KID KLASSICS: IT'S A MARVEL-LOUS WORLD (THIRD TIME OUT)...

Art by John Buscema

 

44 years ago, on September 30th, 1972, The MIGHTY WORLD Of
MARVEL #1 (cover dated October 7th) burst onto newsagents' counters

all over Britain.  I hadn't seen the STAN LEE-voiced TV ad (although I did

later), so it came as a surprise when I spotted the comic on a wall-rack out-
side a newsagent's along from Glasgow's famous BARROWLAND market
(aka The BARRAS), where I and my parents were heading on that
particular Saturday morning.

Art by Jack Kirby

 

Art by Jack Kirby

I couldn't talk my folks
into buying it for me on the
way in, but I'd managed to
wear them down into submis-
sion by the time we made our

way out an hour or so later.  We
were soon ensconced in the cosy
confines of a comfy cafe, and it
was with great joy that I pored
through its contents over a glass
of cola and reacquainted myself
with the pals I'd first met in the

pulsating pages of ODHAMS'

POWER COMICS, way back
in what even then seemed like
the dim and distant days of
the '60s.  Suddenly, life
was exciting again.

Art by Jack Kirby

DEZ SKINN once revealed that Stan had told him the comic's original
title was going to be The WONDERFUL World of Marvel (after the
Disney TV show of almost the same name), but thankfully 'twas not to be.

Besides, MIGHTY and MARVEL go so well together it seems the obvious
choice, so I'm amazed that any other name was even considered.

Art by Jack Kirby

Art by Jack Kirby

40 pages, some in full-

colour (the rest with green

'spot' colour), for only 5p -
containing the origins of The
INCREDIBLE HULK, The
(FABULOUS) FANTASTIC
FOUR and The AMAZING
SPIDER-MAN - plus a Hulk
iron-on transfer (left) - Wow!
I wish they still produced
comics like that today!

Well, in a sense - they do!
I still buy MWOM today,
although it's now published
monthly, has 76 full-colour
pages and costs £3.99.

The Mighty World of Marvel - I hope it's still around in
another 44 years.  In fact, I hope I'm still around also.

Art by Steve Ditko

Hopefully, you won't mind me resurrecting a post from two years ago -
but (with a little revision) it was perfect for the purpose of celebrating the

debut of MWOM back in 1972.  And, to be honest, I simply couldn't think

of saying it any better than I did a couple of years back.  I wish I could relive

those Autumnal days from so long ago when I was a mere thirteen year old

boy, but, in a way, I can.  Whenever I look at those pulse-pounding pages

in the very first issue of The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL, I'm
once more back in the heady days of the sensational '70s.

Art by Steve Ditko

Incidentally, you may be interested to know that, despite a later
issue's claims to the contrary in response to a reader's enquiry, page
seven was edited out of SPIDER-MAN's origin.  The opening caption

of page eight was amended to cover this, and so unobtrusively was it

  done that the story's flow remained largely unaffected by the cut. 

Posted in: Cartoons