Week Ending April 20, 1974

What constitutes a 'good' week in Marvel UK on the blog is purely subjective. Despite the best efforts of the creative team behind these weeklies in 1974, if I'm having a bad day, I will probably be unfairly harsh on these innocent comics. However, the reverse is also true, I have had a cracking week and as a result have found myself far more open to the waves of nostalgic joy issuing from their newsprint pages as a result. Swings and roundabouts.

Mighty World of Marvel #81

Is it just me, or is this Ed Hannigan/Pablo Marcos cover giving off a strong '100th' issue vibe? Nice to see the FF back on the cover, even if they had to experience a two week break in order to be deemed worthy of such an honour. It may not be the greatest offering from an artistic perspective, but tell me you wouldn't have snatched this straight off the newsagents shelves?

The Incredible Hulk: The Rhino Says No! Reprinting The Incredible Hulk #124

Readers of a certain age will get a thrill from this story, working over Herb Trimpe's layouts, Sal Buscema makes his Hulk debut. The style is not the same as the one he will go on to perfect (especially on Hulk himself) but there are enough hints of what is to come to send a shiver up my old spine. The story itself focuses on the preparations for Bruce and Betty's upcoming nuptials, seemingly free of the curse of the Hulk, Banner has popped the question to Miss Ross. This might seem a little rushed given that their relationship before this was a little more nebulous and mostly based on Betty's confused longings, but this was the 60s, you tied them down quick back then. Somebody else is interested in the wedding plans though, that someone is the Leader, hellbent on revenge and determined to bring the (not actually dead) Rhino as his plus one.

Daredevil: And Men Shall Call Him Ox! Reprinting Daredevil #15

I forgot to mention last week that Matt Murdock announced that he would be taking a sabbatical from the law offices of Nelson & Murdock Not that it seems to matter as Marvel UK have seen fit to skip the few issues where this would be anything of a plot point and we are back to the status quo with absolutely no explanation. It is also worth noting that for some reason this week, all the editorial notes referencing previous issue numbers have not been adjusted for the UK, possibly an oversight or a symptom of a changing of the guard in the US or UK? This week's story revolves around the return of the Ox, former Enforcer and Fellowship of Fear member. Encouraged to escape from prison by cellmate and z-list evil genius Dr Karl Stragg with the offer to have his intelligence increased, Ox successfully busts out. Unfortunately, Ox learns that evil geniuses in prison are probably not to be trusted when instead of boosting his thinking prowess, Stragg swaps their minds and takes Ox's body on a destructive joyride.

Fantastic Four: Behold A Distant Star! Reprinting Fantastic Four #37

The FF are preparing for Reed and Sue's upcoming nuptials (bit of a theme this week) for Ben and Johnny this means trying on their tux, Reed however sticks to tinkering with his new and untested power-ray invention. Sue on the other hand, seems to be channelling the spirt of George W. Bush and demands that her husband to be give her her own war-on-terror against the Skrulls in revenge for the death of her father some issues ago. I'm not entirely surprised that Stan would lean into the Bridezilla trope, but Sue Storm with a bloodlust for genocide seems a tad over the top. 

Spider-Man Comics Weekly #62

The original John Romita ASM cover for this issue gets some reframing and a new colour scheme that I actually prefer. Spidey now appears to have been knocked of the building in the foreground by the Vulture's attack, plus the change in background colouring adds a little something too.

Amazing Spider-Man: Wings in The Night! Reprinting Amazing Spider-Man #64

Opening in a rain-soaked New York with the brooding silhouette of the Vulture in classic comic book pose, this feels like a promising story after the needlessly complicated Brainwasher saga of the last few weeks. Spidey and the Vulture unknowingly cross paths in the downpour as we discover that Spider-Man's webbing does not work well in the rain and he accidentally sustains the now traditional minor injury that will no doubt handicap him later in the story. Despite the fact that the original Vulture was supposed to be dead, he is in rude health for this story, so much so that he even breaks his successor, Blackie Drago, out of prison to help him take down Spider-Man. Quite a surprising turn of events as Drago was the man responsible for his not very long-lasting death. The remaining pages this week are dedicated to Peter's worries over Gwen and the mounting fear that Norman Osborn might be getting his memories of being the Green Goblin back. Stan Lee and John Romita are on fine form this week, while Don Heck puts in a solid effort on inks. 

Iron Man: Iron Man Faces The Crimson Dynamo! Reprinting Tales of Suspense #46

My thoughts that there is something amiss with the Marvel UK editorial process seem to be confirmed within the pages of Iron Man. Normally all references to communist Russia or the USSR would be replaced with the fictional nation of Bodavia, this week though we get some full-fat commie-bashing. Anton Vanko is introduced with his Iron Man-rivaling Crimson Dynamo armour and is swiftly given a mission by the soviet leader to destroy Tony Stark's weapon making abilities. This is actually a considerable improvement over the quality of recent Iron Man stories, and Don Heck's art has a look to it that would not seem out of place in contemporary British war comics. 

The Mighty Thor: The Verdict of Zeus! Reprinting Thor #129

Stan and Jack continue their now regular template for Thor by having multiple plot strands running simultaneously. Thor returns to New York and takes a slightly inexplicable trip in a taxi with a chatty cab driver on his way to see Jane Foster. Hercules has the more arduous journey of climbing Mount Olympus in order to petition Zeus to release him from the contract Pluto tricked him into. Both missions end on mini-cliffhangers, Thor telling Jane he will relinquish his godly powers so they might marry and Hercules is told by his father that he must honour the contract or find a champion to fight in his stead. We also see the first appearance of the oddly attractive Tana Nile, Jane Foster's new roommate who seems to have a hidden agenda of her own. Jack does some great work on pencils, despite Vince Colletta's interference on inks, especially on the scenes in Olympus, which looks like a hedonistic counterpart to the more regal Asgard. 

Witch Hunt Reprinting Amazing Adult Fantasy #7

Another little bonus Stan Lee/Steve Ditko story from the archive, creepy but jolly at the same time. I'm not sure why SMCW keeps have three pages spare for this kind of thing, but glad that it does. 

The Avengers #31

I really hope the Earth's mightiest heroes are happy in their corner box, because that's all they at getting for a while. This Jim Starlin cover moves the action from the nighttime of the US original to the daytime for UK readers, losing quite a bit of atmosphere along the way. 

Master of Kung Fu: Death by Midnight! Reprinting Special Marvel Edition #16

This week's instalment of MOKF is entirely taken up with a fight between Shang Chi and the man called Midnight. In doing so it highlights how much more recent it is compared to all the other Marvel UK strips. Most of the action takes place without longwinded expositional dialogue, instead relying on Shang Chi's disembodied narration, a technique that feels very modern in this setting. 

The Avengers: We Stand Against The Serpents! Reprinting Avengers #32

Stan Lee is in his element with this story, as the Avengers take on snake-fetishists and all-round bigoted douchebags The Sons of The Serpent. Unfortunately, their timing is a bit off, as the Sons choose this exact same moment to take on the Avengers and kidnap Captain America in a bid to blackmail the Avengers into supporting their evil plans. Goliath makes the interesting strategic choice to go along with their demands. Not cool Hank, pretty sure Cap would rather you all die than suck up to a bunch of neo-nazis in snake outfits. Big shout out to Don Heck's artwork this week, I have been less than kind to him in the past, but if he can maintain this quality he may well win me over. 

Dr. Strange: With None Beside Me! Reprinting Strange Tales #143

With his physical form still bound and blindfold, Strange plays an impressively tense game of cat and mouse with Baron Mordo's henchmen and a character called the Demon. Using his wits and the limited magic available to his astral form, Dr Stange is able to triumph against the odds. Once again I am struck by the visual storytelling of Ditko, if you are ever in doubt about how much of his input led to the success of the early Spider-Man stories, these Dr Strange tales really show how much he brought to the table. 

Bonus: Bullpen Bulletins