Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Friends, I must announce I'm currently turning this blog up to 11 because March 1984 witnessed the release of This Is Spinal Tap, the film that exposed the nightmarish truth of the music industry, for the whole world to see.
But it wasn't alone in hitting our cinema screens. That month, Hollywood was clearly determined to make us part with our cash and, so, we also got the unleashing of such imperishables as Against All Odds, Repo Man, Children of the Corn, Hotel New Hampshire, Pete's Dragon (re-release), Splash, Police Academy, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan and Romancing the Stone. Romancing the Stone is, of course, my favourite of that particular list.
The UK singles chart, at the time, may not have been as hyperactive as our cinemas but it did give us two Number Ones. March kicked off with Nena's 99 Red Balloons flying high, before that was deposed by Lionel Richie and his brand-new smash Hello, complete with legendary sculpture-based video.
While all that was occurring, the corresponding album chart gave us three Number Ones. The first was Into the Gap by the Thompson Twins. That was succeeded by Howard Jones' Human's Lib which was, itself, supplanted by Lionel Richie's Can't Slow Down. Number One on both the singles chart and the album chart? Could nothing stop the irresistible rise of Lionel?
"No," is the answer.
But what of the galaxy's greatest comic? What was it up to while our lives were being jam-packed with movies and music?
But what of the galaxy's greatest comic? What was it up to while our lives were being jam-packed with movies and music?
It was up to Sláine, Tharg's Time Twisters, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Tharg's Future-Shocks and D.R. & Quinch.
No great surprises there but Judge Dredd seems to have been having trouble with miscreants determined to break the laws of physics, thanks to The Haunting of Sector House 9.
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15 comments:
I just picked up - very belatedly - the slim ‘Art Of Brett Ewins’ book, after seeing a page of his early Dredd art (from ‘78 or ‘79) in the Cartoon Museum. It’s really good. I need to give his later stuff another go. His early work was absolutely amazing to little 8 year old me (The DNA Man!).
Also: I have never seen Romancing The Stone. I went to see the sequel on a date, but never ever seen the original. Is it good? Does it stand up now?
Fwiw I didn't much care for Romancing the Stone Matthew, and I doubt time would make any difference.
But you might not want to pay much attention to my opinion, as I wasn't so keen on Brett Ewins' work. He seemed to have the right sense of style for Dredd, but Brendan McCarthy did that kind of thing much better and once they stopped working together I often found his stuff disappointing.
Although I do have a soft spot for the first Bad Company series.
And he knew how to deal with the Met, you have to give him that -
www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/2000ad-judge-dredd-artist-stabbed-policeman-court-told-8124839.html
-sean
Sadly Steve, prog 360 marks the end of the brilliant 'Sky Chariots' storyline in Slaine, and the last work the mighty Mike McMahon did for the House of Tharg for some time, til (I think) the Judge Dredd Megazine in the mid-90s.
The following week the adventures of our favourite Celtic beserker were once again drawn by the under-rated (well he is, DW) Massimo Belardinelli.
-sean
Geeze... what a difference a few days make.
Charlie went back to check the "40 years ago" chart on singles and EBONY AND IVORY, which premiered at 18 is already at #3! Does it reach the top of the pop charts??? Ohhh... the suspense!
Steve - no love last week for ROXY MUSIC's "MORE THAN THIS"?
Lastly, given it is Easter, Charlie always does a listen through to the original JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. Loved it then, love it now... Ummm unlike Romancing the Stone, lol.
Charlie, Ebony And Ivory did indeed reach #1 on the UK singles chart.
A few years ago BBC Radio 4's 'Open Book' show featured the Top 10 strangest requests in bookshops. This was my favourite:
Woman: Have you got a book called "Lionel Richie And The Wardrobe"?
Bookseller: Do you mean "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe"?
Woman: No, I'm sure Lionel Richie is in it.
I must confess that I've never seen Spinal Tap (gasp!) and I don't think I've seen Romancing The Stone either but I do remember the sequel Jewel Of The Nile, featuring Billy Ocean's #1 hit When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going). And I remember watching Repo Man on BBC 2 late one night long, long ago :)
I assume Slaine was a bit like Conan? Lots of monsters and evil wizards?
Okay, I'll admit it. I did enjoy "Romancing the Stone". I preferred it to the sequel, "Jewel of the Nile" (which I also enjoyed). Oh, and "Stone" featured the great theme song by Eddy Grant...
Aaaand, I also admit to liking "Splash".
I'll get my coat....
Matthew, I've not seen Romancing the Stone in about 30 years but I remember enjoying it. Clearly a Raiders of the Lost Ark knock-off but an entertaining one.
Charlie, sadly, I found Roxy Music's early 1980s output to be a bit boring. I think the last Roxy single I enjoyed was Dance Away in 1979.
Colin, from what I remember, Slaine was like a cross between Conan and the Hulk. When things got rough, he'd turn into a monstrous form and gain massive, destructive strength.
Red, I don't think I've ever managed to make it all the way through Splash. There always seems to be something on another channel that I feel a greater need to watch.
I saw ROMANCING THE STONE in the theatre, liked it well enough at the time (had a big old crush on Kathleen Turner), thought it was a decent ‘Indiana Jones Lite’ style adventure. Re-watched the first 20 minutes or so a few month ago, thought it took forever to get going, and bailed.
REPO MAN got a lot of buzz on its release — I thought it was okay, but kinda underwhelming. Honestly couldn’t figure out what all the shouting was about. THIS IS SPINAL TAP is one of those movies that I’m afraid to re-visit for fear that it won’t be as funny as it used to be. That happened to me with the first GHOST-BUSTERS — last time I watched it, I couldn’t believe it was the same movie that had me gasping for air back in ‘85.
I’m going on about these movies because I don’t have much to say about this batch of comics. Except to agree with Sean, sort of — from the few Brett Ewins and Brendan McCarthy comics I’ve seen, I’d have to say there’s really no comparison.
Oh hey, I don’t know if the subject came up here or not, but I read somewhere that Garry Leach died a few weeks ago. 67 years young. I liked his stuff in WARRIOR and A1 a lot. Met him a few years ago at San Diego Comic Con and he seemed very laid-back and cool.
b.t.
REPO MAN is the greatest thing humans have created.
Including the art of making fire, the wheel, and the Renaissance.
M.P.
Sorry Sean, I just looked at these issues online and I still don't like Belardinelli's art. Particularly following McMahon (a bit like following Alan David with Chuck Beckum).
I had read that Garry Leach sadly passed away. I was quite shocked by his appearance when he was promoting Marvel's reprinting Miracleman, a few years back, as he seemed to have aged badly and so possibly had ongoing health issues. I remember him from Comic Marts, during the Warrior era, as one of the younger members of that group. Very sad. I appreciate he worked outside of comics for many years but he seemed one of the British creators that should have done much more. Those early Marvel Man stories still look brilliant today.
DW
DW - Leach decided fairly early on (around the time he stepped away from Marvelman) that he couldn’t produce that quality of art and actually make a living because he worked so slowly and meticulously, so he stepped back from comics and took a day job for Dez Skinn as art director on Warrior. It’s a crying shame he never found a sweet spot with DC like Brian Bolland did, that would allow him to do work in his own time. But A1 was fantastic.
And yeah, I agree about Belardinelli: I liked his really freakish stuff on Dan Dare and Blackhawk, but most everything else was really stiff and awkward.
BT - I think I’ve started watching RTS on TV at some point (in the 90s) and had the same reaction. I remember it was touted as a Raiders-type thing, but it seemed really stodgy and leaden. Certainly the sequel was one of the worst films I’d ever seen.
I liked Splash when it came out but I was 13 so it’s not surprising. Haven’t seen a frame of it since though.
Repo Man I’m not that keen on: I used to really like it and taped it off BBC2 and almost wore out the tape back in 1989 when I was 18, but I just seems a bit smug and formulaic now I’m a middle-aged dullard. Watched it again when it came out on Blu-ray and it pissed me off.
Matthew-
Honorable men may differ, but no matter how far we've stumbled along the curving path of life I think there's still a nihilistic smart-ass nervy little punk in all of us.
Maybe waiting to get out again.
Or maybe that's just me!
M.P.
Not disputing that Belardinelli had his flaws, especially after the first few years of the progs, but when it comes to picking up the slack on an ongoing series like Slaine, its like Ron Smith on Dredd - Tharg could have done a lot worse.
More Ron Smith than Chuck Beckum!
Sad to hear about Garry Leach.
-sean
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