Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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It would have been hard to avoid feeling the 1980s had arrived with a vengeance, if you ventured into your local cinema in March 1985.
It was, after all, a month that saw the release of such fare as Lust in the Dust, The Care Bears Movie, Desperately Seeking Susan and Police Academy 2. I've seen two of those but must confess to never having seen Lust in the Dust or The Care Bears Movie which, I'm sure, are films that hold a strong resemblance to each other.
In the world of politics, March saw Mikhail Gorbachev become General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and, therefore, de facto leader of the Soviet Union.
In the world of retail, Mohamed Al-Fayed outraged traditionalists by buying London-based department store Harrods.
But, of course, the most important thing that happened anywhere in the world, that month, was the launch of Australia's longest-running soap opera Neighbours which debuted on the Seven Network. As well as being truly awesome, the show would propel the likes of Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Margot Robbie and Natalie Imbruglia to international fame and guarantee that Anne Charleston and Ian Smith would never be short of a panto to appear in.
When it came to music, the UK singles chart met the month head-on with Hi-NRG classic You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead Or Alive at Number One. Tragically, that then had to make way for the noticeably less energetic Easy Lover by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins.
March also handed triumph to Phil of the Collins variety when it came to the British album chart, as most of it saw his LP No Jacket Required holding the top spot before it, finally, had to make way for Paul Young's The Secret of Association.
It was up to what it was usually up to and still featuring The Ballad of Halo Jones, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, The Hell Trekkers and Tharg's Future-Shocks.
However, there was one slice of change to greet the reader because Prog 411 saw the return of the berserker-fuelled barbarian that was Sláine!
However, there was one slice of change to greet the reader because Prog 411 saw the return of the berserker-fuelled barbarian that was Sláine!
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22 comments:
I think I'd tuned out of 2000AD at this point. I remember I was pretty engaged with it in 1984, but the fact that I don't remember any of these covers at all is not a good sign. I kept buying it until 1990. But the obsessive enthusiasm for it that saw me through 1977-1983 had surely waned. Obviously I was still reading bits and pieces - Halo Jones for sure. I may have made this point before.
I haven't seen ANY of those movies. I find it odd that I haven't ticked off Desperately Seeking Susan, and I did try, but I came to it very late [the 2000s] and lasted about twenty minutes. It all felt tiresome and contrived.
I did see a Police Academy movie on a date once, but it was much later in the series and I didn't understand any of the in-jokes.
I still really like that Dead Or Alive single. There's some other bangers on that album, too.
Neighbours was a very organic phenomenon, I remember. I caught on gradually over a few years until it was at fever pitch in 1987. I remember friends watching it first and then getting into the habit myself eventually. I never got so into it that I'd watch it at lunchtimes AND evenings though.
You forgot to mention Alan Dale who played Jim Robinson, who in the last twenty years has secured himself a super-powered agent [probably the one Tom Wilkinson hired around 1999] and made good use of that lean, slightly careworn face to play military / police types in high-profile movies by the likes of Fincher, Spielberg etc. Good for him.
I believe Russell Crowe turned up on Ramsay St too, before becoming better known to the rest of the world.
Of course that was still in the future. At the time, its hard to know which was more surprising in the 80s - Mikhail Gorbachev ending the Cold War, or Phil Collins of all people becoming an era-defining pop star (I think we can all agree the former was probably better for humanity).
Btw, the historic miners strike ended this month, a year after it began (at a Yorkshire NUM meeting in Barnsley iirc). Considering it's impact on shaping modern Britain - and South Yorkshire in particular - its somewhat curious you haven't mentioned it at all in this feature over the last 12 months, Steve.
Still, this is a comic blog, not Class War... so the big news in March '85 was obviously Glenn of the Fabry variety's arrival as the new Slaine artist in prog 411, giving everyone's favourite Celtic beserker a makeover. Although unfortunately we'd have to put up with Pat Mills discovering role-playing games and Slaine going a bit dungeons & dragons for a while before Glenn really hit his stride on the series.
https://heroesof2000ad.blogspot.com/2018/04/no-109-glenn-fabry.html
-sean
PS Pretty sure the return of Rogue Trooper in prog 410 was the beginning of the run drawn by the late Spanish artist Jose Ortiz, who's work some here may know from the Warren magazine.
Actually, thinking about it, in early '85 he'd probably just have been finishing off the last issue of Dauntless Don McGregor's Sabre comic.
-sean
*Warren magazines.
Plural. Duh.
From 4000 miles away…. A younger Charlie might have been inclined to plonk down a quarter for Prog 408 baswd on the cover. It does have a pretty cool “Odd Rod” meets “Mad Max” feel to it!
DW - congrats on the draw? Very spirited game! Most enjoyable!
Thanks Anon (Charlie?). We probably could have won it at the end, when Antonio headed onto the cross bar. That would have caused a few tears.
I haven't watched Neighbours since the Jason and Kylie days but I believe all three Hemsworth appeared at some point. I was more of a Grange Hill man myself. The Halo Jones chapters contain herein were all very good (the Whatsiname, Rat King and Toby stories). Fabry evolved into an A-grader during his first couple of years on Slaine, but still impressed on debut. Also, Pete Milligan wrote a couple of good time-twisters, this month, and I generally didn't really warm to his stuff.
Altogether now "...like a record baby, right round right round..."
DW
Steve, I believe that somewhere between the extremes of Lust in the Dust and The Care Bears Movie, there lies the truth.
Probably closer to the former than the latter.
I think if Freud were here, he'd agree. It's horrific, either way.
M.P.
Charie, who saw that result coming, eh?
The enjoyment factor depends on your point of view really...
-sean
Sean - as An Amercun ole Charlie does not have a dog in the EPL hunt. Charlie didnt come to the sport until he was around 40-ish when Charlie Jrs started playing. So… Charlie just enjoys a good game defined as both teams playing well but the underdog winning because the underdog was playing above their average. So Westham’s draw fit that criteria . Expanding that, Charlie hopes to see a team besides City win this year (or Liverpool) because theyve been hoarding the trophies the past 5 years or so. Go Gunners (or Newcastle) or anyone else but!
My suspicion is Arsenal might blown their chances with recent draws narrowing down their lead. Liverpool you can understand, but West Ham... wtf?
-sean
As a big aside (sorry Colin) Charlie still can't wrap his head around "relegation."
Not that Charlie has much (any?) sympathy for billionaires but it seems a cruel financial fate.
That said as a Chicagoan and a Chicago White Sox fan, he would have loved to see the Chicago Cubs, literally known as "the lovable losers" relegated.
And, thanks to Talksport and the non-stop bleating about Tottenham, Chelsea, and Everton, it would be pleasant if those three were relegated just so the discussion could move on to something different than their woes. But that is a very superficial thought, admittedly.
But from 4000 miles away, it's about the same reasoning Charlie finds for UK fans of US sports... "I have a US friend who lives in Green Bay or I once visited Tampa or I had a great uncle who was a bootlegger in Chicago..."
Perhaps the Arsenal players were put off by playing in a big stadium.
DW
Don't worry, Charlie - I'm used to Steve Does Bloody Football by now and I endure it...
I never watched Neighbours but I was a regular viewer of Home And Away for a couple of years.
Desperately Seeking Susan featured the song Into The Groove which was Madonna's first #1 hit in the UK.
Glass houses, DW. Don't get me started on that ridiculous Olympic stadium in east London (I'm still waiting for a scandal to break about West Ham donations to the Tory party, and Boris Johnson giving them the nod).
Charlie, somewhat surprised you don't have relegation in the US - isn't everyone always rising or falling in America...?
-sean
Matthew, as a regular watcher of The Horror Channel/Legend, it has struck me, over the years, just how many movies it's shown that have featured Alan Dale. He must be the busiest man in Hollywood.
Sean, thanks for the Glenn Fabry link.
Colin and Matthew, it's a long time since I saw Desperately Seeking Susan and I can't remember whether I liked it or not. I also think I tend to muddle it up with After Hours, in my recollections.
Charlie, DW and MP, thanks for your comments too.
DW - Good point... Do other UK sports like Rugby have relegation as well and is that across Europe for other sports like ice hockey, handball...
As to why the US does not have relegation in any professional sports, including soccer... no idea. Perhaps due to:
-The size of the USA?
-Lack of competition? One had to have $$$ in the first place to have a team so rules were established to protect one's investment.
What is perhaps interesting is that it was not until basically 1960 that there were any professional sports teams outside the Chicago - NYC - Washington DC triangle with the Dodgers moving to LA.
Charlie
I believe a lot of sports have multiple leagues with promotion/relegation opportunities, however none carry the catestrophic consequence of losing Premier league TV income. In some ways, the Championship (2nd tier comp.) )is more enjoyable than the Premier League because there's more games, cheaper tickets, less overpaid prima-donna, and considerably less entitled fans. Not that the media would agree. Because I mostly live in 1985, I still look forward to mid-week evenings at Upton Park, under the lights ;-)
Sean, you can thank your mates at White Hart Lane for the ground deal.
Colin, perhaps Steve will introduce Roy of the Rovers when the UK retrospective reaches 1976, which makes this marginally less off-topic.
DW
there're
Oh, no - not Roy Of The Rovers!
The rules were established to protect investment, Charlie? Huh. I thought the whole idea behind capitalism was that investors make money because they're taking a risk (yeah, right).
Funny you should have mentioned the Dodgers move to LA... not that I know anything about baseball, but the development of Chavez Ravine - the shifting out of low income Latinos (and Jews I think?) to make way for the new stadium - was used as part of the backdrop for some of James Ellroy's books. I reckon someone could write similar crime novels set against the gentrification of east London, with a corrupt mayor (his eye on future national office) playing off Sp*rs against West Ham...
-sean
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