Atlas/Seaboard September 1975.

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

***

It's a calamity worthy of Atlas Comics themselves!

As Sean rightly pointed out; last month, I forgot to look at the September comings and goings of the greatest comics publisher of 1970s!

But, right now, is where I put that right!

The company's best barbarian reaches his fourth and final issue, with what looks to be a dramatic battle with something or other.

I do know this tale's called Death-Night in the Darkling Forest! and it's brought to us by the nocturnal majesty of Mike Friedrich and Jim Craig.

But, apparently, they're not the only ones involved, because the story has four inkers; Dan Adkins, Pablo Marcos, Frank Giacoia and Aubrey Bradford. I can only assume that's because it's so awesome that only the combined power of four delineators could possibly restrain it.

Regardless, it's followed by the single-page Larry Lieber editorial What's Happening With Atlas!

I've not read that but, having encountered the contents of earlier such articles, I suspect it'll be about the great plans the company has for the future as it soars to ever greater heights.

The GCD informs me that 267,000 copies of this issue were printed, including 15,000 for the UK market. All of this month's Atlas comics seem to have had the same size print-run.

Unlike Wulf, Tiger-Man hasn't yet reached his fourth issue.

Like Wulf, however, he has reached his last issue.

And he does so by battling a mad psychotherapist who uses his powers of hypnosis to make his patients kill themselves.

Fortunately, his attempts to do the same to our hero completely fail. Mostly due to dumb luck rather than any traits that hero actually has.

With all these deaths of short-lived titles, one might think it's all doom and gloom for the company.

But it's not.

Even as we experience the demise of those other mags, a brand new contender appears to steer the company towards a safe, secure and thrilling future.

That mag is Demon-Hunter and, thanks to the work of Rich Buckler and David Anthony Kraft, its titular star finds himself up against The Harvester of Eyes! which, from that title, sounds like a relaxing tale.

I know little of the contents of this one but I do know it'll be the only issue of this comic ever produced.

Or will it?

Or will Kraft and Buckler sneakily transfer the character across to Marvel Comics by renaming him Devil-Slayer?

October 4th, 1975 - 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 1975, lovers of quality music were in for a treat and a half because there were no fewer than two versions of Fattie Bum Bum and two versions of Una Paloma Blanca on the UK singles chart at the same time. With news like that, how did we ever survive the 1970s with sanity intact?

We survived because we had the world's greatest comics company to restore our equilibria.

But, before we get round to that, we should acknowledge that, despite those two songs' logic-defying achievement, neither of them was top of the pops.

No.

That honour was reserved for David Essex who was currently at the UK summit, thanks to his demand that we, "Hold Me Close."

And the LP chart too saw a fresh new Number One, thanks to Pink Floyd's latest smash Wish You Were Here now ruling supreme.

Also feeling supreme, that week, was Muhammad Ali who defeated Joe Frazier in the Thrilla in Manila. A fight which was watched live by over 100 million people, worldwide.

Speaking of which, Spider-Man's definitely in need of some equilibrium restoration as he hits Hallucination Mode this week, encountering a whole host of imaginary foes, thanks to having drunk a potion designed to rid him of his super-powers.

But, as we know, it only means he's going to end up with six arms instead.

A man who could probably do with six arms, right now, is Iron Man who continues to be up against the Maggia on their gambling ship.

Frankly, he's making a bit of a meal of it. He seems to have been on that boat for several years now. Still, at least AIM have showed up to sink it. So, he might finally get away from the place.

If he survives...

Elsewhere, Him's leapt out of his cocoon and taken a shine to Sif.

And that means a punch-up with Thor!

"The master of kung-fu begins his wildest adventure yet!" the cover breathlessly informs us.

And I do believe that signals we're being introduced to the yarn in which Shang-Chi teams up with a New York cabbie who looks and talks like Groucho Marx.

I must confess the details of just how that team-up occurs elude my memory.

As does any explanation for the man's appearance. 

But, of course, before that, we get to read the latest instalment of Conan's life when he must survive The Murderous Mirrors of Kharam Akkad. Not to mention the atavistic attentions of his tentacled monster!

When it comes to the Avengers, I think Thor's in combat with the seemingly unbeatable Hyperion who the thunder god makes surprisingly short work of, while Goliath makes a complete and total meal of dealing with the Whizzer.

If Aubrey Bradford's cover doesn't make you want to rush out and buy this comic, you must have no pulse.

Then again, if you had no pulse, you wouldn't be buying this comic. You'd be starring in it.

But the big news is that Dracula Lives has confounded the sceptics by hitting the Big 50.

And I do believe the book's star celebrates by standing around having an argument with his daughter Lilith before returning to a haunted house.

Meanwhile, the Werewolf by Night helps Tigra and friends escape the clutches of Hydra.

I'm sure the Living Mummy's up to something.

And we finish the issue with a Neal Adams tale about two teenagers who encounter a noise-powered cavemen.

That Ken Barr cover can only mean one thing. Marvel UK's simian weekly celebrates reaching fifty issues, by launching into its adaptation of Escape From the Planet of the Apes!

Part One, of course, sees a trio of apes emerge from a crashed spaceship.

And we all know what happens next...

Following that, Captain Marvel's still battling the Super-Skrull - and I do believe this is the week in which he finally wins.

Next, a four-page Chris Claremont article takes a look at Our Martian Heritage which I suspect of discussing movies and TV shows that have featured beasties of that inclination.

And Adam Warlock's fighting the Brute who's trying to drown him.

Despite a cover that reveals little of this week's contents, I do believe the Hulk is in the process of clobbering the Abomination, following that character's recovery from his recent coma.

I believe that Daredevil has his work cut out protecting Foggy from the attentions of the Stilt-Man, following his friend's announcement that he's going to run for election as District Attorney.

And I believe the Fantastic Four are yet again struggling with the Mad Thinker's latest android in a storyline that's definitely been going on for too long now.

Happily, introducing that android to the Negative Zone, via the medium of flinging him through its doorway, soon brings an end to the tale.

The Silver Surfer's gone - and the Cat arrives to take his place!

Granted, she can't be taking it for very long, as her American book only survived for four issues before biting the dust.

But with the Cat and the original X-Men headlining it, how can this comic possibly fail?

Especially when they're joined by the adventures of Giant-Man?

Speak Your Brain! Part 111.

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

***

Image by Tumisu
from Pixabay

What can it be?

That thing that's rapidly approaching us, like a thing with a mission?

Why, it can only be our old friend the last day of the month.

And that means there's just time to squeeze in another visit from the feature that just doesn't know when to stop visiting and wouldn't stop visiting even if it did know how to stop visiting.

It can only be the one in which you The Reader get decide just what the topic of debate shall be.

It may be something that's only just occurred to you or something you've been tortured by for many decades but, whatever it is, you can register it for discussion in the comments section below.

September 1985 - Marvel UK monthlies, 40 years ago this month.

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

***

I bet James Cameron was getting excited, this month in 1985. It was, as I'm sure you know, the month in which a joint French-American expedition located the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, followed - just days later - by the shooting of the first photos and moving pictures of the boat taken since its sinking, 73 years earlier.

The UK, meanwhile was being stricken by far worse news, as September witnessed a BSE outbreak following the first confirmed case of the disease in British cattle.

Also, riots broke out in Handsworth and Brixton.

But Mexico too was stricken by ill-fortune, its capital rocked by an earthquake that registered 8.0 on the Richter Scale and killed 5,000-45,000 people, injuring another 30,000 more.

Elsewhere, 60-year-old Welsh fashion designer Laura Ashley was injured in a fall at her daughter's home and died from her injuries, ten days later.

And 62-year-old Scotland national football manager Jock Stein collapsed and died from a heart attack, at the end of his team's 1–1 draw with Wales in Cardiff. A draw which had secured his country's place in a World Cup qualification play-off.

But there was at least some good news to be had because the month also saw the opening of the UK's first three Toys R Us stores, and the first Super Mario Bros was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

When it came to music, September arrived with David Bowie and Mick Jagger's Live Aid propelled Dancing in the Street atop the UK singles chart before that had to make way for the equally Live Aid propelled Midge Ure with If I Was.

Meanwhile, on the accompanying album chart, the period began with Now That's What I Call Music 5 reigning supreme before it was pushed aside by Madonna's Like a Virgin which was then smashed ruthlessly in the face by the arrival of Kate Bush's Hounds of Love.

But what's this? Starburst gives us a cover reminiscent - to those of a certain vintage - of the frontages which once adorned the the late and lamented TV21 comic.

No signs of any Gerry and Sylvia Anderson inside, however. Instead, our main event is an interview with Roger Moore who talks about his latest cinematic smash A View to a Kill.

We also receive an interview with director Tobe Hooper, as regards his upcoming films Lifeforce and Invaders from Mars.

And, after that, Colin Wilson talks about his novel The Space Vampires, upon which Lifeforce is based.

But there's also an analysis of the failure of the V television series to set the ratings alight.

And we also discover a preview of the Cambridge Animation Festival.

It's a very pleasing cover but is the inside of the book as pleasing as its outside?

Well, as far as I can determine, it seems Giggles has led the offensive by manipulating light energy patterns and that the warp children are being offered refuge at Braddock Manor.

Then we encounter the four-page Thicker Than Water by John Tomlinson and Jeff Anderson.

Next, Night-Raven appears in The Pay-Off.

Following that, Abslom Daak headlines a tale called Instant Harma.

And we conclude the issue when the Space Thieves experience a yarn enigmatically labelled PARTS vs. Everybody.

The front cover may be dominated by Cybermen but our big news is an interview with the show's producer John Nathan-Turner and its script editor Eric Saward. The two men most responsible for the ever-upward trajectory of the show in the mid-1980s.

As if that wasn't enough of a thrill for us, we're also treated to a look at the role comedy's played in the show, and a look at Doctor Who on the radio. Assuming, that is, that you can look at things on the radio.

We also find a selection of readers' drawings, news of the the show's former actors and a look back at the magnificently insane serial Kinda.

September 27th, 1975 - 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. 

***

Everest. It's not just a brand of double-glazing. It's also a mountain.

And, this week in 1975, it was a newsworthy one because it was a week which saw Dougal Haston and Doug Scott become the first Brits to climb it.

Almost as historical was the opening of the National Railway Museum in York, making it England's first national museum outside London.

This claim does lead me to want to discover just when the National Pencil Museum opened in Keswick, Cumbria.

I have now checked, and the Internet informs me it opened in 1981.

I do believe this is the launch of the six-armed saga that's long divided fandom.

Personally, I loved Spidey having six-arms and think he should have kept them.

As for Tony Stark's opinion on the matter, I cannot say and, right now, he's probably too busy to express a preference, as he's still lumbered with Whiplash on the Maggia's gambling ship which may now be under attack by the forces of AIM and under imminent danger of submersion.

And Thor is about to have his first encounter with Him whom has taken a shining to Sif. A decision that's in danger of getting a hammer wrapped around Him's head.

We encounter a pivotal moment in the life of Conan the Barbarian, as John Buscema takes over from Barry Smith on the pencilling chores, in order to unleash a thriller called The Mirrors of Kharam Akkad!

The Avengers, on the other hand, find themselves dispersed to the four corners of the world, in a bid to prevent the Grandmaster's Squadron Sinister from destroying such landmarks as the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, the Taj Mahal and the Egyptian pyramids!

And Dr Strange finds himself up against the horror of Dagoth thanks to the words of Gardner F. Fox and the pictures of Craig Russell.

While it's nice to be treated to so much concentrated Lovecraftian goodness, it is hard to avoid the feeling that this Shuma-Gorath-related serial is starting to grow a little repetitive.

It sometimes seems like life is one long, non-stop fight, for the Hulk who arrives back from Counter-Earth - only for the Abomination to finally recover from his plunge from space - during the Klaatu storyline - and be instantly recruited for Thunderbolt Ross' latest doomed scheme to tackle the Hulkster.

Daredevil concludes his encounter with Willie Lincoln, by helping the blind ex-soldier to thwart the evil intentions of Biggie Benson and his henchman Whitey Barton.

This involves both a court case and a punch-up. Whether Whitey is any relation to Clint and Barney Barton, I cannot say.

The Thing, meanwhile, has finally overcome his desire to be evil.

But it will it be in time to save Sue from an attack by one of the Mad Thinker's androids?

I assume this is a reprint of the Drac adventure that owes more than a small debt to The Legend of Hell House, with added Aleister Crowleyness thrown in for good measure, which sees he and a young woman having to survive a night in a domicile that wants them dead.

Elsewhere, the Living Mummy concludes his fight with the Living Pharaoh. Strangely, he seems to have less difficulty against the Kemetic committer of criminal misdeeds than the X-Men did.

Werewolf by Night gives us the origin of Tigra, revealing her to have once been the super-heroine the world would have known as the Cat had she been around for long enough for the world to have known of her.

And we wrap up the issue with a short tale called The Monster in the Mist! followed by the single-page yarn Peter Snubb: Werewolf!

It seems we're still aboard that Tom Sutton pencilled apes-on-a-ship tale and about to meet a man called Alaric who just can't wait to lead the local humans into conflict with their ape masters.

Elsewhere, fresh from his encounter with Counter-Earth's heroic version of Dr Doom, Adam Warlock now has a meeting with its incarnation of Reed Richards.

Only to discover he's a monstrous villain called the Brute!

And Captain Marvel's still battling the Super-Skrull!

This cover does look weirdly like it was coloured in with a felt-tip pen. I suspect, though, that that was not the case. Even Marvel UK's ofttimes idiosyncratic approach to reprinting probably didn't extend that far.

Rather more importantly, I have a suspicion this may be the Surfer's last appearance in this book.

Also in danger of making their last appearance are the X-Men. Thanks to their clash with the Sentinels, Hank and Bobby are hospitalised, while the others find themselves attacked by a mysterious stranger at their mansion.

It's only when the Angel's parents drop in for a visit that we discover the mysterious assailant is none other than that ferrous-fondling felon Magneto!

Speak Your Brain! Part 110. Films you've been watching, of late.

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

***

Image by Tumisu
from Pixabay

It's Tuesday. The only day of the week where I'm not sure who it's named after.

More importantly, it's the day of the week when -  if it's the second half of the month - we collide once more with the feature that could fill a month of Sundays and still not be exhausted.

That's right. It's the one in which you, and you alone, get to decide just what the topic of debate shall. be.

That topic may be almost anything under the sun or even over the moon. Therefore, hesitate ye not and make sure to register that topic below, before it's too late.

2000 AD - August 1987.

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

***

I think every single one of us was overwhelmed with excitement in August 1987.

How could we not be? It was the month in which Apple introduced Hypercard which, as we all know, was a precursor to the World Wide Web, meaning we were drawing ever-closer to the creation of Steve Does Comics!

Clearly not feeling the excitement was Rudolf Hess who was found dead in his Spandau Prison cell, at the age of 93. He was believed to have committed suicide by hanging and had been the last remaining prisoner there.

When it came to movies, more cinematic treats were released than a human could shake a stick at or that a stick could shake a human at. It was during that period that we first cast our eyes upon Stakeout, The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland, Who's That Girl?, The Monster Squad, No Way Out, Dirty Dancing, The Garbage Pail Kids, The Fourth Protocol, Hamburger Hill and House II: The Second Story.

But, of course, the big news for all lovers of fine cinema was that it was a month which saw the unleashing of the big-screen version of Masters of the Universe, starring Dolph Lundgren as the man who has the power!

When it came to music, August entered our lives with Los Lobos at Number One on the UK singles chart, thanks to their cover of La Bamba. That was then dislodged by Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett's I Just Can't Stop Loving You which then had to subside before the absolute behemoth that was Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up.

Over on the associated album chart, the month began with Various Artists' Hits 6 on top before that had to make way for Def Leppard's Hysteria which was then vanquished by the return of Hits 6 to the top of the rankings.

As for 2000 AD, historic events were afoot  there too because, as far as I can make out, Prog 537 was officially released under the aegis of Fleetway Publications, after years of the title being credited to IPC, and I'm sure that will have made a huge difference to the contents. For instance, we now got Strontium Dog, D. R. & Quinch's Agony Page, Tales from Mega-City One, Judge Dredd, The Mean Team, Tharg's Future-Shocks and Nemesis.

Prog 535 saw the launch of Zenith, in an episode called Prologue: Ground Zero, as can be seen on the cover.

And Prog 537 saw the birth of a series called Universal Soldier, thanks to Alan McKenzie and Will Simpson.