The Toy Box

Comics Corner: Secret Wars II 1

Title: Secret Wars II
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: July 1985

Highlights

First appearance of Thundersword, AKA Stewart Cadwall, Boromir, and Marian
First appearance of McBurgers, and Quality Inn
The Beyonder travels through the void of space, looking for Earth, crashing to the ground in Denver, Colorado, near the home of Molecule Man, and Volcana, and the two panic when they see him
Across the world in Muir Island, Scotland, Charles Xavier startles on the couch, shouting the name of the Beyonder, immediately knowing he is somewhere in the Western United States
Reference is made to "recent issues" of New Mutants and X-Men, as well as Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars
Xavier reaches out to Captain America telepathically, as the hero travels on a 747 from London's Heathrow Airport to New York's JFK
Cap uses his status as an Avenger to get the plane rerouted to Los Angeles
Abridged retelling of the events of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars
Magneto stands before many of the X-Men in Xavier's School, but when Wolverine, Rogue, Rachel Summers, and Shadowcat learn of it, they literally bust in, immediately in attack mode
Only Colossus and Nightcrawler are able to convince them he's only there to talk
Magneto informs them that Xavier has asked him to lead the X-Men against the Beyonder, and Nightcrawler agrees to comply on behalf of the team...for now
Magneto travels the X-Men across the country, using his magnetism to levitate a car they're all sitting within
Taking over Molecule Man's body, Beyonder appears to Stewart Caldwell, and his girlfriend Marian, expressing to him that he wants to "experience," and "understand"
In Los Angeles, Magneto recruits additional mutants, Cannonball, Magik, Dazzler, and Lila Cheney
Beyonder turns Stewart into Thundersword
Rachel is able to find Beyonder telepathically, and leads the flying car full of mutants to him
Thundersword immediately uses his powers for evil, destroying television stations, and attacking those who make him rewrite his scripts
Thundersword sees them approaching, and immediately attacks, destroying the vehicle
Thundersword destroys a MacBurger restaurant for its high fat, non-nutritional food values, but in the process the flames he creates set a neighboring motel ablaze
Captain America join the fight against Thundersword
Ilyana Rasputin finds a cloaked Beyonder, and when he materializes in front of her, and grabs her, she transforms into Dark Chylde
Dark Chylde panics, and in doing so creates a portal which whisks her, and several mutants into the unknown
Seeing this, Wolverine rushes Beyonder, followed by Magneto, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Colossus, Lila, and Rachel Summers
Despite slicing Beyonder multiple times with his claws, the God is not phased
Equally panicked, Lila creates a portal in fear of Beyonder, teleporting the remaining mutants away
Just before Cap is defeated by Thundersword, Iron Man (James Rhodes) joins the fight
Iron Man's instruments inform him that Thundersword's power is emanating from his sword, and he and Cap separate him from it, returning the villain back to his true form of Stewart
Cap approaches Beyonder, and when he states he wants a word with him, the God vanishes in the blink of an eye
Stewart has a nervous breakdown from his actions, knowing that he's destroyed the studios where he worked
As Captain America departs from the scene, he's unaware that he's being followed by an invisible Beyonder

Low Points

It's definitely not as interesting a starting point as the original Secret Wars was - In fact, it's kind of goofy
Part of his chronological reading order, but no Spider-Man in this issue
To read the next part of the story, you have to turn to the pages of New Mutants 30, Captain America 308, X-Men 196, and Iron Man 197

Oddities

None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Retro Spins: U2 - Boy

I don't know why I insist on buying full decade discographies from bands I either don't know, or don't particularly care for. U2 falls under both those categories. I picked up several of their studio albums while perusing their section at a local used CD shop. I'm talking 80's, 90's, and beyond, as if subconsciously on a mission to force myself to be a fan. Once home, I then whittled them down to the albums with songs I knew things from, as well as all of them from the 80's. Left with a considerable stack, I threw them on the shelf and forgot about them.

Eventually, I made my way back, and after perusing through the titles, took my first attempt at their music with a Retro Spin of The Joshua Tree. It was not a successful endeavor, and I once again moved on from the band. As I continue pushing through my massive collection, I've once again circled back, telling myself it's time to check these off.

When U2 entered the studio to record Boy, they already had a forty-song repertoire to choose from. Working with producer, Steve Lillywhite they'd not only carve out the eleven tracks which would make the cut but be introduced to a whole new way of recording. Lillywhite would teach them creative ways to implement or change sounds, such as having drummer Larry Mullen Jr. recording in stairwells, smashing bottles, and skimming cutlery against a spinning bicycle wheel. This type of creative approach would see them working with the producer on multiple albums.

Unlike a lot of foreign bands, U2 quickly found an audience in the USA, with the single I Will Follow, leading the charge. With the overall well reception of their debut, they'd embark on a tour across Europe, and the USA, in promotion of Boy, appropriately called, The Boy Tour. The album itself would peak at fifty-two int he UK, and 63 in the USA. It would later be included in Rolling Stone's 2008 list of The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.

My listening session somewhat came and went. Meaning that I listened to songs for a bit, but then would get sidetracked by something else, and tune it out. I let my ears dictate what sounded interesting, and when they picked up on something, I'd tune in. Perhaps this wasn't the best approach, or in the spirit of giving them a chance, fair to U2. But that's how it went.

What I will give them credit for is creating a solid rock album. It checks the box in every one of those aspects. With the exception of the melancholy The Ocean, it's high energy from start to finish.

For my money, tracks, I Will Follow, Twilight, Out Of Control, Another Time Another Place, and Shadows And Tall Trees / Saturday Matinee, were what I settled on for my shuffle list. Overall, despite what I said above about tuning in and out, Boy is a pretty solid album. I can't help but think if this was my first introduction to the band, I may have grown up enjoying them more than I did.

Well, no time like the present to hit the reset button. I'll move forward with a less objective mindset and see where their remaining albums take me.

As for the band, a near breakup was on the horizon, and not one caused by the usual in band fighting, egos, management, or creative control. Rather, a moral compass, and a decision to either serve God, or be in a rock band. I'll dive into that tomorrow with their sophomore release, October.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

Comics Corner: Marvel Graphic Novel 17

Title: Marvel Graphic Novel
Issue Number: 17
Release Date: October 1985

Highlights

First appearance of Apocalypse, though he remains unnamed
First appearance and death of Filene Abdol, and Fayah Sahid, AKA Salome Abdol
First appearance of Living Planet, AKA Ahmet Abdol, Hassan, Ms. Kweston, the Living Pharaoh cult, and named member, Arani
A young Ahmet believes he will one day be a king, but this only serves for Hassan to bully him
As he grows up, and attends college, he believes he's found documented proof that his family are decedents of the Pharaohs
Ahmet marries his childhood sweetheart, Filene
Ahmet's research concludes with him telling the scientific and religious communities of Cairo that the ancient Pharaohs of Egypt were mutants, a statement which is met with anger from his audience
The crowd gives chase, and Ahmet, his wife, and infant child, Salome, flea in their car, only to end in an accident that leaves both him and his daughter thrown from the vehicle, and his wife trapped within
The crowd catches up, but refuse to help him get his wife from the car, and it explodes, resulting in her death
In a fit of rage, Ahmet fires a beam from his hand at the crowd, killing some, and sending the rest running
Ahmet is led to a hidden cult who believe he is their long awaited God
Ahmet sends his daughter away to school, and with her gone, he focuses on becoming more powerful, only to be thwarted repeatedly by the X-Men
Ahmet awakens from all of the above, a dream he was having while locked in prison, his hands sealed in electronic shackles to prevent him from using his powers
Hassan works at the prison as a guard, and continues taunting Ahmet, only to find out the hard way that the Living Pharaoh has been weakening his arm shackles over time, and blasts the bully
Living Pharaoh's men storm the prison, aiding their master in his escape, and taking Hassan with them
Two of the Pharaoh's men don't make it to the escape vehicles, and he blasts them from the sky, killing them so that they can't be captured and questioned
In New York, Fayah makes her way to the Baxter Building, only to be surrounded by the Pharaoh's men - Human Torch intervenes, sending all the villains running for their lives
Fayah informs the Fantastic Four that Living Pharaoh had created a machine that would force all humanity to bow down to him - Stealing a piece of that machine, she sought out the FF4 to get help stopping him
Despite Johnny Storm saving her earlier, Fayah insists She-Hulk stay with her instead of Torch while Reed examines the machine part - But the look on her face spells that it's all a ruse, and Fayah has ulterior motives
Fayah was indeed playing the FF4, and springs a trap which captures Human Torch, Mister Fantastic, and Invisible Girl, sending them to Egypt, and into the presence of Living Pharaoh
Living Pharaoh orders his men to attack, but this too is all a ruse
As the FF4 battle, the Pharaoh's scientists are analyzing their cosmic signatures, drawing their power into an ankh projector
Fayah gets trapped in the Baxter Building, and Pharaoh doesn't want to activate her shock collar to kill her
It's revealed that Fayah is really Salome, Pharaoh's daughter
Hassan taunts Pharaoh, calling him a wimp as he battles with himself over not wanting to kill his daughter, but knowing he should
Pharaoh activates her collar, killing his daughter
Angry, and pushed over the edge, Pharaoh steps into his machine, transforming into the Living Monolith, powered by the cosmic energies being syphoned off of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, and Human Torch
Monolith decides to destroy New York as his revenge for the loss of his daughter
She-Hulk reaches out to Captain America for help, and he decides they need someone with a scientific brain who can analyze the energy pyramid which took her three team members
Cap thinks of Spider-Man, but admits he doesn't know how to find him
Captain America heads to the Daily Bugle to find Peter Parker, knowing he takes a lot of photos of the hero
Peter see's Cap in the Bugle, and decides to wait for him outside as Spider-Man
Spider-Man is taken to the Baxter Building, and given free reign of Reed Richard's lab to analyze the Egyptian components
Monolith attacks, and though She-Hulk insists they find the remaining FF4 first, Cap reminds her of their duty to protect the city
The heroes are no match for Monolith, who ignores their attacks before swatting She-Hulk through a series of buildings
Spider-Man uses the pyramid technology to transport himself to the Monolith's base
Spider-Man decides to destroy the machines to free the FF4, but is warned that the equipment's destruction would trigger nuclear reactors to blow, killing everyone
Monolith hesitates in his rampage when he sees children fleeing a school, running from him in terror
Cap uses the opportunity to try to reason with Monolith, telling him that he is acting out in the same way he feels people did against him
Just as Monolith is about to see Cap's point, the army hits him with a rocket, sending him into a rage again, and accusing Cap of trying to trick him
The military follows up with a bombardment of bombs from fighter jets, which do nothing but anger the Monolith further, but expose a massive wire which powers all of Manhattan
Using timing, Cap and She-Hulk deenergize and reenergize the line when it makes contact with Monolith, knocking him down
Spider-Man returns with the FF4
Monolith's body continues to grow, even though he lays unconcious
Captain America calls in Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wonder Man, and Starfox to help
Monolith's men arrive, and a war breaks out, which the citizens of New York rush in to join
As Monolith awakens, he witnesses the battle before him, and questions why the citizens of New York would fight, and risk their lives, particularly one man who pushes a random child out of harms way, losing his own life in the process
Monolith and Thor work together to literally throw Monolith into space, where he'll do no more harm
As Monolith drifts through space aimlessly, he's pulled into the orbit of a star, where he suddenly begins to sprout vegetation, transforming into Ahmet Abdol, the Living Planet, finding peace that good has finally come from him
It's different to say the least

Low Points

None

Oddities

None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Retro Spins: Thomas Dolby - Aliens Ate My Buick

Today I'm finishing out the decade, and my journey through Thomas Dolby, with his 1988 released, Aliens Ate My Buick. It's a quirky title, akin to the nature of the artist. However, the album itself is a very strong departure from previous material.

It would be four years before he'd return to the studio, but despite this, was far from inactive. Dolby would tackle the world of soundtracks, writing all of the vocal tracks for 1986's Howard the Duck. While initially only asked to create one song for the album, he soon was committed to the full project, working with the faux band, Cherry Bomb from the film to produce a full album. From there, he would create the score for the horror film, Gothic

For its recording, Dolby leaned heavy into funk, and dance, departing from his previous new wave style. The end result was system shock for fans and critics, resulting in lower sales, poor charts, and essentially, a flop.

Dolby had to know when he was recording this album that it wasn't going to be mainstream in any way, nor see much radio support. I'm honestly surprised EMI - Manhattan didn't opt to shelve it. The musical direction is definitely different from previous work.

Mind you, the dude has always been a bit quirky, but this one is all over the place. One minute it's funk, then it's big band, then rockability, then pop, then rock, and so on. This overall lack of "focus" ends up with something that is more of a mess than a cohesive album.

Despite this, there is also a certain appeal to it. Tracks like Airhead, and Hot Sauce not only deliver solid bass funk, but the latter also taps into the Minneapolis sound of Prince. That weirdness that the Purple One often imparts in his music. It's hard to explain in words, but if you know, you know.

This style continued with Pulp Culture, and with the connection made to Paisely Park's owner, whether directly or indirectly, was enough to suck me in to Aliens Ate My Buick. This led me to dig a bit more, and I found that Dolby has stated before that Prince is a major influence on him. He further elaborated, stating he and Prince both excelled at writing classic "songbook" songs during a specific era.

Overall, this was a good listening experience. Not perfect, but good.

Thomas Dolby would release only two more studio albums, Astronauts & Heretics (1992), and A Map of the Floating City (2011), as well as focus on soundtracks, The Gate to the Mind's Eye (1994), The Invisible Lighthouse (2013), as well as the music for the video game, Double Switch – 25 Anniversary Edition (2019). However, he never seemed to peak any further than he did with his hit all the way back from 1982. Despite this, he has his loyal fans and continues performing for them to this day.

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