1988

Events

Dated Events

• Real World: March 16. The Iraqi government unleashes poison gas on the city of Halabja.

• Real World: March 16. Oliver North and John Poindexter are indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S.

• Real World: May 15. The Soviet Army begins withdrawing from Afghanistan.

• Real World: August 17. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, President of Pakistan, dies in a plane crash.

• Real World: September 29. NASA resumes space shuttle flights, following a hiatus after the Challenger disaster.

• DC (Generations): November 8. Hal Jordan elected President of the United States. (Superman & Batman: Generations)

• Real World: November 8. George H.W. Bush elected President of the United States.

• Real World: November 17. The Netherlands are the second nation to join the Internet.

• Real World: December 2. Benazir Bhutto, is sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to lead an Islamic state.

• Real World: December 21. Pan Am Flight 103 is exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, by Libyan terrorists.

Undated Events

• Friday the 13th: Tommy Jarvis is released from the mental institution near Crystal Lake for the second time; in an attempt to settle his troubled mind, he digs up Jason Voorhees's corpse to burn the body. Instead, lightning reanimates Jason, who returns to Camp Forest Green (formerly Camp Crystal Lake) for another killing spree. Tommy defeats Jason by drowning him again, but Camp Forest Green is shut down for the last time. (Friday the 13th Part 6)

• Predator (Comics): Predators hunt in Fleener Creek in Oregon and at an army base in Cobola County, New Mexico. The latter incident inspires the local legend of the adilgashii. (Predator: Kindred, Predator: Big Game)

• Spider-Man (Films): Peter Parker's parents die in a plane crash. Unable to accept the tragedy, Peter believes that his parents (Richard and Mary Parker) were secret agents killed by a super-villain like "the Red Skull." (Spider-Man movie novelization)

• X-Men (Films): A young girl in Kenya nicknamed "Silver Streak" manifests her mutant powers over the weather. (X-Men Movie Adaptation)

• Real World: Al-Qaeda is established by Osama bin Laden.

New Fictional Works

Notable Books

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks, The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, Sourcery by Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett.

Notable Films

• Akira (Japan), Alien Nation, Appleseed (Japan), B.O.R.N., Bad Dreams, Beetlejuice, Beyond the Rising Moon, Big, Black Eagle, The Blob, Brain Damage, The Brain, Bravestarr: The Movie, Cherry 2000, Child's Play, Chillers, Cocoon: The Return, Crime Zone, Curse II - The Bite, Cyber Ninja (Japan)
• Da, Dead Heat, The Dead Pool, Deadly Dreams, Deadly Weapon, Deathstalker III - The Warriors from Hell, Demons 3: The Ogre, Die Hard, Dinner with a Vampire, Dracula's Widow, The Element of Crime, Evil Clutch, Flesh Eating Mothers, Friday the 13th, Part VII: The New Blood, The Game, Ghost Town, Great Expectations
• Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers, Hellraiser II: Hellbound, Hero and the Terror, High Spirits, The House on Tombstone Hill, Howling IV, The Incredible Hulk Returns (TV movie), Interzone, The Invisible Kid, Iron Eagle II, Julia and Julia, King Lear (TV movie), The Lady in White, Lair of the White Worm, Lurkers
• Maniac Cop, Midnight Cabaret, Monkey Shines, My Mom's a Werewolf, My Neighbor Totoro (Japan), Necromancer, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Once a Hero, Phantasm II, Pledge Night, Poltergeist III, Prison, Pulse, R.O.T.O.R., The Raggedy Rawney, Rambo III, Redneck Zombies, The Rejuvenator, Retribution, Return of the Living Dead Part II, Romeo and Juliet (TV movie)
• Scarecrows, Scrooged, Search and Destroy, The Serpent and the Rainbow, The Seventh Sign, Short Circuit 2, Sister, Sister, The Sisterhood, Slugs: The Movie, Spellbinder, Stones of Death, The Supernaturals, Teen Vamp, The Terror Within, They Live, Times to Come, Transformations
• The Understudy: Graveyard Shift II, The Unholy, The Unnamable, Vampire at Midnight, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, Warlock, Warlords, Warrior of the Lost World, Watchers, Waxwork, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Willow, Wings of Desire, Witchcraft, Witchery, Without a Clue, World Gone Wild, Young Guns, Zombi 2, Zombi 4: After Death

Notable Comic Books

Hellblazer #1 (DC Comics), Batman #428 (death of Robin II (Jason Todd)), Batman: The Killing Joke.

Notable Television Series

• Beginning: The Adventures of Superboy, The Bourne Identity (miniseries), Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers, Dino Riders, Erasmus Microman, My Secret Identity, Robocop (animated), The Real Ghostbusters becomes Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters, Something is Out There, Superman, Transformers: Masterforce (Japan), War of the Worlds.

• Continuing: Beauty and the Beast (Season 2), Doctor Who (Season 25), Dragon Ball (Season 3) (Japan), DuckTales (Season 2), Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 2), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Season 2).

• Ending: The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, Bravestarr, Dinosaucers, Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, Spiral Zone, Starcom, The Twilight Zone, Visionaries.

Notable Electronic Games

Mega Man 2 (NES), Super Mario Bros. 2 (U.S., NES).

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