Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 106

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 106
Release Date: September 1985

Highlights

• First appearance of Dirk, Daphne, and Granetti's henchmen, Chester, and Jackson
• Janet tells Spider-Man that they can't protect all of NEVELL their entire lives - Then quickly corrects herself, and says that even if they could, she won't
• Spider-Man heads to the dock to stop Granetti's men, but it's a ruse - The crates only have grapefruits in them
• Before the fight, Spider-Man tells two kids to break up their date, and head home - They don't listen, and the boy gets shot
• Spider-Man races the wounded kid to the hospital, while Paladin follows suit with his uninjured date on foot
• Wasp heads to the airport to stop Granetti's second wave of men, but this too is a ruse - The teddy bears are stuffed full of plain sugar

Low Points

• Spider-Man heads to Avenger's headquarters, and proceeds to act like a baby throwing a temper tantrum because Janet, AKA Wasp, hasn't come come since their run in with Paladin last issue
• I don't understand why people tout Peter David's era of Spider-Man to be so great - I haven't read one yet that's wowed me

Oddities

• None

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

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It Was Supposed To Be A Christmas Gift - Eaglemoss, And Their Poor Quality Products

 

We interrupt today's regular schedule to provide the following public service announcement. Not really though, today's Retro Spin is below this one.

A buddy of mine surprised me with a Christmas present the other day. He stated it was something he had ordered quite some time ago, but that it took this long to get it.

I'd never heard of Hero Collectables, nor their company, Eaglemoss, until that day, but I was excited at the prospect of having an all-new Spider-Man item in my collection.

The metal tin was decked out in a shiny image of Spider-Man, with the sides and top equally decorated with images of the statue within, specs on the product, and bio of the character himself. Unfortunately, this is where the niceties stopped.

Lifting off the lid revealed a considerably shrunken down metal statue, approximately four and a half inches. Now under normal circumstances, I wouldn't nitpick. Especially being a gift. However, I do want to note that this mini statue typically retails for $59.99. That's quite a hefty price, and important to the story because if you couldn't tell from the photo, it's broken!

Despite all that padding surrounding the statue, both legs are completely busted at the ankles.

My buddy was immediately ticked, and I don't blame him. The price point, the delay in getting it, and all of that just to be broken really stunk.

He reached out to the vendor he ordered it from, and a replacement was promptly sent, ironically arriving far faster than his first order. However, upon receipt, guess what greeted us?

If you guessed another broken statue, you'd be 100% correct! Broken in the exact same place!

While I wouldn't normally post such an article on my blog, I felt inclined to share this experience with all my fellow collectors. If you were eyeing any products from Eaglemoss, I would highly encourage you to consider this experience before dropping your hard-earned money.

Even though I wasn't the customer, I was so tainted by this experience that I felt compelled to reach out to their customer service to express my concern, and opinion of their company's quality control, and ability to deliver a solid product to paying customers. After filling them in on the details, I was frankly blunt, telling them, "Your products are overpriced garbage, and I would never recommend nor buy anything from you!"

Harsh? Perhaps. Honest? Absolutely.

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Retro Spins: Thomas Dolby - The Flat Earth

When writing about Thompson Twin's 1982 album, Set, I made note of the synthesizer contributions of one Thomas Dolby. It was in writing this that it dawned on me that while I have his three albums from the 80's, I've only ever listened to his debut, The Golden Age Of Wireless. During my playthrough of the aforementioned, I came away unimpressed, and not a fan. Though, admittedly, I wrote that post a long time ago, and my ears have grown, I feel, to appreciate music more. As such, my initial response may have been overly critical.

Dolby is often associated with pioneering the new wave movement of the 80's, but his music doesn't seem to stay encompassed to just that genre. In general, he seems to always be experimenting with sounds and styles, making it difficult to pinpoint just what direction he's going.

It's this uniqueness that makes his music both appealing, and unappealing at the same time. Basically, it's hit or miss. When it's good, it's great, but when it's bad, it's really forgettable.

Sadly, while I wanted to approach The Flat Earth with a more open and mature mindset, much like The Golden Age Of Wireless, it was just kind of blah.

Mind you, it wasn't a complete bust. The title track really caught me off guard for how good it was. However, this was more so for its groovy bass, and doo wop style backing vocals, which kept drawing me in. I was also quite happy with the song, Hyperactive, which is the tune I bought the album for. Ironically, while it's a song that has grown on me, my original interest in it was because of "Weird Al" Yankovic's Slime Creatures From Outer Space, which "borrows" heavily from the musical style of the tune.

Disappointingly, I really wanted to come away from this one a bit more impressed than I ultimately was. I wanted to say, "Oh, that's what I missed last time," and potentially be inspired enough to go back to his debut and give it another shot. Sadly, that's just not where I'm at. Instead, my mindset is, "Ugh, there's still another album from him to get through," which I'll be doing tomorrow.

Maybe, hopefully, Dolby smashes it out of the park for his final album of the 80's. I mean, it's possible. I didn't expect to like Thompson Twins as much as I did, so stranger things have happened.

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 105

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 105
Release Date: August 1985

Highlights

• First appearance of Vince Granetti, Robert Sanchez Jr., and the NEVELL team; Mr. Norris, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Lloyd Sr., and Mr. Lloyd Jr.
• Janet Van Dyne, AKA Wasp is the "V" in NEVELL, standing in for her late father
• The men of NEVELL want to sell all stake ins Northeaster Shipping Company (NESC) to Consolidated Imports - Janet not only hold out, but tells them to sell it to her directly
• Granetti admits to Spider-Man that he killed Sanchez Sr., knowing full well the hero can't do anything about it
• Granetti hires Paladine to "deliver a message" to Janet - sell, to him, or all at NEVELL will die
• Janet is not at all intimidated, nor cares
• Reference is made to Avengers 251

Low Points

• Spider-Man takes photos of the dead and burned up body of Robert Sanchez Sr., and sells them to the Bugle
• All buildup, and no resolutions - Hopefully the payoff in the next issue is worth it

Oddities

• Wouldn't taking photos of a dead and burned body at the time of the incident make Peter Parker a suspect for murder?
• Janet is told by the other members of NEVELL to be quite during the meeting, and go get them some coffee - which she does

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

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Retro Spins: Thompson Twins - Big Trash

Joy, success, tragedy, heartbreak, breakups, these are all things that ebb and flow in a lot of bands, shaping them, refining them, destroying them. Thompson Twins have their share of this roller coaster ride. The started in 1981 as five, grew to seven by 1982, then abruptly cut down to a trio for their most successful era from 1983 to 1985. By 1986, they were down to a duo and remained as such through 1991 before evolving into something new.

While raising their first child between 1988 and 1989, Tom Bailey and Allanah Currie satisfied their creative itch by writing tracks for other artists, such as Debbie Harry's hit, I Want That Man. It was around this time that they were approached by Warner Bros. Records, who as Currie tells it were told, "Here's a pile of money, go make the sort of record you really want to make." As she would also note, this is every musician's greatest dream, so they acquiesced, and made Big Trash.

Upon its release, Billboard praised it, saying, "the duo hadn't "produced anything quite so lively since its hit-making heyday." Personally, I disagree and think the chart hit curators may have missed 1987's Close To The Bone.

The album would produce only one minor hit, Sugar Daddy, which peaked at number twenty-eight in the USA. It would be Thompson Twins last brush with mainstream success.

However, hot on the heels of 1987's Close To The Bone, I'm personally excited to hear this one, so let's go!

If you were to hand me this album, and tell me, "This is the people who sang Doctor Doctor, Hold Me Now, The Gap, and In The Name Of Love," I wouldn't believe you. The comparisons are night and day.

Big Trash brings with it that end of the 80's rock sound. Think, Roxette, and Mr. Big. Pop rock but leaning a bit heavier. Some of the tunes even feel like Tom Bailey is channeling his inner Danny Elfman.

Once again, critics weren't nice to the duo, and again I respectfully disagree. There's a lot of hidden gems to be found here, such as Queen Of The USA, This Girl's On Fire, Bombers In The Sky, Big Trash, Dirty Summer's Day, and Love Jungle.

Thompson Twins would release one final album in 1991. However, their story wouldn't end there. Currie and Bailey would marry, have a second child, and form the group Babble with Keith Fernley. It's interesting to me, in retrospect, how I really liked the full band iteration of the Twin's first two albums, kind of lost interest during their trio synth pop era and then came full circle back to really enjoying them as a duo who went pop rock. I may honestly check out their last release, just to see what it's all about.

As Babble, they'd release two albums, 1994's The Stone, and 1996's Ether. While they recorded demos for a third album, their label, Warner, would drop them.

Currie would give up the music business altogether and instead focus her efforts on her own glass-casting studio in Auckland, raising her two children, and founded and ran the anti-genetic engineering group called MAdGE (Mothers Against Genetic Engineering in food and the environment).

Bailey would continue creating music, working with other artists for a time being. He'd eventually form the solo act, International Observer, and release seven albums between 2001 and 2018. To this day, he continues to tour periodically.

As for the trio, they would get together for a one-off appearance on Top Ten Electro Bands in 2001. It's also been noted that Currie and Leeway have reconciled, and to this day remain good friends.

Unfortunately for the couple, Currie and Bailey would divorce in 2003, and though they have since reconciled their friendship, Allanah has stated she has no interest in performing as Thompson Twins anymore. Additionally, Leeway works happily in the field of hypnotherapy in Los Angelos. As such, no reunions are planned.

As for me, this is my last stop on the Thompson Twin's train. I'm off to find another artist and continue my never-ending search for music to add to my shuffle list. Check back tomorrow, where I'll do just that.

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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.