1979: MARVEL UK'S SUPERHERO FUN AND GAMES WINTER SPECIAL

From the Winter of 1979: a battered and much used (but not by me) copy of the SUPERHERO FUN AND GAMES WINTER SPECIAL, one of the first Winter Specials (following a burst of summer one-shots earlier the same year) published by Marvel UK.

This is, essentially, a puzzle or activity book of the type frequently deployed to keep kids quiet during the holidays or during long trips.  The contents, themed around Marvel's characters, was recycled from a series of US books.

It must have been a success as a monthly series followed in 1980.  This special, and the ongoing version, must rank amongst the hardest to find M-UK titles of the era.  Deemed less collectable by the faithful, kids were far less likely to keep them in good nick.  As you'll see, even the cover of the copy I managed to track down has been defaced.  Is nothing sacred?

Once again, Conan - a licensed character - is treated as one of Marvel's own with pride of place on the cover.