strip, Subby battles Karthon the Quester for ownership of the Serpent Crown.

Elsewhere, Nick Fury escapes Baron Strucker’s Alpha-Ray execution machine, and the forces of SHIELD rush to locate a bomb that contains spores which threaten all mankind!

And it's big trouble for Captain America who - thanks to the Red Skull - has a tiny but mighty explosive device attached to the back of his neck!

Meanwhile, Ghost Rider battles the demonic Roulette while trying to rescue Roxanne Simpson from a burning building.

It's the story that had to happen! Conan goes to war with vegetation!

But, first, in the Hulk's strip, Glenn Talbot explodes!

Then, no sooner have the Avengers defeated the Mandroids than Triton asks them for help in combating the latest scheme of Maximus the Mad.

When it comes to Conan, not only does the barbarian have to thwart the ambitions of vegetables, he must also deal with the monstrous Pthassiass which, despite its name, isn't some sort of disease but is, instead, a giant monster living in a pool!

Daredevil's investigation into Brother Brimstone’s activities leads him to a design for an experimental exoskeleton, and a possible confrontation at a bunch of tar pits.

It would appear a brand-new tale has arrived on the Planet of the Apes, when Derek Zane returns to continue his search for the missing astronauts from the first movie.

This leads to an alliance with a chimpanzee version of Robin Hood.

But hold on. Is it my imagination or hasn't this tale already been published in this book?

Still, if that's a letdown, there are always the adventures of Ka-Zar to keep us thrilled and, this week, he, Zabu and Illyana escape the Temple of Ilak-Aron. However, I'm sure that won't be the end of their problems with that cult.

The Man-Thing, meanwhile, has troubles of his own when a frightened girl flings water from the Fountain of Youth at him. Just what consequences will that have for such a creature?

Dracula then presents us with a Lieber, Lee and Heck short story in which a sailor investigates a plea for help, in the form of a written message from a mysterious island.

But is the sender of that message as human as one might imagine?

Finally, the latest instalment of Marvel's adaptation of the first Apes movie sees Taylor manage to prove his intelligence to Dr Zira!

Hooray! It's the Mindworm!

Everyone else hates the Mindworm!

But I love the Mindworm!

And we get to see Peter Parker and Flash Thompson share a flat!

I don't know what more a human being could demand of a Spider-Man tale.

In Thor's strip, the thunder god's about to be killed by Hela when Odin steps in and kills her, thus bringing an end to death.

But is that the good news it might initially seem to be?

When it comes to the Invaders, the gang discovers a Nazi scientist has created the evil Master Man by using stolen Super-Soldier research.

A short story then reveals the origin of the Inhumans, featuring a guest appearance by a surprisingly friendly Sentry.

And the Thing gets involved in the activities of a haunted painting of a Scarecrow.

Tony Stark, meanwhile, is once more in the clutches of the villainous Midas and is developing a plan for overcoming the rogue LMD that's taken his place.

September 1st, 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. 

***

Get down the disco and cover yourself in glitter because, as recently mentioned by Colin Jones, this week in 1976 saw ABBA's Dancing Queen hit the Number One spot on the British singles chart. A move which cemented their position as the late 1970s' supreme musical force. Was there anyone not excited by this development?

Of course there wasn't!

The album chart, however, was still being dominated by the Beach Boys, thanks to their 20 Golden Greats album.

It may have been a good week for those two bands but it wasn't so great for the people of Yorkshire who saw drought measures introduced in their county.

I do believe the FF have finally managed to convince Subby that Magneto isn't his friend and that invading the surface world on his say-so is a bad idea.

But it may be too late because the foul, ferrous-flinging, fiend of infamy has kidnapped Sue Storm and Lady Dorma and is now holding them hostage!

In Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze prepares for a demolition derby but someone called Dude Jensen - presumably no relation to Kid - has hired a killer to eliminate rival driver Red Thompson! Presumably no relation to Emma.

Elsewhere, the Red Skull's agents kidnap Sharon Carter, causing Cap to visit Exile Island, home, not surprisingly, to the Exiles. I am suspecting this is their first appearance in the pages of Marvel UK.

Speaking of geriatric Germans, Nick Fury infiltrates Hydra Island but is captured after discovering their leader is none other than his old World War Two adversary Baron Strucker!

And the Sub-Mariner returns to Atlantis - only to find his people worshipping someone called Naga and rejecting their prince as their rightful ruler.

And it's all the fault, I'm assuming, of the Serpent Crown!

I spot a cover by Happy Herb Trimpe.

It does strike me that having your eyeballs on stalks may do wonders for your image if you're trying to look disturbing but I can't help feeling it's a serious disadvantage in an actual fist-fight, making it far too easy for your foe to do you a mischief.

Elsewhere, Ka-Zar finds himself confronted by the Devil-God of Sylitha! although I suspect it may just be its cult of human sacrifice he has to contend with.

Deep in the Everglades, after a clash with rapidly ageing conquistadors, the Man-Thing finds a village built around the legendary Fountain of Youth.

The Steve Ditko short, Behind My Door Waits... Medusa!, sees a curio shop owner tell his customers that a strange statue is a burglar turned to stone by a Gorgon. Can such a claim be true?

And in the latest instalment of Marvel's adaptation of the first Planet of the Apes movie, Taylor finds himself Captive of Hate! Not to mention being a captive of Zira who starts to suspect he may have more smarts than the average human.

It's another classic issue, as the Inhumans get attacked by the Mandroids and then Triton shows up.

But, before that, the Hulk accidentally defeats Warlord Kaa when the setting sun and floodlights destroy the villain's shadow-based powers.

But what's this? The tale ends with Colonel Armbruster shooting Bruce Banner dead!?!

It's wolf-based action for Conan when a woman called Lupalina agrees to help him rescue Stefanya from Torkal Moh.

And Daredevil's still in Hollywood and trying to get to the heart of just which member of a TV show's crew is the murderous Brother Brimstone.

Drama hits ever-new heights, when not only does Harry Osborn kidnap Flash, MJ and Aunt May, he also straps a time-bomb to one of them and challenges Spider-Man to work out which one most needs rescuing!

But what's this? A brand new strip for us to peruse?

Sadly, it's just The Invaders in which Captain America, Bucky, the original Human Torch, Toro and Sub-Mariner must join forces to thwart the aims of Nazis everywhere.

And there's trouble for Tony Stark when he's replaced by an evil Life Model Decoy. An act that leaves Stark penniless, before Madame Masque shows up and captures him!

In the Savage Land, the human race is saved because the Thing and Ka-Zar defeat the man called Volcanus and his plan to devastatingly exploit the area's volcanic energy.

But it looks like it's game over for Thor, as Hela catches up with him and forces him to surrender to prevent her from ageing a bunch of firefighters to death!

August 25th, 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. 

***

I remember being on holiday, this week in 1976, merrily hoovering up comics on the streets of Blackpool, in order to import them to the fair city of Sheffield.

But, when it came to Marvel UK, just what were the comics I was hoovering up?

Good gravy above! It was these precious gems!

Prince Namor once again shows his awesome intellect by teaming up with a super-villain, having totally failed to spot that that super-villain is up to no good.

This time, it's Magneto who has the honour of duping the world's most dupable man.

And, of course, it all leads to war with the surface dwellers!

The week's Nick Fury story reveals that SHIELD Agent John Bronson is secretly the Supreme Hydra! I think we can assume the colonel isn't going to put up with that for long.

Meanwhile, Johnny Blaze accepts an offer to ride in a Las Vegas demolition derby.

Captain America's still battling the Red Skull's Fourth Sleeper which now threatens a military base. However, the star-spangled superstar has a magic tuning fork that can potentially stop the unstoppable machine.

Finally, the Sub-Mariner takes the Helmet of Power back to Atlantis. Whereupon, it transforms into the deadly Serpent Crown!

That's quite a dramatic cover.

I do believe it's by Ron Wilson.

Admittedly, I only know that because the Grand Comics Database tells me it is.

Regardless, in this book, Brutus learns that Malagueña and Gilbert survived his attack.

Jason and Alexander, meanwhile, encounter the mysterious Keeper of the Light!

Far away from that, and in another time period entirely, Ka-Zar's having trouble in the city of Tordon-Na. Sadly, I can be no more specific about it than that.

The Man-Thing, meanwhile, is futilely attacked by Spanish conquistadors, despite being in modern-day Florida.

But, obviously, the highlight of this issue is our encounter with Grottu, King of the Insects, a radiation-mutated giant ant that decides it would be absolutely spiffing to conquer the planet. This is, of course, a Lee/Kirby short-form classic.

Finally, Marvel's adaptation of the original Planet of the Apes movie sees the wounded Taylor being treated in an ape hospital - and coming to the attention of one Dr Zira...

I think we can all surmise that this one in which the Hulk must battle his own shadow.

Or, at least, the alien warlord Kaa masquerading as it. You'd struggle to call this tale a classic but I do have a soft spot for it.

When it comes to the Avengers, the Skrull Emperor orders Captain Marvel to build an Omni-Wave Projector for him and says he'll crush the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver beneath a pile of furry things if he doesn't.

Conan, meanwhile, avoids being eaten by rats but then has a bunch of wolves to contend with!

And Brother Brimstone kills the actor who plays him on television, dragging Daredevil into a full-blown murder mystery.

I believe it was in this Spider-Man tale that I first discovered you can tell Hollywood movie fake dust from real dust by licking it to see if it tastes like soap.

This is a piece of knowledge that has, so far, not yet proven to be at all useful to me in my life.

However, of more concern is that the villain has blown up our hero's flat - and his girlfriend with it!

Fortunately, Mary Jane Watson will live to dance another day.

But will the Goblin, after pulling a stunt like that?

Elsewhere, Iron Man must put a stop to Midas' plans to destroy Tony Stark. I suspect Madame Masque will prove to be an unlikely ally for the tycoon.

In the Savage Land, the Thing is looking into unusual volcanic activity that could threaten mankind's survival and, along the way, encounters a pterodactyl, an allosaurus, a Ka-Zar and a Zabu.

But it looks like game over for Thor because Hela's decided to pop his clogs for him.

But, wait. Odin has a plan and sends him back to Earth, as Don Blake, in the hope that the goddess of death will not be able to find him there.

And it's good news for us all because Doctor Strange finally defeats Dracula and cures himself and Wong of their recent bout of vampirism!

August 18th, 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. 

***

Let us tarry not... ...and leap straight into the action.

I detect the tale in which the Fantastic Four find themselves up against the Maggia - and having more trouble with them than you'd expect.

I shall declare that the whole idea of those villains turning up in the FF's book seems like near-heresy. Surely, the people who took on Galactus, Annihilus and Dr Doom shouldn't be lumbered with fighting a bunch of small-time gangsters who can't even beat Daredevil.

And, speaking of FF foes, the Sub-Mariner clashes with the Thing in New York City, for possession of the Helmet of Power. Clashes, that is, until Betty Dean shows up to talk some sort of sense into Namor's head.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury's trapped aboard SHIELD's Helicarrier, by a Hydra infiltrator who's been going by the name of Professor Trojak.

Elsewhere, Johnny Blaze again becomes the Ghost Rider and sets off after evil biker Big Daddy Dawson who's kidnapped Roxanne Simpson!

And Captain America and Agent 13 seek to stop the Red Skull’s Fourth Sleeper from destroying large chunks of the United States.

Zzzax is back!

And I still don't have a clue how many times the letter Z should feature in his name.

Neither does he, I suspect.

And neither does the Hulk, I suspect.

Then again, the Hulk probably doesn't know how many times the letter Z should feature in his own name.

Sadly, the voltage-packed villain isn't here to stay, because the scientists who inadvertently recreated him soon discover a way to stop him.

Following that, the Super-Skrull takes the captured Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to the Skrull homeworld, only to be greeted by hostility from the locals.

Next, Conan finds himself tied to the ground and left to the tender mercies of the rats of Ravengard.

And Brother Brimstone's stalking the streets of Hollywood!

But he won't be for long if Daredevil has his way.

It's a tale of pulse-pounding drama, as the Tarantula continues his reign of terror.

Perhaps more importantly, Harry discovers Peter Parker's secret identity!

In Thor's strip, Infinity's finally thwarted when our hero and his allies manage to prevent Odin from merging with the menace.

But this means Hela will now be after the thunder god's blood.

Iron Man finds himself captured by a fabulously wealthy man called Midas. Not to mention that man's mysterious sidekick Madame Masque!

As far as I can make out, the Thing and Morbius return to Earth, after their recent banishment, where they defeat the Living Eraser by using his own technology against him. 

And Doctor Strange's physical form has fallen victim to Dracula.

However, what the fang-flaunting fiend doesn't know is that his victim's mind has astrally fled his body and is looking for a solution to his problems.

Happy Herb Trimpe gives us the cover to a story we can only know as Society of the Psychedrome.

If only I could remember anything about that tale, other than that Jason and Alexander are in it.

Following that, we - and Ka-Zar - encounter a place called Tordon-Na, the Golden City! And I can't say that one's ringing any bells for me either.

But I do recall the next section because it's SFX on the Planet of the Apes Part II: Simian Illusions in which we discover more about the magic of the effects men and women who worked on the movies.

Next, things are set to go conquistador on us when the Man-Thing stumbles across a hidden community in the swamp. One that possesses the legendary Fountain of Youth.

And we end the issue with yet more of Marvel's adaptation of the original movie. In this week's exciting episode, we've reached the bit where our intrepid astronauts have their first encounter with the cheeky simians.

August 11th, 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. 

***

It seems like I can't stop talking about Mars, of late.

And that may be because we've reached the 50th anniversary of the week in which Viking 2 entered orbit around the Red Planet.

Back on Earth, the Great Clock of Westminster - often erroneously referred to as Big Ben - suffered internal damage that would cause it to stop running for over nine months!

Also not running - mostly because he'd been caught - was John Stonehouse who, I'm sure you're aware, was the last person to serve as Britain's Postmaster General. More to the point, this was the week in which he was sentenced to seven years in jail for fraud.

And the charts?

Number One on the UK's singles listings was, as previously, Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee. While the Beach Boys' 20 Golden Greats retained its position atop the accompanying LP rankings.

Don't Go Breaking My Heart is an amiable enough song but there were other tracks I approved of on that week's Hit Parade.

Among them being:

You Should Be Dancing - the Bee Gees

Back in the USSR - the Beatles

You're My Best Friend - Queen

The Boston Tea Party - the Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Leader of the Pack {1976} - the Shangri-Las

and

Good Vibrations {1976} - the Beach Boys.

Should you wish to investigate, you can encounter that singles chart here.

While its parallel album chart dwells within.

Hooray! It's that one in which the Fantastic Four come up against robot duplicates of all their greatest foes - and of the Mole Man!

To be honest, despite being a non-stop cavalcade of action intended to celebrate the gang's 100th issue, it's not a great tale, as the robots can't fight their way out of a carrier bag and the Mad Thinker and Red Ghost - who are behind it all - somehow manage to blow themselves up!

I suspect the Sub-Mariner tale is the one in which he and the Thing tussle over the Serpent Crown while Betty Dean shows up and bemoans the fact that she's now the horrifically old age of, erm, fortyish.

Not only do we get that mighty drama but Nick Fury's trapped by Hydra when he investigates their boss.

Having been rescued from Hell by the Son of Satan, the Ghost Rider gains a temporary motorbike made from Hellfire but has the problem that, when he reverts to Johnny Blaze, at daybreak, the injuries he's acquired, of late, are likely to kill him.

And Captain America tries to stop the Red Skull's Fourth Sleeper robot as it rampages around America! 

As we can all tell from that cover, Jason, Alexander and friends continue to have a troubling experience in their encounter with the Demons of the Psychedrome.

And I do believe we've reached the end of the yarn in which the Man-Thing and his supporting cast are roped in to act out the life of a dead clown.

Manny, of course, must fight a trio of supernatural beings to protect that clown's soul.

Ka-Zar's entangled in an adventure called Beyond the Vale of Savage Time. An epic of which I have no knowledge, other than that he may have to fight a gorilla - to the death!

And we wrap up the issue with the continued reprinting of Marvel's adaptation of the original Planet of the Apes movie.

It's good news for all fans of twinkle-toed action, because the Tarantula makes his stabby debut.

And does so by hijacking a boat trip our hero and his chums are riding on!

I've always had a soft spot for the Tarantula but this does raise the question of whether there's ever been a good super-villain whose talent is jumping around? The Kangaroo was rubbish. Batroc was rubbish. Leapfrog was rubbish. The Toad was rubbish. Much as I love the Tarantula, he clearly is rubbish. I am starting to spot a pattern here.

Not doing much jumping around is the god of thunder who finally uncovers the secret of Infinity. And it means Odin is going to have to do battle with Odin!

For what feels like the millionth week running, Iron Man's facing the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes.

Then, in a tale I remember well, Morbius and the Thing are removed from this reality, by the Living Eraser. Banished to another dimension, they must help a man called Supremor regain his throne. Presumably because it's a bit duff being called Supremor if you're not supreme.

And Dr Strange is still in big trouble in his struggles with Dracula.

It's a nightmare come true!

It's the week when The Mighty World of Marvel increases its price to 9p!

No wonder the government had to go to the IMF for more money in 1976. They clearly wanted to be able to carry on buying all four of Marvel UK's weeklies!

Meanwhile, it's the fight we all wanted to see; the Vision vs the Super-Skrull.

Although, admittedly, they never quite get round to fighting, because the Vision acts like a big sad quitter and departs the scene but it's all beautifully drawn, Carol Danvers turns out to be the Super-Skrull and Goliath loses his growing powers.

However, before we reach that epic, there's the Hulk to be dealt with when the fist-brained thumper of thugs and monsters has a return bout with Zzzax after Bruce Banner is hired as a janitor, by a lab whose latest experiment accidentally revives the creature!

Conan's strip, meanwhile, gives us a flashback to the barbarian's youthful encounter with a mysterious priestess called Ursla!

And, in Daredevil's strip, Karen Page launches her acting career while Daredevil investigates a troubled TV production. I suspect it can only mean Brother Brimstone is about to put in his first appearance!

August 4th, 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. 

***

Has there ever been life on Mars?

This week in 1976 may have given people reason to ponder, as it was the week in which NASA released its now infamous Face on Mars photo, taken during the Viking 1 mission.

Rather more terrestrially, Trinidad and Tobago became a republic with President Ellis Clarke replacing Elizabeth II as its head of state.

And, in the world of sport, reigning Formula One Champion Niki Lauda suffered serious burns in the German Grand Prix, thanks to a crash that came close to killing him.

You couldn't accuse this of not being a landmark issue. Not only are Hammer and Anvil causing trouble but we're likely to see the death of Crackajack Jackson, shortly after he teaches the Hulk to read and write!

More important than even that, I'm pretty sure this is the adventure in which the Hulk first discovers he likes baked beans.

When it comes to the Avengers; Captain Marvel and Carol Danvers are captives of the Skrulls, and Goliath, the Vision, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are quickly totalled by those selfsame aliens disguised as the FF.

Conan, meanwhile, escorts the supposedly dead sorcerer Zoqquanor and his companion Stefanya across lands that bring them into conflict with goblins!

But feel sympathy for the Stunt-Master who's been convinced to steal a film canister - only to discover he's been framed in an insurance scam!

Fortunately for him, Daredevil's around to help clear his name.

I do suspect this is the epic in which the Human Torch goes on the rampage in the Great Refuge, in an attempt to win back Crystal.

And, whisper it loudly but I think he may encounter a talking yeti along the way!

Elsewhere, while SHIELD investigates Hydra, Nick Fury has a perilous run-in with that organisation's homicidal Dreadnought robot - on board the Helicarrier!

In the world of politics, the Sub-Mariner confronts the diabolical Destiny who's aiming to become President of the United States. Inevitably, such arrogance and delusion leads to the villain's downfall.

The Ghost Rider discovers yet more of how Linda Littletrees became the Witch-Woman

And Captain America tracks a Nazi war criminal to the Red Skull's secret island where the crimson craniumed cornball is getting ready to activate his Fourth and deadliest Sleeper!

What a striking and memorable cover by larking Bob Larkin. Anyone who doesn't want to buy the mag after seeing that must have something wrong with them or possess an unnatural aversion to apes, skulls and demons.

And you can click here to find out if it made the legendary list of my favourite Planet of the Apes covers, way back when I blogged about that very subject.

But, hold. I detect a 9p price tag, meaning The Mighty World of Marvel is now the only Marvel UK publication that's still available for 8p.

According to the Bank of England's inflation calculator, 9p in 1976 equates to 63p in current prices, while 8p equals 56p.

All that aside, I do believe that Jason and Alexander find themselves heading towards danger when they find themselves on The Way to the Psychedrome!

But in the overall scheme of things, that's small potatoes because the Son of Satan's only gone and found his way to Hell!

From wherewithin, he manages to thwart his father and run off with his trident, his flying chariot and his horsie things. Thus concludes the Marvel exorcist's second adventure and, I suspect, his final adventure within the pages of this comic.

Next, the Man-Thing's still caught up in the plans of a dead clown who insists everyone should know his life story.

In the pages of Ka-Zar, a man called Tomas gets both angry and even when his father proclaims his brother to be the new tribal leader. Thus, he kills his brother but is, in turn, bumped off by the mate of a dinosaur he slew earlier.

And we conclude the issue with Part Two of Marvel's reprint of its own adaptation of the first Planet of the Apes movie.

Spidey's still having trouble with the Molten Man.

Although, in truth, Moltie's having far more trouble than Spider-Man is, as, if untreated, his condition will lead to his death!

Thor's still having major problems with the enigmatic Infinity who's taken possession of Odin and set him on the Thunder God!

Moon Knight continues to battle the Conquer-Lord, on a giant chessboard.

But, then, hold everything - because we have what has to be the clash of the week when Dr Strange must come face to face with none other than Dracula himself!

And it's a battle the vampire somehow wins - in a drama drawn by those masters of depicting both characters; Gene Colan and Tom Palmer!

July 28th, 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. 

***

This week in 1976 gave the world a stark warning of the dangers of warm, undisturbed water in a large building when delegates attending an American Legion convention at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia began falling ill with a form of pneumonia.

This would come to be identified as the first outbreak of Legionnaires' disease and caused the deaths of 29 people.

In the UK, the Dangerous Wild Animals Act was passed and required the possession of a licence for those wishing to keep potentially perilous animals in captivity. This Act is, of course, often brought up as a potential explanation whenever people report spotting big black cats in the British countryside. The claim being that its introduction caused owners of such animals to release them into the wild in a bid to avoid the crackdown.

It's excitement all round, as Marvel UK's flagship title hits the two-hundredth issue mark!

I'm fuzzy as to whether the Hulk's still in Canada but what I am certain of is that we now encounter Crackajack Jackson for the first time.

And that means we also encounter his son.

That's the one who's chained to another prisoner in a double act that's not going well, thanks to them both being violent and anti-social racists.

Still, not to worry. A weird space alien soon shows up and gives them super-strength to thank them for shooting it.

Meanwhile, a quartet of Avengers visit a farm but soon find themselves attacked by a bunch of cows who decide to turn into the Fantastic Four!

What is this madness and what can it all lead to?

Conan continues to battle a living statue made of pebbles. It seems unstoppable until he discovers it doesn't like having solvents thrown at it.

I do believe the Stuntman's in the process of falling out with a movie producer. Which could lead to trouble for Daredevil who's in Hollywood, looking to reunite with Karen Page.

And I believe the sensational Alex Harvey turns up, this week, for an interview about his life, times and - I would assume - comic books.

I have cause to think that Jason and Alexander have finally moved on from defending Abraham Lincoln's nostrils and may well now be confronted by the Demons of the Psychedrome!

Not that I can remember what they are.

Which is odd, as you'd think that demons of a psychedrome would lodge themselves well and truly in your memory.

But there's a shock for us The Reader because, from out of nowhere, the Son of Satan appears in this comic and heads straight towards The Gateway to Hell.

I would assume this is the tale of just how he came to be and of how he gained possession of his magical trident!

Following that, the Man-Thing's still having problems with that pesky dead clown who insists upon telling everyone his life story.

And, then, Ka-Zar continues to have issues with someone called Tomas who hunts to please his father but becomes furious when that selfsame father proclaims his brother Gregor to be the new chief.

Chief of what, I fail to recall but I shall assume it all means that murder is in the air.

But The Son of Satan isn't the only strip turning up from out of nowhere. Even more unexpectedly, the issue closes with a reprint of the first few pages of Marvel's original adaptation of the first Planet of the Apes movie!

I remember this one. It's the one in which Spider-Man keeps trying to prevent the Molten Man from finding a cure for his condition - even though it's clearly in everyone's interests for the Molten Man to find a cure for his condition.

Elsewhere, Moon Knight battles the Conquer-Lord, on a giant chessboard!

Iron Man continues to have trouble with the Unicorn and Red Ghost.

Dr Strange, having freed Eternity from the clutches of Nightmare, gets the galactic galoot to recreate the Earth which he'd managed to destroy while dreaming.

And, somewhere far far away, Odin, possessed by Infinity, attacks Thor! Is it curtains for the long-suffering thunder god?

History's made when the FF do their best to make sure Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first men on the moon - seemingly having forgotten that they themselves have already been to the moon and back on several occasions and have been to the Andromeda Galaxy and have Kurrgo's captured flying saucer on their roof, which would have got Neil and Buzz to their destination in record time.

Rather more terrestrially, the Sub-Mariner's on the hunt for the villain Destiny who, I suspect, has decided to run for the Presidency of the United States - and on a populist platform!

Also untrustworthy is the Supreme Hydra who's successfully disguised himself as a SHIELD agent and is quickly winning the trust of Nick Fury.

Captain America and the Black Panther continue to battle Baron Zemo in Wakanda but make the shocking discovery that he's not the real Zemo!

And, in the Ghost Rider's strip, we discover the shocking origin of the Witch-Woman! Readers will not be surprised to discover that Satanic rituals were involved.

July 21st, 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. 

***

Many were the things that happened, this week in 1976.

For instance, Jimmy Carter was nominated for President at the Democratic National Convention in New York.

Elsewhere, Albert Spaggiari and his gang broke into the vault of the Société Generale Bank in Nice.

The 1976 Olympics began in Montreal and 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci made history by gaining the first of seven perfect scores.

East Timor became the 27th province of Indonesia.

Viking 1 successfully landed on Mars.

American criminal Gary Gilmore -  whose eyes would later be immortalised in song by the Adverts - was arrested for murdering two men in Utah.

And, of course, the world was introduced to the first of a series of articles in The Times which demonstrated that a number of paintings attributed to Samuel Palmer were, in fact, the work of master forger Tom Keating.

When it came to the record industry, the week's UK Number One spot was grabbed by Elton John and Kiki Dee's Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

While the accompanying LP rankings belonged to the Beach Boys' 20 Golden Greats.

But, holy historians, Batman! Doing these weekly posts is starting to resemble watching one of those time-lapse videos on YouTube that depict the decline of the Roman Empire via the medium of maps.

And that's because, fifty years ago this week, Marvel UK now found itself down to publishing just four comics a week. Could this nightmare mean the end was nigh for our favourite reprint imprint?

I do believe I detect a Larry Lieber cover. Is this the first one he's ever done for Marvel UK?

When it comes to the comic's innards, I'm certain that Jason and Alexander are still having some sort of battle for control of Abraham Lincoln's nostril, at Mount Rushmore.

When it comes to the world of the undead, the not-at-all-Kolchak-inspired investigative reporter Paul Butterworth continues to assist Quincy Harker and friends in seeing off Dracula.

Man-Thing's still being mithered by a ghostly clown determined that everyone should know which events drove him to suicide in a swamp. 

And in another swamp in another continent, Ka-Zar's up against someone who hunts things purely to impress his father - but who gets miffed that his dad prefers his other son.

History's made, as The Avengers comic merges with MWOM and gives me my very first taste of Neal Adams' stint on the Kree/Skrull War when Ant-Man endeavours to survive a journey through the inner workings of the Vision!

But, before that, what of the cover star?

The Wendigo's sister's managed to knock out both the Hulk and Wolverine and is aiming to transfer the Wendigo curse to Bruce Banner!

Fortunately, her friend Georges decides to foil that plan by transferring the Wendigo curse onto himself!

And I suspect that this issue features a Marc Bolan interview in which the king of Glam discusses his love of Marvel comics.

But it's not just the Avengers who've made the switch to this publication. So has Conan and, having rescued someone called Stefanya, he must now confront the stone monster that mankind knows as Shokkoth.

The lawyer that mankind knows as Matt Murdock, meanwhile, has left New York and travelled to Hollywood, in search of Karen Page. I can only suspect a clash with that town's motorbike riding robber the Stunt-Master is brewing.

It's one of the least likely story lines in the history of great literature, as Dr Octopus decides to marry Aunt May in an attempt to get his hands on her nuclear power plant!

Heaven only knows what Steve Ditko would have made of it all.

In other news, Moon Knight tries to stop someone called Conquer-Lord from assassinating the mayor of somewhere or other but someone called Marlene is captured during the fight.

Far far away from there, the Silent One leads Thor to Hela who tries to kill our hero by ageing him to death!

Fortunately for the universe, that selfsame Silent One gives his life to save the thunder god. I'm fairly certain this is the same plot summary I gave last week. I can only assume this whole process took a fair amount of time.

Either that or, last week, I was wrong.

When it comes to Iron Man, I do believe he remains in conflict with the Red Ghost who's revived and powered-up the Unicorn.

And Dr Strange enters the Dimension of Dreams where he defeats Nightmare and releases Eternity from the vesper-packed villain's vituperous clutches. It seems that Nightmare had caused Eternity to dream the end of our world but Strange and the Ancient One soon put that right.

And look at that. It's another Larry Lieber cover.

Within this magnificent mag, the Fantastic Four take on a creature from space. One that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the Creature from the Black Lagoon. You have to say that, by this point, Jolly Jack was making no attempt at all to disguise his sources.

Even more excitingly, this was an issue that I, somehow, found myself possessing two copies of, meaning I was free to colour-in one of them with my coloured pencils. If Marvel UK had had any sense, they'd have marketed their comics as colouring books and used the monochrome as a selling point.

Far away from the sea, and in the middle of Wakanda, the disguised Sharon Carter sabotages Baron Zemo’s homicidal satellite and helps Captain America and the Black Panther escape the villain's schemings.

But, back to things aquatic because Prince Namor defeats Tiger Shark and reclaims the throne of Atlantis!

And, in the Ghost Rider's strip, Roxanne Simpson's saved by a blood transfusion and antivenom supplied by Linda Littletrees who's then transformed into the Witch-Woman and sets out to kill Ghostie!