Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 112

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 112
Release Date: March 1986

Highlights

• Final appearance of the Santa Claus Imposter
• First appearance of Amanda Robertson, Steven Estevez, Alex Woolcot, Fritz Woolcot, Jordan Modica, and Joe Krolik
• Joe Krolik runs from the mall, having just robbed a woman
• When Spider-Man catches him, tells him that he was just trying to get a present for his mom who was dying from a bad clavical
• Spider-Man doesn't buy his story, but the woman he robbed does, and doesn't press charges, only to find out that Joe stole her watch as she was forgiving him - The cop on the scene just laughs at her
• Peter Parker walks under the mistletoe as he enters the Bugle, and is greeted by a big kiss from Joy
• Things are lining up that Peter will be alone for Christmas, but only because he doesn't give people the opportunity to invite him over before disappearing on them
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 273, Marvel Tales 182, and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 100
• Jordan Modica sits on Santa's lap at the mall, asking for some pretty rad stuff; Raiders of the Lost Ark on VHS, Stinkor (from Masters of the Universe), and Optimus Prime (from The Transformers)
• Mary Jane washing up

• Felicia Hardy dawns her Black Cat costume again, the first time since her and Peter broke up, and heads out into the night
• As Black Cat hones in on a pair of criminals robbing a store, they insult her by calling her Black Widow
• Black Cat decides to take the mink coats they were stealing for themselves, but then gives them to a pair of bag ladies trying to stay warm with a barrel fire
• Being a modern day Robin Hood made Felicia feel good, and she decides it's the perfect compromise to simply being a cat burglar
• Peter finds to Coke's in his fridge, and makes not that it's not that "new" stuff
• A pathetic Peter is having a Coke with his black costume, and talking to it like it's a real person to spend the holiday with
• Randy Robertson calls his father from the airport, and says his flight is delayed, but that he's bringing a friend he bumped into at the airport - Turns out that friend is his new wife, Amanda
• The Santa Claus Imposter attempts to rob the apartment of the three girls living next door to Peter, who springs into action as Spider-Man when his spidey sense goes off
• Spider-Man chases the burglar, but he gets too far ahead, and makes it out to the roof, where he meets someone else dressed as Santa Claus
• When Spider-Man makes it to the roof, the burglar, and the mysterious stranger, are gone
• The next morning Peter is called down to the Bugle where the criminal has not only changed his ways, but called the cops on himself, while he hands out hand made wooden toys and stuffed animals to children
• Peter is handed a note from the reformed man, which reads, "call your aunt"
• As Peter, Mary Jane, Aunt May, and Mary Jane's aunt Anna sit at Aunt May's home having breakfast
• Aunt May informs everyone that Mr. Popchik wasn't indicted by the jury for shooting the hoodlums who tried to rob him, and he's not only out of prison, but visiting his son
• In the bushes outside lurks two mysterious men, one wielding a knife, and in a cliffhanger ending, the one says to the other they'll do it another day

Low Points

• The focus point of Amanda is that she's white, and the Robertson family is black

Oddities

• I'm pretty sure once the cops see two bag ladies wearing thousand dollar minks that they'll be arrested and accused of robbing the store they came from

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

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Retro Spins: Public Image Ltd - Happy?

With the new line-up of John Lydon, John McGeoch, Lu Edmonds, Allan Dias, and Bruce Smith in place, Public Image Ltd. was ready to return to the studio. There was just one hangup. Previous Album producer, Bill Laswell, wanted to replace all but Lydon with session musicians. Unwilling to agree to that, Laswell would ultimately be nixed, and Gary Langan brought in to fulfill his role.

Happy? produced the single, Seattle as well as the abortion-themed single, The Body, a sequel of sorts to the similarly titled Sex Pistols song, Bodies. However, overall, it would suffer on the UK and US charts, peaking at 40, and 169, respectably.

The album saw the band shifting again in music style. Still gone were the roots of punk from earlier releases, and in their place were a continuation of the previous alternative rock, now sprinkling in a fair amount of dance. PiL had definitely reshaped themselves, pushing ever forward to stay relevant with the times.

Happy? is the second album from the group that I actively had on my want list (the second being 1984's This Is What You Want...This Is What You Get). The others all just came with finding them cheap at used CD shops. In particular, I wanted the song, The Body. However, within the first few seconds of hearing Seattle, it too became a must have for me.

Personally, I didn't hear the purported dance. Instead, it was just a solid rock album. Much like my previous listening experience of Album (1986), it's not perfect by any means, but it's rather enjoyable as a whole. In addition to the above noted tunes, I also dug Open And Revolving, Angry, and Fat Chance Hotel. While this was more so for the guitar work on all three, which feature really catchy riffs, Lydon brings an almost haunting vocal to them, especially on the latter.

This is definitely a band, which for me, has gotten better and better as the decade progressed. I'm equally excited to jump into their next album, but disappointed at the same time that it's their last of the era.

PiL would support the album by appearing as the opening act for INXS in 1988. However, tinnitus would impact Edmonds at the time, forcing him to depart. This didn't slow the band down much, as by the end of the year they were back in the studio as a quartet to record their final album of the decade and then set off in 1989 with New Order and Sugarcube, billed as The Monsters Of Alternative Rock. That's my final stop for tomorrow.

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Comics Corner: Secret Wars II 8

   

Title: Secret Wars II
Issue Number: 8
Release Date: February 1986

Highlights

• First appearance of Julia
• In a fit of rage and frustration, Beyonder destroys several multiverses with a mere thought, which Molecule Man, while trying to calm him down, immediately repairs
• Beyonder states he's come so frustrated with trying to find his role in the multiverse that he'd rather just destroy everything, and be alone
• In walking through Beyonder's past with him, Molecule man realizes that the pinhole Beyonder saw which made him aware of existence beyond him was the event which turned Owen Reece into Molecule Man
• Molecule Man suggests that if Beyonder turned himself mortal that he may find purpose, but this only serves to enrage him because he thinks he's being tricked to make himself vulnerable to attack
• In response, Beyonder says in twenty-four hours he'll return, and starting with Molecule Man will destroy all existence on Earth
• Beyonder causes an Earthquake in San Fransisco, unintentionally drawing the X-Men out to attack him, but realizing what he'd done, he retreats
• Seeing this unfold from a distance, Molecule Man panics, and creates a dome around him, and he surrounding area
• Beyonder sees the dome as he's "passing by", and with a laugh, destroys it easily
• Beyonder heads Southwest to talk with the Hulk, but is instead met with a fight by the beast
• Beyonder searches Hulk's mind, wanting to learn about Bruce Banner, but discovers that the man who once was part of Hulk is no more
• Reference is made to The Incredible Hulk 313, and Web Of Spider-Man 11
• Beyonder goes to see Peter Parker, telling him of all the mortals he's met, he likes him most, and asks him to explain why people have a fascination with life and death
• Peter explains that time is finite, so all humans cling to every moment they can, because they don't know when it will end
• This anger's Beyonder that life is all about finite time, but tells Peter he may have convinced him to not destroy everying
• As he leaves Peter's apartment, the New Mutants attack him, he easily defeats them, and warns them not to follow him
• As Molecule Man makes plans for him and Volcana to run, she convinces him to stay, and make his stand once and for all against Beyonder
• Beyonder returns to Molecule Man, prepared to have him tell him about mortality, but Molecule Man attacks
• When his attack is futile, Volcana throws herself at Beyonder's feet, telling him to kill Molecule Man, but spare her, saying she never loved him, Beyonder rejects her, and kicks her away
• Volcana runs away, reducing Molecule Man to tears, as he lies on the ground crying
• Beyonder is amused by this, and says he's going to have one more look at this world before he erases the multiverse
• In her car, Volcana cries from her ruse, speaking out loud that now that she's gone, Beyonder won't be jealous of Molecule Man, and hopefully leave him alone

Low Points

• The story picks up in New Mutants 37, and The Amazing Spider-Man 274

Oddities

• None

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

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Retro Spins: Public Image Ltd - Album (AKA Compact Disc and / or Cassette)Damned guitarist)

By 1985, Public Image Ltd. was a solo act, consisting only of founder, and lead singer, John Lydon. While several session musicians were brought in for what would become the tracks for 1986, none were more instrumental than Steve Vai, who over two days would lay down the majority of the guitar work in between shows with the band Alcatrazz, and drummer, Ginger Baker.

Fun Fact: In 1989, Baker unsuccessfully auditioned for the homeless guy in "Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF!

The album title, depending on who you ask, was either Lydon being full on punk clever, or a ripoff of Flipper's 1982 released, Album - Generic Flipper. Regardless of whether it was or wasn't, the band was none too happy with PiL's use, opting to retaliate with the 1986 live album, Public Flipper Limited Live 1980–1985.

Album (or Compact Disc or Cassette, depending on which format you purchased), strips away all the previous punk aspects that once were PiL, ushering in instead an era of alternative rock. This is definitely aided by the slick guitars of Vai but also sees benefit from Lydon actually taking the time to sing.

While this uptick in quality did result in a better listening session, I'm not going to call it a perfect one. It did have its high points for me, such as F.F.F., Rise, and Home. I also appreciate Lydon not getting caught up in the CD era and created a bloated album for the sake of filling a time quota.

Overall, I'd like more PiL like this.

Former Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist John McGeoch, along with former Damned guitarist Lu Edmunds, bassist Allan Dias, and former the Pop Group and the Slits drummer Bruce Smith joined the band for the subsequent support tour of Album. This would also be noteworthy because this lineup would in turn hit the studio for 1987's Happy? I'm headed there next, so I'll see you tomorrow.

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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.