2000 AD - December 1985.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon .  *** J ust what wonders did the cinemas of the world contain as the year of 1985 approached its icy death? Among other treats, they contained  Young Sherlock Holmes , The Jewel of the Nile , Clue , Legend , Brazil , The Color Purple , Out of Africa, A Chorus Line , Enemy Mine and Revolution . Some of those films, I've seen. And some of those films, I've not. Of the ones I've experienced, I would say  Jewel in the Nile was the one I enjoyed most, although I must confess The Color Purple may be slightly more culturally significant. On the UK singles chart, December launched with Wham's I'm Your Man gripping the top spot. However, that was soon forced to recede by Whitney Houston's Saving All My Love for You which then had to make way for the festive feast of fun-filled frivolity that was Shakin' Stevens' Merry Christmas, Everyone . Truly, there was no stopping the Shakester in the 1980s. When it came to LPs, December began with Now That's What I Call Music! 6 ruling the UK roost before that made way for the only record that was ever going to beat it. And that record was Now - the Christmas Album , although, strangely, as Christmas hit us, Now That's What I Call Music! 6 reclaimed the top spot to depart the year, once more, supreme. And is there news of the galaxy's greatest comic ? There is indeed. It was still feeding us a diet of Strontium Dog , Sláine , Judge Dredd , Rogue Trooper and The Mean Team .  But there was some innovation. After all, that month, the comic gave us the power of You Are Sláine - T omb of Terror which seems to have been a Fighting Fantasy type game involving dice and life-or-death decision-making. Did Sláine tend to do a lot of decision-making? My main recollection of him is that, whenever there was trouble, he'd just Hulk-out and hack the trouble to pieces. Strangely, despite DR and Quinch dominating the cover of December's final issue, all indications are that they don't actually appear inside it.