Forty years ago today - August 1980.

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

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With Britain hit by a heatwave, there's only one thing for it.

And that's to take refuge in the coolest books Marvel Comics had to offer, way back in 1980.

Red Ronin's gone on the rampage and Ms Marvel's still pregnant.

These two facts are unrelated.

But can our heroes bring down a robot designed to stop Godzilla himself?

And will Carol Danvers ever be able to work out who the father of her child is?

When Conan's current sidekick gets injured, the barbarian has to call on the help of a local witch but, when it turns out a demon's after her son, Conan can't resist returning the favour, by thwarting that vile denizen of another world.

SHIELD and Cap are baffled as to the origins of the Baron Struckerbot they were trying to interrogate last issue.

But we're not baffled, because we know it was Machinesmith wot dun it.

And now he's decided to set Dragon Man on the star-spangled superman.

Could our hero finally be out of his depth?

At the North Pole, the Fantastic Four battle to prevent a group of hostile aliens destroying the planet!

Except it turns out they're not hostile. They're just trying to get their spaceship working, so they can leave, and are totally oblivious to the risk they're posing to the locals.

It all ends happily when the FF help them launch their spaceship, thanks to Reed Richards having more scientific know-how than they do.

How, exactly, does Reed Richards have more scientific know-how than aliens from outer space?

The Silver Surfer's still mithering about not being able to get through Galactus' space barrier and comes to the totally rational conclusion that all he has to do is turn himself gamma-powered, so he'll get stronger and be able to smash through it.

So, of course, he ropes in Bruce Banner to help him do the deed.

Needless to say, it's a terrible idea, the Surfer goes on the rampage and then has to return to Earth to save Bruce's life, after the scientist falls off the back of his surfboard.

And it could all have been avoided if the Surfer had anything that resembles foresight.

Here's an oddity. Mesmero's gone straight and now has a gig as a stage hypnotist.

On the lookout for a box office boost, he hires Spider-Man as his stage assistant but, when the show gets terrible reviews, the malevolent mesmerist can't resist setting out to kill the critics.

And, of course, Spidey sets out to stop him.

The Vulture's still out to take over the gangs of New York but, thanks to the webbed wonder, it all goes wrong and his nephew gets killed, causing the villain to seek revenge upon his killer.

Siegfried is told he has to tackle the dragon Fafnir, in order to learn the meaning of fear, the one trait he lacks that all great warriors must possess.

There's also a magic ring involved but I struggle to recall in what way.

Hooray! The X-Men finally stop the rampage of the Dark Phoenix and restore Jean Grey to normal!

Not so hooray; her planet-destroying antics have attracted the attention of three galactic empires who want her dead.

If I remember right, a saboteur has struck at an oil rig, requiring the attention of both Tony Stark and Iron Man.

Meanwhile, a friend of Tony Stark's girlfriend has now been beaten close to death.

What can it all mean - and how are these events interconnected?

Frankly, I don't have a clue but I'm sure we're going to find out.