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Apr14

RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week — in 1979!

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Apr 14, 2021

RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week — in 1979!

Scott and Dan — along with guest Anthony Durso — hit up the comics racks from 42 years ago! This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott Tipton and I are joined by Anthony Durso — 13th Dimension contributor and owner of The Toyroom and Retropolis Tees — in selecting comics that came out the week of April 14, 1979. Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of April 7, 1976. Click here to check it out. (Keep in mind that comics came out on multiple days back then — as has become the case now. So these are technically the comics that went on sale between April 11 and April 17.) So let’s set the scene: Jimmy Carter was president. Another of the great ’70s films was No. 1 at the box office: The Deer Hunter. It’s one of those movies that you need to see but you’ll never want to watch it again. It had been out for a few months but it took awhile to reach the top. That wasn’t uncommon in those days but it was probably helped by the hype leading into the Oscars, where it won Best Picture. The Academy Awards telecast, by the way, was the top show in the Nielsens that week. (Three ABC sitcoms were also wildly popular at the time — Three’s Company, Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley.) The Doobie Brothers’ What a Fool Believes was the best-selling single, but two fantabulous disco tunes were also in Billboard’s Top 10: I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor and Knock on Wood by Amii Stewart. Minute by Minute by the Doobies was also the No. 1 album. Runner up? Dire Straits’ eponymous debut, which was actually released the previous year. The ’80s were right around the corner, folks. Right on. — Anthony Durso, contributor, 13th Dimension Adventure Comics #464, DC. Out of all the Dollar Comics of the era, Adventure Comics was my favorite. I think it was the variety. In addition to his monthly adventures in his own title, the Flash, a perennial Bronze Age favorite, was the lead feature in this run. Another favorite of mine, Deadman, didn’t have his own title, but his appearances here, as well as guest-star spots in Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents, solidified his status with me....

Apr07

RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week — in 1976!

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Apr 7, 2021

RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week — in 1976!

Scott and Dan hit up the comics racks from 45 years ago! This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott Tipton and I are selecting comics that came out the week of April 7, 1976. Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of March 31, 1963. Click here to check it out. (Keep in mind that comics came out on multiple days back then — as has become the case now. So these are technically the comics that went on sale between April 4 and April 10.) — So let’s set the scene: Gerald Ford was running for re-election but Jimmy Carter was well on his way to the Democratic nomination. A public disenchanted and disgusted by Watergate helped propel the former Georgia governor to the White House in the fall. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, one of the greatest movies of the ’70s — of all time, really — returned to the top of the box office. The film was actually released late in 1975 and interest kept building well into the following year. The movie hit No. 1 the week of Feb. 11 and stayed there until this week — with only Martin Scorsese’s seminal Taxi Driver breaking the run for a week in March. Cuckoo’s Nest was ultimately supplanted by All the President’s Men, which led for five weeks — with The Bad News Bears sneaking in for a week. Anyone who doesn’t recognize the ’70s as the true Golden Age of American filmmaking doesn’t like good movies. Speaking of great ’70s flicks, Five Easy Pieces’ showing on ABC topped the Nielsens. Johnnie Taylor’s Disco Lady was the best-selling single. That’s cool and all but I personally prefer the No. 5 song: Right Back Where We Started From, by Maxine Nightingale. The biggest album was Frampton Comes Alive — one of the albums of the 1970s. Right on. — Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension The Joker #8, DC. The Clown Prince of Crime’s entertainingly oddball series was nearing its end with this showdown with the Scarecrow, by Elliot S! Maggin, Irv Novick and Tex Blaisdell. In keeping with the Comics Code, both villains end up incarcerated — but one of them still gets the upper hand. — Planet of the Apes #21, Marvel. As I kid, I had no idea that Marvel’s standard-size, color...

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