Tuesday, 8 July 2025

Forty years ago today - July 1985.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon
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Come, let us descend into the maelstrom and see what awaits us there.

Thor #357

I don't think anything much happens in this one, apart from Thor and Frigga hanging around with some kids, and Sif and Beta Ray Bill hanging around with each other in New York.

Fantastic Four #280

Speaking of that city; not for the first time in their lives, the people of it have turned against the Fantastic Four.

And this time, it's the fault of Psycho Man who not only performs that act of vile iniquity but uses his powers to turn the Invisible Woman against the rest of the team!

The Uncanny X-Men #195

It's not just Thor who's hanging around with kids, this month.

So are our favourite mutants, in the X-Men/Power Pack crossover I'm sure someone somewhere must have dreamt of.

Anyway, for reasons I don't recall, the Power Packsters' parents forget who they are and this leads the youngsters into the clutches of the Morlocks beneath the streets of New York.

Surely, only the X-Men can rescue them now!

The Spectacular Spider-Man #104

It's the return we've all prayed for, as the Rocket Racer is back! He just needs to commit one last job to pay his family's debts.

The only problem is there's a bounty hunter out to get him.

The Incredible Hulk #309

I'm struggling to recall just what happens in this one. I think the Hulk and a trio of odd little creatures are stuck in a desert while, for the first time in ages, the green one starts to show some signs of intelligence.

Captain America #307

Nomad decides to get a job but his first day at work is interrupted by a villain called Madcap who literally can't be hurt and causes nothing but chaos wherever he goes.

The Avengers #257

Terminus is also causing no end of chaos. And he's doing it in the Savage Land. He can, however, be hurt, as he discovers when he encounters the fists of Hercules.

Meanwhile, in space, Captain Marvel has an eventful day, as she - and - we meet Nebula for the first time.

Daredevil #220

It's not a great evening for Matt Murdock - nor for Heather Glenn who kills herself when he rejects her.

Meanwhile, it turns out her apartment was robbed shortly after that, and the Man Without Fear sets out to bring the crooks to justice.

Conan the Barbarian #172

The barbarian takes on a tribe of Picts who are not noticeably Scottish and have kidnapped the father of the latest distressed damsel Conan's decided to come to the rescue of.

The Amazing Spider-Man #266

I think we've all wondered what would happen if Marvel's various amphibian-based villains battled each other and, this month, we get a partial answer, as the Toad and Frog-Man get jealous of each other's, "friendship," with Spider-Man.

It can only mean a scrap between the pair. One that's then joined by Spider-Kid.

Happily, by the tale's end, the trio are all friends and have decided to form a brand new super-team together.

Iron Man #196

How many Iron Men does one story need?

Seemingly, three because that's what we get when when the armour Rhodey abandoned in last issue's strange dimension is possessed by something called Omnos who comes to Earth, looking to return it to its rightful owner.

Elsewhere, Dr Demonicus gets his hands on another discarded suit of Iron Man's armour and then gets into a fight with Omnos.

Needless to say, all this unauthorised Shellhead action leads Tony Stark to don another suit of armour, in a bid to sort it all out.

3 comments:

Matthew McKinnon said...

As usual, only the Thor and DD out of these.

That DD is a classic cover - Marvel used it for their 2000s reprint of Mazzuchelli's stories. Stories which, I might add, are well-overdue for collecting again properly at some point soon.

And a really good story. Denny O'Neill pulled it out of the bag for this one. Possibly the grimmest story since Frank Miller left, and another terrible burden of guilt for Matt Murdock to carry around. Going to dig this out and re-read tonight.

Anonymous said...

Of this group, I only bought the DAREDEVIL. I just vaguely remember Heather’s suicide, which is weird. You’d think it would have made a bigger impression on me, that’s pretty heavy.

b.t.

Anonymous said...

Likewise, just DD for. That Mazzuchelli cover is fantastic and a real indicator of what is to come. Im surprised that Heather's suicide was as late as this. Without checking I'd have placed it in MIller's run (I think she exited stage left during the Elektra era).

DW