Hitting up the comics shop — 38 years ago!
When Diamond ceased shipping because of the coronavirus, we decided to keep our weekly HOT PICKS going but with a twist: Instead of Scott Tipton and me picking the books for the current week in 2020, we’ve been picking titles from the same week — but decades earlier.
Well, Diamond is back for those shops able to operate, and so we’ve resumed our regular HOT PICKS. (Click here.) But due to popular demand, we’ve decided to keep RETRO HOT PICKS going as its own feature! Regular HOT PICKS runs Mondays and RETRO HOT PICKS now runs Wednesdays.
Now, last time in RETRO HOT PICKS, it was books that went on sale the week of May 20, 1983. (Click here to check it out.) This time, it’s the week of May 27, 1982. (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 May 24 and May 30.)
So, let’s set the scene: Ronald Reagan was president. The top box office draw was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Conan the Barbarian — but dig these flicks that came out over the following weeks: Rocky III, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Um, wow. That’s a helluva run. The big TV show that week was the special Television’s Greatest Commercials, hosted by Ed McMahon. And, the well-meaning but treacly duet Ebony and Ivory by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder topped the singles chart.
Choice.
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Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension
Tales of the New Teen Titans #3, DC. The Titans had become so big by this time that DC had to expand with this four-issue miniseries starring each of the three new Titans — Starfire, Cyborg and Raven — as well as the revamped Changeling. At this age, I could not possibly get enough Titans, so this was Wolfman-Perez gold. In this issue, Gar Logan retells his origin to his teammates. Wonderful, character-building stuff.
Scott adds: This origins miniseries for the red-hot New Teen Titans was a real big deal at the time, and even as a kid I never had a problem with more monthly Wolfman/Perez material.
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Bizarre Adventures #32, Marvel. In 1982, I would not have given this book a second look. Just wasn’t my thing when I was 15. But now, I’d have to check it out because it looks damn rad.
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World’s Finest #282, DC. The Dollar Comics were still around — and what a deal: Batman and Superman, Green Arrow and Black Canary, Hawkman, and Captain Marvel, all under a Gil Kane cover. Nice.
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Scott Tipton, contributor-at-large, 13th Dimension
Daredevil #186, Marvel. Some great Frank Miller/Klaus Janson stuff here, including Turk’s less-than-successful stint as Stilt Man…
Dan adds: I was such a DC head at this time that reading Daredevil was a completely foreign concept. But I do remember guys at the place where I got my comics going on about that Miller guy.
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All-Star Squadron #12, DC Comics. Hard to argue with a Joe Kubert Hawkman cover, right?
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Marvel Super Special #22, Marvel. A beautiful adaptation of Blade Runner by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson, I read this years and years before I ever saw the movie. Plus: Jim Steranko cover!
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MORE
— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of May 20 — in 1983! Click here.
— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of May 13 — in 1979! Click here.
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Primary sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics and the Grand Comics Database.
May 27, 2020
The ’80s have never felt this invigorating like they do now. 🙂
May 27, 2020
I remember that, after not buying comics for years, walking into a small store downtown to get a cold drink and seeing All-Star Squadron. After soaking up that issue, I collected it up until the Crisis event. It kind of ruined things for me. I was one of those who, having grown up on science fiction, had no trouble at all with the multiple universes concept.