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Looking for the best series in/around 1985

Started by Reno McCoy,

16 posts in this topic

Reno McCoy

Reno McCoy

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So I've begun to buy and read comics that I either read as a kid, or those that I should've read. I've started buying from the summer of '85 because that's the first year I got into superhero books.

 

Right now, I've picked up Avengers, UXM, ASM, X-Factor, and Daredevil, primarily because those are the books that I focused on growing up (I need to add Batman and Detective, but I'm having a hard time finding someone to sell me a run from this era).

 

Anyway, what titles am I missing? What else was really good at the time?

 

For example, I've heard that the Simonson run on Thor is great, but I don't know why or if the entire run is great, or just certain key issues.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated, but for now, I'm looking for superhero books only. :shy:

 

Here's a handy link to all the book published in July 1985: http://www.dcindexes.com/timemachine/gallery.php?site=&year=1985&month=7&order=alpha&type=calendar

 

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sakaridis

sakaridis

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The entire Simonson run in Thor is Fantastic. You should definitely check it out. :cloud9:

 

Other suggestions (I'm keeping it strictly Marvel/DC, as you said you're looking only for superhero books at the moment):

 

- All-Star Squadron & Infinity Inc.. Personal favorites but not everyone's cup of tea. A love for DC's rich history might help. Very interesting early McFarlane art.

 

- Alpha Flight. The final issues of the Byrne run are in 1985.

 

- Ambush Bug #1-4. Superhero parody, but still...

 

- Batman & Detective. Great stories by Doug Moench.

 

- Batman and The Outsiders. Great stories by Mike Barr. Superb artwork by Aparo and then Alan Davis.

 

- Crisis On Infinite Earths. Duh!

 

- Green Lantern. Len Wein & Dave Gibbons. Probably the best Green Lantern stories ever. (Yes, better than the O'Neil/Adams GL/GA!)

 

- Legion of Super-Heroes. Some of the best stories in Legion history are from early/mid-80 period.

 

- New Mutants. A steady, dependable superhero book.

 

- New Teen Titans. As long as Wolfman is writing it, it's good, even if Perez isn't pencilling.

 

- Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man. Peter David's great run starts exactly in the period you mention!

 

- Swamp Thing. It's not exactly a superhero book (though it definitely has some superhero moments), but it's published by DC and it's written by Alan Moore at the top of his game. What more do you want? :grin:

 

I also like the Superman titles of the period, as well as the pre-Crisis Wonder Woman issues, but I realize that this is not an opinion shared by the majority of readers. :P

 

There are five other titles that simply must be mentioned:

- Nexus

- DNAgents

- Elementals

- Miracleman

- Zot!

 

These are not by Marvel or DC but, by any definition, they are superhero books and, in my opinion, they are among the best of the era (or any era)!

 

Happy hunting and even happier reading.

 

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Reno McCoy

Reno McCoy

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Count me in for some Peter David Peter Parker. How long did his run last? I can look it up, I suppose, but I'd rather hear about how great it is and how the series turned out after he left...

 

I've got the Swamp Thing books in hardcover, but I'll be reading that as I'm devouring these others.

 

As far as Thor goes, is that something I should jump on from the beginning of Simonson's run, or do you think hopping on in the middle of '85 would work just as well? I know he turns into a frog or something, and I'd hate to jump in the middle of that one...

 

I've heard that Batman/Outsiders is a great one, but you know, I didn't even think about Aparo. That alone should make me pick it up.

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Sal

Sal

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Well, American Flagg! would be perfect, because 1985 is the last year Chaykin did the writing, pencilling & inking. Plus the last ish of the year is an Alan Moore story.

 

Although, you should probably pretend that you were buying back issues in '85, as the series started in '83 and the 1st ten issues are the best

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Sal

Sal

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Oh, and Rick Veitch's "The One". It's a mini, so you won't be too invested if you hate it.

 

Peter Bagge's "Neat Stuff".

 

For giggles, you could watch DC haplessly blow up the Justice League, replace it with a Rainbow Coalition of terrible characters and then try to add back some of the classic members only to just say &*&* it in 1987 and reboot the damn thing.

 

 

Also, you could see how many issue of "The DC Challenge!" you can stomach. This is a series that is like a game of comic-book-telephone, because the writer changed with each issue and no one had a clue where the damn thing was going. It makes Secret Wars II look like Maus

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sakaridis

sakaridis

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Count me in for some Peter David Peter Parker. How long did his run last? I can look it up, I suppose, but I'd rather hear about how great it is and how the series turned out after he left...

 

I've got the Swamp Thing books in hardcover, but I'll be reading that as I'm devouring these others.

 

As far as Thor goes, is that something I should jump on from the beginning of Simonson's run, or do you think hopping on in the middle of '85 would work just as well? I know he turns into a frog or something, and I'd hate to jump in the middle of that one...

 

I've heard that Batman/Outsiders is a great one, but you know, I didn't even think about Aparo. That alone should make me pick it up.

 

About Thor, yes, you should definitely start at the beginning of Simonson's run (#337) and go all the way!

 

Peter David started in SSM #103 and ended his run in #123. I think there may be a couple of fill-in issues throughout. It was a spectacular run (pardon the pun) with the "Death Of Jean De Wolff story (#107-110) being the highlight and probably one the top 4-5 Spider-Man stories ever. The title definitely went downhill after David left and didn't pick up until DeMatteis started in the early 90s, IMHO.

 

Batman & The Outsiders is a really great and very underrated title, and the same goes for most of Mike Barr's work. He also had a sweet (but really short) run on Detective with Alan Davis, a couple of years later.

 

I second the recommendations for Flagg!, The One, and Neat Stuff, that other boardies gave. I just didn't mention them because I assumed you were looking for more traditional superhero stuff.

 

But if you decide to "branch out", don't forget to give Love & Rockets a try, as well. (thumbs u

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Reno McCoy

Reno McCoy

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Oh, I've read Love & Rockets. Great, great series.

 

It's not that I'm dissing or skipping anything that's not super heroes, but for the most part, I've done GI Joe, Star Wars, Conan, etc, and I want to read up on the spandex stories I missed.

 

Now, however, I've already decided to scoot back to the early part of '84 and read from there, when the Copper Age actually began.

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Stryfe1000

Stryfe1000

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Anything Marvel-Mutant related in the 80's was great and well worth digging out so I'll agree with Sakaridis and recommend that you should add New Mutants to your list.

 

Same goes for BronzeHorrors recommendation for Hellblazer and Swamp Thing.

 

Ostander's Suicide Squad is also well worth picking up (Although that was 1987). Fairly simplistic and run of the mill super-(Anti) heroing but an enjoyable mix of characters.

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ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

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Well, American Flagg! would be perfect, because 1985 is the last year Chaykin did the writing, pencilling & inking. Plus the last ish of the year is an Alan Moore story.

 

Although, you should probably pretend that you were buying back issues in '85, as the series started in '83 and the 1st ten issues are the best

Agreed on that. Those first ten issues were something,and if I remember correctly didn`t Alan Moore write back up stories for Flagg?

250px-AmericanFlagg_no1_300px.jpg

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Zaitsev

Zaitsev

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I'll always suggest reading Batman:The Dark Knight Returns, & the Punisher mini series. (They were released in 1986.) Great stories and art on both accounts in my opinion, although the Miller/Varley artwork/colors on TDKR might be more of an acquired taste.

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