RETRO HOT PICKS! | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture

Jan25

RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week — in 1975!

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jan 25, 2023

RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week — in 1975!

Scott and Dan hit up the comics racks from 48 years ago… This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott Tipton and I are selecting comics that came out the week of Jan. 25, 1975. Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of Jan. 18, 1991. Click here to check it out. (Keep in mind that comics came out on multiple days, so these are technically the comics that went on sale between Jan. 22 and Jan. 28.) So, let’s set the scene: Gerald Ford was in his only presidential term. It was a veritable smorgasbord at the cinema, with four huge late ’74 releases dominating the box office: The Godfather Part II, The Towering Inferno, Murder On the Orient Express (No. 1 this particular week) and Young Frankenstein. In this foursome, you’ve got one of the greatest movies ever made (The Godfather Part II); one of the funniest ever made (Young Frankenstein); a very ’70s, star-studded disaster flick; and an Agatha Christie mystery that set the template for satires like Knives Out and Glass Onion. You can’t go wrong with any of the four, depending on your mood. The big TV hits? All in the Family, Sanford and Son, MASH — and Police Woman! My Dad had a thing for Angie Dickinson. So did yours. The top of the Billboard 100 was loaded with schmaltz, including the Carpenters’ Please Mr. Postman (at No. 1), Laughter in the Rain by Neil Sedaka (No. 2) and the execrable Mandy by Barry Manilow (No. 3). But if you dive deeper into the chart you’ll find the aural goldmine that is Barry White’s You’re the First, the Last, My Everything (at No. 18). The wildly popular compilation Elton John Greatest Hits led the albums chart. Girl, you’re my reality. But I’m lost in a dream. — Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension Detective Comics #446, DC. Smack in the middle of the fairly implausible “Bat-Murderer” storyline. At least Len Wein and Jim Aparo make this installment — “Slaughter in Silver — entertaining. — Amazing World of DC Comics #4, DC. The Batman issue! With a groovy cover by Jerry Robinson! — Action Comics #446, DC. What do you plan to do with that information once you have it, Lois? Break the story of the century and ruin your boyfriend’s life? Or become a collaborator in...

Jan18

RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week — in 1991!

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jan 18, 2023

RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week — in 1991!

Scott and Dan hit up the comics racks from 32 years ago… This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott Tipton and I are selecting comics that came out the week of Jan. 18, 1991. Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of Jan. 11, 1977. Click here to check it out. (Keep in mind that comics came out on multiple days, so these are technically the comics that went on sale between Jan. 15 and Jan. 21.) — So, let’s set the scene: George H.W. Bush was in the White House and Jan. 17, 1991, would become the defining day of his presidency — the beginning of Operation Desert Storm with the aerial bombing of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq as the First Gulf War went from military buildup (Operation Desert Shield) to open warfare. The war would end Feb. 28 but the ramifications would obviously be felt throughout the subsequent decades. 60 Minutes was the Nielsens leader and viewers were glued to CNN’s around-the-clock coverage of the conflict; NBC’s Arthur Kent weirdly became a hearthrob — nicknamed “the Scud Stud” for his coverage of the war. If you could tear yourself away from the tube, holiday-season holdover Home Alone still ruled the box office. (It was No. 1 for a total of 12 straight weeks.) The top of the Billboard 100 featured a battle of megastar pop divas — Janet Jackson held the top slot with Love Will Never Do (Without You) and Madonna was in second with Justify My Love. Personally, I’ll take C+C Music Factory’s fabulously, ferociously energetic Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now), which was already becoming a standard at pretty much every sporting event you can think of. Unfortunately, Vanilla Ice had the top-selling album with To the Extreme but at least there was M.C. Hammer right behind him with Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em. Mariah Carey’s eponymous debut album was at No. 5 but it would become the year’s best-seller. Everybody dance now! — Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension Robin #3, DC. Tim Drake’s first solo adventure — and the first series of any kind titled Robin. (Dick Grayson’s Boy Wonder was the lead feature in Star Spangled Comics decades earlier.) The great Brian Bolland cover showcases the fearlessness, confidence and capablility of Batman’s new partner. — Justice League America #48, DC. Giffen and...

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