1984 8

This is the first issue of 1984 I ever owned. The cover is by Jim Laurier. The aliens featured in one of the spaceships on this cover would get a cover dedicated to themselves on Creepy 119 in 1981.

First is "Painters Mountain" by Alex Nino (art) and the team of Bill Dubay & Budd Lewis (story). The star of the story, Painter is a man who grows a distaste of the tribe he lives with and leaves them. He forms his own society but realizes that his old tribe is in danger. He tries to warn them, but they ignore him and are all killed by a mass flood.

Next is "All You Need is Love" the first part of the 'Herma' series. Art is by Jose Gonzalez and story is by Bill Dubay. The Herma series was originally drawn by Jose Gonzalez about five years before this issue and was published first in Europe. It features a frozen warrior woman, Herma being discovered who is thawed out and comes back to life. This being 1984, naturally Herma is obsessed with sex and sleeps with anyone she sees, man or woman. At the end of the story a sultan captures her to be one of his many wives. Gonzalez's art is quite good here, with lots and lots of naked beautiful women

The finale of "Twilight's End" is third, with art by Rudy Nebres and story by Jim Stenstrum (credited to Alabaster Redzone). Zev heads back to rescue Rena, whose colony of Enlighteneds has been completely destroyed and overtaken by the Throwbacks. A fellow observer suddenly arrives and reveals the truth, that Zev is a human being, and that humans have become so evolved that the Supreme Being of the universe seeked to wipe them out. Zev was used to see if humans could hide themselves in a primitive world. While he succeeded, it is too late and humanity, including Zev and his fellow observer are wiped out. This series ended up being quite a lot better than I originally expected it, particularly this very good final segment.

Fourth is the finale of "Mutant World" by Richard Corben (art) and Jan Strnad (story). Dimento gets tricked once again by a pair of fellow mutants who try to steal his food. He meets his lady friend, Julie (finally named for the first time here), but it ends up that she is actually a clone of the real Julie, who is long gone. Dimento gets to have sex with her, and the series ends once and for all. Overall this was a rather slow moving series, but put all 8 parts together and as a whole it ended up being pretty good. The art was quite nice throughout and featured a vast range of bizarre Corben creatures.

Fifth is part two of "Ghita of Alizarr" by Frank Thorne (art & story). Ghita and Thenef recruit a new ally, a half troll called Dahib. The three of them find some armor for Ghita and using Khan Dagon's sword, battle a number of trolls. Not as good a segment as the first in this series from a story standpoint. Thorne's art continues to be interesting and unique however.

Sixth is "Madmen and Messiahs" by Abel Laxamana and Bill Dubay (story). A so-so story featuring a future Earth where of all people... Ted Kennedy!?!?!? is President. The government has gone out of control and the people have decided to rebel. In the end it ends up that the main character is Kennedy's own nephew, but is killed off by the soldiers.

The issue wraps up with "Once Upon a Holocaust" by Alex Nino (art) and the team of Nicola Cuti & Bill Dubay (story). In a post apocalyptic world a soldier, Zero leads another soldier, Hardtack into a cryogenics lab where the only 3 women left in the world rest in suspended animation. Hardtack screws up on thawing one of the women, killing her, but the other two come out alive. Zero kills Hardtack so the women will be just his, but the truth is soon revealed, that it was all for nothing as they are both androids!