The Avengers comic from MarvelUK ran for 147 issues from 23rd September 1973 to the 14th July 1976, before sadly merging into The Mightly World of Marvel issue 199. It was the third weekly comic to come from Marvels British division, after MWOM and Spider-man Comic Weekly, but to my mind it was the classic weekly for a more mature readership. While MWOM offered the Hulk, Fantastic Four and DareDevil action and SMCW showcased Iron-Man, the mighty Thor and the webslinger himself, both comics may have been seen as juvenile, the Avengers offered the best in super-hero, mystic arts, martial arts, with sword and sorcery adventure, tales with a slightly more teenage/young adult feel.
The Avengers started with the title heroes and Stan Lee/Steve Ditko's Master of the Mystic Arts- Doctor Strange. But they were soon joined by Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu and later Iron Fist. The strongest line up came when The Savage Sword of Conan merged into the comic with issue 95 on the 5th July 1975.
I've always had a soft spot for this comic and tried to collect every back issue of its run. The stories filled the gap left by the hard to get (or expensive to a young comic reader of the time,) American back issues. Not long ago I bought from eBay the last issue missing from my collection, "The Avenger and the Savage Sword of Conan no. 120." Boy! I wasn't disappointed. Published on the 3rd of January 1976, this issue fell right in between the Avengers/Conan golden age.
The first tale was Conan the barbarian, by Roy Thomas with artwork from John Buscema and Ernie Chua, "Flame winds of Lost Khitai!" Adapted from the novel Flame winds by Norvell Page. The lack of colour in British comics of the time doesn't detract anything from the beauty of the artwork in anyway. Sometimes I think readers have got to see Buscema and Chua's work in black and white to really appreciate the greatness of it. Thomas' writing is at it's most amazingly fear fraught epic! Blood and guts stuff, but for a comic aimed at a young British readership someone at MarvelUK (maybe Neil Tennant or Tony Isabella) thought that Busema' depiction of females was too revealing for these weekly audience and shaded in many of the ladies bodies. If you look carefully you can see a bra and brief combo that has had extra lines and circles added to it. Keeping the youth of Britain safe from such immoral images. I don't think a six or seven year old at the time even noticed any of the female characters much anyway, but what the hay.
Roy Thomas also wrote the second strip, The Mighty Avengers adventure "The Man-Ape always strikes twice!" This time drawn by Johns brother Sal Buscema with embellishment from Tom Palmer. Clear and crisp artwork that again suits the black and white look. Thomas knew how to take less well known characters and make them interesting, even with Captain America returning to the assembled ranks, the Black Panther and Man-Ape take centre stage. Lovely stuff!
The third and last strip comes in the form of Dr. Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts! Written by Steve Englehart and drawn by Frank Brunner who's wonderful Dali like title page shows the good Doctor adrift in some surreal void on a journey find the magician Cagliostro and battle the evil Baron Mordo. The title of this instalment is simply the engaging "Time Doom".
I still believe that those black and white weekly comic from over thirty seven years ago are just a wonderful today as they were all those years ago! This forty-four year old reader dearly treasures that run and the childhood memory's it brings. I just LOVE them!
Make Mine Marvel.
