Forty years ago today - July 1978.

The World Cup keeps getting ever more exciting for those of us of an English persuasion. How ironic, therefore, that, forty years ago, England hadn't even qualified for that year's World Cup. How the time and tide of history can change.

But one thing never alters.

Whatever the decade, we can still thrill to the adventures of those with powers beyond the norm.

I have little to no memory of this tale but it appears the Collector's abducting Avengers, presumably for his usual purposes.

This issue seems to feature a guest appearance by virtually every Outer Space related character Marvel possessed at that time.

A far smaller cast greets us within the pages of Conan. Apparently, the battling barbarian and his mates enter a city, restore some woman to the throne and then she betrays them. Will Conan never learn not to trust a beautiful woman?

Mr Hyde and the Cobra are back - and, no doubt, failing once more to defeat a hero they should be able to annihilate with no effort at all. Like the Circus of Crime, they should probably settle for taking on Howard the Duck.

I'm willing to bet that's not the original Invincible Man but some kind of impostor.

Then again, perhaps it's a skrull pretending to be the Super-Skrull pretending to be Sue and Johnny's father.

Then again, the internet tells me that, in this issue, the FF are reunited, thanks to Dr Doom. Whether it was his intention to reunite them, I couldn't say. So, perhaps he's the one in the Invincible Man costume.

Then again, perhaps he's not.

I remember nothing of this tale, other than that it features the Leader and Omnivac who I remember being the Leader's not always reliable computer.

Iron Man's still having problems with Galactus' Punisher.

Despite seemingly being set in Detroit, this story would appear to feature any Outer Space character who hasn't already shown up in this month's Avengers tale.

Hooray! It's the news we were all praying for! The Rocket Racer is back!

I believe this is the story which goes on to introduce the world to the power and majesty of the Big Wheel.

Two villains of that quality in one story? How could we ever hope to cope with such excitement?

The Lightmaster is back and kidnaps the White Tiger, in the belief that his secret identity of Hector Ayala is actually the true identity of Spider-Man, which means he'll now have two super-heroes to fight, instead of one.

Apparently, reporter Harris Hobbs gets to go to Asgard again, thanks to Loki hiding him in an adamantium computer. You would've thought Hobbs would have learnt his lesson, after his previous visit.

But how this relates to the Midgard Serpent, I have no idea.

Cap finds himself up against Animus who, I believe, is a beautiful woman with impressive cleavage who, for some reason, can transform herself into a weird caveman with a big club and a huge head. I don't have a clue how any of that is achieved.

More importantly for all Captain America lovers, I notice the Falcon's disappeared from the masthead. Does this mean he no longer features in the comic? What catastrophe is this that's befallen both us and he?

July 5th, 1978 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

Supporting Marvel UK in the 1970s really was a roller coaster ride. One week it was up. One week it was down. And you could never know which it was going to be.

Happily, July, 1978, found it on the up again, as our favourite comics company gave us a whole new book to read and was suddenly producing five titles a month.

But what would that new title be?

What?

What!?!

There's only one way to find out.

But, before we do that, I feel morally obliged to give a plug to the UK singles chart of this week in 1978. Having just taken a look at it, I have to say it must have been the greatest singles chart of any week ever. It was so busting with banging tunes, it's a miracle it didn't explode under the strain.

Seriously, just just take a look at that lineup. If there's nothing on it that floats your boat, that boat must have hit a rock and be lying at the bottom of the English Channel, with no chance of being salvaged even if Captain Nemo fills it with a balloon and inflates it.

I've no idea what happens in this one, other than that Luke and his droidal chums are up against a very nicely-drawn sea monster that I like to think is the same one that turned up in Doctor Who's Terror of the Zygons, and that it was achieved by use of the same hi-tech green screen as that one was.

I do believe The Slithering Shadow was originally a Robert E Howard tale.

I also believe that, as I've read every Robert E Howard Conan story, I must, therefore, have read it.

Which makes it odd that I don't have a clue as to just which Howard tale it is.

I don't think it's the one with the obelisks and the toad monster. The cover image would suggest it's not the one in the sewers with the octopus thing. I'm therefore at a total loss.

Regardless, I've no doubt that a damsel will need rescuing, a monster will need murdering and a sorcerer will need a good sword up him.

This is another comic whose contents I'm not totally sure of, but I would assume the FF are still up against Gorr the gorilla.

It would seem the cover from this issue was reprinted in Marvel Treasury Edition #20, which is an honour indeed for a cover originally produced for a Marvel UK mag.

This is it! The big one! Marvel UK's future publishing direction starts to become more clearly defined, as, presumably inspired by the sales of Savage Sword of Conan, Rampage makes the move to a monthly schedule.

Looking at that cover, its lineup isn't that strong. It's basically just the one from the weekly mag, with the black and white Hulk tales thrown in but, soon, it will add the New X-Men to its roster and instantly become indispensable to all lovers of great comics.

As demanded by you the Steve Does Comics reader, J Jonah Jameson is to be found dangling from the Statue of Liberty - or at least dangling from Spider-Man who's dangling from the Punisher who's not dangling from the Statue of Liberty.

I suppose it's one way of preventing our hero from simply blocking the Hitman's gun, with webbing, which would somewhat instantly put an end to his menace.

The Marvel Lucky Bag - July 1968.

I'm all rared up and ready for England's do-or-die game against Colombia in the World Cup but, fifty years ago, I'd have had no World Cup to watch. Whatever would I have done with my time?

I know. I'd have randomly looked at the contents of Marvel's less high-profile titles that bore this month's cover date.

In a stunning development, Captain Savage steals Nick Fury's arch-enemy, as he comes up against Baron Strucker.

I can say little beyond that, as I've never read a single story that contains the good captain. However, I have no doubt he'll triumph over the monocled marauder just as surely as Fury always did.

I'm fairly certain I've read this one. Needless to say, that doesn't mean I can actually recall anything about it.

Apparently, Strange and Nightmare are battling for supremacy within the mind of the Ancient One.

Things aren't looking good for Marvel's greatest space spy.

Didn't he also get captured and strapped to a slab by the Super-Skrull in the Avengers' Kree/Skrull War? It's starting to look like a recurring theme.

I know that's a highly dramatic cover Jim Steranko's given us but all I can ever think when I see it is, "Why's Nick Fury fighting Bender from Futurama?"

It would appear that Nicholas is up against possibly the maddest scientist ever to stalk the pages of a comic book. Happily, Fury defeats him by recruiting the services of a giant robot gorilla from a visiting film production. Is it just me or do all synopses for SHIELD tales from this era
seem to be completely loopy?

Hooray! It's the start of a brand new, giant-size title for everyone's favourite wall-crawler. Given Spider-Man's enduring popularity, I've no doubt at all that it'll be a raging success and...

...oh. Well, never mind.

I do believe this issue contains the Richard Raleigh/Smasher storyline which thrilled us all in the pages of Spider-Man's regular mag, several years later.

I must confess that, although I've read that  reworked version more than once, I've still never read this original take on the tale. I do always wonder in what ways it differs from that version.

It's the meeting that had to happen, as Triton and the Sub-Mariner team up to fight Plantman and the Leviathan. I think my knowledge of Plantman comes entirely from his appearance in a Hostess Twinkies ad.

As for this issue, he launches it by destroying London, with some sort of rampaging seaweed. I'm starting to get the feeling he might not be a nice man.

I've never read this tale but it's drawn by John Buscema and written by Roy Thomas, so it's bound to be great.

I know nothing of Groovy. To be honest, up until now, I didn't even know it had ever existed. I can say, though, that, judging by that cover, it looks to be very much of its time.

Anyway, it clearly wasn't of its time sufficiently enough to hook readers, as this, its third issue, was the last one of its run.

Fifty years ago this month - July 1968.

This month of 1968 was a mixed one for a certain Liverpool quartet.

On the upside, it was the month in which the Yellow Submarine movie was released to critical and box office acclaim.

On the downside, it was also the month in which the Beatles' legendarily disastrous Apple Boutique closed, less than eight months after its opening. If only the Fabsters had had the sense to call it The Apple Store, they'd have been laughing all the way to the bank.

That was in the world of music, retail and cinema but, in the world of British TV, things were also stirring, as the British public got to see the first ever episode of Dad's Army, a show which ended up lasting for nearly twice as long as the war that inspired it, and is a show which seems to have been permanently on air ever since. It's amazing what you can achieve with five catchphrases and a map with moving arrows on it.

This is where my favourite Avengers era hits its stride, as the New Masters of Evil are recruited by the Crimson Cowl to capture our heroes.

Come to think of it, why, exactly, did the Crimson Cowl want to capture the Avengers? I get that he wanted to bump off Hank Pym, for weird Oedipal reasons that made no sense, but why was he so obsessed with defeating the rest of the team?

Anyway, none of that matters. What matters is that John Buscema's art is great, Roy Thomas' story is great, we get Jarvis betraying his employers, a major new villain makes his debut and the new Black Knight gets to prove his worth. What more could any human being demand of a comic?

There are so many Red Skull tales in this era that they all blur into one for me. However, I do believe that Sharon and Steve decide to attack the island the Red Skull shares with the ever-sadistic Exiles.

Was this the first-ever appearance of the Exiles? It did always seem strange to me that the Skull would hang around with a bunch of people who seemed like they were just about ready for a care home.

Who needs the Joker?

Not Marvel fans because now they have the Jester to hate and fear.

I must confess, he wasn't one of my favourite villains of all time. He was, however, on a par with most of Daredevil's enemies, so, I suppose he achieved something, at least.

The FF are still in Sub-Atomica, on the trail of the Silver Surfer and looking to hand him over to Galactus.

But, even better than that, it's a search that sees the return of Psycho-Man!

One of my favourite Marie Severin drawn Hulk tales begins, as the green grappler finds himself up against the magnificent Missing Link, one of my favourite Hulk foes of all time. Did he ever make more than two appearances? It's a scandal if he didn't.

Unless I miss my guess, Happy Hogan's turned into the Freak again. I do not recall the process by which this occurs.

To be honest, it's not one of the most dramatic Spider-Man tales of all time, being centred, as it is, around a hairspray company's ad campaign. But it's readable enough and it's always nice to see Medusa turn up, even if she's not yet found herself a decent costume.

From that cover, I can only conclude that Mangog's about to make his first appearance. I love Mangog and I love this story arc.

On top of that, it looks like Hela's in it as well.

With all of this and Ulik too, surely Stan and Jack were spoiling us.

I've not read this one but I do believe it sees Juggernaut return from whatever mystical dimension it is he's been held prisoner in. When he finds out Professor X is dead, he decides to smash up his mansion. What a charmer.

The internet also informs me that Foggy Nelson guest stars in this issue, as he's been brought in to deal with Professor X's will.

June 28th, 1978 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

Like all right-minded people, I shall never get over my discombobulation that Pluto is no longer recognised as an official planet. Does this mean that all my hard work at school, learning the rhyme that helps you remember the order of the planets, was wasted?

Yes it does.

I have a good mind to sue.

Still, the present may be an unhappy time for the only ex-planet to be named after a cartoon character but the past was a far happier place - because, forty years ago this week, not only was Pluto still being treated with the respect it doesn't deserve but it was going considerably up in the universe, as its largest moon Charon was first discovered. Astronomers later went on to discover another four moons.

Hold on a minute. Pluto has five moons? And they still don't count it as a planet? What kind of space madness is this?

There's only one thing for it. I'm going to have to take refuge in a galaxy far far away.

I don't have a clue who Crimson Jack is. Therefore, I shall Google him to find out...

Having Googled him, I now know him to be a space pirate, operating on the Outer Rim.

The outer rim of what? I have no idea but I shall definitely be staying away from it because it would seem that, so dastardly is he, he captures the Millennium Falcon and steals the reward Han Solo was given for rescuing Princess Leia. The man's obviously a bounder of the worst kind.

I don't have a clue who the woman, bottom right, is but she's clearly a member of the French Resistance and is, therefore, patently not a woman to be messed with.

Hooray! Marvel UK's flagship title celebrates 300 years of existence, a truly remarkable feat.

What actually happens in this landmark issue is beyond my recall.

I would claim that I expect it to be filled with extra-special features, appropriate to the occasion but, judging by that cover, I suspect it'll just be the same old stuff as usual.

The presence of the Punisher on this cover suggests to me that Spider-Man's problems with the Hitman are still ongoing.

Isn't this the tale that climaxes with J Jonah Jameson dangling from the Statue of Liberty?

I'm not totally sure why the Punisher's shooting that wall. Is randomly shooting walls a thing he does now?

June 21st, 1978 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

This week of 1978 was a remarkable one for all lovers of cartoon cats because it was the week in which Garfield made its debut. Apparently, it went on to become the most widely syndicated comic strip on Earth, which was nice, although it is a surprise that Peanuts doesn't hold the title.

But that was nothing because if you were a lover of cartoon cats and you were a cricket fan, things were even better.

That's thanks to it being the week in which Ian Botham became the first man in history to score a century and take eight wickets in one innings of a test match. I wish I could claim the news would have excited me at the time but, to be honest, I always feel that watching a cricket match is basically just a trial run for what it'll feel like to be dead.

As for this day in that year, it was a great one for all lovers of deceased Argentinian First Ladies because it was the date upon which Evita opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in London.

Hold on a minute. Han Solo can use a light-sabre? Will such a device even work for one who is not gifted with the correct level of midi-chlorians?

Regardless, I'm not convinced that the best way to deal with a monster is to stand with your back to it.

It's that much-remembered Jim Starlin drawn tale that involves cannibalism and caves. To be honest, after forty years, I still haven't got over it.

On the other hand, I'm confident that Gorr the golden gorilla would never be rude enough to eat a person, which is good news, as it means the FF find themselves in a position that will lead them to Counter-Earth and the High Evolutionary, rather than a position that will lead them to the bottom of Gorr's stomach.

The Hulk's UK reprints now appear to be no more than five months behind the US originals.

I totally forget just why it is the Hitman's so determined to bump off J. Jonah Jameson.

Admittedly, I can think of all kinds of reasons why someone would want to bump off Jonah, but why the Hitman would, I have no idea.

The Power Pack of Ken Reid.

Anyone who ever read a British comic in the period from the 1940s to the late 1980s will be familiar with the work of Ken Reid who produced sterling work for the likes of The Beano, Dandy, Cor, Buster, Smash, Pow, Whoopee and Monster Fun. Among his claims to fame was that he co-created Roger the Dodger and Faceache.

But now there's a chance for any Ken lovers to express that love in book form because Irmantas Povilaika is aiming to release a complete official collection of Reid's strips from Wham, Smash and Pow, including the complete Frankie Stein, Jasper the Grasper, Queen of the Seas, Dare-A-Day Davy and The Nervs.

As well as all that, the venture will include unseen sketches, drawings, and facsimiles of hand-written scripts, with introductions by Ken's son Antony J Reid, Beano artist Nigel Parkinson and British comics historian Steve Holland. There'll also be a detailed illustrated biography, covering the years when Reid worked for Odhams Press.

The collection consists of two hard-cover volumes, of 204 pages each and, to raise the money for this venture, Irmantas is now running a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The campaign has just three more weeks to run, so if you want to help the project become a reality, you can find out more at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-power-pack-of-ken-reid-books/x/18513990#/  and by visiting Irmantas's own blog Kazoop!!