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Reliving the 1980s in Comics
May. 5th, 2021 08:31 pmRecently, I cashed in a lot of Amazon points (and some real cash) and bought the "Marvel Universe - Deluxe Edition" omnibus and the "Who's Who in DC" omnibus. Both are collections of character profiles from each comic book company that came out in the 1980's.
While the information is very dated, it assembles the information from the heyday of comic book reading for me. As a kid who was very much in love with comic books and enjoyed thumbing through the encyclopedias when bored, these books hit a happy place for me on multiple fronts.
One of the character changes that occurred in the 1980s that always has the flavor of the time was the transformation of Aurora, a mutant member of Alpha Flight in the Marvel Universe. She could fly at supersonic speeds, having identical powers to her twin brother and teammate Northstar. She also had multiple personalities. After an altercation with her brother regarding her behavior, she severed all ties with him. As a final "f@%k you" to him, she had her powers altered by her scientist boyfriend, so they were no longer identical to her twin's. Her flight speed was diminished to the speed of sound, but she could generate bright light, a power that usually required contact with her twin. This hair and costume change came with her new found freedom.
Aurora in the mid-1980s
This outfit is TOTALLY 80s! The hairstyle, the jagged edges of the sleeve cuffs, the short gold lame gloves and sloping edge boots -- all of them scream 80s. I particularly love the alternating thick black lines around the bursts on her costume. Sadly, this costume only looked good when drawn by artist John Byrne who designed it and subsequent artists either didn't do it justice or changed it. Artist (and gay muscle hottie) Phil Jimenez made it look good in recent years when he drew some flashbacks, but this costume is likely left in the 80s for the most part.
Still, I enjoy revisiting them in the omnibus and the trade paperback of Alpha Flight from wayback when.
While the information is very dated, it assembles the information from the heyday of comic book reading for me. As a kid who was very much in love with comic books and enjoyed thumbing through the encyclopedias when bored, these books hit a happy place for me on multiple fronts.
One of the character changes that occurred in the 1980s that always has the flavor of the time was the transformation of Aurora, a mutant member of Alpha Flight in the Marvel Universe. She could fly at supersonic speeds, having identical powers to her twin brother and teammate Northstar. She also had multiple personalities. After an altercation with her brother regarding her behavior, she severed all ties with him. As a final "f@%k you" to him, she had her powers altered by her scientist boyfriend, so they were no longer identical to her twin's. Her flight speed was diminished to the speed of sound, but she could generate bright light, a power that usually required contact with her twin. This hair and costume change came with her new found freedom.
Aurora in the mid-1980s
This outfit is TOTALLY 80s! The hairstyle, the jagged edges of the sleeve cuffs, the short gold lame gloves and sloping edge boots -- all of them scream 80s. I particularly love the alternating thick black lines around the bursts on her costume. Sadly, this costume only looked good when drawn by artist John Byrne who designed it and subsequent artists either didn't do it justice or changed it. Artist (and gay muscle hottie) Phil Jimenez made it look good in recent years when he drew some flashbacks, but this costume is likely left in the 80s for the most part.
Still, I enjoy revisiting them in the omnibus and the trade paperback of Alpha Flight from wayback when.
