RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale This Week — in 1984!

Scott and Dan hit up the comics racks from 41 years ago…

This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott Tipton and I are selecting comics that came out the week of Jan. 29, 1984.

Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of Jan. 22, 1978. 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. 26 and Feb. 1.)

Let’s set the scene: When the world was a more literate place, there was much talk about George Orwell’s terrifyingly dystopian 1984 as the actual year approached. How glad we were that the idea of an oppressive, all-seeing totalitarian state still seemed like so much science fiction, despite the world’s very real troubles.

So, along came Ridley Scott and Steve Jobs with their Orwellian Apple ad that played Jan. 22 during Super Bowl XVIII (the Los Angeles Raiders beat Washington, 38-9), featuring a bold, athletic woman heaving a hammer at the powers that be, striking an explosive blow against subjugation and fascism (and heralding the Jan. 24 sale date of Apple’s Macintosh home computer). Like 1964’s “Daisy” ad, it was broadcast only once, but it was so striking and so visceral that it ran over and over on news programs, becoming what’s often considered the greatest Super Bowl ever.

The great irony, of course, is that the Mac revolution was integral to the rise of today’s invasive and frightening surveillance society.

IN OTHER NEWS

— On. Jan. 29, President Reagan formally announced he would seek a second term.

— On Jan. 27, Michael Jackson was hospitalized with second-degree burns when his hair caught fire while filming a Pepsi commercial.

— On Feb. 1, David Stern became NBA commissioner. He would oversee the league’s explosive growth, making it one of the most popular sports in the world.

The top film at the box office was Silkwood, starring Meryl Street and Cher. (As it happened, the U.S. Supreme Court this month reinstated a $10 million gross-negligence judgment against energy corporation Kerr-McGee related to Karen Silkwood’s mysterious death.) Also in theaters were Terms of Endearment and Broadway Danny Rose (when Woody Allen and Mia Farrow were still together). Kicking around were Yentl, Sudden Impact (“Go ahead, make my day.”) and Scarface (“Say hello to my little friend!”).

The TV ratings leaders included 60 Minutes, Dallas, The Jeffersons, Alice, the TV series adaptation of Alan Alda’s film The Four Seasons, The A-Team, and the new, NBC midseason replacement series TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes. (Premiering this month was another midseason replacement — Night Court, starring Harry Anderson. It would run for nine seasons.)

All anyone could talk about, though, was one of the greatest commercials of all time, which first hit the air Jan. 10:

It made a star of Clara Peller, the kind that happens only in America. The Wendy’s ad was directed by Joe Sedelmaier, dad of our pal and animator J.J. Sedelmaier.

Culture Club’s Karma Chameleon was the best-selling record in the United States. I was never a huge fan. But I did like the No. 2 song, Owner of a Lonely Heart, by Yes, though most of their music leaves me cold. The Romantics’ Talking in Your Sleep was at No. 3, and the borderline novelty song Break My Stride, by Matthew Wilder, was at No. 5. I also wasn’t a big Madonna fan, but I did like Holiday, which was at No. 16.

Also in January, John Lennon’s catchy single Nobody Told Me was released posthumously, ahead of Jan. 27’s Milk & Honey album.

Michael Jackson’s Thriller was the No. 1 album because of course it was. Culture Club’s Colour By Numbers was at No. 2 and Can’t Slow Down by Lionel Richie was at No. 3. But at No. 4 was Van Halen’s 1984, which exploded onto the scene earlier in the month and is arguably the band’s defining LP — but also its last with the original four members: David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony.

I don’t feel tardy…

Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension

Batman Special #1, DC. The premise is ludicrously contrived: On the same night that Bruce Wayne’s honorable mother and father were murdered, a young boy’s criminal parents were killed too. By a cop. A cop who, it turns out, was one James Gordon. OH, THE COINCIDENCE! It gets better: Just as Bruce Wayne dedicates himself to justice, the other boy becomes an inveterate cop killer — calling himself the Wrath and donning a costume whose cowl has a big W on the front, with the outside lines of said W rising above his head to two points, exactly like Batman’s ears! And his ultimate target is Gordon, Batman’s best cop buddy. Oh, come on!

But here’s the thing: It’s great. It’s all in the execution (no pun intended): …The Player on the Other Side! is a taut, action-packed thriller — and character study — with an integral appearance by Leslie Thompkins and a climactic Crime Alley battle. Mike W. Barr wrote it, Michael Golden pencilled it (inked by himself and Mike DeCarlo), so it reads and looks great. It’s an issue that’s often listed as one of the best Batman stories of the ’80s — and rightly so.

The Original Shield #1, Archie. I will always have a soft spot for the MLJ heroes. They never stick for too long but they are charming.

The New Adventures of Superboy #52, DC. Written by our pal Paul Kupperberg, with art by Kurt Schaffenberger.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing #23, DC. Because bylaws require us to mention the classic Alan Moore run.

Aztec Ace #1, Eclipse; DNAgents #9, Eclipse; Jon Sable, Freelance #12, First; Sabre #8, Eclipse; Starslayer #16, First. Requisite reminder that there were a ton of other popular comics out there not produced by the Big Two, created by big-time talents such as Mike Grell, Don McGregor, Billy Graham, Tim Truman and Doug Moench.

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

The Amazing Spider-Man #252, Marvel. Back in the days before the internet, it’s hard to imagine how shocked people were walking into the Quik-Stop and finding this comic with Spidey having a new costume. I was one of those kids. It was mind-blowing.

Dan adds: Remember how controversial this was? And I can understand it too, on the face of it: The classic Spider-Man design is one of comicdom’s greatest, so why mess with perfection? Well, you do it when you can come up with something nearly as good! (It was a fan’s idea to give him a black suit, though with red and not white.) I will always prefer the Ditko design fine-tuned by Romita, but credit where credit is due — this is a fantastic look, designed by Mike Zeck and tweaked by Rick Leonardi, as Ron Frenz notes in the comments. (Most of the other Spidey designs out there, though? Meh, though I do like the Miles Morales takes.)

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #15, Marvel. This was my favorite issue of the original miniseries, consisting of page after page of beautiful Eliot R. Brown schematics of all the Marvel Universe technology.

All-Star Squadron #32, DC. How did the Freedom Fighters make their way from Earth-2 to Earth-X? The question no one was asking, but I sure enjoyed it at the time.

Batman and the Outsiders #9, DC. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: No comic book had better villains than Batman and the Outsiders. Case in point: Meet the Masters of Disaster!

Dan adds: I was a Force of July guy, myself.

MORE

— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of Jan. 22 — in 1978! Click here.

— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of Jan. 15 — in 1955! Click here.

Primary comics sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics, the Grand Comics Database.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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9 Comments

  1. I thought I was going to have to fight Dan as I was reading his Batman Special #1 comments. It’s one of my favorite ’80s Batman stories.

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  2. Spider-Man’s black costume was designed by professional comics illustrator Mike Zeck(with a tweak by professional comics illustrator Rick Leonardi. Randy Schueller, the fan you’re referring to, was paid for the simple idea of”Spider-Man gets a black suit.” Mr.Schueller’s description of his idea does not match the design by Mr.Zeck.

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  3. Wow, so much great stuff. I love this Michael Golden Batman special and Batman and the Outsiders by Barr and Aparo. I remember seeing the preview of the new Spider-Man costume in Marvel Age 12 and being a little disappointed that the spider on his costume was not red like it was in that issue.

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  4. 1984—working fast food, trying to get a full -time job, lived for comics! I’ll add here that during the 70s the Freedom Fighters were one of my absolute favorites!

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  5. And just my two cents on the black costume: because it was so simplistic, its look was only as good as the artist who was drawing it at any given time. It could look very sleek and one of the best artists to draw it was Ron Frenz.

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