Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jan 21, 2026
RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week — in 1985!
Scott and Dan hit up the comics racks from 41 years ago… This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott and I are selecting comics that came out the week of Jan. 21, 1985. Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of Jan. 14, 1973. Click here to check it out. (Keep in mind that comics came out on multiple days, so these are the comics that went on sale between Jan. 18 and Jan. 24.) And dig that banner by Walt Grogan — new for 2026! We’ve got four of them — one each for the Golden, Silver, Bronze and Modern Ages. A massive cold front covered the continental United States from Jan. 20 to 22 that led to at least 126 human deaths, countless deaths of wild and domestic animals, widespread infrustructure damage, and extraordinary crop losses, including 90 percent of Florida’s citrus. The state called it the Freeze of the Century and the industry cited loses of $1.2 billion. The low temps themselves are mind blowing. Examples: — Chicago: -27 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill of -60 — Pittsburgh: -18 degrees, the coldest morning since 1899, according to records Then, farther south: — Knoxville, Tenneseee: -24 degrees — Charlotte, N.C.: -5 degrees — Gainesville, Florida: 10 degrees — Miami: 37 degrees President Reagan’s second inauguration had to move inside. He took a private oath Jan. 20 but a public one in the Capitol Rotunda the next day. It wasn’t quite as bad in California, where Super Bowl XIX was played in Stanford, with a game-time temperature of 53 degrees. So, it was cool but hardly disruptive. Nevertheless, it was the fifth-coldest Super Bowl at kickoff. In any event, my beloved Dolphins, led by quarterback Dan Marino — still one of the best I’ve ever seen — got shellacked by Joe Montana’s San Francisco 49ers, 38-16. I did not take it well. It’s also the last time Miami has made it to the big game. Sigh. Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop was a box-office juggernaut. As a high-school senior, I don’t think I knew anyone who hadn’t seen it. The unfairly maligned 2010, starring Roy Scheider, was released in December and was a hit. It’s a perfectly fine sci-fi flick, it’s just not 2001: A Space Odyssey — but then nothing is. Released this week was...
Read more
