The Toy Box

Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 122

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 122
Release Date: January 1987

Highlights

First appearance of Danny Blaire, Mr. Goldflarb, and nurse Liz
Peter Parker finds a baby in the trash, and is suddenly approached by Brendan Doyle, stating it's his kid, and to hand him over

After making short order of Doyle, and a quick change to his suit, Spider-Man takes the kid to the hospital

At the Bugle "several days later", Joy tells Peter about the "Baby Doe" found in the trash, and how the mother attempted to get the child back

Jonah tells the two of them to get to the hospital, and be reports

We learn the baby's name is Danny Blaire, and his mother's is Sharon, and she has a long rap sheet with the police
Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 267
As Peter and Joy arrive at the hospital, Brendan Doyle is being forced out by security
Joy questions Doyle, and he says he really is the kid's father, that he found out about the child, and when he went to Sharon, she threw him out the window, he ran into the fight, when coming outside to find the kid
Doyle says he's told the police this, but that since he and Sharon weren't married, he has no rights to the kid - Oh, how times have changed

The police also don't like Doyle's profession as a soldier of fortune

Later that night, Spider-Man sees Mauler, and remembering his accent, identifies that he's Doyle

Spider-Man confronts him, thinking there's going to be a fight, but Mauler thanks him for helping his son

Mauler attempts to leave, stating he's going to the hospital to take his son, but Spider-Man stops him, stating there are procedures

Not happy with that, Mauler attacks

Bullpen Bulletin's notes that Stan Lee and Jim Shooter appeared on 20/20 to discuss Marvel's 25th Anniversary

Bonus, I found the video

Additional bonus, it starts with music from Return of the Jedi - That's very clearly music from Jabba's Palace at the beginning, and at the halfway point, we get the music from Admiral Ackbar shouting, "It's a trap!"

Low Points

Spider-Man defeats Mauler with a speech

Oddities

All I could think about while reading this story was the dumpster baby Dennis, Dee and Mac found

After speaking with Joy and Peter at the hospital, Peter secretly tags Doyle with a spider tracer - Why? He already knows where he lives
In this issue, Kris Keating is referred to as Lieutenant Keating, but in The Amazing Spider-Man 283, he's referred to as Captain Keating

I haven't noticed this until now, but it appears to be a known continuity issue in Spider-Man lore

Excerpt from The Amazing Spider-Man 283

Excerpt from Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 122

Editor's Day Off: As Mauler infiltrates the hospital, one of the security guards says, "The clown is the diver suit", instead of "in"

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

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Retro Spins: Ace Frehley - Trouble Walkin'

Popularity for Frehley's Comet waned fast. So much so, that when it was time to return to the studio for 1989's Trouble Walkin', Frehley would drop the band moniker and instead opt to release it as a solo album. Frehley also took a page out of Paul Stanley and Gene Simmon's book, informing co-lead singer / guitarist / keyboardist, Tod Howarth, that his vocals wouldn't be needed on the new album, essentially relegating him to a session musician. Both Howarth and Jamie Oldaker would ultimately drop out.

What would draw people's attention to the album would be the guest appearance of Peter Criss and Sabastian Bach, who provided backing vocal on several tracks. Additionally, Frehley would use the Paul Stanley, Holly Knight, and Desmond Child penned, Hide Your Heart, which would later appear on Kiss's Hot In The Shade, released that same year. A year earlier, the song was released as a single by Bonnie Tyler, who recorded it for her album of the same name.

Unfortunately, history would repeat, and Trouble Talkin' would underperform, peaking at 102 on the Billboard 200. The lone single, a cover of The Moves, Do Ya, penned by ELO's Jeff Lynne, failed to chart. Kiss would release Hot In The Shade four days after Frehley's, and with the massive success of the album, it made no sense to release Hide Your Heart as a single.

It's a very generic rock album, and at the same time, a very loud one. Those aspects alone make it difficult to enjoy.

Sadly, none of the Frehley penned tracks really resonate either. Do Ya, and Hide Your Heart, were the only standouts for me, and frankly, the original of Do Ya, and Kiss version of Heart, are far superior.

Mind you, the music as a whole wasn't bad. It was just...well, boring. Generic at best, and forgettable. Ironically, at the same time, it was simply nice to hear Frehley's voice and guitar work. Like an old friend just stopping by to say, "Hello."

While a tour would kick off in support of the album, it was unceremoniously ended after John Regan abruptly quit. The bassist simply couldn't take the ups and downs of Frehley and his substance abuse. Other opportunities existed for him, including working with John Waite, so at the end of the day, he simply didn't need the headache. Frehley himself wouldn't tour again for two years.

Ups and downs certainly persisted for Ace, including a surprise reunion with Kiss, including Peter Criss, during MTV's Unplugged, which aired on Halloween, 1995. This led to the four original members formally reuniting in 1996 for a series of sold out shows around the world. He'd leave Kiss again in 2001, and resume his solo career, releasing six albums between 2009 and 2024.

With the help of his daughter, Ace even cleaned himself up in 2006, and though he continued to struggle with substances, managed to stay relatively clean. Sadly, as he got older, he had a few falls, which severely injured him. One such fall on October 2, 2025, resulted in him severely injuring his head, and being rushed to the hospital. On the sixteenth of that same month, it was reported he was on life support with a ventilator, suffering from brain bleeding. With no signs of recovery, his family opted to turn off life support. He died just a few hours later. Peter Criss and his wife were among the few who were present with him during his final moments on October 16, 2025.

Frehley's legacy was so widespread that many celebrities openly mourned his death with his fans, telling stories, and participating in tribute events. Even Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons offered their own tributes through one-off events, and statements. Though some fans were split by the genuineness of these.

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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: The Amazing Spider-Man 283

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 283
Release Date: December 1986

Highlights

First appearance of Mongoose, though he remains in the shadows
Flash Thompson tries to hide in the city, while also knowing he needs to find Spider-Man to help him clear his name
Reference is made to Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 118, "recent issues" of Web Of Spider-Man, Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, and "recent issues" of The Avengers
Seeing Titania robbing a jewelry store, Spider-Man thinks to himself how he doesn't want to tangle with her because she almost mopped the floor with She-Hulk

Likewise, when she sees him, she doesn't want to fight either, noting he's the only one to ever beat her

Titania slips into an alley, and changes into a disguise, but Spider-Man's spidey sense sees right through it, and follows her as she hops into a cab
Crusher tells Titania she shouldn't have robbed the jewelry store, that the two are now working for the Masters Of Evil, not themselves, and that it could ruin the plan for their job that evening at the airport

Overhearing this, Spider-Man decides to call The Avengers hotline, and let them take care of the problem

Captain Keating demands his officers find Flash Thompson now, even if it means searching every building

As the officer's leave, some ponder why Keating seems to be taking this so personal, and overhearing this, he thinks to himself that they'll never understand why

At the Daily Bugle, Ned Leeds and Peter Parker almost come to blows over Ned's temper towards his wife, Betty

Robbie tells them to get professional, or take it outside

Wasp investigates the hotel that Titania and Absorbing Man were in, but they have already checked out, having seen Spider-Man web swing off earlier
Peter arrives at Kingsley Ltd. to take Mary Jane out to lunch, and though his spidey sense kicks in, he opts to simply leave, not wanting to upset Mary Jane
Behind closed doors, Hobgoblin lashes out at Kingsley for producing more pumpkin bombs, stating they're insufficient to defeat Spider-Man

Kinglsey notes that Hobgoblin is getting more angry and obsessed, and should take precautions to ensure he doesn't turn that on him

At lunch, Peter tells Mary Jane about calling The Avengers, and reassures her that after he finds Flash Thompson, and the real Hobgoblin, he's done being Spider-Man
Despite calling The Avengers, Spider-Man heads to the airport to look for Titania and Absorbing man, only to be greeted by a car thrown at him by the villainous female

Absorbing Man gets annoyed that she's ruined their mission to pick up the new member of the Masters Of Evil, and joins the fight

Spider-Man easily defeats Absorbing Man, but that only serves to push Titania past her fears, and she attacks

It turns out it was all Absorbing Man's plan to help her overcome her trepidation

Absorbing Man picks up a fully loaded plane of passengers, and tells Spider-Man if he doesn't concede, and get out of there that he'll toss the plane

Spider-Man swings away, yielding the fight to save lives

The Bugle publishes the article, Spider-Man Coward!! the next day, and seeing it in the papers, Flash not only doesn't believe it, but says he too needs to face his fears

Low Points

None

Oddities

Editor's Day Off: Panels where Spider-Man's lenses are colored red

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

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Retro Spins: Ace Frehley (AKA Frehley's Comet) - Second Sighting

With a hit record on their hands, and brand recognition from roots in Kiss, one would think that Ace Frehley, and his band Frehley's Comet would head into their second album with great ease. One would also think with the previous writing credits of Frehley that another hit was inevitable. Sadly, none of this was the case, and the band's momentum quickly stalled out.

Second Sighting saw touring drummer, Billy Ward replaced by Jamie Oldaker. Howarth and Regan remaining in their respective roles of guitars / keyboards / co-lead singer, and bass / backing vocals, respectively.

The album would chart on the Billboard 200, peaking at eighty-one. However, singles, Insane, and It's Over Now, which also received music videos, would fail to chart. Further issues arose when the band set off on tour with Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper, only to run out of money, and have to back out. Depending on who you ask, this may or may not have been a result of the band not being paid. Regardless, the point was they didn't have any money to feasibly continue.

Things follow the standard format of Frehley's previous album, and tenure with Kiss. That being the rotating lead vocals from track to track between him and Howarth. What's lacking, however, is the spark and punch that its predecessor offered.

Overall, it's just not as good. Songs are rather forgettable, mediocre at best, and frankly, I found myself kind of bored with it. The standouts were fewer and farther between than their self-titled debut. For the Frehley vocals, you get Dancin' With Danger. For Howarth, Time Ain't Runnin' Out.

It turns out that my lackluster opinion of Second Sighting isn't alone. Overall sales began to decline rapidly for Frehley's Comet, so much to the point that Frehley would opt to restructure everything for his third solo album. This all started with dropping the band name and instead using his own for their next studio project, and unceremoniously ejecting Howarth off of co-vocals. These decisions would lead to members leaving. It would appear the biggest draws would come from a guest drummer, as well as a Kiss member penned track, but would these be enough to tip the scales back to favorable? I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I listen to 1989's Trouble Walkin'.

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 24

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 24
Release Date: March 1987

Highlights

First appearance of The Magnificent Manfred, Fred, the casino patron, Miller, the casino security guard, and Owen Briosky, and his body guards, Benson and Gerhard
Death of Randal Reese
Peter is in Atlantic City with Aunty May and her senior citizens group
Nathan Lubensky sits at a table blowing money, fifty dollars at a time
We learn that even though May asked Nathan to move out, he can't afford to move, which is why she's upset that he's blowing all his money on gambling
Peter sits down at a slot machine, and drops his only spendable dollar in it

After winning, he quickly gets bit by the gambling bug, and loses all his winnings

Fortunately, he comes to his senses before spending his "emergency money"

Vulture is also in Atlantic City, and proposes to casino owner Owen Briosky to use his specially designed dice, roulette wheels, wheels of fortune, and slot machines to become the richest in the city
Briosky scoffs at Vulture's one million dollar price, and tells his guards to throw him out
One of Briosky's guards gets thrown from the penthouse window, and seeing it, Peter springs into action, catching him in a web
As Peter makes his way to the penthouse, via the exterior of the building, a shadowed Eddie Brock makes another cameo appearance, grabbing his leg, and throwing him from the building - Venom is coming

Peter once again ponders why his spider sense didn't notify him of the danger, and remembers it happening before when he was pushed on the train tracks
Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 18, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 5, and 6
Vulture appears to be trying to get money to have enough funds for his own funeral, specifically, taxidermy, and placement in a prestige museum
Peter and May go to see the Magnificent Manfred, but during the show, Peter's spider sense kicks in as Vulture infiltrates the building
Peter volunteers to be part of a disappearing trick in order to sneak away and become Spider-Man
Spider-Man and Vulture battle in Briosky's casino
As Spider-Man holds a large slot machine with his webbing so it won't crush the people below, Vulture zooms in for the final blow
Vulture is displaced by a pumpkin bomb from Hobogoblin, who informs the villain that he's made a mistake in attacking a casino under his protection
Vulture realizes that Hobgoblin will kill him without hesitation, and fleas
Hobgoblin turns his attention to Spider-Man, but is called off by the Rose's men
Peter and the seniors return to New York

Low Points

None

Oddities

Editor's Day Off: This whole panel is difficult to read, and full of typos:

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

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Retro Spins: Ace Frehley - Frehley's Comet

By 1982, Ace Frehley had departed Kiss, retaining his 1/4 interests with the band until 1985 when his contract expired. Free to do whatever he wanted, he formed a band with Anton Fig, John Regan, Richie Scarlet, and Arthur Stead. The group would alter between using Frehley's name, and Frehley's Comet. Though they would record demos, and perform live shows, the lineup would change when the band ultimately singed with Megaforce Records.

Now consisting of Frehley, Tod Howarth, Regan, and Fig, their debut, Frehley's Comet would be a much-needed success and revitalization of Frehley's career. The album would peak at number forty-three on the Billboard 200, only solidifying my opinion that he was always the true talent of Kiss. The band's cover of Russ Ballard's Into The Night would also peak on the Rock Charts at twenty-seven, while the semi-autobiographical Rock Soldiers music video would see moderate rotation on MTV.

To support the album, the band headed out on tour. However, Fig, who had accepted the full time offer as drummer for David Letterman's talk show band, would only be sporadically available, leading to his departure midway through. Billy Ward would be brought in to fill his shoes and also appear in promotional music videos.

Things start out with Rock Soldiers, which is a fantastic track to set the tone of things to come. However, what I noticed with track two, is that Frehley had definitely taken a page from his previous co-workers, Paul Stanley, and Gene Simmons. Much like Kiss albums, lead vocals rotate between Frehley and Tod Howarth from song to song. Ironically, Howarth would also make a convincing Stanley. They sound very similar.

While the album as a whole is a very satisfying rock pop mixture, there are a lot of standout tracks for sure. For the Frehley sung tunes, those are the aforementioned Rock Soldiers, Into The Night, and Dolls. While Howarth has Breakout and Calling You.

Despite its success, Frehley's Comet wasn't able to maintain much momentum in the 80's. Part of this may have been a result of the ongoing substance abuses of Frehley himself. Their follow up, 1988's Second Sighting wouldn't yield any charting singles. Its correlating tour would also see the band running out of money, ultimately cancelling appearances. With a mess on their hands, a rift was inevitable, but that, as I've said many times before, is a story for tomorrow.

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 23

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 23
Release Date: February 1987

Highlights

First appearance of Hyves, the security guard, Davis, the Atlantic City Honeymooners, Jeff and Laura, and NYPD officers Anderson and Vasquez
As Joy and Peter fly back from England (see low points), she tells him, in answer to his question, that he'll never make it in this business because he's unreliable, immature, and treats his assignments like a high school field trip
Joy and Peter proceed to argue, and she tells him that everyone knows he only works for the paper because of his arrangement with Spider-Man to get photos, and split the profits
Back at the Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson yells at the two about their extended trip from England to Dublin, until he see's Peter's photos
Slyde infiltrates the Bugle, and steels a computer disk from the office of Carl Jenkins
Spider-Man sees the ad in the Bugle left for him by Silver Sable
Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 281
Peter sits in his apartment, redesigning his web shooters for easier passage through airport security
Peter heads to his Aunt's for dinner, and decides to stay the night

Only Aunt May and Vic appear to live in the house now

Jerome Beacher, AKA Slyde, sits in his apartment, attempting to crack the password protected floppy disc he stole

When he finally does, he learns about the exchanges of his former employer every Tuesday and Friday

Slyde breaks into Talmadge Investments as a case full of money is exchanging hands, and takes it for himself
Though it's not noted as being Optimus Prime, a very familiar looking tractor trailer makes an appearance

Peter buys Mary Jane three pounds of Godiva chocolate, just to have it all melt when he tucks it in his webbing with his clothes when he goes after Slyde as Spider-Man
Spider-Man snags the briefcase of money from Slyde, leaving it for the cops who are also pursuing the thief
Peter and Aunt May head for Atlantic City for the weekend with her senior citizens group
Vulture flies through the city, hunting for his prey

Low Points

The issue starts with Joy Mercado and Peter Parker flying home from England, meaning the chronological reading order is all off again

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Twisted Sister - Love Is For Suckers

By 1986, drummer A.J. Pero had departed the band, and by 1987, Dee Snyder was focusing his attention on solo projects. He'd ultimately record the tracks which would become Love Is For Suckers. However, when presented to Atlantic Records, they refused to release it unless it was under the moniker of a Twisted Sister album. While Snyder would relent to this request, and the band credited (with exception of Pero), outside of the singer, none of the other members contributed to the album.

Snyder focused on a glam metal sound for the album, which resonated with critics at the time, but only served to cause a rift with remaining members, Eddie Ojeda, Jay Jay French, Mark Mendoza, and new drummer, Joey Franco. Having had enough, Dee would quit the band just two months after the album's release, and Atlantic would cancel their contract.

Love Is For Suckers was the very last Twisted Sister album I acquired in my collection, and it was simply for completion's sake. Leading up to today's listening session, I had heard nothing from it before. It features the single, Hot Love, which is also the only track from the record to have a music video. It's a decent track.

The "protest" song, Wake Up (The Sleeping Giants), is also relatively okay. Fun fact, for the longest time, Twisted Sister refused to incorporate any tracks from this album into their live shows. Snyder stated that he felt doing so would potentially cultivate bad memories for the other band members who weren't involved in its recording. However, as of 2012, this track has been added to shows, based on fan requests for their concerts to include material from every album.

It's a solid album, but definitely weaker than what has been delivered in the past. Especially in terms of catch hits. Among the two songs noted above, standout tracks included the title track, Tonight, I Want This Night (To Last Forever), You Are All That I Need, and Yeah Right. That's certainly a lot more than I expected.

The name Twisted Sister would fizzle out of relevance as the years went by until 1998 when something unique happened in Hollywood. Snyder would write, produce, and star in the film, Dee Snyder's StrangeLand. The movie was a based on the song, Horror-Teria (The Beginning): A) Captain Howdy B) Street Justice, from 1984's Stay Hungry, and follows the same premise of sadistic child murderer, Captain Howdy, who ultimately gets set free, only to face street justice, and return to his murderous roots as a result.

While the film would flop at the box office, it would become a cult classic. Further, it would rekindle interest in Twisted Sister, and the classic lineup (Snyder, French, Ojeda, Mendoza, and Pero) would reunite to record tracks for the film's soundtrack, Heroes Are Hard To Find. to capitalize, Spitfire Records re-released the bands entire back catalog with bonus tracks.

This would eventually be followed by a re-recording and re-release of Stay Hungry, now titled, Still Hungry. The schtick was that the band would promote it as the way the album was intended to sound, and to ice the cake, added seven bonus tracks. This was followed by the 2006 farce, A Twisted Christmas.

Throughout all of this, the guys would continue to tour and appear at one-off events. However, when drummer A.J. Pero passed away in 2015, the band would announce a farewell tour, Forty And F**k It, which they embarked on the following year. Their final show would take place on November 12, 2016. The band would reunite again in January 2023 for their induction into the Metal Hall Of Fame, and in 2026 announced a fiftieth anniversary tour. However, this would be without Mark Mendoza, based on "irreconcilable differences."

During all of this, Dee has continued to enjoy a solo career, releasing five studio albums between 2000, and 2021. However, none of his solo efforts have reached the success once had with Twisted Sister. Further, no album by Twisted Sister has come close to topping the massive popularity and sales of 1984's Stay Hungry.

With all that said, it's time for me to find something else to listen to. Tune in tomorrow to see where we land.

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 121

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 121
Release Date: December 1986

Highlights

First appearance of Morty Phillips, and Schanes
The story opens with Peter, Mary Jane, and J. Jonah Jameson sitting at a restaurant table together, when Robbie Robertson enters
Robbie is surprised to see Jameson with the two, and learns they were all at Roshomon Bank when it was robbed just thirty minutes ago
Mary Jane begins to tell the story, but is interrupted by Peter multiple times trying to stop her by clearing his throat, Mary Jane responds by kicking him under the table
Mary Jane's version:

Peter is at the Bugle with Mary Jane, and offers to buy Jameson lunch, but Jonah instead insists that he'll buy lunch for all three of them
First, Peter stops to cash his check
A robber bursts into the bank, but is initially stopped in his tracks by Mary Jane's beauty
J. Jonah Jameson concurs with her beauty, but gets smacked by the robbre
Spider-Man appears, and deals with the robber, but a woman is shot in the process
In his anger that someone was shot, Spider-Man drags the robber behind the counter, and pummels him
After the fight, Spider-Man tells Mary Jane how pretty she is

J. Jonah Jameson's version:

J. Jonah Jameson once again offers to buy lunch, and even notes that they should discuss raising Peter's freelance salary
An employee at the bank compliments him on his cigar aroma
As Peter cashes his check, the robber bursts in, but tries to first kiss Mary Jane

Jonah steps in to teach the Rambo looking robber some manners

Everyone in the bank, including the robber, is in awe as Jonah announces who he is
Spider-Man arrives on the scene, but everyone tells him he's not wanted there
Wanting to protect everyone, including Spider-Man, Jameson leaps at the robber, and slaps the gun from his hands, but a woman is shot in the process
Spider-Man jumps in, dragging the robber behind the counter out of site
Jameson surmises that he and the robber were discussing splitting the loot, but then Spider-Man left the man knocked out on the ground, taking everything for himself
Everyone tells Jameson how wonderful he is, and that Spider-Man was just trying to steal his moment

After his story, Robbie asks Jonah how many drinks he's had
Peter Parker's version:

Peter is at the Bugle with Mary Jane, and headed out to cash his check
On the way out, Mary Jane suggests he take Jonah to lunch because you have to spend money to make money, and basically, suck up to Jonah
Jameson still offers to pay for lunch, but only because he says if he goes to places Peter goes, he'll be sick for a week
The employee at the bank tells Jameson to extinguish his smelly cigar, to which he asks her, "Do you know who I am?" She simply responds, "The one who's smelling up the bank."
The robber enters, but he's not confident, and can't figure out what he's doing
He points his gun at Jameson, who cowers
Mary Jane steps in, and tries to use her charm, but when the robber slips up and says his real name, he pushes her out of the way
Jameson steps in, announcing who he is, but the robber says he's never heard of him, and points the gun in his face again
Spider-Man crawls quietly up the ceiling, making his way towards the robber, but Jonah blows it by shouting the heroes arrival
The robber panics, and drops his gun, which goes off, the bullet grazing a woman's arm
Angry the woman was shot, Spider-Man drags the robber behind the counter who begins to profusely apologize, saying he's been out of work for years, his kids are hungry, and then proceeds to punish himself with his own fists
Seeing the man needs mental health help, Spider-Man drags him from the bank, and turns him over to the police

Hearing Peter's version, Jonah gets angry, and storms off
Mary Jane gets angry at Peter, telling him she had his best interests in mind, and he should have stayed quiet, she then gets up and leaves
Robbie tells Peter he did the right thing, then leaves too
Peter gets stuck with the check

Low Points

I could tell from the cover this one was going to be goofy - It just looked like yet another "jump the shark" moment
I prefer my Spider-Man issues to be straight forward, and not Chose Your Own Adventure

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Twisted Sister - Come Out And Play

Coming off their massive success, Stay Hungry, Twisted Sister was ready to go on to bigger and better things. Sadly, their fanbase wouldn't be onboard with any of it. Upon completion of the 1985 album, Come Out And Play, the band opted to release the Shangri-Las cover of Leader Of The Pack as their lead single. Fans hated it.

This was followed by, Be Chrool To Your Scuel. The song prominently featured Alice Cooper on co-vocals, and the music video was even better, featuring Bobcat Goldthwait, Billy Joel, Brian Setzer, and Clarence Clemons. Unfortunately, the music video would be banned by MTV on the grounds of being offensive.

Things didn't get better for the band when they set out on their promotional tour. With sales significantly lower than their previous album, this translated to even worse ticket sales. Several shows so drastically undersold that they were ultimately cancelled. To try to push the album, Atlantic released a re-mixed cut of their 1982 Under The Blade, and in 1986 also released Come Out and Play: The Videos on VHS. None of this seemed to help.

It kicks off with the title track, and has a nod to the 1979 film, The Warriors, with its use of clanking bottles, and Dee Snyder saying, "Come out and play...with Twisted Sister." The song eventually segues into Leader Of The Pack, which, despite fan opinion, remains one of my favorites from the guys.

Be Chrool To Your Scuel, is actually a new one for me. I suppose with my limited exposure to Twisted Sister outside of MTV, this makes sense. I think as a song it's got cheesy lyrics, which would easily make it forgettable. However, coupled with the video, it gets that added charm from not only the theatrical over the top nature of the band, but the cameos and guest appearances. Personally, I'm not sure why MTV banned it. I don't see anything about it that's offensive.

It's followed by, I Believe In You, which is a bit on the ballad side, but somehow resonates with me. However, this was relatively all that stood out for me on the album. As a whole, it was okay. Nothing really specially, and definitely not as strong as the material from 1984's Stay Hungry.

Though it wouldn't happen instantaneously, Come Out And Play would be among the earlier CD's produced to be taken out of print. As a result of this, it commands the highest asking price of all their albums on secondary markets. Also of note is that the cassette and CD releases have a bonus track, King Of The Fools, which was not included on the vinyl for time constraints.

Upon the completion of the tour, A.J. Pero would quit to rejoin Cities. Meanwhile, Snyder would branch off into his own solo project, recording the tracks that would become Twisted Sisters final album, 1987's Love Is For Suckers. Things, however, would come to a head, and the band would ultimately disband after its release. All of that story unfolds tomorrow.

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 120

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 120
Release Date: November 1986

Highlights

First appearance of Daily Bugle employee, Blaine Browne
First appearance and death of Dominic Castellano
Classic Marvel 25th Anniversary cover
Spider-Man sees an incident unfolding at the entrance of an apartment between an old man with a butcher knife, a group of thugs, and the police

Spider-Man disarms the old man, and learns that all the men, except the cops live there

The thugs make it difficult for the honest folks

Peter attempts to sell photos and the story to the Bugle, but is initially turned down by Robbie Robertson until reporter Blaine Browne informs him she's heard rumblings of a tenant uprising to take care of the thugs themselves

The two head out that night for the story

The thugs at the building try to scare the two away, but they're saved by Dominic, the old man with the butcher knife, who invites them in, and tells them what's going on
It's a story about a greedy landlord who brought in the gangs to scare the honest folks away so that he could convert to luxury units
Dominic is murdered - Thrown from the roof of his building, made to look like suicide
An arson sets the building on fire, the last desperate act of the owner of the building to get rid of the people

Despite the fire, Spider-Man chases him down, telling him he better confess, or Spidey will come back for him

He confesses

Low Points

The panels of art are all zoomed in really tight, the pages literally can't breathe with how claustrophobic they are
The story is nothing more than the writer stomping his feet for rent control

Oddities

Spider-Man is in his classic red and blue suit - How? There's been no mention of him remaking it after it was destroyed in the "End of the Red Suit" story arc - Web of Spider-Man 16 - 18
Editor's Day Off: In speaking with Dominic, Blaine says, "So that the public can under what's happening here!" not completing the word "understand"

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

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Retro Spins: Twisted Sister - You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll

John Segall, AKA Jay Jay French, joined Silver Star in late 1972 as their rhythm guitaris, which featured Mel Anderson (drummer), Billy Diamond (lead guitar), Wayne Brown (guitar and lead vocals), Tony Bunn (bass), and Steve Guarino (keyboards). Brown would depart and be replaced by Michael O'Neill. Hating the name of the band, Segall pushed to have it changed. It would be O'Neill who would come up with Twisted Sister.

Along with the name change, the band would also change stylistically. However, this wouldn't sit well with everyone, prompting Bunn and Guarino to leave. Kenneth Harrison Neill would join as new bassist. This lineup was able to find immediate work in New York, securing a tenancy at Mad Hatter in 1973.

Things were going well, as far as gigs, with the boys playing thousands of shows by December 1974. However, things were not well internally, and the band suddenly broke up. A second iteration was promptly formed, with Rick Prince on vocals, and Keith Angel on guitars. However, after not showing up for a rehearsal in early 1975, Prince was fired, and French took over vocals. Once again, things didn't work out, and the band once again disbanded.

In October 1975, another iteration of Twisted Sister emerged with French on rhythm guitars and co-vocals with new vocalist and second guitarist, Eddie Ojeda. Kevin John Grace took up drums, with bassist Neill remaining from the previous lineup. This time, the guys followed the emerging glam rock format, and while they played several gigs, got lost in obscurity.

At the suggestion of their manager, Kevin Brenner, Danny (Dee) Snyder was brought in on vocals in 1976, with the intensions of singing Led Zeppelin cover songs. After six weeks, Grace departed and was replaced by Tony Petri. The band would also take on a heavier (metal) sound. In 1978, Neill would become a born again Christian and leave the band. He'd be replaced by Mark Mendoza.

The band began recording demos at this time, which would make their way to compilation albums released at the time, and eventually be re-recorded for their first two albums. However, between 1979 to 1982, more lineup changes occurred. Joey Brighton replacing Petri, who was then replaced by Richie Teeter, only to be replaced by AJ Pero. Walt Woodward III would also join the band but depart after just three days.

Recognizing the importance of branding, Twisted Sister started their own t-shirt company and followed this up by launching their own record label. It was on said label that they recorded and released a few singles. These songs would make their way to Martin Hooker, president of the UK based Secret Records, who signed the band.

Along with relocating to the UK to work with Secret, the guys took $22,000.00 with them, and used it to appear on the show, The Tube. Secret released their first EP, Ruff Cutts, still featuring Tony Petri on drums at the time. However, the official lineup would soon be Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, Mark Mendoza and A.J. Pero, managed by Mark Puma, who would release their debut, Under The Blade (1982).

Despite limited pressings, the album became a massive success in the UK. Coupled with their appearance on The Tube, the boys were approached by Atlantic Records, who signed them. Ironically, Atlantic would be one of the labels the band initially tried to sign with during their club days but were declined.

Atlantic released You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll in 1983, which featured the UK chart hit, I Am (I'm Me), which peaked at number eighteen. It would become the bands first gold record in the USA.

Though production values were much higher, stylistically, the album captured that same hard and heavy metal sound of its predecessor. The title track would also become the band's first music video and capture the comedic style that future videos would follow, popularizing the Twisted Sister on MTV.

Things kick off with, The Kids Are Back, and right off the bat, it's definitely got a solid heavy metal sound. In retrospect, perhaps the original cut of their debut wouldn't have been so bad, in comparison to the poppy remixed 1985 re-release.

With that said, I do prefer the more pop rock-oriented sound of 1984's breakthrough, Stay Hungry. Probably because it's the era that not only produced the most hits, but where I originally got on board the train.

Standout tracks for me are I Am (I'm Me), and You Can't Kill Rock 'N' Roll (the song). However, the rest still delivered a solid metal experience.

Twisted Sister would go on to release 1984's Stay Hungry, which would become their greatest album to date, going multi-platinum in the USA and Canada, while also reaching single platinum status in Australia, Sweden, and New Zealand. I've already played through that one, so I'll be skipping it, and instead heading into 1985's Come Out And Play. Unfortunately, for the band, this release wouldn't be as massive as its predecessor, and future releases would see a steady decline in sales.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 20

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual
Issue Number: 20
Release Date: November 1986

Highlights

First appearance of Iron Man 2020, AKA Arno Stark, Robert Saunders (Earth-616), and Richard Saunders
First appearance and death of Robert Saunders (Earth-8410), Cynthia Stark, and Arno Stark Jr.
Death of Blizzard (Gregor Shapanka), and Dr. "Hawk" Hawkins
The story opens in the year 2015 on Earth-8410
Arno Stark is nominated Man of the Year for his invention of the Time Displacement Device
Arno's wife Cynthia calls him, and though she attempts to remind him that he promised the coming weekend for her and their son, Arno blows her off the meet with Dr. Hawkins
Robert Saunders infiltrates Stark's plant, and arms the buster bomb, and unknown initially to Stark is that his wife and kid are there
Saunders doesn't have any intensions of blowing the place up, but instead disarming everything from a safe distance after his terrorist act is over

Unfortunately, he ends up splattered all over the dome as Stark blasts his escape air scooter

It's deduced that a retinal scan from Saunders is the only thing that can stop the bomb, but with him blown up, there's only one chance - time travel

On Earth-616, Spider-Man battles Blizzard, all while snapping photos which he needs to sell to pay his late rent, but knowing that the Bugle isn't interested - They're not
At the Bugle, Peter meets a young child, Robert Saunders
Jameson gives Peter an international assignment for Now Magazine in Geneva, Switzerland, which Peter jumps at for the money
Peter is excited to be leaving for the assignment "tomorrow" until he's reminded by Mary Jane that it's his Aunt's birthday
As Peter attempts to leave for the airport, he see's his landlady in the hallway, and instead attempts to duck out the skylight as Spider-Man, but his neighbors are on the roof sunbathing

So, dressed as Spider-Man, he simply decides to walk down the hall, but is seen by the child from the Bugle, who's come to see Peter to learn how to be a photographer

Spider-Man drops the kid off at the Bugle, and tells him he has a plane to catch, but as he swings away, Blizzard grabs the boy, dragging him to his van

Blizzard also has a new suit, since the cops confiscated his other

The roof of the van is ripped off by Iron Man, Arno Stark, and he grabs the boy, immediately flying away

Blizzard gets angry at being ignored, and blasts Iron Man, knocking him from the sky

Annoyed, Iron Man blasts Blizzard back, killing him
Iron Man scan's the kids retinal to get the information he needs
Spider-Man circles back to make sure the boy guy into the building safely, and is met by Iron Man who immediately opens fire on him

The battle causes the retinal scanner to be destroyed, and as Spider-Man swings away with Robert, Iron Man gives chase, continuing to shoot

A close blast from Iron Man sends shards of glass into the boy's skin, cutting him badly
Spider-Man goes into a rage, and pummels Iron Man, damaging all of his suit's systems

Just as Iron Man tries to explain (finally), he vanishes in time

Robert's face is severely disfigured from the shards of glass, an origin story to why as an adult his face is all scarred up
Spider-Man is met by Robert's father who says if Spider-Man needs anything to let him know

Spider-Man asks for a loan, and the man offers him fifteen thousand dollars, but Spider-Man just asks for his rent money, $275.36

Stark is returned back to his time, his calculations off, and the time he thought he had not precise - The bomb has detonated, and his family, along with countless others are dead

Low Points

None

Oddities

Editor's Day Off: The text boxes for Blizzard aren't colored in during an action infused panel, making them difficult to read

Of course when Iron Man sees Spider-Man he immediately opens fire instead of using his words - It's the Marvel way

Even Spider-Man is trying to figure out why he didn't talk to him

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

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