Retraction issues. It seems I cannot get retraction to work, - 3D

Retraction issues. It seems I cannot get retraction to work, no matter what I try, leaving me with the strings & blobs pictured below. I’ve tried different retraction settings (0.5 to 1 mm for ABS on my E3Dv5 hotend) in Slic3r (upgraded to 1.0RC2 now), none of which solve the basic issue that the extruder DOES NOT retract at all. I’ve verified my firmware is configured correctly (Max E feedrate set to 50mm/s), and even verified that I can retract at 1800mm/min in pronterface, but while watching

Disabling Retraction in Filament Settings doesn't disable Firmware

How to Avoid 3D Printing Issues Using Retraction Settings - 3D Insider

Can't get retraction set enough to avoid stringing, settings in

3D Printer Retraction Speed – Simply Explained

nozzle not primed after retraction (I think..)