Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 296

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 296
Release Date: January 1988

Highlights

• First appearance of Dr. Barnum
• Spider-Man has run out of web fluid, and broke as usual, he's hoofing it in the rain back home
• He talks about redesigning his web shooters so that this doesn't happen again
• Mary Jane is away in Aspen on a photo shoot
• Dr. Barnum and Jefferson seek to treat Otto Octavius through sleep therapy
• Rather than dream, Octavius falls into a nightmare, his subconscious battling Spider-Man
• His mental state causes his metal arms, locked up elsewhere, and bound by adamantium to thrash
• Peter designs his new web shooters, but doesn't have the money to build them
• A call to the Bugle yields no work
• Octavius's nightmares continue, and this time when he mentally links with his metal arms, they break free
• Spider-Man swings through the city looking for news to photograph, and finds it in the arms of Doc Ock smashing its way down the street
• Though he initially resists them, and even fears his arms when they find him, once the security guards shoot at them, Octavius accepts his fate as Doc Ock, and dawning them, breaks out of the hospital
• Doc Ock returns to one of his many lairs, and finds that his ex-henchmen don't want to work for him anymore, but they change their mind when his arms rip their car in half
• Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 5
• Spider-Man works with the Bugle and Dr. Jefferson to lure Doc Ock out
• Peter gets the money to fund his new web shooters
• Doc Ock determines himself to destroying New York City to get ensure the destruction of Spider-Man

Low Points

None

Oddities

Peter can barely rub two nickels together, and his first priority when getting cash in hand is upgrading his web shooter, not putting it away from him and his wife

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

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Retro Spins: Book Of Love - Lullaby

 

It's ironic that I would say in my previous post about Book Of Love that tubular bells and chimes felt a bit overused, only to then fire up their sophomore album, Lullaby for the opening track, Tubular Bells.

Though their 1986 album featured multiple charting hits, it would be the group's commitment to serve as opening act for Depeche Mode's Black Celebration Tour, which kept them out of the studio. It wouldn't be until spring 1987 that they finally got the opportunity to start laying down demos for what would become 1988's Lullaby.

Preceding its release, Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls, was released as a single, and darted up the dance charts to number five. This was followed by the mildly successful album title track, which peaked at twenty-seven. The third single, Witchcraft wouldn't fare so well, failing to chart. As a whole, the album would also be their first to hit the Billboard Hot 200, peaking at one hundred fifty-six.

As noted above, the album kicks off with Tubular Bells, a fun instrumental, which segues into the hit, Pretty Boys And Pretty Girls. The two tracks really hit the mark for me and excite me for the things to come.

I can't help but feel like if Witchcraft had been released in 1984 / 1985 that it would have been a success. It's not a good song by any means, but what it does have is quirky vocals, which bounce from Susan to Jade to Lauren, all mixed together in a solid beat.

While I will say that the album is pretty okay overall, for the year it was released, it's a bit dated. I suppose part of my opinion driving that is that by this point in time I was listening to more hard rock / metal. Still, it's a decent listening session.

Book Of Love would release two more albums, 1991's Candy Carol, and 1993's Lovebubble. Carol would hit the Billboard 200 (174), and both it and Lovebubble would produce one successful dance chart hit. However, witnessing the changing landscape of music in real time, they would opt to disband in 1994. While part of this decision was to avoid continuing on until irrelevant, the members were admittedly burned out and facing family issues. In the end, they just felt that things had run their course, and it was time to bow out.

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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: Web Of Spider-Man 34

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 34
Release Date: January 1988

Highlights

• First appearance of A'Sai, Gerbil, Truck, Lumpy, and Grunz
• First appearance of Bally's Las Vegas
• Uatu, the Watcher, is ambushed by the alien, AiSai, a feet never before achieved
• Spider-Man joins the game when Gerbil is injured
• Grunz bet A'Sai eight million credit-units that the latter couldn't accomplish what he just did, and now Grunz is flat broke
• A'Sai explains that he was able to accomplish his task with a piece of Galactus's home world that he salvaged
• Reference is made to Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars 11
• A'Sai wants the weapons of the Watcher, and negotiates a wager
• If Uatu wins, A'Sai will turn over his weapons
• If A'Sai wins, Uatu turns over his weapons, and A'Sai will also kill him
• The two see Spider-Man playing football on a monitor, and decide that the game he's playing will be their bet
• A'Sai gets the red shirts, AKA, the big guys
• Uatu gets Spider-Man and the kids
• Though initially down fifty-six to nothing, Spider-Man is able to pep talk the kids into giving it all they've got, bringing the score to fifty-six to forty-five
• Seeing them making a comeback, A'Sai blasts Truck with his weapon, giving him added strength and speed
• Gerbil comes back into the game when Lumpy gets injured too
• With time expired, and the ball in their possession, Gerbil scores the winning touchdown by barreling through Truck
• A'Sai loses the bet, and though he attempts to turn the weapon on Uatu, finds it has vanished
• Though Uatu promised he would not punish A'Sai for invading his home and taking him prisoner, the villain's attempt to use his weapon after the bet was won demands the Watcher punish him
• Uatu banishes him to a prison inside of a Joker card at Bally's Grand Hotel Casino in Las Vegas

Low Points

• Jim Shooter leaves, and you have Spider-Man playing football, and a bet between a Watcher and alien?

Oddities

• Spider-Man sees some guys playing football with a group of kids, and says the ball is probably full of crack
• Editor's Day Off: Truck says to his team, "I ain't gonna sit on the bench just 'cause the the shrimp got bunged."

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

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Christmas Catalogs - Sears Wish Book 1974

Hey! You want to spend the next two years looking at the fantastic Christmas catalogs produced by Sears, JCPenny, and Montgomery Ward? Cause I do! Yeah, I said two years, cause that's a lot of catalogs! Join me on most Monday's each month as I post up one of those fabulous books starting with 1970, and ending with 1989.

Look through every page, feeling every bit of nostalgia. Chuckle at the look and style of the wardrobes those zanny past decade people wore. Gawk at the toys you used to have, but long since parted ways with. Bring back all those memories of hours spent laying on the floor, combing every inch as your young mind pined over everything you wanted. Reminisce over the Christmas that followed as you unwrapped those lucky few that you got.

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