Posted By Dan Greenfield on May 14, 2025 | 7 comments

Scott and Dan hit up the comics racks from 40 years ago…

This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott Tipton and I are selecting comics that came out the week of May 14, 1985.

Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of May 7, 1945. 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 May 11 and May 17.)

So, let’s set the scene: On May 13, the city of Philadelphia was shaken by the police firebombing of the Black radical group MOVE’s headquarters in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood. The attack resulted in 11 deaths — including five children — and the utter destruction of 61 neighboring homes, leaving 250 people homeless. It was the first time an American city bombed itself and was immediately, profoundly controversial.

MOVE, which was founded in 1972 as the Christian Movement for Life, had a lengthy history of violence, including a 1978 shootout that included the death of a police officer, and were branded a terrorist organization by city leaders. Nevertheless, the 1985 standoff was excoriated as an example of brutal police overreach. Cops were met with gunfire when they tried to evict MOVE members but responded by dropping two bombs from a helicopter onto the roof of the occupied house. The police allowed the fire to burn out of control for 90 minutes.

Mayor Wilson Goode, who is Black and was among those who dubbed MOVE a terrorist organization, appointed a commission to investigate the matter. Almost a year later, the panel denounced the government response: “Dropping a bomb on an occupied row house was unconscionable.” Goode made a formal apology and federal courts later ordered the city to pay millions of dollars to one of the survivors and relatives of two people killed, plus residents who were displaced by the bombing. (In 2020, the City Council passed a resolution apologizing “for the decisions and events preceding and leading to the devastation that occurred on May 13, 1985,” and established “an annual day of observation, reflection and recommitment” to remember the event.

There has been speculation that the incident inspired writer Frank Miller to stage a similar police assault in Batman: Year One, which came out the following year.

IN OTHER NEWS

— Americans and their allies remained aghast at President Reagan’s May 5 visit to a cemetery in Bitburg, West Germany, that includes the graves of 59 elite S.S. troops from World War II. The scandal led to one of the Ramones’ most ballyhooed tracks: Bonzo Goes to Bitburg, which came out in June.

— On May 16, Chicago Bulls rising star Michael Jordan was named NBA Rookie of the Year.

Just to show you how popular Chuck Norris was — and to remind you what the mid-’80s were really like — the actioner Code of Silence was in the middle of a three-week run atop the box office. But all anybody at my high school — the lunkheaded guys, anyway — could talk about was that Rambo: First Blood Part II was about to come out. I was partial to Gotcha! — the paintball-assassination comedy starring Anthony Edwards and smokeshow Linda Fiorentino, who would have made a great Catwoman.

TV was all about the evening soaps: Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest, Knots Landing, and Hotel, among them. And The Cosby Show, of course, plus Family Ties and The A-Team.

Don’t You (Forget About Me), the era-defining hit by Simple Minds, from The Breakfast Club, was atop the Billboard 100. It was our high school senior-class song, as I’m sure it was everywhere else in America. Madonna’s Crazy For You was at No. 2; and the never-not-hilarious One Night in Bangkok, by Murray Head, was at No. 3. We Are the World, the U.S. pop scene’s answer to Do They Know It’s Christmas?, was at No. 8.

Phil Collins’ No Jacket Required was the best-selling album, with the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack at No. 3. Bruce Springsteen’s ubiquitous Born in the U.S.A. was at No. 4, Madonna’s Like a Virgin was at No. 8, and John Forgerty’s comeback album, Centerfield, was at No. 10. The title track became an instant baseball anthem and plays at stadiums across the land to this very day.

Put me in, coach! I’m ready to play today! Look at me, I can be centerfield!

Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension

The Flash #348, DC. Guilty! The two year Trial of the Flash reaches its climax — by Cary Bates, Carmine Infantino and Frank McLaughlin, including an Infantino/Klaus Janson cover — with the Scarlet Speedster found guilty (just like the cover says) of the murder of the Reverse-Flash. An era was ending: only two issues left in this series, then Barry Allen would next appear in Crisis on Infinite Earths. And we all know what happened there.

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Batman #386, DC. First appearance of Black Mask, a villain who would get more interesting as time went on. My favorite version is in the DC animated flick Batman: Under the Red Hood. He got all the best lines.

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Official Marvel Index to the Amazing Spider-Man #5, Marvel. I think the last time I wrote about this series, I said I should track it down. I haven’t yet, but I still think I should. This ish covers most of what I consider Spidey’s Golden Age: Issues #114 – 137, Spider-Man Annual #9 and Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1.

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Star Wars #98, Marvel. I’m not sure what’s happening on this Bill Sienkiewicz cover, but that’s a pretty heroic-looking Stormtrooper. Still missed, though.

Arak, Son of Thunder #47, DC. The series was headed toward its Issue #50 finale. It’s nice to remember a time when a mainstream DC title like this could last that long.

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

The New Defenders #146, Marvel. I loved the moody Frank Cirocco covers toward the end of The New Defenders.

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Thor #358, Marvel. Beta Ray Bill at his most asskickingest.

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Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #105, Marvel. A fairly rare Spidey/Wasp teamup!

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Red Tornado #2, DC. I seem to recall this series being somewhat traumatizing. I think Reddy gets blown up, like, a lot.

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MORE

— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of May 7 — in 1945! Click here.

— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of April 30 — in 1961! Click here.

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