Week Ending January 19, 1974

Marvel UK was now taking an extra two pence a week out of your pocket money, teaching a lesson about rampant capitalism a decade before the arrival of the yuppies. So strap on your red braces and go heavy on the hair product for another week of comic goodness.

Mighty World of Marvel #68

Here it is, the first appearance anywhere of The Incredible Orange Hulk. Sorely tempted to start a viral campaign to artificially inflate the value of this issue, in which a colour separation error sees our hero take on a tangerine hue. The real irony being the text, not an inch above, actually referring to him as 'green-skinned'. It's not actually a bad cover from Ron Wilson and Mike Esposito, but with that colouring, who would notice? 

The Incredible Hulk: The Eve of Annihilation. Reprinting The Incredible Hulk #116

The Hulk is still trapped in the Leader's rubber prison, while the green tefal-head's (Google is your friend non-British or non-old readers) plans world destruction. Things get weird as Betty uncovers the plot and her father General Ross refuses to believe her, despite it being obvious to anyone with half a brain. Miss Ross then teams up with Glenn Talbot for the unlikely mission to free the Hulk. Spoiler: they do. Spoiler spoiler: he is back in an even smaller rubber confinement in under five minutes. 

The Fantastic Four: Battle At The Earth's Core! Reprinting Fantastic Four #31

Serious question: has there ever been a story featuring the Mole Man that wasn't basically just a filler? If there is, this isn't it. 

We do get a sort of resolution to a strange subplot where Sue and Johnny's father turns up after being on the run from the cops, just in time to perform lifesaving surgery on Sue. I assume he is a doctor and not just an extremely pushy parent. 

Spider-Man Comics Weekly #49

A return to the boxed-in cover style this week, which works just fine for the close up original cover artwork by John Romita and Mike Esposito. While the composition is probably nothing special these days, it must have seemed quite bold back in the day. 

The Amazing Spider-Man: Doc Ock Wins! Reprinting Amazing Spider-Man #55

Spidey is on a vengeful rampage in pursuit of Doctor Octopus after Ock made Aunt May's house excessively open-plan last week. If there is one thing that Spider-Man has strong feelings about, it is interior design. After a couple of false starts, the web-slinger catches up with the multi-limbed evil-doer, only to have Ock unleash the power of his stolen nullifier gizmo on him. This has the unexpected result of an amnesiac Spider-Man, a situation that the doctor wastes no time in turning to his advantage. 

The Mighty Thor: Asgard Besieged! Reprinting Journey into Mystery #122

The Absorbing Man is battling the gods of Asgard and making a damn fine job of it. I would definitely be happy to read through ten pages of blue collar criminal Crusher Creel taking down the legendary home of the norse gods, but Stan and Jack have other plans. Instead of potentially the greatest fight in comic history, we have Thor dealing with the dilemma of a reporter who has learnt his secret identity. Worse still, the god of thunder decides to solve this problem with the use of his rarely seen time travelling powers in a bid to terrify the mortal into silence. Eventually, Harris Hobbs agrees to have his memory wiped if he can just see Asgard once. Which does beg some questions if memory wiping was on the list of options from the start. 

The Avengers #18

What's better than a Jack Kirby/Wally Wood original cover? Well in this rare case, a Marie Severn and Frank Giacoia version.

The Avengers: The Bitter Taste of Defeat! Reprinting The Avengers #21

The new line-up Avengers continue to bicker and fight among themselves, with everyone coming across as a bit of a dick, the exception being Wanda, who has taken up the Wasp's role of lusting after any dude in spandex. The villain of the week is Power Man, sweet Christmas (ahh, sorry, wrong Power Man) and we get to see his origin. From humble Nazi henchman in South American exile to super powered bad guy with the help of the Enchantress. Unhindered by the other members of the Masters of Evil, the Enchantress makes impressive work of framing the Avengers for various mishaps and ruining their reputation, using the newly minted Power Man as her pawn. You have to wonder what she might have achieved if she had dumped her teammates earlier.

Dr. Strange: The Defeat of Dr Strange! Reprinting Strange Tales #130

It's a slight change of pace this week for Dr Strange, though it still involves Baron Mordo, the Ancient One, magic and trickery, would not want to veer too far from the formula. It is good that these early stories avoided embracing the wider Marvel universe too much, but it didn't do much for variety. That said, Steve Ditko pulls out the stops on the artwork, drawing visual effects that would have Hollywood crying into its green-screens for fifty years. Strange embarks on a globetrotting adventure, pursued by the Dormmamu-enhanced Mordo, even finding time to go undercover in Ditko's trademark 50s suit and fedora. It is thrilling stuff that will spill over into next week's issue for its conclusion.