Cloak and Dagger were introduced in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man, courtesy of Bill Mantlo and Ed Hannigan. Teenagers who were experimented on by gangsters, who gave them a synthetic version of heroin, which inexplicably gave them super powers. As someone once said, "Your secret origin is drugs? That doesn't set a very good example to children." That may explain why, despite being a neat concept, with a neat name, and a neat look, Cloak and Dagger have never really made it big.
1982 was also the year of the Death of Captain Marvel, in which Mar-Vell died of cancer. Not very superheroey, but a decent read, nonetheless. Before comics fans could get too depressed, or any trademarks could elapse, there was a new Captain Marvel, the amusingly-named, big-haired Monica Rambeau. Another recycled hero name arrived, with the debut of the new female Nova, in the pages of Fantastic Four. More imaginative was the arrival of Rocket Raccoon, a talking animal who, against the odds, continues to be (minor) player in the Marvel U. Marvel was launching its first limited series, Contest of Champions, which featured everyone beating everyone else up. And the New Mutants (don't call them the X-Babies!) made their first appearance.
In the real world, Argentina and the United Kingdom were going to war over a tiny island somewhere in the middle of nowhere. The USSR had a new gaffer, Yuri Andropov. And the Mary Rose, sunk 450 years earlier, was back.
TV fans could choose between Knight Rider, TJ Hooker and Remington Steel, depending on how they liked their leading man. Meanwhile, at the movies, everyone was going to see ET, The Extra Terrestrial. Suckers.
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