The Toy Box

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 release 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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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: 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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Just Doodling - Bats, Man!

Take your pick...

Or...

On an unrelated side note, I'm not gonna lie, I'd totally watch this movie.

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Retro Spins: Twisted Sister - Under the Blade

It feels like a lifetime ago (2019) when I first spun a Twisted Sister album, their massive breakthrough, Stay Hungry. It was my second year of doing album reviews, and I hadn't quite hit my stride, nor landed on my formula for each post, but for what it's worth, I enjoyed the album.

At that point in time, I had three of the five 80's albums from the band, and if you would have asked me then if I would fill in the gaps, I would have said no. Of course, this was also back when I was really focused on my collection, adamantly working towards albums that had songs I actually knew, and actively wanted to own. Fluff was rare back then, unless I was hitting up a Timonium show to dig through piles and piles of dollar CD's.

Well, time has a way of changing a man. As the years rolled by, I found myself looking into their debut, Under The Blade, and their final album of the decade, Love Is For Suckers but would never pull the trigger. Both cost more than I really wanted to spend, and not knowing any of the tracks, it just didn't make sense. Yet for some reason, I kept coming back to their debut. I'd search for it. See the pricing and move on, and in late 2025, finally pulled the trigger, and picked up the two stragglers.

When Under The Blade was initially released, it was only on cassette and vinyl. CD, at this point in time, was just starting up, and the format was reserved for select few albums, typically back catalogs of already established legacy artists. As a result, when it did finally see a pressing in 1985, it was remixed by Atlantic Records prior to release, a decision which was initially criticized by Sister fans.

Atlantic's goal was to capitalize on the band's momentum from 1984's Stay Hungry, while fans eagerly awaited 1985's Come Out And Play. However, the problem they saw was that the original mix of the band's debut was far more aggressive, metal if you will, as compared to their popular hard rock pop sound which catapulted them to mainstream success. Because of this, the album was, as noted, remixed, making it sound more familiar to the current sound of the band. This version of the album would also feature a forgotten 1979 single from Sister, I'll Never Grow Up, Now!

The original cut would eventually get its day in digital. Eagle Records would restore the original mixes of the tracks and release them through online streaming sources. This was followed by Rhino Records producing a limited run of CD's, which are out of print at this point.

Personally, I own the 1985 re-issue, and I'm totally fine with this. I like the more poppy rock sound of Twisted Sister and really don't have any interest in hearing them as a hardcore metal group.

Because I don't know what the original mixes sound like, I have nothing to compare these remixed tracks to. However, as a whole, it was a pretty solid album. What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You), Bad Boys (Of Rock 'N' Roll), and Under The Blade were the standout tracks that I took away from it.

It was actually kind of exciting to listen to and really ramped up my interest in hearing more from Dee Snyder and the boys. I'm already ramping up to play through 1983's You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll.

Tomorrow I'll also take a step back and hit a bit of history for the band. It'll be a nice segue into their sophomore album. Until then, that about wraps this one up.

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 6

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual
Issue Number: 6
Release Date: July 1986

Highlights

Last appearance of Ace, Lorenzo Spencer, and Jean Hillman
First appearance of Chuck Hanes, Dianne, Wendy, Bob Haar, and Reaper member Tyrone
Death of Mrs. Spencer
Peter wakes from a dream, and thinks about his first encounter with Ace, specifically how the man was able to dodge everything Spider-Man threw at him, and his own jealousy that Ace was admired while Spider-Man always remained a pariah
Tyrone roughs up Ace's sister in the street, warning her that she better tell her brother not to testify against the Reapers, a story arc carried over from Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 5
Ace shows up, and Tyrone pulls a knife on him, but is beaten down pretty quickly
Ace reminds his sister that one of the people he's testifying against is his brother Lorenzo, which will split their family apart
Chuck Hanes of the Child Welfare Bureau waits for Ace outside, and when he arrives informs him he's there to take his sister

Ace declines, and rides off, while Hanes gives chase, but wrecks his car in the process

City Editor Kate Cushing has had enough of Peter, and lays in down plain and simple, "No more clichéd pictures of Spider-Man!"

She instead tells him their running a story on the mysterious vigilante, Ace, and tells Peter to go find him and get photos

Ace shows up late to testify in court, but is pushed to his limit with the defense counsel insulting his family, and making accusations that he's only testifying to gain control of the Reapers for himself

Ace storms out of the courtroom, deciding the legal system isn't worth his time

A mistrial is granted, and Lorenzo goes free

Peter Parker is in the courtroom witnessing it all, and decides he now has a reason to fight Ace

As Spider-Man investigates Ace's apartment, the cops bust in with Chuck, they spot Spider-Man, and inform him that Ace is holding the child somewhere

Now Spider-Man thinks he's a child abductor

Spider-Man finds Ace in the streets below, and immediately springs into a fight

To no avail, Spider-Man can't land a blow

It's actually Ace who has the level head, and stops the fight, asking Spider-Man why he wants to fight him so badly

Seeing he's not getting through to Spider-Man, Ace simply stands there, and lets him land punches for a moment

Tyrone pulls a gun on Ace, but Spider-Man saves him
Aces tells the gang that he and his sister are leaving, ant that Lorenzo will be back and can have leadership of the gang - he no longer cares
As Lorenzo takes control of the Reapers again, in his own apartment, the son of Vince Difeo, the man killed by Lorenzo loads his father's gun, and says he'll get justice himself

Low Points

The story opens with Spider-Man having a dream that he's beating the stuffing out of Ace, while everyone he knows is cheering him on; Aunt May, Mary Jane, Robbie Robertson, and J. Jonah Jameson, to name a few
Spider-Man is intent on finding Ace because he wants to fight him for a reason he doesn't even understand

Oddities

Ace sees a couple armed robbers heading into a store, and tosses them out the window

As he's walking out the store, he has a handful of cash, and the owner tells a reporter for the Bugle that Ace provides protection, and he kicks him some cash

Except how much did he just cost the guy in a broken window?

After an odd scene of Mrs. Spencer dancing with Ace, she dies

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

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Retro Spins: Marillion - Seasons End

Nothing says band love like telling your lead singer to hit the road in lieu of firing management. But that's exactly what happened to lead singer Fish, when he gave his Marillion band mates the ultimatum of him or them. He'd depart in 1988, with new singer Steven Hogarth joining in 1989.

Hogarth was an interesting choice for a band who had built their career on top of a prog rock foundation. Mainly because the new singer came from a new wave background and showcased very different styles of vocals and stage presence from his predecessor.

Prior to his joining, and the departure of Fish, the group had begun recording some of the music for what would become their final album of the 80's, Seasons End. However, when Fish departed, he took with him the lyrics he'd crafted for the instrumentation. This meant Hogarth's first task would be to set to work on new lyrics to fit the already completed music.

On a side note, these Fish recorded tracks would eventually be released as bonus material for the remastered Clutching At Straws, and additionally, several of the lyrics made it into his own future solo projects.

Playing through it, right away the new vocals didn't work for me. Over the past four albums, my mind had finally accepted the sound of Marillion, and frankly, this wasn't it.

I didn't like this album. The minimal spark that was the band was gone for me, and there were no tracks I found to be even mildly entertaining. In fact, I ended up tuning out most of it in lieu of filling gaps in my collection of albums I was missing, which in hindsight kind of makes me more annoyed. This album made me spend money I didn't necessarily want or need to spend.

Fish and his prior band mates would eventually meat up a decade later and reconcile amongst each other. However, any form of reunion was dismissed.

The band continued on with Hogarth as their lead singer, releasing sixteen more albums since 1989's Seasons End, with their latest being 2022's An Hour Before It's Dark. Amazingly, there's been no lineup changes over the past two (plus) decades.

With that, I say goodbye to Marillion. It wasn't the best of listening sessions, but I suppose it also wasn't the worst. Am I a fan of the band at the end of the day? I am not.

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 119

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 119
Release Date: October 1986

Highlights

First appearance of NYPD officers Tony, Jim, Rocco, and Al
First appearance and death of Dr. Roman
Spider-Man is still suffering from a concussion, and his web swinging isn't going well as a result
When Spider-Man returns to the apartment, Mary Jane is there, and tells him she's throwing a party at his home so that he can't sneak out on her again
Sabretooth wakes up in a hospital bed, and as Dr. Roman begins telling him that he's sure a cure can be found for his savage condition, the villain grabs him, and kills him
Sabretooth removes the bandages from his face revealing a series of stitches from when he ripped Spider-Man's webbing off

He vows to get even on Spider-Man

Black Cat throws all her photographs of Spider-Man into the river, professing she no longer loves him
Sabretooth stalks the night, hunting for the scent of Spider-Man, eventually making his way to Peter's apartment building

Peter's spider scenes kick into high gear, and as he tries to excuse himself to the bathroom is stopped by Mary Jane who knows what he's trying to do

Meanwhile, Sabretooth rampages in the streets, attacking police officers, which Mary Jane and Peter see from his window

Sabretooth's cries for Spider-Man are met with a kick to the back by Black Cat, and then she claws his face open
After being bit in the leg by Sabretooth, Black Cat rages, and with unseen before strength and speed defeats the villain, by violently smashing his head into the ground multiple times, knocking him out
From the rooftop, Spider-Man witnesses it all, and in response, Black Cat simply winks at him
As he lays in bed, Peter can't stop thinking of Black Cat's actions, specifically, fighting for him, and to protect his secret identity
Meanwhile, in her own bed, a jealous Mary Jane doesn't know if she wants to shake Black Cat's hand or slap her
Black Cat returns to Foreigner, and the two discuss the first step of their plan to get Spider-Man to trust her again being complete

The two then kiss

Low Points

Peter is still babbling about handing up the Spider-Man mantle

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Marillion - Clutching At Straws

My journey thus far through Marillion's 80's discography is not going as expected. While I was hoping to find a hidden gem of prog rock delicacies, what I'm instead getting is bloated mediocrity. Admittedly, it's a bit disappointing.

I pick up today with 1987's Clutching At Straws. Released as the follow up to their massively successful Misplaced Childhood (1985), the band had an opportunity to capitalize, and soar into mainstream popularity. This, however, wouldn't occur.

While the album would become their second most successful of all time, in terms of the charts, this didn't translate to sales. Gone were the previous certifications of platinum in the UK and Germany, replaced with gold. Regardless, it has received quite a bit of critical praise, being noted among the greatest prog rock albums of all time.

If I didn't know any better, the voice of Fish could easily be mistaken for that of Phil Collins. This works in his favor because it keeps me a bit more invested in the music than I otherwise would have been.

What I've said before, and I suppose am going to continue to say, is that the instrumentation on the album is great. It's layered deep with texture, tempo changes, and slick riffs which keep your ears perked up. However, it once again fails to deliver anything hit worthy.

Once again, one track stood out, also a trend with their albums. This time it was the song, Warm Wet Circles. I would have actually picked a second this time, White Russian, but just as the song would take off, the tempo would drop considerably, derailing any momentum it had going for it. This same thing happened with the songs, Slainte Mhath, and The Last Straw: Happy Ending. It was with these that I realized that when I did hear songs that I liked from them, it was really only parts of it, versus the entire tune.

With eleven tracks, and a fifty-three-minute run time, it's also the longest Marillion album from their albums to date. Being their first album to be released on CD, I can't help but feel that this is simply a product of the CD era bloat. It's a trap a lot of bands fell into, wherein they felt they had to meet a runtime, versus focusing on solid structured tracks.

during this period, the band toured heavily. Not out of need or desire to promote the album, but rather because their management was taking 20% of all gross. As Fish would say, "He was making a fantastic amount of money while we were working our ***** off." To make matters worse, the singer would find a note proposing a US tour, which would leave them needing to borrow £14,000 from EMI just to support it.

Having enough, Fish would give the band an ultimatum. Either they would drop management and continue with him, or keep management, and go on without him. Surprisingly, the band voted to keep management. Fish was out. His last show occurred at Craigtoun Country Park on July 23, 1988.

Steve Hogarth, formerly of the Europeans, would be hired to replace Fish in 1989. In contrast, this was a massive change. Not only did Hogarth bring a new wave background to the band, but a completely different vocal style, and stage presence. At the time, he noted he didn't even own any previous Marillion albums. Together, they released the album, Seasons End, Marillion's last for the era, but far from their last to date.

Tomorrow wraps up my journey through the band, and candidly, I'm kind of glad.

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Comics Corner: Marvel Fanfare 42

Title: Marvel Fanfare
Issue Number: 42
Release Date: February 1989

Highlights

First appearance of Simon, Doris Kannon and her children, Simon Johnson, and Mr. Holden
Spider-Man swings towards the Bugle, ecstatic to have taken photographs of the mayor emerging from the Hudson River after a helicopter crash
Peter returns extra money given to him in a bank error, see oddities below, and finds out the teller who made the mistake was fired
Spider-Man goes to Doris, and overhears her landlord saying she owes $1,600.00 for past due rent in thirty minutes, or she's out
Despite being behind on his own rent, and admitting the check he wrote his own landlord would bounce, Spider-Man withdraws everything he has from his account, and secretly puts it on her table near the door

Doris picks up the money as the landlord arrives, who takes it all

Doris calls her sister, and tells her about the money, and how she was fired when she turned down advances from her boss at the bank

Low Points

Spider-Man blackmails Mr. Holden with photographs of him with an escort and a letter telling him to hire Doris back or his wife will get the photos
There's a second story included, but it features Captain Marvel and Dracula - I didn't even bother reading it
A very boring and unnecessary issue - Easily zero Stans

Oddities

Editor's Day Off: Peter heads to the bank with his cashed check, emphasis on cash, and realizes the teller gave him an extra hundred dollar bill, he struggles morally with keeping it or returning it, and then says, he'll return the "check" tomorrow
Spider-Man misses the photograph he was attempting to get of Mr. Holden, and in response, web's it to the wall, and puts it on automatic to catch the needed photo as Holden exits the building - Except where putting it on automatic would start firing off photos, and he'd be out of film in no time

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

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Retro Spins: Marillion - Misplaced Childhood

With their underperforming sophomore album, Fugazi, Marillion needed something big to rebound back. This would come with their third album, 1985's Misplaced Childhood. Lead singer Fish would conceive the concept album while enduring a ten-hour acid trip.

Though considered more mainstream, the album is also their first full concept from start to finish, with each side containing two continuous pieces of music. The story has, "thematic elements of lost love, sudden success, acceptance, and lost childhood, along with an upbeat ending." - Some random guy on Wiki.

Misplaced Childhood would shoot up the UK charts, becoming their first and only number one album, staying there for forty-one weeks. It would also reach the top ten in multiple countries, such as Germany (3), Switzerland (6), and the Netherlands (6), to name a few. Even the US gave it more love than previous albums which hovered around the high one hundreds and low two hundreds, with Childhood peaking at forty-seven.

Lead single Kayleigh would be the bands only song to hit the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at seventy-four. It would fare much better in the UK, where it reached number two on the Singles Chart. It was followed by Lavender, which reached number five, and the less successful Heart Of Lothain, which peaked at twenty-nine.

The album would reach platinum certification in the UK and Germany, and be followed by gold certification in Switzerland, making it their most successful release to date, and their best of all time in their career. 1985 was a big year in pop rock music, so this was no small achievement.

Kayleigh is one serious banger of a track. This is the kind of Marillion I want in my life. Good instrumentation packed into a feasible four-minute run time, with catchy riffs and vocals.

This, however, is where the concept portion of the album becomes problematic. Because the tracks ebb and flow into each other without so much as a breath in between, there's no distinguishing the beginning or end of each song. As stand-alone tracks these either incoherently start or abruptly cut off. That's lame.

The trend with Marillion seems to be that I'm only coming away with one song after each listening session. That's not a good average, and far below what I expected. Personally, I also didn't see Misplaced Childhood as any better than their previous albums. It was just kind of more of the same.

At their peak, Marillion seemed poised to only get bigger and better. Unfortunately, this wouldn't be the case. Despite their 1987 released Clutching At Straws being their second highest album of all time, it would see a massive decline in sales. After extensive touring, it also brought the band to an ultimatum decision that would either make or break them. Which option did they choose? Well, you'll have to come back tomorrow to find out...Or Google it. I suppose Google is always an option.

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