Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
It's July 1985 and, by an incredible coincidence, in my pocket, I have however much money it is that it costs to buy a cinema ticket in July 1985.
But what to spend it on?
That's the dilemma.
A dilemma that could tear a man's mind apart.
And just one look at what films were released that month makes it clear just why I'll be lucky to emerge with sanity intact.
After all, it was a month that unleashed such titans of entertainment as Back to the Future, The Emerald Forest, Red Sonja, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Silverado, Day of the Dead, Wetherby, Kiss of the Spider Woman and National Lampoon's European Vacation.
I'm sure those are all magnificent offerings but it goes without saying that the film released, that July, which I most want to see is something that goes by the name of Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam. I have no idea what that is but the title alone is telling at me that viewing it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I don't mention Savage Sword of Conan much in this feature but Stephen Hickman's cover has prompted me to break that habit.
This month's main story seems to be a mammoth 50-pager from Larry Hama and Rudy Nebres in which a trip to the Pictish wilderness sees Conan encounter a healer and a child who can help him rediscover lost memories.
There's also a 10-page backup in which the barbarian encounters a kingdom whose border can't be crossed without the payment of a sadistic toll.
Yet another striking Sienkiewicz cover heralds the return of the New Mutants.
Not that they ever left us.
Regardless, Sunspot and Magma are kidnapped, leading to Cannonball and Magik setting out to find them.
But the Dazzler soon discovers they've been captured for use in an underground mutant arena!
Despite his return to Earth, the Thing's comic is still going strong and visually referencing that Steve Ditko sequence in which Spidey had to lift a big thing with water dripping around him.
Inside, it's great news for all lovers of leprechauns - as The Thing is granted three wishes by them!
I'm going to assume it leads to all sorts of trouble for our hero and those around him.
And I'm going to guess, using my vast intellect and powers of observation, that Doctor Octopus may put in an appearance, this month.
Apparently, his arms are determined to break him out of prison.
Apparently, Spider-Man is out to stop them.
It's one I've picked for the elegance and simplicity of its cover.
When it comes to what happens inside it, Bill Mantlo and Butch Guice weave a thriller in which someone called Domino puts a stop to a mutiny by someone called Logic.
Also, someone called Admiral J'Rel attempts to conceal and protect someone called Pamela and Jim Drake.
But that's not all - because his daughter Raider is in jail and awaiting execution!
I'm going to guess that's her on the cover.
The name of the rat is, as yet, unknown to me.
It only seems like five minutes since the first Secret Wars ended - and here they are again, already having another one.
Anyway, it seems that, this time, the Beyonder shows up on Earth, in search of knowledge and experience.
Needless to say, this sends the planet's heroes rushing to action stations.
Rushing to such a degree that they leap into action against someone called Thundersword, who they think is the Beyonder but isn't.
I can only hope Thundersword sues them.
What on Earth's happening now?
We're getting a story called The Big Sleep, written and drawn by Rick Veitch.
Apart from that, I can reveal nothing of this mag or of its contents, other than to declare that it will run for six issues.
Who's this getting a brand new book of his own?
It's Dreadstar!
Except. as that cover might hint, it's not that brand new.
In fact, it's a reprint from 1982's Dreadstar #1 in which Oedi's origin is recapped, as Dreadstar and his gang set out to steal a big satellite.
Someone at Marvel continues to love Cloak and Dagger. And so it is that they get a brand new comic!
As far as I can make out, this month, our tortured thwarters of depravity take down a porn shop that's employing slave labour.
On top of even that, Dagger decides to visit her birth mother, after receiving information about something or other from someone called Father Delgado.
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2 comments:
Oh, quite a busy month.
I went to see Back To The Future, Mad Max 3 and Kiss Of The Spiderwoman. Though not this month as regional distribution in the Northwest meant we got things varying degrees of ‘much later’.
I watched Day of the Dead and National Lampoon on tape a few years later. I like DOTD, but not massively.
I think Back To The Future is probably my favourite out of those. It’s not a favourite film of mine but over the years I’ve come to appreciate the polish of the writing and pinpoint perfection of the comic timing. Like Beverly Hills Cop. I wasn’t crazy about it at the time but it seems like commercial lightning in a bottle now.
New Mutants!
I think this might be the point where Billy began to backslide a bit on the art and it got less refined and sort-of-photorealistic, and more scratchy and blocky. Still great though.
I have The One and would highly recommend it, Steve. It’s very perverse, very interesting and very funny. Acknowledged mild influence on Alan Moore’s superhero deconstructions.
If you can find the original issues then do, as there’s copyright -infringing usage of Beatles lyrics that are rewritten in the fairly recent collected edition.
I thought BACK TO THE FUTURE was an excellent Summer Movie — very well made, fast, funny, and smarter than I expected it to be. I remember thinking SILVERADO was likewise a big, splashy, crowd-pleasing Summer Entertainment — no idea what I’d think of it now. MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME was an epic disappointment.
Comics-wise:
Nice Hickman SAVAGE SWORD cover. I’d like it even if Conan wasn’t practically copping a feel of that Kali-esque statue :D
I bought all 6 issues of THE ONE and know that I enjoyed it at the time but don’t remember a thing about it now.
I thought Rick Leonardi was one of the more consistently interesting artists at Marvel at that time, and his stuff always looked great when inked by Terry Austin, so I bought just about every issue of CLOAK AND DAGGER that they drew. Can’t say I ever thought the basic premise or the writing was all that great.
b.t.
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