Forty years ago today - October 1978.

Watch out, Jodie Whittaker, Doctor Who may be back on our screens even as this post hits the internet but no one will be watching that because they'll all be too desperate to find out what their favourite Marvel heroes were up to in the comics that were cover-dated October 1978.

I don't believe I've read this issue but the Grand Comics Database informs me that it features the Avengers battling the marmalising menace of Michael.

Maybe it's just me but I can't help feeling that, "Michael," is not a great name for a super-villain. What will they be up against next? The awesome power of Dave?

It's Conan and Bêlit up against some giant rats in a swamp.

Beyond that, I can say little but it would appear the tale also involves a wrongdoer called Ptor-Nubis who is another villain with a terrible name.

It's not good news for the star-spangled Avenger as he loses his powers.

I have no doubt that, even without his physical abilities, Cap will still triumph, thanks to his fighting spirit and mental resourcefulness, proving that it may be a serum that made him super but it's always been Steve Rogers' basic character that's made him a hero.

I'm trying to remember; is Doom's son a clone of him and does this tale finish with the good doctor residing in a psychiatric institution, as everyone else celebrates the end of his reign and Latveria's transition into a democracy?

I do believe this is Moonstone's first ever appearance.

Moonstone is one of those characters I can recognise on sight but whose actual nature I have no recall of.

Is she Russian?

Is she heroine or villain?

Did she turn up later, in The Defenders?

Hooray! It's the return of the Ani-Men!

I've always had a soft spot for the Ani-Men, even though they're just a bunch of clueless lackeys, barely one step up from the Enforcers.

I do believe that Count Nefaria, Titanium Man, Spymaster and the Unicorn also put in an appearance this issue. Clearly, Shellhead has his work cut out for him this time round.

Peter Parker graduates from university and, instantly, my interest in his strip vanishes.

Seriously, I've looked at the covers for the next few issues and not one of them rings any kind of bell for me at all. It's amazing how the simple act of leaving an educational establishment could make my favourite super-hero become so completely forgettable to me.

Speaking of people who are forgettable, the Cyclone makes his wind-swept way back into the Marvel universe in a tale in which Spidey teams up with Moon Knight to tackle the Maggia.

The new Thor shows up and, I do believe, makes off with the lovely Sif.

Back in New York, half the X-Men think the other half of the X-Men are dead, while, in the Savage Land, the missing X-Men are still alive - but won't be for long if Sauron has his way.

October 4th, 1978 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

This week of 1978 wasn't very noteworthy but I do see that You're the One That I Want  by Hylda Baker and Arthur Mullard was higher on the British singles chart than the Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta original, proving once and for all that it was the definitive and finest version.

And what of the output of Marvel UK in those seven days? Could it match those sky-high standards?

Frankly, despite the cover's demands, I cannot tell you who the space survivor is.

In fact, I can furnish no information at all about the contents of this week's issue but I would assume Star-Lord and Seeker 3000 are still present as the back-up strips.

I do know that the back cover's dominated by a very badly drawn ad for a, "Force Beam," which is clearly a lightsabre rip-off powered by two U2 batteries and available for £2.95.

I do not have a clue what U2 batteries are but £2.95 for a lightsabre sounds like a bargain and a half. Luke Skywalker, eat your heart out.

This month's lead tale The Abode of the Damned is claimed to be a Robert E Howard tale but I can't claim to have ever heard of it. Does this mean it's a non-Conan story that someone like Rascally Roy Thomas has converted to a Conan story, or am I just displaying an egregious gap in my knowledge?

My knowledge of this issue is highly limited but I do know the Hulk's undergoing a good old dose of psycho-therapy at the hands of Doc Samson.

I know, it's amazing how I managed to deduce that just from looking at the cover. I must be some sort of Sherlock Holmes.

Hooray! I have both this and the American original from which the lead strip's reprinted.

If I remember rightly, the Hulk teams up with a wizard to battle an evil witch in a tale drawn by Jim Starlin and Alex Niño, which has to be one of the dreamiest of dream combinations you could ever get in a comic.

Sadly, I can recall nothing of the back-up strips. We may have reached that run of Defenders stories which find the Valkyrie in prison but I cannot guarantee it.

It's one of the most disappointing comic book tales of my youth. Who wouldn't want to see Spider-Man square up against the lord of all vampires?

Marvel, apparently. From what I can recall, Spider-Man and Dracula never actually meet in the tale and, although drawn by my favourite Spidey artist Ross Andru, it's inked by Dashing Don Heck who I must confess is not my favourite inker of all time.

As for the rest of this issue's contents, I have little to reveal but I do know that, unusually for a Marvel UK weekly, the back cover features the last page of the issue's final strip, which is that week's Thor tale. On that page, Galactus dramatically decides that it is time for him to once more visit the Earth!

The Marvel Lucky Bag - October 1968.

Set, yon sun, and lower the veil of autumn's full darkness upon my evening. I care not, for my gaze is fixed upon other things. Things with covers and drawings, whose faces bear the date of this moon of one half-century ago.

What treasures will I find within?

Yet again, Dormammu's foiled in his attempts to invade our world, thanks to his vow to not invade our world.

It sounds to me like it was a plan that was never in danger of going anywhere.

Mar-Vell finds himself up against Quasimodo and someone called Solam.

I'm assuming Solam's the large gentleman on the cover. I can say nothing of him or of this story, as I've never heard of him and, therefore, must assume I've never read the tale.

The cover presents us with another exercise in graphic design from Jim Steranko, although I must confess I don't think it's one of his better ones.

Not that that matters because It seems this is the issue in which we discover the true identity of Scorpio.

Am I misremembering or is he revealed to be Nick Fury's brother?

Also of significance is that this issue features a letter from a youthful reader called Don McGregor. I would be so happy if I found out it's incredibly long and wordy.

Forget the Skrulls and the Kree. We don't need them anymore because the galaxy-grappling Badoon make their debut.

It's not particularly bad news for the Surfer who I remember having no massive difficulty in dispatching them. It is, however, bad news for humanity who shall later come to know the tyrannical rule of the tongue-flicking space reptiles.

The Tales of the Watcher back-up strip is The Coming of the Krills, which, despite its title, has nothing to so with homicidal prawns but is the dread tale of a man who agrees to turn off Earth's defences when would-be alien invaders offer him the most beautiful woman in the universe.

Needless to say, it doesn't turn out well for him and we all learn a valuable lesson we'd be wise to take heed of.

Namor decides to sort out Tiger Shark who, I think, may at this point have taken over leadership of the now-homeless Atlanteans.

He's probably also decided to take Dorma as his bride, what with her being, seemingly, the only eligible woman in the whole of Atlantis.

Wait! What is this new and strange madness? A rude comic written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber and published by Marvel? How have I been previously unaware of this?

It would appear to be a one-off collection of strips that had been produced for men's adventure magazines. Of its contents, I can say little but I'm sure it's all too cheeky and unsuitable for my young eyes.

Fifty years ago this month - October 1968.

They can't accuse this site of not being ahead of its time. It's still only September and I'm already dealing with October.

Admittedly, it's October of 1968 and the comics I'm looking at came out several months before even that but, still, I'm not going to let it prevent me feeling proud of myself.

And someone with reason to feel proud of themselves that month were the zombie population of the United States because that was when their movie Night of the Living Dead had its US premiere.

Not to be outdone by his old rivals the walking dead, William Shakespeare was hitting back with Franco Zeffirelli's movie version of Romeo and Juliet which was celebrating its US release, seven months after its London premiere.

Also not to be left out when it came to first appearances were Led Zeppelin who were making their live debut under that name, at Surrey University.

Speaking of first appearances, it's a classic cover for a classic story, as the Vision has his Avengers introduction.

Is he hero?

Is he villain?

Is he man or machine?

Who can know?

All we can know is he's the coolest Marvel character of the 1960s and things will never be the same again.

I do believe Captain America's fighting a robot replica of Steve Rogers. Why and how, I have no idea but I suspect that SHIELD and their love of LMDs are probably involved in it all, somehow.

The Jester's nightmarish plot to frame Daredevil for murder continues apace and our hero finds himself in jail.

Can he escape - and will he bump into Spider-Man while he's at it?

If I remember rightly, the Fantastic Four are having trouble with the Mad Thinker's latest android, and bashful Benjy's feeling anti-social again, thanks to Reed's latest attempt to cure him.

The Hulk's first encounter with the Mandarin comes to a fortress-flattening conclusion, thanks to the help of Nick Fury and SHIELD.

Was the Crusher a scientist who got carried away with himself during an experiment or was he a wrestler who a scientist got carried away with during an experiment?

Did he come from Cuba?

Was Fidel Castro mixed up in it all, somehow?

Frankly, confusion is claiming me.

I love that cover and I love this story.

Not to be outdone by Daredevil, Spider-Man's also attempting to break out of jail.

Is it the same jail?

I suspect it might be. I shall have to re-read both stories to see if there's anything in either of them that hints that both jail breaks are happening simultaneously.

Mangog is still out to unsheathe the Odin Sword and destroy the universe, and Thor's still not managing to do anything about it.

It's a Jim Steranko drawn cover but a Don Heck and Werner Roth drawn interior.

I've no idea who the Demi-Men are but I've reason to believe Mesmero's mixed up in it all.

September 27th, 1978 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

As all good fans of swordplay can tell you, if there's one thing in this life that you just can't beat, it's a good old dose of Conan.

And that's exactly what BBC Two was giving us on this evening in 1978.

Admittedly, it wasn't the Conan of the barbaric variety that they were serving up. It was the Conan of the detective variety, as the channel gave us a drama about the legendary Cottingley Fairies, and Arthur Conan Doyle's involvement in the incident.

Were the Cottingley Fairies real?

Were they a hoax?

Who can know?

Admittedly, I can know because it's obvious.

However, as we're all aware, a fairy dies every time someone says they don't believe in them and, therefore, I shall keep my trap shut on the matter.

What I won't keep my trap shut about is the fact that Summer Nights by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John was at Number One on the UK singles chart in that week. I must confess that, by this point, I was thoroughly fed up of Grease and couldn't wait for the Boomtown Rats to come and save us all.

As always, I can say little of what occurs in the main strip but it looks like its curtains for everyone's favourite Mark Hamill lookalike.

When it comes to the back-up strips, I can give no info at all on what Star-Lord's up to this issue - assuming he's even in it - but I do know the Seeker 3000 strip is still doing whatever it is the Seeker 3000 strip did.

In a shock development, I can reveal that this issue contains an advert which shows a stunt kite being flown by the Hulk.

It would appear the Hulk's on the rampage in a university, and all of Jim Wilson's best efforts aren't enough to prevent him starting a fight with a statue.

Meanwhile, this is the issue in which Daredevil, the Black Widow, Moondragon and Captain Marvel finally get to polish off Terrex and cure Angar the Screamer.

Elsewhere, Iron Man's up against the maddening menace of Mr Kline and a man called Mikas.

Hold on. What's that the Beetle's saying? Spider-Man has a cop friend? When did that happen? Usually, New York's finest can't wait to start shooting at him.

As for the story inside, it would appear the Beetle's launched a crime wave, in order to lure the police away from their station, so that he can purloin something from its evidence room.

In other news, half of the Avengers, and Immortus, are in the Wild West and in the process of teaming up with a bunch of Marvel's cowboy stars, in order to tackle Kang.

Your favourite artists for your favourite heroes.

Pictures. Without them, where would comics be?

Probably in the Literature section of your local library and taken far more seriously by intellectuals.

However, those intellectuals would be wrong. It's the pictures that make comics great and it's artists who make the pictures great.

Therefore, we must all, at some point, address the issue of who our favourite artist is on each of our favourite strips and, in the absence of any better ideas for a post right now, that's exactly what I'm about to do.

Spider-Man. Ross Andru. For me, he was the perfect middle ground between the styles of John Romita and Gil Kane.

The Fantastic Four. In my youth, it was John Buscema but, now that I'm older, I can properly appreciate the work of Jolly Jack Kirby and put him at Number One.

Thor. Jack Kirby again. Who else could so perfectly capture the glory and grandeur of Asgard? Or the stupidity of Odin?

Dr Strange. I love Steve Ditko's work but, for me, there's nothing quite like the magic of Genial Gene Colan.

The Hulk. Happy Herb Trimpe. Not the most fluid of artists but just about every issue of the strip that he drew was great.

Iron Man. Dashing Don Heck, in his early stint. He gave Shellhead roller skates. What more could you demand of a man?

The X-Men. Dave Cockrum.

The Avengers. John Buscema, although Neal Adams did have a great, if short, run.

The Silver Surfer. John Buscema.

Daredevil. John Romita. He wasn't there for long but his simple style felt perfect for such a low-key strip, and his romance comic background made him the ideal man for the interminable Matt/Foggy/Karen love triangle that Stan was so keen on.

Captain America. Gene Colan.

Conan. It's a tough choice between Barry Smith and John Buscema but I'll go for Big John, if only for the sheer quantity of exemplary work he produced.

The Sub-Mariner. John Buscema. A strip perfectly suited to his elegant figure work and dynamic layouts.

Superman. I think the only artists I ever saw draw Superman with any regularity were Curt Swan and Kurt Schaffenberger. As Schaffenberger's man of steel was slightly more cartoony, I shall go for Curt Swan.

Batman. Jim Aparo. I know a lot of people prefer Neal Adams but I prefer Aparo's more rough-hewn look.

Supergirl. Jim Mooney. No matter how weird and perverted her stories got, Gentleman Jim managed to make them not look weird and perverted. In light of what was going on in some of those tales, that was a serious achievement.

Wonder Woman. I think that all the stories I ever read were drawn by Don Heck, well after his peak and, therefore, I have to leave this vacancy unfilled.

The Justice League of America. Dick Dillin because he's the only artist I ever saw drawing them.

The Legion of Super-Heroes. Dave Cockrum. He reinvented them just as brilliantly as he later reinvented the X-Men.

Aquaman. I think the only artist I ever saw draw him was Mike Grell, so I'd better go for him.

The Green Lantern. Gil Kane.

Anyway, those are my nominations. Feel free to voice your own opinions on your favourite artists for your favourite heroes, should you feel any need to.

September 20th, 1978 - Marvel UK, 40 years ago this week.

All I have to do is utter the immortal words, "I don't like cricket," and, instantly, you'll know what was Number One on the UK singles chart in this week of forty years ago.

That's right. It was Dreadlock Holiday by 10cc, the cod Reggae hit that gave them their third UK Number One and proved beyond all doubt they were indeed one of the biggest bands of the 1970s.

Ironically enough, having done that, they were never again to reach the Top 40, other than with a re-release of I'm Not In Love, in 1995.

Even more excitingly for music lovers, Jilted John was now up to Number Four on that chart. Could nothing stop the man?

More importantly, could anything prevent me getting my hands on that week's Marvel UK mags?

No.

Nothing could.

I've no idea at all what's happening in the main story this week, other than that Luke Skywalker would appear to be back on his home planet, having flashbacks and hanging around with Biggs again.

I do know that, when it comes to the back-up strips, Star-Lord is still in the desert, still being bothered by bugs and now trying to communicate with something that looks like a rock.

But that's not all the excitement we have in store, because The Tales of the Watcher has been replaced with Seeker 3000, the Tom Sutton drawn sci-fi strip.

I do recall that people, in the comments section, have previously explained to me what that strip was all about but I must confess to having forgotten what they said.

I am, however, fairly sure it involves a spaceship.

I genuinely have not the slightest clue what happens in this one.

I suspect the Hulk tale is the one I've been recently covering in the US equivalent of this feature, the one with Thunderbolt Ross's notorious Death Helmet and Doc Samson's attempts to enter the Hulk's mind. That's how close to catching up with the US originals the Hulk strip now is.

Elsewhere, I'm fairly sure the FF are still in the mag, as it says so on the cover, and that Iron Man's still present.

Beyond that, I can say nothing.

Despite what the cover show us, I do suspect that, once we get inside, Spider-Man may be up against the Beetle - but don't quote me on that.

What I can guarantee is that, in the back-up strips, Thor's fighting the Destroyer, which would appear to now be possessed by the mind of a scientist.

Elsewhere, Cap's having yet another identity crisis. I have no doubt this will require him to revisit his origin. While this is going on, the Falcon's abducted by a mysterious person who's clearly Dum Dum Dugan.

Meanwhile, in their strip, some of the Avengers are going back to the days of the Wild West, in order to rescue the missing Hawkeye - and sort out Kang, once and for all.