Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jun 17, 2026 | 8 comments

Scott and Dan hit up the comics racks from 43 years ago…

This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott and I are selecting comics that came out the week of June 17, 1983.

Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of June 10, 1964. Click here to check it out.

(Keep in mind that comics came out on multiple days, so these are the issues that went on sale between June 14 and June 20.)

So, let’s set the scene: Ride, Sally, ride! On June 18, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space, as a member of the space shuttle Challenger’s crew. The Russians beat us to it by about 20 years, but it was a big deal nonetheless. Still, neither NASA nor the press knew quite to make of it, despite Ride’s sterling credentials as a physicist and astronaut, not to mention her four degrees, including a doctorate, all earned at Stanford.

At the standard pre-launch presser in May, Ride was asked idiotic questions like, “Will the flight affect your reproductive organs?” and “Do you weep when things go wrong on the job?” NASA also asked her to help it develop a “space makeup kit” — and suggested giving Ride 100 tampons for the six-day mission.

Despite such sexist weirdness, Ride, who at 32 was also the youngest American in space, returned a bona fide hero and symbol of national pride.

On June 16, Pope John Paul II visited Poland for a weeklong pilgrimage to his homeland that had historic ramifications. The pope’s trip occurred during a time of hardline governmental persecution and on only his second day, he boldly asked the country’s communist leaders to end martial law and restore the Solidarity union. (He also met privately with union leader Lech Walesa during the trip.)

John Paul’s grace and strength of spirit was an inspiration to the Polish masses, which greeted him with huge crowds. The visit was central to the pope’s campaign against oppressive communism, and he was widely credited with helping to bring down the Soviet bloc. Mikhail Gorbachev himself later said that the Iron Curtain would not have fallen without John Paul II.

The top-grossing movie in America was… Superman III, which opened June 17. The flick was a one-hit wonder at No. 1, though, because word got out quickly that it was terrible. (I took a girl to go see it and was utterly mortified. I promised her it’d be good!) Still, it did do solid business overall.

Superman III also broke up Return of the Jedi’s string at the top; Jedi led for three weeks before and after Superman III’s brief reign. Other notable flicks included cultural touchstone Flashdance; the charming yet terrifying WarGames; the execrable James Bond entry Octopussy; and the still-hilarious Trading Places.

A rerun of Newhart led the Nielsens. (It was rerun season.) Other popular shows at the time included Hart to Hart; Trapper John, M.D.; The Jeffersons; and 60 Minutes. MASH’s blockbuster finale was in February but was still doing well in repeats.

Irene Cara’s Flashdance… What a Feeling was everywhere. David Bowie was already a big star but still something of a cult figure. His album and single Let’s Dance put him into the stratosphere. I was a fan of Naked Eyes’ Always Something There to Remind Me, and an even bigger fan of Eddy Grant’s Electric Avenue. Michael Jackson’s Beat It, off of Thriller, was a smash since it was released as a single in February.

But it was The Police who were to rule the summer. Like Bowie, the group was already a success, but the album Synchronicity — released June 17 — made them pretty much the biggest band in the world. The lead single, Every Breath You Take, was roaring up the charts.

I never liked this song. Sorry.

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Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension

American Flagg! #1, First. The debut of one of the seminal independent comics of the 1980s. Perhaps even the greatest. But get this: The story takes place only five years from now.

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Fantastic Four #258, Marvel. What a weird coincidence: This is being released this week as a blind-bag Facsimile Edition.

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Amazing Heroes #27, Fantagraphics. Hot damn, look at that Jim Aparo cover. But AH was great even when it wasn’t a Special Batman Issue.

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Batman and the Outsiders #2, DC. I wanted to love the Outsiders. I did. I just didn’t.

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The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #11, DC. Paul Kupperberg in the house! Helluva Gil Kane cover, too.

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Scott Tipton, contributor-at-large, 13th Dimension

Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #82, Marvel. Back in the day, Cloak and Dagger showed up in the pages of Peter Parker pretty frequently.

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Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #9, Marvel. Look at Rom front and center on this cover. Shows you what a big deal he was at the time.

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Blip #6, Marvel. With the early ’80s video-game craze at its height, Marvel tried putting out their own magazine on the subject. Sadly, Blip only survived for seven issues.

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Iron Man #174, Marvel. Seeing all of these armors together for the first time absolutely blew my mind.

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MORE

— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of June 10 — in 1964! Click here.

— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of June 3 — in 1955! Click here.

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Comics sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics and the Grand Comics Database.