October 26th 1974 - 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. 

***

Thrilling things await us in this week's look at the output of Britain's excitingest comics imprint, exactly fifty years ago.

But what of the music charts?

It turned out Ken Boothe was in a generous mood, as he hit the top spot on the UK singles listings, thanks to his reggae track Everything I Own. And possibly, after the success of this single, he could afford to own quite a lot.

Also able to own a lot were, possibly, the Bay City Rollers who retained their perch atop the associated album chart, with their latest LP Rollin' which we must all have had on repeat play on our turntables.

With one mighty lunge, Dracula's free of his coffin, and a brand new book hits a newsagents near you!

And it's just in time for Halloween!

In our first tale of dread and terror, Frank Drake inherits Castle Dracula, just in time for its previous owner to wake up and cause trouble. No sooner is Drac up and about than he kills someone called Jeanie and turns her into a vampire.

In our second tale, a man called Jack Russell celebrates his 18th birthday by learning of his family curse. And I think we all know what that curse is but not why his parents were daft enough to call him Jack Russell.

While, in our third and final tale, Robert Walton IV leads an Arctic expedition to retrieve Frankenstein's Monster. While he's at it, he tells the cabin boy how that monster was created.

And that's not all, because I do believe this issue also contains a free poster recycled from the front of the US Dracula Lives #1.

But what's this? We don't just get the launch of one comic this week? We get two? Never before has Marvel UK demonstrated the level of ambition it is now!

And what a way to demonstrate that ambition, by creating a book dedicated to the greatest film the world has ever seen!

We don't just get a classic Bob Larkin cover. We also get an adaptation of the movie that started it all. Drawn by George Tuska, no less. In this exciting issue, three astronauts crash into a mystery planet - only to discover it's ruled by apes.

And humans are hunted as prey!

But there's even more. We also encounter a five-page article dedicated to the makeup process used in the film, and a fabby poster recycled from the first issue of the American Planet of the Apes mag! There's even a message from Stan Lee!

Truly, entertainment doesn't get more apetastic than this!

The comic may be called The Avengers but it's obvious who the editor thinks the star of the show is, as Iron Fist meets a man with nunchucks!

Even more excitingly, that cover announces that Ant-Man is back!

And it's because I demanded it!

Frankly, I don't remember demanding it but I'm sure the editor knows best what's good for me.

I do suspect this means we're getting the tale in which the Pyms' chauffeur turns out to be the Whirlwind and shrinks Goliath to insect size before trapping him in a deadly ants' nest, without his ant-controlling hat!

As for Iron Fist's tale, he's still invading Harold Meachum's office and must deal with the towering menace of the man they call Triple-Iron.

And deal with him, he does - with the help of a baffling ninja who keeps randomly appearing.

But just what kind of a state will Harold Meachum be in by the time the fist man gets to him?

And we close the issue with the second part of the re-telling of Dr Stranges' origin.

Now there's trouble because the Hulk's up against a seemingly endless parade of Leader-created replicas of his deadliest foes.

Can Jim Wilson successfully overcome an entire military base in his quest to foil the Leader's plans?

And can he overcome his total inability to understand how the base's wiring system works?

Daredevil, meanwhile, is still combating the threat of the Tri-Man.

And I do believe it's time for some downtime, as the Fantastic Four rest and recuperate, following their grapples with Galactus.

I suspect this means Johnny Storm's heading off to ESU to begin his studies.

And that means he's going to have an encounter with a mysterious youth called Wyatt Wingfoot...

From the looks of it, Silvermane learns it's not always a good idea to keep taking the tablets, as he seeks the key to eternal youth.

When it comes to Iron Man, I think he's having his first-ever encounter with the Black Knight.

But there are bigger problems afoot because, in Tony Stark's unexplained absence, Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan are starting to suspect our hero's killed their boss!

Thor, meanwhile, has problems of his own when a robot called Replicus, built on behalf of gangster Slugger Sykes, goes on the rampage across New York.

But is that robot all it seems?

And just what are the true motives of the mad scientist who created it?

Speak Your Brain! Part 90. Comics and songs that remind you of autumn.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Image by Tumisu
from Pixabay

We're rapidly approaching that time of year when pumpkins roam and witches fly. But there's about to be something else on the roam that might just take flight.

And that's whatever it is we're talking about this week.

But what is that, "whatever?" And whatever can it mean?

There's only one way to find out because, as so often in the past, we see the return of the feature which refuses to die. The one in which the topic for debate is set by whoever comments first in the box below.

Therefore, feel free to type that comment. After all, you never know what may happen.

2000 AD - September 1986.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

What would one encounter if one were to enter a cinema in September 1986?

One would encounter choc ices, seats with only one arm rest, women with torches, adverts for local businesses and the Pearl and Dean theme tune. But, more importantly, one would encounter such slap-bang new movies as The Name of the Rose, Crocodile Dundee, Half Moon Street and Blue Velvet.

Of those, I've only ever seen Crocodile Dundee and The Name of the Rose. I've not watched either of them for a good thirty years but I suspect The Name of the Rose impressed me more than Crocodile Dundee did. However, Crocodile Dundee did produce more hit singles.

And speaking of singles, when it comes to the UK pop charts, only one song held sway, that month. And that was Don't Leave Me This Way by the Communards which was proving irremovable from the summit.

The corresponding LP chart found considerably more churn occurring, with September launching with Now That's What I Call Music! 7 on top, before that was forced to make way for Five Star's Silk and Steel which then found itself subsiding in the face of an unstoppable assault by Paul Simon's Graceland.

And what of the galaxy's greatest comic?

That was still bringing us the familiar lineup of Judge Dredd, Metalzoic, Nemesis, Ace Trucking Co, Strontium Dog, Sooner or Later and Tharg's Future-Shocks.

In fact, it may have seemed like nothing new was going on.

But there was one sign of things to come, because I do believe Prog 488 contains Neil Gaiman's first published comics story, thanks to the inclusion of his Tharg's Future Shock the world can only know as You're Never Alone with a Phone!

October 19th 1974 - 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. 

***

Sad, sweet dreamer. It's just one of those things you put down to experience.

How many times have I uttered those immortal words?

Thinking about it, probably never. However, I feel like I should have, as they seem packed to the gills with the kind of wisdom that only I can impart.

And those words were serving the band Sweet Sensation well, this week in 1974, as the song from whose chorus they're drawn hit the top of the UK singles chart.

Hitting the top of the UK album chart was, on the other hand, Rod Stewart who smashed straight in at Number One with his brand new LP Smiler, a record I've never heard of in my whole life. Looking at its Wikipedia listing, I can't say I recognise any of the tracks on it and I also have to say that Smiler is a terrible name for an album.

Having said that, it entered the listings at Number One. So, I can only assume the failing must all be on my part.

You wouldn't know it from that cover image but this issue sees the start of the tale in which the Leader decides to pit mental projections of the Hulk's deadliest foes against him in an attempt to give the brute a lethal heart attack.

Amazingly, despite the villain's reputation as a scoundrel of the highest order, Glenn Talbot and Thunderbolt Ross agree to help him with this.

Fortunately, Jim Wilson is on hand to provide the voice of common sense and sabotage.

The Hulk may be having to contend with many foes but Daredevil has plenty of them on his plate too.

That's because he's forced to battle the Tri-Man who's three different criminals merged into one. 

It can only mean the Gladiator and Masked Marauder have hatched their latest plan and it's all being done in a bid to gain control of the Maggia.

Or Hydra.

Or AIM.

Or the Kingpin's mob.

Or someone.

And I do believe the Fantastic Four have found the climax of their first encounter with Galactus. One which sees the Human Torch return to Earth with the Ultimate Nullifier, thus putting the wind up the big space galoot and leading to a pledge from him to never threaten our planet again.

Our pal Sal gives us his second consecutive Spider-Man Comics Weekly cover while, inside, the hero's at odds with the police, the Maggia have the Terrible Tablet, the Maggia have Curt Connors, and the Maggia have Connors' wife and son.

Can things possibly get worse?

I suspect they will.

Thor, meanwhile, must thwart the intentions of the Growing Man, an android which belongs to Kang the Conqueror and insists on getting bigger every time you hit him.

Some of us might think the solution to that problem is to stop hitting him.

But that solution would never occur to any self-respecting Marvel hero. Therefore, how can even the god of thunder hope to defeat such a foe?

I suspect he'll probably pull a brand-new super-power out of his backside, like he always does whenever his familiar powers turn out not to be of any use.

The sharp-eyed will have noticed there's no sign of Iron Man in this week's issues. Can it be curtains for the canned clobberer of criminals, counterfeits, catastrophisers, communists and counter-insurgent co-conspirators?

Iron Fist is still invading Harold Meachum's office and still encountering the myriad deadly booby traps you'd expect when doing such a thing.

But, even if he gets past all of those obstacles, can he survive an encounter with the man they call Triple Iron?

And just who is this mystery ninja who keeps appearing and disappearing?

Elsewhere, the Avengers conclude their Central Park tussle with the Super-Adaptoid, by the straightforward tactic of all ganging up on him.

And we end with a retelling of Dr Strange's origin, as recounted by Roy Thomas and Dan Adkins.

But, before we depart the scene, I should add that I do suspect this week's Marvel UK books contain ads for two new comics which will be appearing in our newsagents, next week.

But what are they?

And will we like them?

Speak Your Brain! Part 89. Resources you wish you'd known about in school.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Image by Tumisu
from Pixabay

There are some things in this life that are simply inevitable.

And one of them is the return of this feature which, like Old Man River, just keeps rolling along.

But does that mean today's subject for debate is rivers?

It's possible.

But, then again, it could be absolutely anything because that is the nature of this feature. Until someone suggests a topic, in the comments section below, it's anyone's guess what the discussion will be.

Therefore, feel free to suggest that topic and we shall see just what unfurls....

The Marvel Lucky Bag - October 1984.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

It may have seemed October 1984 was going to be a quiet month for cinema-goers, seeing, as it did, the release of such non-blockbusting fare as Comfort and Joy, Give My Regards to Broad Street and Paris, Texas.

But it was not to be so.

For, that month also experienced the unleashing of a film called The Terminator - and things would never be the same again.

Then again, even that probably seemed like non-blockbusting fare at the time.

A brand new superstar is born, as Crash Ryan hits us in the chops with the first issue of his brand new comic.

Frankly, I've no idea who he is, where he's from or what he's about but I'm going to make a guess he's unrelated to both Crash Corrigan and Crash Bandicoot.

In this story, it would appear he stumbles upon a fight between the United Airmen and the Doom Forces. 

I'm going to assume the Doom Forces are the bad guys.

And I'm going to assume he's not one of them.

And I'm going to assume that, having found the fight, he joins in with it, as it would be a pitiful tale of heroism if he doesn't.

At last, American Marvel has had the sense to launch a comic dedicated to the universe's greatest hero!

And it features the Fourth Doctor!

And Beep the Meep!

The astute reader will have guessed that this means the book features reprints from the UK's Doctor Who Weekly.

And that means plenty of John Wagner, Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons. Not to mention Steve Moore and Paul Neary.

But what's this?

Another new book?

And one I've never heard of?

I've so not heard of it that I don't even know what it involves, other than that the story within is called Indian Spring and is the work of Steve Perry, Tom Yeates and Cara Sherman.

Refusing to be left out of the excitement, the Micronauts are also blessed with the launch of a brand new book.

And it's another one whose contents I know little of but I do know the tale within is called Shadow of the Makers! and is the handiwork of Peter Gillis and Kelley Jones.

Amidst the launching of all these new books, there is, though, a title that's hit its last-ever issue.

And it's one I still couldn't claim to have gained any comprehension of.

However, the internet informs me the Archer brothers race their flying space rigs around the world, with the winner becoming the first human space trucker!

Will this bring them into contact with Ace Garp?

I cannot say.

I can merely dream.

And it's another new venture when Marvel brings us its adaptation of the film we're all talking about.

I should know what this one entails, having seen the movie.

However, I've not seen it since the 1980s and always get it mixed up with Starman.

Does it involve a teenager using his video game skills to become a pilot in a space war?

If so, I'm going to assume he does a bang-up job of it.

Barry Smith is well and truly back at Marvel.

And so is Machine Man!

Having said that, the breakdowns for this are carried out by Happy Herb Trimpe.

In the far-off year of 2020, our hero's reactivated by a group of young rebels.

However,  robots are now an everyday part of life and, for reasons that escape me, arms dealer Sunset Bains sends killer robots after Machiney who's forced to flee, along with the rebels.

Another battler whose comic's hit the end of the road is Ka-Zar who marks the termination of his title by paying front-cover homage to Nick Fury.

However, I can shed little light upon the interior of this one.

It would appear, though, to involve a trip to the Land of Cancelled Heroes.

Methinks one detects hints of satire.

Iron Man gets his seventh annual and must celebrate it by confronting the new Goliath, formerly known as Power Man.

Fed up of his endless failures in other guises, the villain's recruited Doctor Malus to give him growing powers.

Clearly, this does him the world of good because he actually defeats the armoured Avenger.

Sadly for him, Wonder Man and Hawkeye then show up to assist the comic's star.

And that's the end of the new Goliath's golden spell.

It's a fair while since I last featured the Defenders in this slot but who could ignore that Frank Cirocco cover?

More to the point, can we resist the story within?

That's hard for me to say. All I know of it is it's delivered by Peter Gillis and Don Perlin and I must, therefore, leave it to others to decide whether it sounds like the sort of thing that might float their boat.

Speaking of covers, Bill Sienkiewicz gives us one we're never likely to forget.

And he also give us the art inside.

From what I understand, our heroes must battle the Demon Bear. A conflict which seems to lead to Danielle Moonstar's parents returning from the dead.

October 12th 1974 - 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 1974, UK democracy finally got its bum in gear, as Britain, at last, managed to elect a government. That was all thanks to Harold Wilson's Labour Party winning the nation's second general election of the year, to become the new government with a walloping great three-seat majority in the Commons.

This meant Wilson had now won four of the five elections he'd contested as party leader.

The pinnacle of British politics may have hit fever pitch but on the UK singles chart, the pinnacle was noticeably more genteel; claimed, as it was, by John Denver with his only solo British hit Annie's Song.

More youthful activities were afoot on the LP chart, thanks to the Bay City Rollers smashing straight in at Number One with their latest album Rollin', thus toppling Mike Oldfield from the perch he'd occupied for several weeks.

I, of course, have no beef with Annie's Song but other tracks I approved of on that chart were:

Sad Sweet Dreamer - Sweet Sensation

Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas

I've Got the Music in Me - the Kiki Dee Band

Pinball - Brian Protheroe

When Will I See You Again? - the Three Degrees

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? - Jimmy Ruffin

Gonna Make You a Star - David Essex

and

Gotta See Jane - R Dean Taylor.

Should you wish to investigate the matter in greater depth, that very singles chart can be found here.

While the accompanying album chart resides within.

The Sandman's still rampaging around that hospital and still carrying out his plan to turn himself back into sand by conducting a full blood swap with Betty Ross.

Can the Hulk stop him in time?

And if he can't, just what will be the fate of poor Betty?

I do believe Daredevil finally defeats the Owl, foils his plot to kill a judge and brings the hooting mad mischief-maker's gigantic robot owl to justice.

Speaking of things that came crashing to Earth, I do suspect Alicia's finally managed to convince the Silver Surfer that he should get on his board and go smash Galactus' gob in.

However, will it be enough?

And will he be in time to save the FF from the whirling arms of the space giant's odd little robot?

As we can all see, Man-Mountain Marko's thrown the Shocker's girlfriend out of a window, as a distraction to enable him to steal the tablet that causes nothing but trouble wherever it goes.

But what's this? Marko's boss Silvermane has kidnapped Curt Connors to work on decrypting the tablet?

Does the fool not know Connors is also the Lizard and turns into that cold-blooded causer of chaos, calamity and concern during times of cornucopian conflict?

Thinking about it, he doesn't.

Elsewhere, Iron Man's completing his battle with Captain America, having been fooled into thinking Cap's the Chameleon in disguise.

I can't help feeling that, when the heroes discover they've been suckered, it's going to be bad news for the malevolent quick-change flannel-merchant.

Thor, meanwhile, is still on his quest to retrieve his stolen hammer.

And that's taken him to the land of the trolls. 

And that's led him to another fight with Ulik - and a determination to liberate the captive alien Orikal.

For once, not hanging round waiting for an assassin to show up and murder him, Iron Fist decides to invade the office block of his deadly enemy Harold Meachum.

But it's no easy task. Like any office block, it's packed with self-firing machine guns, exploding staircases, acid sprinklers, disintegrating door frames, precipitous plunges and hired thugs!

When it comes to the Avengers, the Super-Adaptoid is back!

And I think this might be the first tale I ever read that features him.

From the depths of my memory, I recall that it sees the return of Dashing Don Heck to the strip, and a battle in central Park. One which sees Hercules become an actual ever-loving real-life official Avenger.

And he didn't even have to defeat the Hulk to do it.

Which I'm sure is not at all aggravating news to Spider-Man.

But it's time for us to celebrate because, unless I hopelessly misread the situation, Dr Strange finally manages to rescue Victoria Bentley from the clutches of Yandroth: Scientist Supreme!

And he only needs the Ancient One's help to do it.