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What would one encounter if one were to enter a cinema in September 1986?
One would encounter choc ices, seats with only one arm rest, women with torches, adverts for local businesses and the Pearl and Dean theme tune. But, more importantly, one would encounter such slap-bang new movies as The Name of the Rose, Crocodile Dundee, Half Moon Street and Blue Velvet.
Of those, I've only ever seen Crocodile Dundee and The Name of the Rose. I've not watched either of them for a good thirty years but I suspect The Name of the Rose impressed me more than Crocodile Dundee did. However, Crocodile Dundee did produce more hit singles.
And speaking of singles, when it comes to the UK pop charts, only one song held sway, that month. And that was Don't Leave Me This Way by the Communards which was proving irremovable from the summit.
The corresponding LP chart found considerably more churn occurring, with September launching with Now That's What I Call Music! 7 on top, before that was forced to make way for Five Star's Silk and Steel which then found itself subsiding in the face of an unstoppable assault by Paul Simon's Graceland.
And what of the galaxy's greatest comic?
That was still bringing us the familiar lineup of Judge Dredd, Metalzoic, Nemesis, Ace Trucking Co, Strontium Dog, Sooner or Later and Tharg's Future-Shocks.
In fact, it may have seemed like nothing new was going on.
But there was one sign of things to come, because I do believe Prog 488 contains Neil Gaiman's first published comics story, thanks to the inclusion of his Tharg's Future Shock the world can only know as You're Never Alone with a Phone!
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For the benefit of readers who didn't live in the UK in the 1980s, here is the Pearl & Dean theme tune (with intro graphics) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCo1Ffn9_u8
-sean
Of today’s movie selections, BLUE VELVET is the only one I’ve seen. I liked it a lot at the time, but haven’t seen it in years and years. I will just assume it’s still a fine film.
Oh, lookit that, a decent batch of 2000 AD covers! They still give off the impression that they would give you some kind of rash (at the very least) if you came in physical contact with them but they’re all well drawn. I can’t decide if I like McCarthy’s super-aggro Dredd or O’Neill’s asymmetrical battle-droid better (leaning toward the O’Neill). The Talbot cover is the weakest, I think.
Have to say, the idea of Neil Gaiman writing for 2000 AD seems a bit counter-intuitive.
b.t.
Steve, not only is the Future Shock in prog 488 - a prescient tale about the social impact of communication devices one carries around with oneself - Neil Gaiman's first work for Tharg, it was also the debut of future Nemesis artist John Hinklenton.
And the Future Shock in prog 489 - 'Conversation Piece' - was Gaiman's second work for Tharg.
b.t., Don't worry about your intuition - Nifty Neil wasn't around in the Galaxy's Greatest Comic for long, as employment opportunities were shortly about to open up on the other side of the Atlantic for a halfway decent writer with a bit of ambition, and who was acquainted with former script droid Alan Moore.
Because September 1986 was an interesting month in Moore's career at DC. Besides Saga of the Swamp Thing #52 - with its cliffhanger ending teasing a double sized Bat-crossover the next issue - Moore also wrote Action Comics #583, and Superman #423, which together made up 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?', the final appearance of the classic character before the John Byrne reboot.
And with artist Dave Gibbons he did something called Watchmen #1.
Which was... not bad for a month's work really.
For context, also out this month: Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns #4, and - from Marvel, with Bill Sienkiewicz - Elektra: Assassin #2.
Oh, and Brian Bolland drew the cover for Howard the Duck #33.
-sean
Today is exactly 50 years since the first episode of ROOBARB was shown on BBC One. The classic "wobbly" animated series was originally broadcast from October 21st to Christmas Eve 1974. It was of course narrated by Richard Briers, most famous for starring in THE GOOD LIFE, but that legendary sitcom didn't actually begin until a few months later in April 1975.
WEIRD FACT: Richard Briers died on February 17th 2013 and Roobarb's illustrator Bob Godfrey died four days later on February 21st 2013.
Richard Coles of The Communards later became an Anglican vicar (!) and is a regular presenter on BBC Radio 4 nowadays.
These are nice covers! Except perhaps the last one, which looks like a standard Ezquerra action frame where people seem to be kind of twisting to one side somehow.
I didn’t know Gaiman had ever written for 2000AD until about 10 years ago when those stories turned up in a reprint book. I don’t think he was on anyone’s radar until 1988 or so when Violent Cases and then his DC work appeared.
These were heady months for me. I’d picked up Dark Knight 1-3 and Elektra 1&2 in London earlier in the year and now had to trek out to Liverpool if I wanted any more US comics. So I made the trip one weekend and picked up a couple of Depeche Mode 12”s and Elektra 3 which is probably my favourite issue.
Don’t Leave Me This Way was inescapable. I was never a fan of the Communards version though I really liked their Never Can Say Goodbye a year or so later.
Blue Velvet - which didn’t reach my town until September 1987, FFS - is still one of my favourite films of all time so obv that’s the winnner for me. I didn’t see Crocodile Dundee until March 1987 and it was adequate. The Name Of The Rose is saw on VHS a few years later and I liked the sex scene. Can’t remember much else about it.
Sean-
I'm a huge fan of Moore and that two issue arc was a brilliant way to say goodbye to Bronze Age Superman. Curt Swan was the perfect artist to do it!
Looks like a regular Superman comic, but it's not. It's a farewell of sorts. A bit sad, really. That whole fin de siecle post-Crisis vibe.
Grant Morrison explored the concept of an alternate reality where forgotten comic book characters go....
As far as this ROOBARB business, I take it that it was a popular children's show?
When I was a kid back on the farm, Ma grew rhubarb.
She made pies out of it.
I never agreed with that.
It's the stem of a weird vegetable that tastes like crap, I don't care how you cook it. My dad and my brother would eat it like candy, but to me, that was one sour pie.
Eating pie should not be masochistic.
M.P.
M.P. - This is ROOBARB:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8kax36
The Thor episode (above) is a memorable one (well, it was when you were a little kid), as was the windy day episode:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8jiqxm
Possibly Family Guy poked fun at ROOBARB's basic animation & uneven colouring, in the 'Handy quacks' episode:
https://familyguy.fandom.com/wiki/FOX-y_Lady?file=Handiquacks.png
Phillip
MP, my mother made rhubarb tarts too with plenty of sugar on the rhubarb.
Yep - rhubarb crumble evokes childhood memories for me.
Phillip
FFS MP! I make organic rhubarb pie, several of them, every year. And I only use one quarter cup of sugar, which means they are tart. Thus the combination of the tart rhubarb pie with a vanilla ice cream is just a little bit shy of ecstasy!
Also, some of the ethnics who work with me, eat it raw and dip it in sugar.
ChArlie
I’ve only had rhubarb pie as an adult and it must’ve been seriously sweetened as I thought it was quite nice.
Blue Velvet was alright, Matthew, but I started to appreciate David Lynch more a little later, with Twin Peaks: Firewalk With Me - a really under-rated film imo (possibly because its a TV spin off?) - and Lost Highway.
Its amazing how quickly Neil Gaiman rose in comics. I mean, one minute he was some guy who wrote Violent Cases, and the next he was at DC where he didn't even have to do a try out issue on a regular comic or anything, and got a three issue Prestige format series straight away.
Moore's patronage gave Jamie Delano a fairly quick route to DC, but not that meteoric. I guess Gaiman was the right man, in the right place at the right time.
Possibly starting out partnered with Dave McKean didn't hurt his chances of getting ahead in the comic biz either.
-sean
M.P., 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow' is great, but if I had to pick a fave Moore Superman story it would be the annual he did with Dave Gibbons.
Unless we're counting Supreme too. Funnily enough, Moore's work on that involved an alternative reality where old comic book characters go. No doubt Grant Morrison OBE doing something similar was a complete coincidence...
-sean
Let’s just brass tacks it: Grant Morrison is a wanker.
My local Tesco used to sell rhubarb pies, apple pies and apple & blackberry pies which were all made in Tesco's own bakery at the back of the store but now they only sell apple pies.
My Tesco already has a Christmas tree on display and it's not even Halloween yet!!
A bit harsh, Matthew. But fair.
-sean
Whatta you guys got against Morrison? I mean, I don't know the guy, he might indeed be a "wanker" as you would have it but I do like his writing.
...A bit over the top, sometimes, maybe...
Perhaps he's an acquired taste. Like rhubarb.
M.P.
*Correction: Grant Morrison MBE.
Not OBE. I got the Most Excellent Orders of the British Empire mixed up.
Apologies for any offence caused.
-sean
"His writing" M.P.? Tsk tsk. My understanding is Morrison's preferred pronoun is 'they'.
Seriously though, Morrison has an annoying persona - for some reason British Comic Writers have to have a public persona - but that wouldn't bother me if h... sorry, they backed it up with interesting, distinctive work. Admittedly though I haven't read much by them since they and Mark Millar became the new Tharg and ruined 2000AD in the early 90s, so maybe I'm willing to entertain the possibility that I am missing something.
I mean, you seem like a reasonably smart fella, Matt (no, really) so tell you what - as you rate Morrison's stuff recommend something you like by them and I'll give it a go with an open mind.
So long as it isn't the thing where he did Watchmen with the Charlton characters. I don't mind reading 21st century DC nonsense, but you've got to have some standards.
-sean
*So I'm willing to entertain the possibility...
That stray 'maybe' was actually the result of a poor edit.
(I really will keep an open mind M.P., honest)
-sean
I made an effort to read some of Morrison’s newer stuff recently: the Multiverse thing (I lasted 2 chapters and it was incomprehensible) and the Green Lantern stories (where I liked the lavish Liam Sharp art but the narrative was… well, incomprehensible).
I came away with the feeling Morrison likes to be as clever and arch as possible but cannot tell a story to save their life.
I don’t know. I might be getting old.
Fwiw Matthew, thats pretty much exactly my opinion of Morrison too. They seem like an incoherent Jamie Delano, if that makes any sense.
But like I say, I pretty gave up on their stuff around the time of the Kid Eternity mini-series and the early Invisibles, and it does seem unfair not to at least try something more recent.
Not that I have a problem with bring unfair to Morrison (their self promotion hasn't exactly worked in their favour with me). But I'll do it for M.P.
-sean
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