Scott and Dan hit up the comics racks from 39 years ago…
This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott Tipton and I are selecting comics that came out the week of Nov. 13, 1985.
Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of Nov. 6, 1960. 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 Nov. 10 and Nov. 16.)
So, let’s set the scene: It was a concrete step toward the end of the Cold War by both sides, though it wasn’t immdiately apparent due to the intense mistrust between the United States and Soviet Union. President Reagan on Nov. 16 arrived in Geneva for a summit that began three days later with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the first time the two would meet.
“The United States and the Soviet Union are the two greatest countries on Earth, the superpowers,” Reagan said in his first comments to his counterpart. “They are the only ones who can start World War III, but also the only two countries that could bring peace to the world.” The summit set the tone for further talks that would lead to a thaw between the powers; the Cold War would end three years later, accelerated by the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Side note: In 2009, Gorbachev revealed in an interview that Reagan asked privately during a walk at the summit if the Soviet Union would help if the U.S. was invaded by space aliens. Gorbachev said yes, and Reagan said, “we would too.” Ozymandias was right, after all.
On Nov. 15, University of Michigan psychology Professor James McConnell received a letter and parcel at his home in Ann Arbor. It was supposedly from a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Utah who wanted McConnell to review his thesis. McConnell’s student secretary opened the parcel and the two men were injured when it exploded.
It was the work of the Unabomber.
The No. 1 movie in America was a vampire comedy called Once Bitten, starring Lauren Hutton and a young actor named Jim Carrey. How it got to No. 1 — it was a one-week wonder — is a mystery that has baffled scientists for almost 40 years. Other hits included Death Wish 3, Jagged Edge and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando.
But none of that mattered. None of that mattered at all. Because the most exciting thing in theaters was the trailer for Rocky IV — the most ’80s movie of them all — which was coming Nov. 27.
On TV, the usual suspects dominated the Nielsens: The Cosby Show, Family Ties, 60 Minutes, Cheers and Dynasty. But there was another highly rated show that broke huge barriers: NBC on Nov. 11 broadcast An Early Frost, the first major made-for-TV movie that dealt with AIDS. Boasting a first-rate cast, including Aidan Quinn, Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara, the critically acclaimed film was watched by 34 million households, even beating Monday Night Football.
I was a freshman at Boston University that fall and I remember that there were women in the dorm who would not go out until 11 p.m., because Miami Vice was on at 10. The show’s soundtrack — including the No. 2 single You Belong to the City by Glenn Frey, and the Miami Vice theme by Jan Hammer (No. 3) — was the best-selling LP this week.
The No. 1 single was the dreadful We Built This City by Starship — a very far cry from White Rabbit — and other top albums included Scarecrow by John Mellencamp (No. 2), Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits (No. 3), Whitney Houston (No. 4), and the inescapable Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen (No. 9).
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Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension
Aquaman #1, DC. Am I the only one who liked Neal Pozner’s blue Aquaman design? I mean, I’m down for the orange and green, of course, but that outfit rocked. And it made total sense besides! Though for true camouflage, it probably should have been green or at least had some green in there. But that’s just me being pedantic. I LOVE this outfit.
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Shadow of the Batman #3, DC. This is before trade collections, when DC would instead reprint classics as special miniseries on fancy Baxter paper, with brand new covers. I’ll use this moment to again point out that the Englehart/Rogers Detective Comics run is becoming increasingly obscure, which is a crime against comics. We better be getting a DC Finest edition where this is front and center. This should be available to every kid who loves Batman, at all times.
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The Official Marvel Index to Marvel Team-Up #2, Marvel. Wouldn’t it be great if Marvel reprinted series like these as trade collections? What a wonderful resource! If there can be a Marvel Age Omnibus, why not? That said, make sure you check out our pal Jim Beard’s Walking the Wider Web, which does a similar deep dive into MTU.
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Amazing Heroes #84, Fantagraphics. I was a big fan of Amazing Heroes, so I probably got this, what with a Batman cover story and all.
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Scott Tipton, contributor-at-large, 13th Dimension
Marvel Graphic Novel Vol. 20: Greenberg the Vampire, Marvel. A terribly underrated gem from J.M. DeMatteis and Mark Badger. If you should ever see it at a convention, do yourself a favor and pick it up.
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Batman #392, DC. A great done-in-one issue about Batman trying to take Catwoman for a quiet evening out on the town.
Dan adds: Funny thing about this period of Batman. I remember this cover but I remember nothing about what happens. And I even re-read it just a few years ago. But I’m glad you liked it, Scott! Fly the Batflag!
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Super Powers #6, DC. One of the best things about the Kenner Super Powers line of toys was that it got Jack Kirby drawing comics for DC again on a monthly basis.
Dan adds: Written by our pal Paul Kupperberg!
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X-Factor #1, Marvel. At the time, everyone was so excited about this series coming out, but with the benefit of hindsight, I’m not sure Jean Grey should have ever been resurrected. It kind of ruined Cyclops’ character forever.
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MORE
— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of Nov. 6 — in 1960! Click here.
— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of Oct. 30 — in 1966! Click here.
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Primary comics sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics, the Grand Comics Database.
November 13, 2024
Hi Dan,
RE: Am I the only one who liked Neal Pozner’s blue Aquaman design?
Nope. I think your assessment is wonderfully on target. That blue outfit is quite striking and works very well for its designated superhero.
Now, and right there with you again, I too love the orange and green outfit. It works wonderfully well as the two colors possess a common undertone–a hue shift toward the yellow side of the color wheel spectrum and its primary colors (instead of the green shifting blue and the orange shifting toward red–which would overly contrast or clash rather than harmonize) and as tied together more explicitly with the yellow belt.
It’s a fantastic color combo and I understand that Aqualad explained that combo (from World’s Finest: Teen Titans #2) in terms that may have some scientific credibility: that vivid color scheme is perfect for fish who do not see colors in the same way humans do, and so the brighter color contrast aids in their seeing by making the Sea King more visible (and at greater ocean depths the light begins to fade in anycase).
Underwater optics and how it could explain Aquaman’s visibility is noted at Southern Fried Science: Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online. See Andrew Thaler, “Epilogue to the Return of the Science of Aquaman: Costume Palettes at Depth” (I’d web-link it–but I don’t want to worry the powers that be at the site that such is spamming). But the Southern Fried Science site seems to have a real liking toward Aquaman given its motivations. See Thaler again: “The Science of Aquaman: The Complete Anthology.”
But that blue mid-80s costume was great. I’m surprised it didn’t have longer staying power.
November 13, 2024
I, too, liked the blue Aquaman costume used in the miniseries and wish it had been used more often.
I’m looking forward to bronze age Batman DC Finest volumes, though I’m curious how they will deal with the two Shadow-related crossovers (BATMAN 253 and 259). Will they skip them? Get permission to reprint? (Was someone farsighted enough to cover future reprints 50 years ago?)
And speaking of the Shadow, while I have the excellent PRIVATE FILES OF THE SHADOW collection, I wish DC had the ability to collect the 12-issue series from the 1970s along with the two BATMAN issues (mentioned above). I have the issues, but . . ..
November 13, 2024
I think that Aquaman costume didn’t last because it was too hard to draw and color, and didn’t always reproduce well with 80s printing methods
November 13, 2024
I would love to see a Marshall Rogers Batman Artist Edition that included the original art for his Shadow of the Batman covers. Those are amazing spreads.
November 13, 2024
Another fan of the blue Aquasuit here! Loved that mini.
November 13, 2024
Loved the Aquaman blue suit. The whole concept of X-Factor was a a substandard Ghostbusters riff. The real start of X-Men books being produced to exploit the brand. Truly a terrible, terrible book – it did teach me a lesson though. Corporations will exploit you. I stopped buying all the X books within a year
November 13, 2024
And what a week that was – this whole post gives me an overwhelming rush of nostalgia! I vividly recall picking up the first issue of X-Factor (from Dream Factory, norwalk, ct) on the saturday afternoon after it was released.
November 13, 2024
I remember being really excited about the X-Factor issue bringing back the original X-Men. I agree in hindsight it was the beginning of the end for Cyclops’ character. He was my favorite X-Man. Years later, this led to Wolverine as substitute Prof X and Cyclops as paramilitary anti-hero. They flipflopped the characters personalities (sigh).