POT-LUCK MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL COVER GALLERY - PART THREE-A...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Here's the last part (for the present) of our MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL cover gallery.  I have to concede that Marvel's British mags were often not quite up to the same finished standard as those published by IPC or DCT and looked as if they needed a bit more care lavished on them at the preparation stage; the results seemed a bit hurried at times and somewhat lacklustre, presentation-wise.  However, when they got it right, there was nothing to touch them.

So here's a further flurry of comic covers and contents for you to dribble and drool over, O mental Marvel maniacs!

PART TWO Of POT-LUCK SPIDER-MAN COMICS WEEKLY COVER GALLERY... (Updated)

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

See the somewhat disappointing and uninspiring cover at the foot of this post?  That's what SPIDER-MAN COMICS WEEKLY had become through a process of evolution by the time its final issue hit newsagents' counters in December of 1985.  Oh how the mighty had fallen.  Another Spidey title emerged at the beginning of 1986, called SPIDER-MAN & ZOIDS, and although it was numbered 'Volume 2' to sort of connect it to the previous lineage, the almost three month gap between them distinguished it as a separate title.

However, it was a good long run.  Two months short of 13 years is a success for any comic, even if it limped a bit for the final few furlongs.  When the title had first appeared back in February of 1973, I had been but a mere schoolboy - now I was preparing to start my career as a freelancer in the whacky world of comics, which, before very long, would include MARVEL as one of the companies to which I contributed. 

Anyway, enjoy your quick trip back in time to an earlier era. Spidey's still with us, but his weekly comic is long-gone, alas!

All this savage barbarism for only 50p - wow!

It had come to this!  Spidey consigned to the corner of his own cover

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - MARTINE BESWICK...

Here's lovely MARTINE BESWICK,

snapped in the act of having pushed me to

the ground so she could have her wicked way

with me.  I'm considering lodging a complaint

against her, but I'll wait until I've stopped

smiling.  (Which could well be never.)

MAKING BELIEVE...

This is the studio version of the song, which is pleasant enough, but there's a 'live' version which is actually better, as there's a more hypnotic quality to JIM REEVES' voice, and he sings it slightly slower.  However, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one - unless you hate good music, that is.

POT-LUCK SPIDER-MAN COMICS WEEKLY COVER GALLERY - PART ONE... (Updated)

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Time now for a super selection of SPIDER-MAN COMICS WEEKLY covers, plus a few later incarnations of the title (which you'll see in part two).  Sorry to go on about this, but - wow - 40 years old in most cases, I can hardly believe it.  I don't even think of myself as that old - until I catch a glimpse of my reflection in a shop window, that is.

I'd first read the THOR tale reprinted in SMCW #s 123-124 in its original American edition (#158) in 1968 or '69, but I never got to see the wrap-up story 'til it was reprinted in the U.K. Spidey title (#s 125-126) in 1975.  Of course, nowadays, 6 or 7 years is no time at all to people my age, but back then it wasn't too far off half my life away and seemed like a far-distant era.  Around 10 years later ('85 or '86), I re-acquired Thor #158 and obtained #159, and finally got to see the cataclysmic conclusion in colour.

Anyway, why bore you readers with my reminiscences when you've all doubtless got your own to relive.  Why not share them with your fellow Crivs and perhaps inspire them to do likewise?  Go on - be the first to take the plunge and spread some joy.

Even in British comics, eh?  Who'da thunk it?

The Thor versus Hercules saga - all for only 50p - wotta bargain!

JIM'S JUST WALKING IN THE RAIN...

Hey, it was raining today where I live (still is), so

here's JIM REEVES to sing you a song about it.

AGAIN - GRIMLY FEENDISH...

No, your memory isn't deceiving you, you have seen this strip

somewhere before.  First time would probably have been back in

1966, and the last time was more recent than that - on this very blog

earlier today, in fact.  I accidentally posted it as the first GRIMLY

FEENDISH strip from SMASH! #1, when, in fact, it's from #11 of

that esteemed periodical.  It was only up for a short time before I

spotted my error and replaced it with the correct page, but it's

unfair to hold  it back any longer.  So here it is again, you

lucky peeps.  I spoil you, I really do!

PART TWO Of POT-LUCK MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL COVER GALLERY... (Updated)

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Welcome back to yet another cover-fest of mid-'70s MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL issues, scanned from my own personal collection.  These are the actual comics I purchased back in the day*, and they're pretty much in the same condition as when I first bought them.  It must be admitted that some of the covers produced specifically for we Brits weren't quite of the same standard as the original U.S. ones used on alternate weekly issues, but they did the job, I suppose.

Got a favourite?  Then don't wait for me to twist your arm - jump over to the comments section and tell us all about it!

******

(*Update: Since first publishing this post, I've added a few replacements for issues I once owned when first released, but hadn't kept for some unknown reason.)

In case you're wondering, the blank space in the top left-hand corner of this back cover is one of my
personal address labels with the details digitally blanked out.  After all, I ain't looking for a pen-pal

The HULK story presented in this ish had previously appeared in an earlier issue of MWOM, but
with the SILVER SURFER's appearance edited out.  Which sort of made it a bit of a non-story