Marvel and DC: Side-by-Side in 1980

1980

Doug: The '80's. The "Me Decade" was over and the Reagan era would begin. Doug spent 8 1/2 years of the decade in high school and college, got married, and by 1990 was even gainfully employed! I bought my last comic book with the offerings cover dated for May. In the world that exists in more than four colors, President Carter announced that the United States Olympic team would boycott the Moscow Summer Games, ex-Beatle John Lennon was murdered outside his Manhattan condominium, Mount St. Helens erupted, everyone who cared found out "who shot J.R.?" and The Empire Strikes Back, The Shining, and Raging Bull were at the cinema.

Karen: I'm right there with you. Went from teen-age years to adulthood in that decade. By 1988 I had graduated college and had my first 'real' job. I can readily recall John Lennon's death, the Challenger disaster, and the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake - the last one was especially significant to me, as I was living in the Bay Area at the time and felt every bit of that quake. But in 1980, I was still living at home and still reading comics...

Doug: January began with Marvels priced at 40c; by the end of this year they'd be 50c. Man, a quarter just wasn't worth what it used to be! On the spinner racks, the "Dark Phoenix Saga" began in X-Men #129 with the introduction of the Hellfire Club. The Marvel Chronicle reports that as the "Dark Phoenix Saga" came to a head in X-Men #137, the book had grown to become Marvel's 3rd-best seller behind Amazing Spider-Man and Star Wars. Anyone else out there surprised that Star Wars was in 2nd place above all other longjohn comics? I am. Speaking of Spidey, ASM #200 hit with a story about the burglar who had murdered Uncle Ben way back in Amazing Fantasy #15. As I recall, this one ended a multi-month cliffhanger with Aunt May on death's door. Did it involve Mysterio? Or was that some other multi-month cliffhanger with Aunt May at death's door? The memory fades... Dazzler debuted in X-Men #130 (the last issue of that title I bought -- duh. Totally missed the "Dark Phoenix Saga" when it was new), as Marvel missed the boat on the disco craze. She-Hulk #1 was cover-dated February and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema. She was the last major Marvel character created by Lee. In March, Epic Illustrated began publication and ran as an adult-themed (not like those adult-themed magazines) magazine overseen by Archie Goodwin.

Karen: I'm not too surprised about Star Wars selling so well; after all, it was (and still is) a huge phenomenon. I bought a few issues, but once Carmine Infantino started drawing it I lost all interest. I do fondly remember those issues of X-Men, Dazzler not withstanding. The book was electric at that time. 

 Doug: I think we'll see as we go through this year that DC was determined to avoid the pitfalls and general dismality (just made that word up) of the previous two years. One marketing technique that DC began to employ was stapling 16-page previews of upcoming releases, full color, into their leading magazines. This couldn't help but create buzz -- face it, a free comic just to get you to buy a new comic? How could a fan lose? Anyway, January saw Superboy kicked out of his own mag, as the title became simply The Legion of Super-Heroes with issue #259. Young Clark landed on his feet, however, in The New Adventures of Superboy #1. I bought that, but it was less than memorable. By this time, Superboy was firmly entrenched in my mind as a team player, and his solo adventures seemed stuck in the 1960's.

Karen: The Legion around this time really had lost the feel of a teen team, at least to me.

Doug: In the spring, the last issue of Avengers I purchased was #195, which introduced the Taskmaster. You think Wolfman and Perez ripped him off with Deathstroke the Terminator? I do -- and shoot, Perez even drew Taskmaster's debut! DC Comics Year By Year gives no entry for April-June. Nada. I thought this was going to be a better year for them?

Karen: The colors, the abilities -those two were separated at birth!

Doug: Summer's biggest event, according to The Marvel Chronicle, was the introduction of Bernie Rosenthal as a love interest for Steve Rogers in Captain America #248 by David Michelinie and John Byrne. That's it. No wait -- Foggy Nelson got married in Daredevil #166 by Frank Miller. Yeah, that's about as exciting as the first "event". DC was a bit stronger, releasing a Batman 3-issue mini, The Untold Legend of the Batman, by Len Wein, John Byrne, and Jim Aparo. I actually got a reduced-size reprint of this as a cereal giveaway after the Batman movie came out, in late '89 or 1990. DC continued to move its heroes around, looking for the best place to market them. Aquaman landed in Adventure Comics #475, oddly sharing billing with not one but two other features (Plastic Man and Starman). Similarly, the Huntress moved into the pages of Wonder Woman #271 -- both Adventure and Wonder Woman advertised 8 extra pages, and were priced at 50c.
 
Karen:Yawn. Oh excuse me....

 Doug: I'll be honest -- this is a pretty weak year overall for Marvel. In fact, outside of the first couple of months, this looks like the last 2-3 years DC has had. You want to know the big deals in the fall of '80? How about the introduction of Nathan Lubensky as a lover for Aunt May in Spectacular Spider-Man #47, Cap making a one-issue run for president in CA #250, the debut of Madame Web in ASM #210, Moon Knight #1, and the bow of the U-Foes in Incredible Hulk #254, by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema. I feel about as excitable as Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller's Day Off...

Karen: I do recall that issue of Captain America, and the U-Foes, but yeah, not a whole lot of excitement there.

Doug: But DC dropped a bomb akin to Marvel's Giant-Size X-Men #1 when Marv Wolfman's and George Perez's New Teen Titans hit the shelves cover-dated November. They had debuted as the above-mentioned color insert in the middle of DC Comics Presents #26 (Superman and Green Lantern). In that insert fans saw Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven for the first time. Old hands Robin, Kid Flash, Beast Boy (now called Changeling) and Wonder Girl were along for the ride. The original series ran 91 issues, then went into a Baxter paper series that lasted another 130 issues. Not bad. I mentioned Deathstroke the Terminator above as well -- he debuted in NTT #2. I think I'm going to have to give a slight edge to DC for 1980.

Karen: The rebirth of the Teen Titans was huge. Finally, it felt like DC had something that could really compete with Marvel. That series had it all -great stories, character development, new characters and new realms to explore, and of course that gorgeous George Perez art. I was hooked, despite my long-time Marvel Zombie affliction. I was still more of an X-Men fan, but by the time Byrne left that title, my enthusiasm for it waned. I think I was with Teen Titans for at least the first three years of its run. Definitely a high point for 80s comics.