Still More 80s Movies 4

Liked It

1. Flashpoint (1984)

Two U.S. Border Patrol officers discover a lot of money in the desert.  The script was well written, and anchored by standout performances by Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams.  If you can overlook a couple plot holes it's very good.

Bonus points for the Tangerine Dream soundtrack.

2. Shaolin Drunkard (1983)

Hong Kong kung fu cinema at its weirdest.  Sometimes the comedy in this type of movie is too "Chinese" to be accessible to Western audiences, but this one is right on the money.  Fight choreographer Yuan Woo-ping would go on to choreograph Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Matrix films and Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2.

For me the highlight of this movie was the practical effects, which are extremely inventive.  It's silly, sure, but doing things like the magic battles on a smaller budget isn't easy.

3. Angel (1984)

Prep school student by day, streetwalker by night.  Angel treads a thin line between exploitation and a heartfelt story of a girl's lost innocence, and even though it doesn't always walk this line successfully it's definitely entertaining.  In my opinion the scenes that venture into John Waters territory make up for the parts of the movie that don't quite work.

4. Tough Enough (1983)

Dennis Quaid stars as an aspiring musician who enters the Toughman competition.  It's a solid sports drama, though I get why it wasn't a big hit at the time.  In many ways it's very backward-looking, with the soundtrack and working class cowboy theme recalling several hits of the late 70s.

5. Wildcats (1986)

Goldie Hawn coaches varsity football in an inner city school.  With the NFL preseason underway I was happy to stumble upon this one.  Good performances, a solid story, and its heart in the right place.

Critics hated this film.  It's far from perfect, but I think that those revisiting it will find a lot to like.  Sure, Hawn had kind of done this role in Private Benjamin years before, but she did it well in both movies.

Fun Fact: This was Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes' first film.

6. Tuff Turf (1985)

James Spader contends with school bullies.  I like to imagine this movie happening somewhere in the background of the Double Dragon video game, with the Lee Brothers advancing through the various levels as James Spader and Kim Richards' characters attempt to realize their star-crossed love in a nearby alley.

Fun Fact 1: Robert Downey (Jr.) is also in Tuff Turf.  At one point Spader leaves "The Warehouse" and you can see "The New Avengers" spray painted on the wall next to the exit.

Fun Fact 2: Kim Richards and her sister Kylie are now better known for their roles on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

7. Hawk the Slayer (1980)

Hell YES Hawk the Slayer!  It's got:

• A brooding hero with Members Only hair.
• Bad guys who look like they're surfing a New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
• A synth-driven disco soundtrack.
• A sweet, sweet sword.
• A villain played by none other than Jack Palance, who'd already played this same character in countless Westerns.

Is it Conan the Barbarian?  Perish the thought!  Is it Excalibur?  Not even close!  But just the same Hawk the Slayer has a lot to recommend it, and I think if you're in the right mood it'll put a smile on your face.

8. Force: Five (1981)

An elite team of martial arts badasses take on a cult.  It's basically Enter the Dragon remade for the 80s, and the karate/kung fu mayhem it represents made me nostalgic for the days of throwing stars, nunchucks and Inside Kung Fu.  The most famous guy in Force: Five is probably Benny ("The Jet") Urquidez, who appeared in two of Jackie Chan's films.

Fun Fact: The character "Ken" in the Street Fighter video game series was modeled on Joe Lewis, the star of Force: Five.

9. Silent Rage (1982)

Small town sheriff Chuck Norris squares off against an unkillable maniac.  Silent Rage isn't nearly as good as The Delta Force, that height of 80s action cheese, but as Chuck Norris movies go it ranks near the top.  Ramping up the sex and violence was the right move, and the story works without needing Norris to emote.

10. Demons (1985)

Just what you'd expect from anything stamped "Argento," though he only wrote the screenplay.  In Demons several people attend a film screening wherein all hell -- literally -- breaks loose.  Those who enjoy giallo's trademark gore, stunningly beautiful women and dreamlike chase sequences will find plenty to like in Demons.

Fun Fact: This was directed by Lamberto Bava, Mario Bava's son.

11. Demons 2 (1986)

Demons or Demons 2?  It's a close race between them.  Demons takes place in a movie theater, while Demons 2 takes place in a high-rise.  Demons 2 is more inventive in some ways, while Demons has a more cohesive plot.

Actress Asia Argento, Dario Argento's daughter, was only 10 when they filmed this movie.  From #MeToo, to allegations of sexual assault, to signing a petition on Roman Polanski's behalf, to a doomed relationship with Anthony Bourdain -- she's had quite a history.

12. Gregory's Girl (1981)

Young and extremely Scottish people search for love.  It feels a lot like something that would have aired on the BBC at some point, but the characters' pointed awkwardness will probably remind you of yourself at that age -- assuming you're not that old right now.

Warning to North Americans: You'll need the subtitles on for this one.  Those are some thick accents.

It Was... OK

13. Irreconcilable Differences (1984)

Sure, Shelley Long, just invite Sharon Stone to live with you and your movie husband, Ryan O'Neal.  I'm sure he won't bang her.

The biggest problem with this movie is that after the first ten minutes the remainder is a foregone conclusion.  Ambitious young white people fall in love, have a kid, pursue careers, become estranged, etc., etc., etc.  There's no room left to be surprised by this movie, tongue in cheek as it is, and thus no dramatic tension.

Add to this the fact that there's almost zero chemistry between the two leads, and what's worse their relationship (or lack thereof) with their child, played by Drew Barrymore, is never really demonstrated in the movie. 

No, Irreconcilable Differences isn't terrible, but it is deeply unsatisfying.  If they'd leaned into the comedy more it could have been good, but instead they chose "dramedy," and that path didn't work at all.  Weirdly enough, Ryan O'Neal makes this point in the very film that demonstrates it.

14. Deep Space (1988)

Equal parts The Blob and Alien, this horror confection is formulaic enough to be fun, and nonsensical enough to be interesting.  Gotta love how various individuals just remove biological material (i.e. "space monster eggs") from a crash site without really thinking about the implications.

Deep Space is similar in some respects to 1979's The Dark, which was also reviewed here recently.  Was psychics warning detectives about future events some kind of thing in the late 70s/early 80s?  Maybe so.

15. Mortuary (1982?  1983?)

Bonus points for Bill Paxton, but this slasher film is fairly derivative.  It would have been better if they hadn't shied away from the sex and violence so much, and instead doubled down on the more disturbing elements in the story.

What would have happened to "Christy" if she'd been injected with that embalming fluid?  Could have been a memorable scene...

Didn't Like It

16. Intruder (1989)

Slasher movie set in a supermarket.  Given the number of people working in the store, you wouldn't think that the killer would be such a problem, but hey, slasher movie logic.

Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell all make brief appearances in Intruder.  Don't think that's some kind of seal of quality, however.  In 1989 Sam Raimi wasn't the hot commodity he would later become.

17. Black Eagle (1988)

America's favorite ninja master Sho Kosugi struggles mightily with the English language while Jean-Claude Van Damme panders to the female gaze.  The real issue with this movie is that the first 3/4 of it are crushingly boring, and the showdown between Kosugi and Van Damme near the end is a huge letdown.

This film was released the same year as Van Damme's breakthrough movie Bloodsport, but just the same it's JCVD before his career really got going.  In this respect Black Eagle's a lot like the following year's Cyborg, in that JCVD's particular formula hadn't been discovered quite yet.  Post-Kickboxer?  Yeah, that's when he was more of a presence in the industry.

Fun Fact: Sho Kosugi's first screen appearance was as an extra in The Godfather Part II.

18. Dreams Don't Die (1982)

Higher production values in this TV movie, but it's really boring.  A graffiti artist tries to win his girlfriend back from the local drug dealer, and you can probably guess the rest.  None of the actors/actresses are especially convincing in their roles, though Paul Winfield does a good job as a beat cop who tries to teach the kids the error of their ways.

I... Have... Regrets...

19. Zone Troopers (1985)

Somehow this movie makes even less sense than Intruder (above).  Some World War II types (the least soldierly soldiers to ever soldier) run into aliens behind enemy lines in Italy.  You might recognize Tim Thomerson or Art LaFleur from other movies they've done since, but this one is very, very boring.

Why go all the way to Italy to film this nonsense?  Was someone laundering money?

20. Terminus (1987)

Some dude with a robot hand drives a supertruck around the more rural parts of France.  Oh, and Karen Allen's in this one for a bit, until she's not.

The most annoying part has to be the supertruck's onboard computer, which chatters on without adding much to the plot.

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Movies and Memories

A Big Month for Superhero Movies

Still More 80s Movies 3

1. Christmas Evil (a.k.a. "You Better Watch Out" and "Terror in Toyland") (1980)

The Premise: Slasher Claus is coming to town.

Overall: It's not a bad movie, but it could have been a lot better.  That scene in the beginning, the killer's relationship with his brother, his fixation on Santa Claus, the ending -- all of these things could have had a lot more impact.  It's hard to tell whether this one was hacked to death in the editing room, if the budget wasn't up to the task, or if those financing the film lacked faith in the film or its audience.  Whatever the case, a reboot of this film could do really well.

Fun Fact: Brandon Maggart, the star of this movie, was also a big star on Broadway.  He's been nominated for many, many awards, and he also happens to be Fiona Apple's father.

2. Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)

The Premise: Four small town vigilantes attempt to avoid their just desserts in the guise of a scarecrow.

Overall: An excellent movie.  There are a lot of great character actors in this one, and their performances bring a concisely written script into focus.

Fun Fact: The director of this made-for-TV film, Frank De Felitta, also wrote the novel upon which 1978's The Entity was based.

3. Secret Admirer (1985)

Back in 85 ten year old me would've been all about Lori Laughlin.  In 2025?  I'd pick Kelly Preston's mom.

The Premise: The good 'ol 80s love triangle.  She's into him but he's into her best friend.  The complication here is the lovers' parents, who engage in their own silliness after an anonymous love letter is circulated between them.

Overall: An extremely forgettable film.  I'm guessing it wasn't played on cable much due to a distinct lack of boobies.

Where Are They Now?: C. Thomas Howell currently appears in the Netflix series Obliterated.  Four years after Secret Admirer he married Rae Dawn Chong (daughter of Tommy Chong!), though they were divorced a year later.

Kelly Preston passed away in 2020.  The last of her movies released during her lifetime was 2018's Gotti, in which she appeared alongside her husband John Travolta.

Lori Laughlin went on to TV's Full House.  She was implicated in a college bribery scandal around 2020, and she still appears on TV in minor roles.

4. Heaven Help Us (1985)

The Premise: Coming of age story set in a Catholic school for boys.

Overall: An engaging movie.  There's a lot of "Where Are They Now?"-type people in this one, so I'll just skip ahead to that part.

Where Are They Now?: Donald Sutherland famously passed away last year.  His last (live action) role was 2023's Miranda's Victim.

John Heard (a.k.a. "Kevin's dad" in Home Alone), that "voice of reason" in so many 80s movies, passed away in 2017.  From the 2000s onward he appeared in a ton of B movies.  His last "big" movie was 2004's White Chicks.

Andrew McCarthy, of Mannequin and Weekend at Bernie's fame, is still doing movies.  Last year he directed the documentary Brats, about the 80s Brat Pack he once belonged to.

Heaven Help Us was Mary Stuart Masterson's second movie.  She still appears in lower budget movies, more recently Five Nights at Freddy's.

Kevin Dillon, brother of Matt, most recently appeared in 2024's Reagan.  Heaven Help Us was his first feature film.

Fans of 80s horror movies might remember Stephen "Evil Ed" Geoffreys, from classics such as Fright Night and 976-Evil.  He still turns up in the occasional scary movie.

Heaven Help Us was also Patrick Dempsey's first feature film.  He has to some extent given up on acting in favor of racing cars.  In 2023 he appeared in Michael Mann's Ferrari.

You might remember Dana Barron from National Lampoon's Vacation and one of its sequels.  In the 90s she transitioned into TV.

Anyone else remember the TV show Herman's Head?  Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson, is also in Heaven Help Us.  These days she's doing a podcast.

5. Out of the Darkness (1985)

The Premise: Martin Sheen chases the Son of Sam.

Overall: Bad dialogue is in the forefront here, with characters often explaining way, way too much in the midst of what start out as normal conversations.  Was Martin Sheen's career in a bad place in the mid 80s?  I can't think of any other reason why he'd do this decidedly lukewarm TV movie.

6. Pulse (1988)

The Premise: An electromagnetic entity possesses a suburban home.

Overall: It's a bit hard to empathize with the father character, but other than that Pulse is a well written, well acted and well directed horror movie.  My favorite part was the shower scene.

Fun Fact: Future teen heartthrob Joey Lawrence is in this.  ...and what's he up to these days?  Well, as of 2023 he was trying to get a podcast going.

7. Fright Night Part 2 (1988)

This movie could have used "Evil Ed."  In the absence of that character Charley Brewster is even less interesting than he was in the first installment.

The Premise: Chris Sarandon's vampire has a sister, and she's back for REVENGE.

Overall: There was a lot of forgettable vampire schlock like this toward the end of the 80s, movies that were a far cry from The Lost Boys, Near Dark and the oft-overlooked Lifeforce.  I wasn't a huge fan of the first Fright Night, and this sequel does absolutely nothing with concepts established in the first movie.

Fun Fact: The director of this movie, Tommy Lee Wallace, was one of John Carpenter's close collaborators.  He was the art director on Dark Star and Assault of Precinct 13, co-editor on both Halloween and The Fog, and 2nd unit director on Big Trouble in Little China.

Where Are They Now?: Another Herman's Head connection!  William Ragsdale, who plays Charley Brewster in this movie, would go on to play "Herman" in Herman's Head.  He's still doing movies and TV.

8. One Dark Night (a.k.a. "Entity Force") (1983)

This movie must have freaked out a lot of kids in the early 80s.  It's somewhat tame now, but the corpses piling on, the dead psychic with the lightning eyes -- freaky stuff.

The Premise: A sorority pledge spends a night in a mausoleum.

Overall: It gets way better toward the end.  Not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but the ending is memorable.

Where Are They Now?: Meg Tilly, sister of Jennifer, still appears in movies and TV, but she's better known as an author.

Adam West, a.k.a. TV's Batman, passed away in 2017.  He was voicing Batman in animated films up to that point.

9. Little Darlings (1980)

The Premise: Two girls attending a summer camp bet on who'll lose their virginity first.  (And no, it's not porn.)

Overall: An excellent movie.  I didn't really "get" Kristy McNichol until seeing this one, but having seen it, yeah, she was a great actress.  Tatum O'Neal, Ryan O'Neal's daughter, is also good as her sometime friend, sometime adversary.

Where Are They Now?: Tatum O'Neal is still appearing in movies.

Kristy McNichol retired from acting in 2001.  Up to that time she was doing a lot of voice work.

Armand Assante is still around, though his last "big" movie was 2007's American Gangster.

Matt Dillon, brother of Kevin Dillon (above), most recently played Marlon Brando in 2024's Being Maria.

10. The Pit (1981)

The Premise: A weird little kid pushes people into a pit where they're devoured by subterranean humanoids.

Overall: One of the weirder movies I've seen lately.  Don't expect any kind of resolution to anything, but if you're looking for something decidedly odd you might enjoy The Pit.

11. Who Dares Wins (a.k.a. "The Final Option") (1982)

The Premise: An SAS operative infiltrates a terrorist group in the UK.

Overall: Not exactly a Hollywood blockbuster, but it works well enough.  Judy Davis chews a lot of scenery, and the dispute around the banquet table could have been both longer and expanded upon more, but overall it's not bad.  It resembles a British take on The Dirty Dozen at times.

The soundtrack is odd.  Very 70s near the beginning and ending, very 80s in the middle.

Fun Fact: Ian Sharp, the director of this film, also directed the action sequences in GoldenEye.

Where Are They Now?: Judy Davis last appeared in 2021's Nitram.

12. Warrior of the Lost World (a.k.a. "Mad Rider") (1983)

The Premise: Uh... a messiah and his motorcycle?  Beyond that it's a lot of car chases and shooting.

Overall: Memorably bad.  It doesn't make much sense and the low budget is glaringly obvious throughout.

Fun Fact: Persis Khambatta also played "Lieutenant Ilia" in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  She came to Hollywood via Bollywood.

Where Are They Now?: Donald Pleasence, who plays the villain here, would go on to movies such as Phenomena, Prince of Darkness and Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.  He passed away in 1995.

13. Conan the Destroyer (1984)

I despised this movie when I first saw it in the theater.  I couldn't have been older than nine at the time.  My brother and I worshipped the first Conan, and this one felt like a huge letdown.

The Premise: Conan takes a hot princess on a journey to retrieve a magical horn.

Overall: Not nearly as bad as I remember.  Rewatching this as an adult, I kind of get the lighter tone that the studio was going for.  Is it as good as the first one?  Not even close, but at least Grace Jones is good.

Fun Fact 1: Screenwriters Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway were borrowed from Marvel Comics, where they wrote the popular Conan the Barbarian comic book.

Fun Fact 2: The WWF's Andre the Giant plays the giant monster which appears at the end.

Where Are They Now?: Grace Jones is still around.  More recently she provided backing vocals on Beyonce's song "Move" in 2022.

Basketball star Wilt Chamberlain had a long history of heart problems.  He finally succumbed to these heart problems in 1999.

Mako (Iwamatsu) passed away in 2006.  Up to that point he was doing voice work for Samurai Jack and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

14. Savage Dawn (1985)

Lance Henriksen!  He must've filmed this around the same time as Aliens.  We think of "classic films" and often come to the (false) conclusion that the filming of said "classic film" was some momentous event in the lives of its cast members, when it was more likely just another job in a long series of jobs.

The Premise: Yet another biker gang terrorizes yet another small town for the umpteenth time.

Overall: An enjoyably cheesy movie.  The citizens of this small town are so weird and devoid of common sense that you'll be rooting for the biker gang within the first half hour.

Fun Fact 1: Lance Henriksen has described this film as "his most embarrassing movie."

Fun Fact 2: Henriksen's leather jacket has some history.  It was worn by air force personnel serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II.  The flag on the back represents the Republic of China, the Chinese Nationalist government which the Allies were propping up in the face of Japanese Imperial aggression.  This flag serves as the flag of Taiwan to this day.

Fun Fact 3: Sam Kinison (billed her as "Sam Kennison") is in this for a minute.  Keep your eyes peeled during the barber shop scene.

Where Are They Now?: Lance Henriksen is still appearing in horror movies.

George Kennedy (yep, he's in this too!) passed away in 2016.

Karen Black passed away even earlier, in 2013.

15. Off Beat (1986)

The Premise: Judge Reinhold stars as a librarian impersonating a police officer.

Overall: It's a cute movie.  If you enjoyed Ghostbusters (and really, who didn't?) you'll like the New York vibe also present in this movie.  I don't know if this vibe is something New York ever really possessed, but it's a nostalgic, enjoyable thing regardless.

Where Are They Now?: Most recently Judge Reinhold reprised his role from the original Beverly Hills Cop in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.  His post-1994 filmography consists of films you've probably never heard of.  I must say, however, that The Santa Clause 2 and its "fascist Santa" is worth a look.

John Turturro went on to much bigger and much better things.  His last "big" movie was 2022's The Batman.

Harvey Keitel appears in this film toward the end.  His last "big" movie was 2019's The Irishman.

Joe Mantegna is mostly doing TV now.

Penn Jillette, remember him?  He's doing a regular show at The Rio in Vegas.  He's done his share of low budget movies and he's an advocate for both atheism and scientific skepticism.

16. The Video Dead (1987)

The Premise: Supernatural entities (zombies?) enter our world via a haunted TV.

Overall: The acting (or lack thereof) in this film is truly something to behold.  And even beyond that I'm not sure if this movie has a plot to speak of.

17. Ghosthouse (a.k.a. "La Casa 3") (1988)

The Premise: A young couple follows a radio transmission to a haunted house.

Overall: Slightly better acting than what's on display in The Video Dead, and they obviously had a bigger budget to work with.  Still not quite good, but in terms of late 80s horror it's OK.  The filmmakers didn't hold back on the gore, and some the scenes involving the doll are genuinely spooky.

Fun Fact: Don't be fooled by the American-sounding names in the credits.  This was an Italian production filmed in Massachusetts.

18. The Woman in Black (1989)

The Premise: A solicitor settles an old widow's estate in this British TV movie.

Overall: I've heard of "slow boils" but this is ridiculous.  There are some spooky moments, but my patience wore very thin during the second half.

...oh, and if this movie sounds familiar it might be because it was remade in 2012 with Daniel Radcliffe.

Fun Fact: Speaking of Daniel Radcliffe, the star of the original The Woman in Black, Adrian Rawlins, wound up playing Harry Potter's dad in that franchise.

19. Terror Train (1980)

Jamie Lee Curtis!  She appeared in this between Prom Night and Halloween II.

The Premise: A killer stalks college students aboard a train.

Overall: Higher-budget horror.  Definitely not as memorable as other slasher entries from around the same time, but it was professionally made and well thought out.

Fun Fact: Vanity is in this for a while.  It may surprise you to know that she, like many of the cast and crew of this film, was Canadian.

20. 8 Million Ways to Die (1986)

The Premise: A recovering alcoholic squares off against a local drug dealer.

Overall: This movie is a sad thing when you think about where (the great) Hal Ashby was just a few years earlier.  Jeff Bridges does his best with the material, and for what it's worth none other than Oliver Stone co-wrote the script, but certain scenes and aspects of the plot are just plain dumb.  Yeah, it was a sad way to close out Ashby's career.

Fun Fact #1: Many of the scenes in this film were improvised.  The scriptwriter charged with revising the script didn't complete this task until well into filming.

Fun Fact #2: This film has a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Where Are They Now?: Jeff Bridges is due to appear in Tron: Ares this year.

Rosana Arquette is still appearing in movies, but you probably haven't seen her more recent ones.

Andy Garcia's career is still going strong.  He had smaller parts in both Pain Hustlers and Expend4bles.

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Where Are They Now?

When I was in elementary and junior high school I was obsessed with comic books.  I lived and breathed the Justice League, the Avengers, the Hulk and the Flash.  When I wasn't reading new comic books I was rereading old ones, and when I wasn't rereading old comic books I was thinking up ways to scam my parents out of their pocket change.  Back then you really could buy comic books for pocket change.  In 2021 it's a different story.  

As I grew older my love for comic books diminished.  Puberty and the worries of adulthood took center stage.  I still read comic books from time to time, but with nowhere near the frequency or fervency I once did.  Comic books were once my life; now they're just a small part of it.

A lot of my heroes growing up were the guys (and they were almost always guys) who wrote or drew my favorite comic books.  These were creators more prominent in the mid to late 80s, though I also admired a few of the "newer" guys who popped up in the early 90s.  For a long time I thought that being a comic book artist was the best job anyone could have, and after high school I even considered art school as a way of preparing for that career.

Alas, it was not to be.  Not that I despair overmuch.  A lot of good things have happened in my life, and I'm happy with the way things have turned out.  And of course there's also the fact that being a comic book artist isn't without its own set of challenges, many of which are corporate in nature and not fun to think about.  Point to any famous comic book creator and you'll find a series of compromises.

With all of this in mind, I got to wondering what the heroes of my childhood are up to these days.  I did a little online snooping, and what you see below is what I discovered.

1. Frank Miller

Why I Worshiped Him: His run on Daredevil most of all, but also later projects like The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Ronin, Elektra: Assassin and to a lesser extent Sin City.  Say what you will about his more recent output or public persona, he was a big deal in the 80s.

What He's Up to Now: He's a co-creator and co-producer of the Netflix series Cursed, which is based on one of his comics.  He's also being sued for "defamation and economic interference" by someone he worked with on Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.  While sometimes accused of having right wing (or even fascist) beliefs, he describes himself as a Libertarian.

2. Alan Moore

Why I Worshiped Him: Swamp Thing.  Mostly Swamp Thing.  I liked Watchmen, and at the time I recognized that it was something truly original, but it didn't grab me the way it grabbed other people.  There were also the endless delays between issues.  Those delays dampened a lot of people's enthusiasm.

What He's Up to Now: He's been up to a lot of random stuff.  He "retired from regularly writing comics" in 2016 after writing the last League of Extraordinary Gentlemen book.  His other projects have included an app for making digital comics, a book on magic and a few essays.  He considers himself a magician, and espouses various counter-cultural beliefs.

3. Carmine Infantino

Why I Worshiped Him: His pencils on The Flash.  For the longest time nobody could draw objects in motion like that guy.  He had such a distinctive style, and it really added a lot to the character he was drawing.

What He's Up to Now: He is, sadly, no longer with us.  He died in 2013.  In the early 2000s he sued DC Comics over several Flash-related characters he'd created, but the lawsuit was dismissed.

4. Todd McFarlane

Why I Worshiped Him: By the time Spawn happened I was already a little tired of McFarlane, but his earlier stuff at DC and Marvel was great.  He pretty much reinvented Spider-Man - at least in a visual sense - and I was also a big fan of how he drew the Hulk.

What He's Up to Now: He's still trying to make that Spawn reboot happen.  As of August 2021 studio hand Brian Tucker was rewriting McFarlane's screenplay, with Jamie Foxx (supposedly) still attached to star as Spawn.  King Spawn recently proved that Spawn can still be a hit at comic book shops.

5. John Byrne

Why I Worshiped Him: If you grew up in the 80s Byrne was pretty much The Guy, and his art was all over several prominent Marvel and DC projects.  My favorite of his many projects was definitely his run on Fantastic Four, which I think best suited his drawing style and his way of telling a story.  His time on X-men alongside writer Chris Claremont is of course iconic, but the Fantastic Four is what really did it for me.

What He's Up to Now: Not much, as far as I can tell.  He's good at shooting his mouth off in the press, and I've watched a couple of recent interviews with him on YouTube, but he hasn't worked on any comic books since 2013.

6. Walt Simonson

Why I Worshiped Him: His work on Thor was amazing.  I can remember him doing other stuff: X-Factor, Manhunter, a few other things, but Thor was like this wonderful, special thing that only a few of us knew about.  He struck the perfect balance between fantasy and science fiction in that book, and it remains influential years later.

What He's Up to Now: In 2014 he published the creator-owned Ragnarok, which is a retelling of the Norse myth outside of Marvel canon.  He has a page on Facebook and still does interviews on occasion.

7. Jim Lee

Why I Worshiped Him: I didn't actually.  I always thought his art was kind of soulless.  BUT he was a big deal in the late 80s/early 90s, and the guy knew how to draw hot women.  He definitely has a strong work ethic, but I guess I like my artists a little less... polished?

What He's Up to Now: He's the SOLE PUBLISHER of DC Comics.  He's also been the Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics.  The "Image guy" is now, indisputably, the comic book Establishment.  Funny how things turn out.

Dude also has NINE children, whose ages span two decades.

8. Pat Mills and Kevin O'Neill

Why I Worshiped Them: At some point in the 80s I started reading British comics.  Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog and (more than anything) Nemesis the Warlock.  Nemesis was a very distinctive comic for the time, and my admiration for Mills and O'Neill only increased with the release of Marshal Law under Marvel's Epic Comics imprint.

What They're Up to Now: In 2017 Mills co-wrote a novel with O'Neill, and in 2018 the movie Accident Man was adapted from one of Mills' comics.  O'Neill, whose entire art style was found objectionable by the Comics Code Authority, continues to work alongside Alan Moore on several projects.

9. George Perez

Why I Worshiped Him: Crisis on Infinite Earths blew people's minds back in the day.  Those sprawling gatefold covers, the cosmic mindfuckery, the extreme pathos - a lot of that was down to George Perez and his distinctive way of drawing.  Sure, Marv Wolfman was in there somewhere, but Perez was the one who nailed it.  Compare Crisis to Marvel crossover spectaculars of the time, and in Crisis you'll find a lot more consistency from one panel to the next.  George Perez never, ever phoned it in... at least back then.

What He's Up to Now: Despite his early work at DC, he gained a reputation for inconsistency.  He bounced around between several comic book publishers until 2019, when he formally announced his retirement.

10. Keith Giffen

Why I Worshiped Him: That weirdass Doctor Fate series.  Giffen might have been the weirdest penciller working in the 80s, and Doctor Fate suited him to a tee.  Terrifying finger mouths.  Horrible looking monsters.  In the presence of Dr. Fate's ridiculous costume he made it all work.  His run (as writer) on Justice League International was also really funny.

What He's Up to Now: His work on Doctor Fate might have been too similar to work done by an Argentinian artist, Jose Antonio Munoz.  Critics claimed that Giffen had been copying from Munoz's work, while Giffen claimed that he was only unconsciously reproduced the Munoz's art style.  He's still working in comics, primarily as a writer.

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