Year: 1985
Major Events:
- Frank Miller returns to Daredevil
- Dr. Doom’s ward, Kristoff, steals his identity and throne, while Clea unseats Dormammu as ruler of the Dark Dimension
- Franklin Richards gets a superhero name: Tattletale
- Tony Stark returns to being Iron Man
- Mystique goes to work for the government
- Snake-based villains unite as the Serpent Society
- The skrull race lose their ability to shape shift
- Thing becomes a professional wrestler
- Don Blake is no longer tied to Thor
- Selene becomes the Black Queen of Hellfire Club
- Savage Land destroyed
- Two creative teams permanently trade series responsibilities, immediately turning Hulk (gaining John Byrne) into a must-read and Alpha Flight (gaining Bill Mantlo and Mike Mignola) into a must-not-read
- ROM and Marvel Team-Up are cancelled
- She-Hulk goes topless
Important Deaths: Jeanne DeWolff; Obidiah Stane; Terminus; Heather Glenn (by suicide).
Best New Series: Web of Spider-Man.
Top 20 New Characters: Mostly from the eXtended X-verse…
- Longshot
- Legion
- Firestar
- Boom-Boom
- Nathaniel Summers (Cable as a baby)
- Mojo
- Strong Guy
- Nebula
- Silver Sable
- Sharon Ventura (future Ms. Marvel)
- Alistair Smythe
- Scourge
- Sin-Eater
- Nimrod
- Flag Smasher
- Asp
- Armadillo
- Madcap
- Ollie Osnick
- Talisman, daughter of Shaman
Top 10 Stories:
- Amazing Spider-Man #267
- Thor #360-362
- Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110
- Fantastic Four #275
- Amazing Spider-Man #269-370
- Fantastic Four #278-279
- Thor #357-359
- Thor #356
- Nightcrawler’s miniseries
- Incredible Hulk #314-315
PETER PARKER THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #107-110 (1985-1986): Death of Jeanne DeWolff
The story that put Peter David on the map, and one of the greatest Spider-Man stories of all time.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #264 (1985): 1st Red Nine
Written by Craig Anderson, who wrote only one other comic book (as far as I know) and drawn by Keith Cockrum’s wife (who must have known that’s why she got the job, and therefore was too embarassed to have her last name listed in the credits). When Marvel goes for a filler issue, they don’t kid around.