1982
Compiled by Mark Rosenfelder
1982
Spring 1982 (FC 97-108; #31:1989) Doyle Blackburn is living (and usually fighting) with Stacy, who's friends with Lily Rivera. He's recently done a 2-year jail term. Looks for Ray, but he's gone off to college. Doyle collects for Lily and Stacy's striptease act. Stacy kicks him out of bed when he comes home drunk after fighting; Lily comforts him (with a little sex). He gets into a fight with a client; Stacy's boss Teddy Jr. is pleased with this. A party gets ugly, and there's a shooting. Lily thinks Doyle did it, but he says no: he's leaving town before he shoots somebody. Passing view of Mike the Viet Cong scoring drugs, with (apparently) Maggie and Hopey in the back seat.
(Timing: Title date fits OK. Del is mentioned, so he's still alive.)
From this point on, Maggie is getting jobs and there's no mention of school, so we can assume she's graduated from high school. This also fits in with her being a freshman in the fall of 1978.
Maggie, 17, is working as a waitress at a strip club, Bumpers, along with Kiko, Creaky, and Monica, and of all people Terry. Maggie has her hair styled and dyed blonde, in case she wants to try stripping, but she hates the look (but Daffy loves it.) Hopey's great-grandma's inheritance is running out; she encourages Maggie to go back to mechanics work. Isabel offers some psychology: Maggie feels deep down that fixing cars isn't for girls. Maggie ends up drunk and passed out at Del's (where Terry still seems to live), then heads home to 451 at five. (CQ 82-86)
(Timing: last panel is a repeat of a panel from 1st page of 'Mechan-X.'
Mechan-X (LR 33-40; MM; #1: 1981). Maggie (living with Hopey) goes to work with the prosolar mechanics Rand Race, Duke Morales, and Yax Haxley. She's barely started on a job when it's called off and blown up. Tall Tracker, an alien, ambushes Maggie and tries to get the mechanics to program him a bunch of robots ; Maggie disarms him and Race knocks him out.
(Timing: Maggie seems to be out of school.)
Nota bene: this is the first Jaime story in LR (#1 pp 11-18)
1983
Maggie vs. Maniakk (CB; #3 pp 25-33, Lo 49: 1983) Maggie tells Hopey, Penny, and two hoity-toity chicks, Giggles Galore and Venetia Vendetta, about her days as a superhero. On her first solo job as a mechanic, an accident freed Maniakk. She had to hunt down Ultimax and convince him to defeat him; he only agreed if she would temporarily become his inspiration, 'Go-Go Girl'.
Sometime before '100 Rooms', Del Chimney was found murdered (LR 5)
100 Rooms (LR 1-32; CB; #4 pp 1-26, Lo 60: 1983) Basic plot: Maggie wants $50 to buy boots. Penny suggests she ask Costigan, and invites Maggie, Hopey, Isabel to spend some time at Costigan Manor West in Badgeport. Maggie, lost on the way back from the bathroom, gets abducted by Casey, and falls in love with him. Big bash when Costigan returns. Casey was chased out earlier, but returns disguised as a baron; he's kicked out by Costigan's bodyguard Demoña. A lady assassin attempts to shoot Costigan, and is thrown through a window by Demoña, who's fired because she won't control the crowd. Casey asks Maggie to leave with him, but Maggie wants to stay with Hopey. They go home to 451.
Cameos: tia Vicki, Speedy & Litos, Race, Comrade 7, Webster
the head servant.
Note: the original version in #4 was six pages shorter; LR and CB contain the extra panels, inserted throughout the story)
(Timing: Maggie is 18, and already working intermittently with Rand Race.)
Multimedia note: Jaime reads a couple pages from '100 Rooms' in Ron Mann's 1988 film Comic Book Confidential.
Mecánicos (LR 45-50; MM; Bonanza: 1984?). Maggie (living at 451 with Hopey) goes to her new job with Rand Race-- she's now his assistant. Maggie's got a crush on Rand. She's accident prone. Daffy is in intro shot; Penny (already involved with Costigan) is in the closer.
The Adventures of Maggie the Mechanic (RW; Bonanza! p 20-21, Lo 385: 1988). Maggie and Rand Race cut open an enormous robot to free Duke, who's inside. A monster frightens them, but runs away.
Mechanics [in LR as Love and the Rocket] (MM; LR 51-91; #2 pp. 1-42, Lo 7: 1982-83). With letters from Maggie to Hopey. Maggie is called away to a job in Zhato with Rand et al. (First letter is written from Zymbodia, which seems to be on the way.) They end up at the rocket they're supposed to fix: the Saturn Stiletto, which crashed in the deep jungle. Their local guide is a girl named Tse Tse, a nickname for Rosa Colores Arriaga Banuelos.
Penny Century hacks her way into the jungle in search of that load of pito. Rena Titañon shows up too, with Pedero Rodriguez San Jo, son of their mysterious employer, Sancho Conrado San Jo, who controls the government of Zymbodia. When Pedero molests Maggie, Race decks him. They discover, in the course of this, that the pito is spoiled. Maggie is feverish for some days. Race is put in jail for attacking Pedero San Jo.
Sancho San Jo ends the job, and takes away all their tools. Rena explores the rocket; can't find Bernie or anything evil. Penny and Duke rescue Race in Zhato, then Maggie, Rena, and Tse Tse in the jungle. A revolution is occurring in Zhato (Rena turns out to be involved in this); San Jo flees fled the country, but is gunned down. Bernie Carbo reads about it in jail.
Maggie comes home to 451, where Isabel and Daffy are hanging out with Hopey.
[Note: LR 82 is not in #2, and is dated 1985]
(Timing: Rena lost her title 10 years ago, when Maggie was 8.)
Love and Rockets (LR 92-93; CB; #2 pp. 1-2: 1983). A chick who idolizes Atoma is saved by her. This seems to be a fantasy of Penny's.
Hey Hopey (LR 94-96; CB; Bonanza, Lo 46: 1985) Conversation between Hopey and her brother Joey, while Maggie's away. Joey rags on her for being gay; she thinks he's a dick but evades saying she is.
See also Pete Bagge's hommage to this story in Buddy the Dreamer: 'Hey Stinky!'
On th' Road Ag'in (LR 111-126; TH 16-31; Mechanics 1-2: 1984-85). Penny
Century hitchhiking in Zhato. Bomber Bones crashes his car eyeballing her. He's looking for her for Costigan, but Big Turo takes her in instead. She runs off again, finds Bomber and spends a week with him, but leaves him when she finds him calling his wife. Penny returns to Costigan. Costigan's secretary, Eva Banchini, who thinks Costigan is actually married, lets the 'wife' in to see him; he fires her, explaining that he was divorced from Norma over 10 years ago.
(Timing: This is while Rand Race is being detained in Zhato.)
Locas Tambien (LR 109-110; CB; #3 pp 50-51, Lo 58: 1983). Hopey throws Joey and Tony out of her apartment (451) when they call Maggie an airhead. Maggie finds a photo of Rand hanging out with TV star Lavana Laverne. Cameos by Penny, working as a checkout clerk, Terry and Daffy, and Speedy driving by.
(Timing: The news pic was taken after their return from Zymbodia. Maggie still works with Race.)
T42 (LR 135-137; TH; #4: 1983). A little tiff between Costigan and Century, who's sick of being bought things and wants to show that she's 'special'.
1984
The Lost Women (LW 4-74; MP; #6, Lo 100: 1984). Maggie and Race have a job in Rio Frio, which seems to be an island in the Pacific. Their employer is Dr. Beaky (notable for his midget girlfriends Machi and Chiness), who wants them to fix robots on the isle of Chepan, mostly so he can say he's employing Race.
The framing device in 'Amor y Cohetes' takes place here: Penny accompanies Maggie to the bus stop to catch her flight to Rio Frio.
Reporter Dot Winks, hot for an interview with Race, follows them there. She pursues her subject into bed; when Maggie discovers this she goes off to
Chepan by herself.
24T: Penny dining with Costigan; she gets under his collar by mentioning that Maggie saw him with another woman.
Back home. Hopey argues with Monica (Monica Miranda Zandinski) from her band, 'Missiles of October'. Terry mentions that Isabel had an accident at Hopey's place and 'almost died'. Hopey and Penny visit her in the hospital.
Rena shows up, warns Beaky to stay cool, but he's already stiff-necking the dissidents on the island. The rebels start bombing empty factories. They bomb the robot warehouse too, unaware that Maggie and Rena are there. (Rand arrives too late to save them.) Beaky sends for General Matapolas to put down the insurrection.
Various people react to the news of Rena's and Maggie's presumed death: Penny, Vicki (she promises to fight clean in Rena's honor), Speedy & Litos, Maggie's mother, Isabel, Hopey.
Maggie and Rena have escaped through the sewer system. They make their way out, but they're in the middle of nowhere. DF 62 has a crabby Rena telling Maggie that if she keeps her mouth shut, she'll send her her own pair of wrestling boots. Maggie doesn't keep her end of the bargain, but Rena keeps hers.
News-averse Beaky puts Dot in jail; Rand bails her out. They search for the lost women in a cargo rocket. They meet Luthor, who met them in the sewer. The rocket crashes; Beaky informs Race that the rebels have been executed.
Hopey's out at a bar. Terry offers to let her move in with her, but Hopey doesn't want to. They quarrel. Joey and Tony help Hopey move in with Izzy. However, she decides to visit her mother for a few days for a change of scene.
Rena and Maggie make it to a native settlement, then to a town. Rena decides to disappear into the bush, but Maggie turns herself in to the soldiers looking for her.
Costigan informs Peggy that he's buying Chepan, and that her mechanic is OK. He thinks it's Race, but she figures it's Maggie, and rushes to tell everyone. Race tries to catch Maggie at the airport, but just misses her.
The midget girls murder Beaky in his bath.
Hopey returns, disgusted, from her ma's. Her mom's new boyfriend tried to rape her. Daffy and Isabel tell her that Maggie's coming home.
Locas en las Cabezas (LW 75-80; RW; #14, Lo 185: 1984?). Isabel tells Maggie she can have her car if she'll just fix it for one more trip; but then Isabel crashes it. Maggie now works flipping burgers at Vandy's. They're living at Isabel's now. On her way to see Hopey's band play at Maddog's, Maggie hangs with Speedy and Litos, then finds the crashed car. She's pissed, knocks Hopey and Isabel over.
Maggie must have rescued and fixed the car, because it's mentioned as being her car much later (WB 38).
The Little Monster (LW 81-90; RW; #5: 1984-85). Frame story: Joe Van Nuys is found in the desert and taken to Rena, who's with Tse Tse. She's doing some training. He tells her about India Chala's death.
Rena sees a TV story about Vicki Glori's new clean style, and ends up throwing the TV out the window. We learn that Rena is 48. (With my
chronology, she's 49; but hey, what's a year.) LW 129 suggests that Rena is living in Zymbodia now.
Locos (TH 79-82, Lo 171: 1984) Speedy Ortiz telling a friend (Ray?) about his sister Isabel's life.
(Timing: Isabel is living in her own house, but it's not Mrs. Galindo's.)
At the Beach (LW 91-98; RW; #15, Lo 197: 1985). Isabel and Hopey come to get Maggie (she's at the beach with Daffy). Izzy tells some inspiring stories about marriage. At Hopey's insistence, Maggie fixes Mr Lopez's truck, enduring the come-ons of the Garcia brothers (Enero, Febrero, Miercoles). A cousin, Corréo, has come up from Mexico; he likes Maggie.
More fighting in Hopey's band. Terry thinks that Hopey, Monica, and Zero Gravity (Charles Joseph Gravette) are not taking it seriously. Terry also criticizes Maggie for chasing after Speedy, which she thinks bothers Hopey; the real problem: 'What does Maggie have that I don't?'
(Timing: Daffy is mentioned as being 16. I've placed this a bit earlier than draw date so Daffy isn't too young when she first shows up in 1981.)
Locas (LW 99-108; RW; #13, Lo 178: 1984-85). Maggie is putting on weight. Hopey collects the money Tony owed her and they go shopping. They meet Terry on her break at Monty's, a department store. She doesn't have room for two (for one, yes...) Maggie thinks Hopey's been acting hostile and is thinking about moving out; but Isabel convinces her how much Hopey loves her. Cameos: Julie Wree, Chucho.
(Timing: this is not long after Chepan. They're still living with Isabel, and Maggie's still working at Vandy's.)
One Halloween, Hopey and Maggie tie Isabel up (II#4:19); Maggie, drunk, wanders outside and sees a dog that turns into a demon. (II#9:1-2)
(Timing: Could be any time, but the stunt would be most practical while they're living with Izzy, and Maggie looks about right for this era.)
House of Raging Women (LW 117-130; RW; #16, Lo 202: 1984-86). Rena Titañon is making her comeback, tag-teaming with Pepper Martinez (daughter of Rena's old rival Rosa Rico). They're disqualified by the officials. Maggie visits Vicki Glori backstage; her aunt says Rena lied about being kidnaped. Duke Morales shows up with his wife Sandra, plus wrestlers Royal Don Rains and The Mechanic (Ralph). Gossip over old times. An anal woman, Mrs. Minder, informs Rena that Antonio-- her child-- won't be allowed to see her.
La Toña (LW 131; RW; #13: 1985). Vignette with Rena and Tse Tse, home again, evidently in Zymbodia. She's retired.
Xochitl Navas, at 13, starts babysitting the kids next door, including Gina Bravo (about 7 years old).
Timing: See 1990, when Xo turns 18.
Ray Dominguez living in a tiny apartment in Badgeport with Maya. He's painting; she's bored silly. (FC 62)
Locas (DF 19-22; Bonanza, Lo 216: 1986?) Maggie and Hopey are living at Isabel's; Maggie's busting all her old jeans. Rand Race comes by, and takes them out to lunch. He wants to find out why Maggie left so precipitously, but he doesn't really get an answer.
1986
Locas vs. Locos (DF 23-32; #17, Lo 220: 1986) Joey's search all over town, with Doyle, for his 'Ape Sex' album; it's made the circuit of Hoppers. Appearances by Joey's dad (already involved with Connie), Hopey and Maggie (in bed with a bad ankle), Isabel, Daffy's sister Nami, Tom Tom (a young girl interested in Joey), Zero Gravity, Terry Downe.
Isabel has inherited Mrs. Galindo's old house; it's said to be haunted, which suits her. She won't let Maggie and Hopey move in with her. Terry offers to let both of them stay with her while her boyfriend Paul is out of town (how come all the dykes in this strip are bi?) However, Hopey gets on her nerves too much and blows the deal.
Locas (DF 61-76; #18, Lo 230: 1986) Maggie receives wrestling boots from Rena. Doyle helps Maggie and Hopey move (to Terry's). On the way they get rid of the girls' old sleeper couch with appropriate ceremony.
At Mrs. Galindo's wake, they see Penny Century, who married Costigan a few months ago, and is amusing herself taking drugs with and screwing Costigan's servants. Penny mentions that she wants to see Rand Race; Maggie gives him her old pass to the airbase he's back working at. DS 90 mentions this pass, and the subsequent weekend of sex.
Back at Terry's, Hopey discovers that they have one of Isabel's boxes, and starts reading Isabel's diaries. After work at Vandy's, Maggie is taking her coworker Danita (Lincoln) home, but her car won't start. A fellow worker, Ronnie, helps them out.
Vicki Glori asks Maggie to stop by. She's lost her title to Straska, the Russian Wind, and is feeling depressed. She wants Maggie to move in with her for awhile. Maggie, feeling sorry for her (and afraid), agrees.
Appearances by Blanca Rizo, Speedy, Henry (who taught Terry to play guitar).
(Timing: The day after 'Locas/Locos', since Hopey has to make up with Terry. In PC#3 Isabel says Mrs. Galindo died in 1984.)
The framing device for 'The Secrets of Life and Death' goes here: Hopey reading Izzy's diaries, and commenting on them with Terry.
Maggie's birthday party, held at Izzy's new house. Penny sees a ghost. (II#10 19-20)
Mojado Power (DF 103-104; #19: 1986) Corréo is hanging out with the Garcia brothers (Enero, Febrero, and Miercoles). They're on the boulevard looking for women; they don't find any, but see Speedy Ortiz, drunk and looking for a fight (Febrero doesn't want to get involved).
The Return of Ray D. (DS 1-20; #20, Lo 256: 1986) Maggie is living with tia Vicki. Hopey has gone on tour with her band, leaving her alone. She's quit her job at Vandy's.
Appearances by her mother Quina and sister Esther; Speedy (who Esther is interested in); Julie Wree; Chucho; Danita and her baby son Elias.
Ray Dominguez is back in town after 3 years in the east; meets Doyle. He encounters Maggie, but she gets the impression he doesn't like her.
(Timing: Maggie's not 21 yet. She is by my chronology, but maybe her birthday is late in the year. :)
1987
Jerusalem Crickets: 1987 (DS 60-65; #21, Lo 271: 1987) Terry and her band 'La Llorona' (Hopey, Zero, Monica) on tour, 2000 miles from home, bickering. We learn that they only left Maggie behind because Terry wanted to leave early. Hopey still hasn't called Maggie. Terry quit her job at Monty's for this tour. They're very poor; a night in a motel is a treat.
The Death of Speedy Ortiz (DS 21-59; #21-23, Lo 284: 1987). Romantic entanglementsgalore: Speedy likes Maggie; Esther (now living with tia Vicki on weekends) is after Speedy tho' already involved with Montoya loco Rojo; Speedy is also
screwing Blanca Rizo; Ray likes Maggie but thinks Speedy's got her.
Ray complains to Litos about the vida loca. Litos' girlfriend is about to have his baby. A showdown with Montoya is building, spurred by Esther's double-dealing and Speedy's erratic behavior. Some, like Licha and Maggie, try to calm things down; others are heating things up-- like Blanca, once she learns that Speedy has another girl; or Litos and vatos, looking for trouble.
Blanca and backup confront Esther, end up beating up Maggie instead. Litos is shot in the eye by Rojo's men; Ray and Maggie take him to the hospital. Blanca is brought in too, apparently beaten up by Montoya people. Speedy turns up, says he's loved Maggie all along; she can't deal with it. Speedy is found dead in his car-- seems to be suicide
CQ 68 shows Speedy dying in 1985.)
Shortly after Speedy's death, Maggie goes to Izzy for some scant comfort. (II#10 20-21)
2 weeks after Speedy's death (2 months after the band's left), Maggie visits her father in Texas and writes some memoirs. (WB 108)
Maggie gets a job photocopying for an insurance company (FC).
Jerusalem Crickets: The Letter (DS 66-67; #22: 1987) Terry finally gets Hopey to write a letter to Maggie. This is about a month after the tour started.
Jerry Slum and the Crickettes (DS 68-71; #24, Lo 329: 1987) The band breaks up. Terry quits, calling the rest incompetents. Zero sells his drums to Tex; he's going back home with Monica. Terry joins '40 Thieves' for the rest of their tour, leaving the car to Hopey; too bad it's broken down. Hopey is hanging out with Tex (Antonio), also left behind.
The Night Ape Sex Came Home to Play (DS 72-75; #24, Lo 323: 1987) Maggie, Daffy, and Kiko are trying to get into an Ape Sex concert. Joey and Tony (little as ever) are thrown out of the concert. Joey gives Maggie letters from Hopey. Joey, Kiko, and Tony hang out at Doyle and Ray's new apartment. Ray learns that Maggie thinks he doesn't like her.
A Mess of Skin... (DS 76-81; #24, Lo 331: 1987) Ray and Doyle head over to Bumper's. Ray meets Doyle's girlfriend Lily, who's a stripper. There's police action at Maddog's, where Maggie was supposed to be. Maggie and Daphne sneak out the back, get into Doyle's truck, which however Ray is driving. Daphne heads home with Joey and Kiko while Ray and Maggie get it on.
Maddog's burns down (FC).
In the Valley of the Polar Bears (DS 92-121; #26-7, Lo 347: 1988) Vicki Glori has
won back her championship belt. She pulls Maggie from bed with Ray into a job as her 'accountant'. Vicki wants to 'insure' her belt. In the
meantime, she beats up a bunch of opponents. Cash Watkins, still Vicki's lover, tries to get Maggie to appreciate Vicki's mothering. Vicki beats up Pepper Martinez, Rena's old partner. When Maggie runs over to her, Vicki fires her on TV for 'backstabbing'.
Doyle and Kiko discuss Daffy's infatuation with Mike of 'Blamed Youth', which breaks down a few pages later: Mike takes his jacket back.
Maggie and Vicki have one final argument. Maggie heads off with Pepper. She spends a lot of time with another wrestler, Bo Bunyan, checking clubs for signs of La Llorona.
The board strips Vicki of her title for dirty fighting. She decides to marry Cash, and she and Maggie make up. Vicki lets Maggie use her house till it's sold). She's back with Ray.
All This and Penny Too... (DS 82-91; #25, Lo 337: 1987) Down and out, Hopey remembers her rich friend. She and Tex drop in on Penny Century, recently become Mrs. H.R. Costigan. Penny is playing superheroes (with paid fall guys). Hiding from Costigan's goons while trying to leave, Hopey and Tex find Penny in the room Maggie was kidnapped in years before. Penny's going to spy on H.R. from here; Hopey and Tex decide to stay with them. The girls play sex games with Tex, with important consequences.
Hopey and Tex move in with Mary Christmas for a few weeks before being kicked out. Hopey's too proud to go to Penny. After ripping off a client while pretending to be a hooker, Hopey passes out; waking up in a clinic, she learns that she's been pregnant for three months. She's going to drown herself, but finds Tex, who tells her that Penny's pregnant too. They go to Penny's: she's filled the mansion with baby stuff. (FC 64-67)
1988
Boxer, Bikini, or Brief (FC 17-20; #28, Lo 377: 1988) Maggie is posing for Ray; but when Danita Lincoln comes by (with baby Elias), she has her pose instead. But they laugh at him because he paints her breasts too big.
Tear It Up, Terry Downe (FC 21-24; #28, Lo 351: 1988) Sound bites with various people discussing Terry Downe, interspersed with flashbacks. Stevie TV, with his wife, runs into her; Terry burns him with her cigarette.
Lar' Dog: Boys' Night Out #1398 (FC 41-46; #28: 1988) Doyle Blackburn and Ray go out with Lar' Dog, Larry Ybañez, now married to Darleen and a big drunk. Larry manages to get into a fight with a music video star and get himself kicked out of a fancy club in L.A.-- three times. This pisses off Lily Rivera, who they went there to meet.
Hopey miscarries; but Penny has her baby. Hopey and Tex move in with some people who turn out to be a crack gang. (FC 68) We learn from CQ 34 that the baby's name is Clarita.