Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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I can sensationally declare that I haven't seen a single film that came out in January 1985. I have, though, heard of most of the January 1985 releases I'm about to list. And those films are The Plague Dogs, Too Scared to Scream, Blood Simple and The Falcon and the Snowman.
Given my total ignorance, I shall make no attempt to rank them and shall, instead, get on with contemplating just what we'll find if we look at a random selection of Marvel mags bearing that month's cover date.
In it, our heroine's captured by SHIELD who fear she'll become as big a menace as her less popular cousin.
However, somewhere along the way, a bunch of intelligent cockroaches attack the Helicarrier, and She-Hulk gets exposed to enough radiation to prevent her ever becoming Jennifer Walters again.
It does that because the Enchantress sets out to capture them and they find themselves separated from each other on Asgard where they must reunite, find their bearings, defeat the villainess and set out to rescue Storm.
If so, that's a bit of a shock, bearing in mind she only lost her abilities a couple of months ago. I'd always assumed she endured a substantial length of time before regaining them.
This thrilling tome seems to centre around chaos breaking out at the Marvel offices when a whole bunch of super-heroes and villains turn up and have a brawl.
It seems to be an Alan Zelenetz/Charles Vess tale in which a flighty Asgardian must find his courage and retrieve a Raven Banner from the trolls who've captured it. If he doesn't, the whole of Asgard will fall prey to mighty giants.
I'm not sure why possession of a banner would make any difference to such a thing. But Asgardians, they're a strange bunch.
It seems the town of Venture Ridge has been isolated from the rest of the humanity, by a mighty forcefield.
But not to fear, because the wishes of Holly-Ann Ember are able to summon the above-mentioned heroines to the rescue.
Interesting to see Storm in her original costume. Can this have significance?
I can shed no light upon the contents of this one, other than to reveal that its story's called The Witch Queen of Acheron.
But, then, you probably noticed that, from looking at the cover.
In this month's adventure, Selene and Emmanuel Da Costa join the Hellfire Club, Sunspot consumes Colossus, Aletys brings Magneto to his island, and Mirage and Cannonball discover that Wolfsbane and Sunspot have the powers of Cloak and Dagger!
But will we like them?
It seems they attend a Lila Cheney concert. Only for Lila to be attacked by an alien who teleports her and Cannonball to a Dyson sphere.
But what's this? The devious Lila is trying to steal the Earth!?! You wouldn't get that kind of behaviour from Taylor Swift.
And that's why Taylor Swift doesn't have a Marvel comic.
At least, I'm assuming she doesn't.
Thinking about it, she probably does.
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21 comments:
I saw BLOOD SIMPLE in the theatre and thought it was stylish and well-made but rather cold and uninvolving. I regret to say I feel the same way about most of the Coen Brothers’ subsequent movies. I do like RAISING ARIZONA, FARGO and TRUE GRIT. I need to re-watch MILLER’S CROSSING.
I think I may have seen FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN but have just the faintest memories of it. David Bowie’s song “This Is Not America” must have gotten a lot of airplay on MTV because that was literally the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the movie’s title here just now.
I had the SHE-HULK GN. My one memory of it is the page where a scientist regretfully tells her she’s stuck in her She-Hulk form forever and she responds, “What’s the bad news?” or something to that effect.
I remember being impressed by Arthur Adams’ art on the NEW MUTANTS and X-MEN annuals at the time, but must not have revisited them much since then, as I can’t recall anything about them. Like, ZERO. It’s weird.
b.t.
BT -
I saw Blood Simple probably that year as it was on TV almost immediately. It went down a storm with me and my teenage friends. I haven't seen it for a while now.
I also vaguely remember The Falcon & The Snowman [which sounds like a comic book team-up] but very very vaguely - probably a late night TV thing from the 80s.
That issue of New Mutants is the only I one I bought [or even saw].
Two NM specials as well! That Claremont really churned them out. Only Tom King these days can match him for workload.
Old Charlie may have seen one of these covers, but, regrettably, never read any of the innards.
Falcon and Snowman... I think the reviews were basically "above average." Saw it on the tv maybe in the past couple years. Seemed quite good for that medium.
Most likely though, in the USA, as BT has mentioned, the movie is probably remembered for BOWIE's THIS IS NOT AMERICA.
Charlie asked Mrs. Charlie if she remembered either. The film vaguely but the song absolutely.
BOWIE was an enigmatic dude here in the USA at least in the midwest, A solid "B+ / A-" level name over several years who bust out with the album "LETS DANCE."
Charlie pondered the context for that a bit. It came out after the STONES "TATTOO YOU" album, perhaps just after the WHO'S "IT's HARD" and in the middle of the 2nd BRITISH INVASION. It certainly had a NEW WAVE feel about it though he used actual instruments and not synth.
And somewhere in all that he teamed up with MICK JAGGER, FREDDIE MERCURY, and BING CROSBY.
And then he had BLUE JEAN the song. And then he had THIS IS NOT AMERICA. (Or vice-versa) and then he was gone. Then he was gone. I kinda miss him.
(Did he ever do anything with McCartney?)
Charlie, Bowie never did anything with McCartney. Only with Lennon.
Charlie, Bowie also reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975 with the song FAME.
Nobody has mentioned that the cover of the X-Men annual is a homage to Journey Into Mystery #83 which featured the first ever appearance of the Mighty Thor in 1962.
That X-Men annual also has a very crowded corner-box featuring 14 heads!
Well, not having seen any of those films, and not having any of those comics, my contribution to today's discussion looks to be minimal! Several have mentioned "This is not America"- that's the only thing that struck home with me. Very nice, very cool song- Bowie teaming with the Pat Metheny Group. Charlie noted Bowie's penchant for collaborating with other big names; the results of those teamings generally seemed pretty successful. Indeed, I bought the 45s of each one Charlie named, and "Falcon" as well- but oddly never bought a Bowie solo single. Go figure...
Bowie just seemed enigmatic to me… quiet, aloof, private… at least here in the Chicago.
ChRlie
I know this should ideally go on a 70s comics post, but by the time that rolls around again I might have forgotten.
Anyone else seen these?
https://www.fantagraphics.com/products/lost-marvels-vol-1-tower-of-shadows?srsltid=AfmBOooEfJWpsvm53d36FaWnbM_02OrBeRsNGyx2qP48vLJ2D2yhE5p1
https://www.fantagraphics.com/products/lost-marvels-no-2-howard-chaykin-vol-1-dominic-fortune-monark-starstalker-and-phantom-eagle?srsltid=AfmBOopQ5yENT_z0QTRhEkNphXcvlZrvk6pWoa_9stpZv-TzprLGKArw
Bowie - enigmatic, quiet, aloof (aloft...in the loft! ), private:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54MEWWIiIk8
Phillip
Matthew - Art-wise, Dominic Fortune's podgy face on that cover isn't good. It's like Brendan Fraser's Oscar-bait weight gain, for a role, a few years back. Chaykin can - and has - done a lot better than that!
Phillip
Like Redartz, I can't really comment on this bunch. I haven't watched the Plague Dogs film, but I did read the book! The pooches thought they'd find sanctuary on London's Isle of Dogs!
As regards the Marvel Age cover, I like Kerry Gammill's Powerman & Iron Fist, but that cover could be much better, as certain poses 'jar'. Daredevil & the Scarlet Witch's leg poses, for example!
Phillip
I was excited at first about the Chaykin LOST MARVELS collection — Dominic Fortune! MONARK FLIPPIN’ STARSTALKER!!! And then I read the fine print. Hmm. The Amazon solicitation is worded in a way that sounds like the book might not include the first two (b/w) Fortune stories, and maybe not the painted back-up stories from Marvel’s THE HULK! mag either. I didn’t care much for the MAX Fortune mini-series, and could care less about the Phantom Flying-Guy thing. I’ll wait til we get a concrete listing of the contents before ordering . If the collection doesn’t include the 2 b/w stories and the painted back-ups, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass…
b.t.
Steve, Marvel Graphic Novels are cover dated by year, and I think you've basically listed all the ones from 1985 in a single post. Not sure how Mike's World of Comics comes up with a specific month - count a few months on from the on-sale date maybe? - but the site lists #15: The Raven Banner under August. It definitely didn't come out in January (or earlier) because I recall getting it in the summer, and it hadn't been around for long.
I was keen to get Raven Banner because the artwork was by Charles Vess, in full colour (and very nice it is too). His approach to Asgard and all that is much more Arthur Rackham than Jack Kirby, and writer Alan Zelentz' is trying for something not unlike the kind of thing Neil Gaiman would do later. Not with quite the same feel for myth as Gaiman, but by no means bad.
So despite a single panel cameo of Thor and the Warriors Three, and Hela turning up at one point in her classic headgear and stuff, the book is not very Marvel.
One of the few Marvel Graphic Novels worth tracking down if you haven't read it, up there with Starstruck, and that Dr Strange/Dr Doom one drawn by Mike Mignola.
-sean
*...the book is not very Marvel. And all the better for it!
Apologies. Somehow that last bit went missing when I posted the comment, so it didn't quite add up.
-sean
-sean
Aaand I signed off twice there. Duh.
b.t., On the subject of Asgard, it's easy to forget details about that X-Men annual as not much happens. Or rather, too much happens.
Its a weird one, as there's a lot of different sub-plots - Storm and Loki, Rachel Summers becoming (a) Phoenix, Ilyanna getting more into magic, Danni Moonstar doing the Valkyrie thing - so its all over the place. Its as if Claremont was just setting up character arcs and future storylines. Surely not, eh?
I'd probably have enjoyed it more if I liked Art Adams' artwork. He puts quite a lot of effort in, so I can see why people are into it. But personally I find the results a bit stiff and awkward.
Oh dear, I commented about Claremont and the X-Men under the last post too, didn't I?
What is wrong with me?
-sean
Charlie, those Bowie team ups you mentioned we're terrible. The Spurs of collaborations, if you will. Whereas on This Is Not America - as Redartz notes below (well done, Red) - Bowie worked with Pat Metheny, the musical equivalent of playing for Arsenal.
Which is why it was his best record between the Scary Monsters album in 1980, and his swan song Blackstar.
-sean
Yes, same here. It’s 256 pages and 111 of those are the Ennis story, and at least another 80 or so the 21st century MAX Dominic Fortune story. So not really the treasure trove of vintage Chaykin I was hoping for.
Matthew:
I just realized there’s no mention of the cool Starlin / Chaykin Nick Fury story from MARVEL SPOTLIGHT either.
Massive missed opportunity.
b.t.
Sean, I don't generally get my cover date info from Mike's World of Comics. I mostly use the Grand Comics Database:
https://www.comics.org/publisher/78/monthly_covers_pub_date/year/1985/month/1/
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