The Toy Box

Comics Corner: The Spectacular Spider-Man 151

Title: The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 151
Release Date: June 1989

Highlights

First appearance of Bruiser, and Manny
Spider-Man sneaks into the prison yard to talk to Robbie Robertson through his window bars

Robbie begs him to leave so that it he isn't seen, and it potentially ruins any parole hearings

Spidey states he doesn't want to cause him trouble, but if he ever needs him to have his son Randy contact Peter Parker

As Spidey leaves, Tombstone congratulates him on sending the hero away

A guard at the prison spots Spider-Man on the security camera, and decides to take the Bugle up on its printed report of a $1,000.00 reward for evidence proving Spider-Man is a criminal
Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 50, 51, and The Amazing Spider-Man 314
Gloria Grant goes to see Eduardo Lobo to tell him she feels guilty and afraid for giving him the file on Kingpin from the Bugle

He manipulates her into going home, and says they'll talk later

Betty Brant and Flash Thompson sit in Lazy Louie's Louisiana Luncheonette, enjoying Cajun food, but hating the headline in the Bugle about Spider-Man breaking into the prison

Gloria Grant comes in looking frazzled, and confesses to the two that her boyfriend is a mobster

In Hartsdale, New Mexico, Thomas Firehart, AKA Puma, reads the article, and sees it as an opportunity to relieve himself of his debt of honor to Spider-Man
Mary Jane and Peter Parker stand on a sidewalk reading classified ads on available apartments, noting their either too small, too expensive, or both

Mary Jane loses her temper when Peter says they at least have a roof over their heads at Aunt May's House

She says how much she hates it, and how hard she had to work to be able to get the home they had at the Bedford Condominium

Peter assures her they'll get it all back

Peter's mood suddenly shifts as he notices the headline in the paper

As he storms off he shouts that he's had enough of Jonah's (Chameleon's) smear campaign against him, and that he intends to put a stop to it now

Back in prison, Tombstone has Robbie trapped in the laundry room, surrounded by other prisoners

He asks in front of them if editors at the Bugle type the articles on people, or if they tell others to do it

Tombstone is stopped by Bruiser who takes hold of him by the neck

Bruiser asks Robbie to be his "special friend"

Yeesh

Spider-Man confronts Nick Katzenberg and demands to know if it was him or Jonah who came up with the smear campaign

Kaztenberg immediately crumbles, stating it was Jonah

Flash, Gloria, and Betty return to the Bugle to see Mr. Jameson, but Katzenberg burst in, pushing his way in front of them

As the door to Jameson's office is open, Spider-Man is seen standing below him, with Jameson (Chameleon) webbed to the ceiling

Spider-Man is demanding why Jameson is attacking him

Katzenberg takes full opportunity, and snaps photos

As the office erupts, Spider-Man sees everyone looking at him, and retreats

After Jameson is free from the webbing, he orders the presses stopped, and Katzenberg's photo printed on page one with an article he will write himself
Worried that she'll be fired, Gloria Grant admits to Jameson that she stole the Kingpin file, and gave it to Eduardo Lobo, and that a gang war will probably come from it all

Jameson is pleased, stating it will make for great news articles walks away

Transforming back to the Chameleon behind closed doors, the villain muses how the Lobo brothers will handle the dirty work for him, and he'll mop up the pieces, taking over New York in the process

As Gloria returns to her apartment, Eduardo Lobo is waiting inside

He informs her that his brother was right in how things would end, and transforms into a werewolf to kill her in a cliffhanger ending

Low Points

None

Oddities

Editor's Day Off: As Tombstone chokes Robbie he tell him the were, "Friends till you turned me to the feds." Probably should have said, "Friends till you turned me into the feds."

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

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Retro Spins: The D.O.C. - No One Can Do It Better

The D.O.C., AKA Tracy Lynn Curry was one of those blinks and you'll miss him rappers that showed up in the late 80's. 1989, to be specific. Despite this, he made a relatively hard impact upon hitting the scene.

His debut, No One Can Do It Better, boasted production from Dr. Dre, featured N.W.A., and was released under Eazy-E's label, Ruthless. Led by the number one single, It's Funky Enough, the album shot up to the number one slot on the rap charts. This was followed by the second number one single, The D.O.C. & The Doctor.

The hits continued to come for The D.O.C., with The Formula, which peaked at number four, and Mind Blown, which laned at number three. While there was an additional single released, Portrait Of A Masterpiece, this one would fail to make many waves, and only charted in the UK at number eighty-four.

The album starts out really funky, and the first three tracks benefit from this greatly. However, things take a massive turn with Comm. Blues" (featuring Michel'le), which slows everything down to an old jazz club sound. Fortunately, this is short lived interlude doesn't derail things, and we're back to the funk quickly.

What I kept noticing was how Curry felt the need to keep reminding the listener that he was The D.O.C. It got kind of silly.

Despite this, there were standout tracks. This included It's Funky Enough, Mind Blown, Lend Me An Ear, The D.O.C. & The Doctor, No One Can Do It Better, and Portrait Of A Masterpiece. However, even better than those was Beautiful But Dealy, which featured an awesome shredding guitar throughout it.

The D.O.C. seems to stand as one of the last bastions of "good" rap acts. Rather than focusing on lyrics filled with guns, violence, and / or drugs, he instead crafts songs which are designed for pure enjoyable. With that said, there's a ton of curse words in it, and that particular aspect I could have done without. It definitely earned its parental advisor sticker.

Honestly, I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this one. It was an album I picked up at random from one of my recent used CD shop outings. I'd never heard of him prior to this and combined with the eight-dollar price tag would normally have been a deterrent. However, I took the chance, probably because I saw it was his debut, and only release in the 80's. It turned out to be a good purchase.

Poised to be the next biggest name in rap, things were suddenly derailed in 1989 when Curry was involved in a near fatal car crash after falling asleep behind the wheel. The accident crushed his larynx and permanently damaged his vocal cords. Sadly, this destroyed his ability to rap, and he spent the following years dealing with depression, substance abuse, and adjusting to a behind-the-scenes songwriting career before attempting a difficult vocal comeback.

1996's Helter Skelter would peak at number five on the rap charts, seemingly returning him back to form. Unfortunately, performing became intensely difficult with his altered, raspy voice, leading to a deep creative block. This once again pushed him into a deep depression.

While he'd release a final album in 2003 entitled Deuce, since then he's focused primarily on writing for other artists. Most notably, tunes for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. I suppose in that regard, his voice is still being heard, despite an accident that tried to take that away.

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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 317

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 317
Release Date: July 1989

Highlights

First appearance of Seacrest Estate
The story picks up the next day after Spider-Man's battle with Venom

Peter is heading out of Aunt May's home with her to go shopping, only to find Eddie Brock standing on the stoop

Eddie asks Aunt May if he can borrow Peter for a while, to which she agrees

Though Peter protests, Eddie says that she'll be okay...once they leave

As the two walk down the sidewalk, Peter learns how Venom found the change of address form in Peter's webbing bundle

He asks why Eddie didn't just attack, and is told that he has no intentions of hurting innocent people, nor revealing Spider-Man's identity, as long as Spidey plays by the rules

He tells Spider-Man to meet him tomorrow at sunup at Seacrest Estate

As the two part ways, Peter dawns his costume, and sets himself to finding help
Spider-Man asks The Thing for help, and it's noted this portion of the story takes place prior to the events of Fantastic Four issue 226

Thing agrees to help, and tells Spider-Man to just holler when he's needed

Peter returns home to find Eddie there again, helping Aunt May fold laundry

Peter pulls him aside and asks why he's hassling his family when he said this was between them

Eddie informs him that it is between them, and not the Fantastic Four

He's been following Spider-Man again, not setting off the heroes spidey senses

He instructs Spider-Man to show up tomorrow...alone

Peter confides in Mary Jane, and she says that regardless of his identity being blown that they should call the marines for help

Peter reminds her that it's not just about him, but the people he loves, and the potential lawsuits from property damage caused by Spider-Man over the years

Spider-Man goes to see Dr. Charles Jefferson that evening for advise
Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 258, and 296
As Spider-Man arrives at Seacrest Estates the next day, he notes the information Dr. Jefferson gave him was that the symbiote shows a love / hate relationship, specifically how when someone is spurned, they channel their feelings strongly in the opposite direction
The fight commences, and Venom immediately gains the upper hand
Spidey attempts to stop the symbiote with fire, but it doesn't work at all

His next plan is to use spidey tracers in hopes that will at least provide his spidey senses with Venom's location

The symbiote feels them attaching, and Venom immediately pulls them off

Spider-Man realizes what he needs to do, and yields to the symbiote, inviting it to bond with him

Eddie Brock shouts in anger as the alien chooses Peter Parker over him

Though the symbitoe wants to break its bond with Eddie, it can't, causing severe pain, and rendering both Brock and the creature unconscious

As Peter leaves the scene, he states he needs to find a phone and contact the Thing to help collect the two

Low Points

No hidden spiders on the cover
If there's a hidden Felix the Cat inside the book, I can't find it

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Loverboy - Wildside

By the time 1987 rolled around, hair metal was all the rage. Rock was still prevalent, but the legacy acts who initially led the 80's charge, such as Journey, Foreigner, and Toto were quickly disappearing. Loverboy would make a final stand that year with Wildside, which would become the band's last studio album before disbanding.

While the album was noteworthy for the number thirty-eight Billboard Hot 100 hit, Notorious, co-written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, as a whole, it was another disappointing performance for the guys. While sales had been in a steady decline since 1983's Keep It Up, this record would tank in comparison. The album not only performed poorly sales wise but failed to chart in most countries. It didn't even crack the top twenty in the limited locations it did chart.

In addition to credits to Jovi and Sambora, as noted above, Wildside also features writing credits from Bryan Adams. Though his contribution, Hometown Hero, would not become a charting single. Further, if you purchased the album on CD, you would also get a bonus track, Don't Keep Me In The Dark. This tactic of additional materials on CD's was becoming a mainstay on the format in an effort to prompt consumers into adopting the format.

Despite only providing the above noted single, you can definitely see Bon Jovi's fingerprints all over this album. Loverboy took a page straight out of their book, howling screams and all. This is very much so prevalent on the hidden gem, Love Will Rise Again.

All of this makes sense considering the album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who not only worked with Bon Jovi on 1986's Slippery When Wet, but again with them for 88's New Jersey. His impressive credits also include Aerosmith's Permanent Vacation (1987), Pump (1989), Get A Grip (1993), and AC/DC's The Razor's Edge (1990), just to name a few.

I can also give a nod of approval to Can't Get Much Better, the title track, Wildside, and Don't Let Go. Mind you, they're not mind blowing, but they're pretty okay. As for the single Notorious, yes, you can hear the writing style of Jovi and Sambora, but it's not a very good song. I can definitely understand why they didn't personally record it for any of their albums. Adam's Hometown Hero is slightly better, but still nothing to get excited about.

Overall, it was a better album than the previous two, but I think this is more so from the band adopting a more "Jovi" style. It sounds relatable to the timeframe in which it was released, and familiar to the ears, which makes it easier to get into. Don't misunderstand though. It's no opus by any means. Further, there's no reason to settle for Loverboy trying to sound like Bon Jovi when you can just listen to Jovi.

By 1988, their popularity had waned to the point that the band was no longer performing at arenas. Ticket sales simply didn't necessitate such a large venue. Their formidable years were most definitely behind them.

1989 closed with the compilation album, Big Ones, which featured the song, Too Hot, which was recorded specifically to be included on the album. It would become their last Billboard Hot 100 hit and peaked at number eighty-four.

Led by ongoing poor sales, compounded by fighting between Mike Reno and Paul Dean, the band disband. Though it's noted as occurring in 1988, this timeline doesn't seem to correlate, considering that Big Ones was released in October of '89, and included a newly recorded track. But the bottom line is that they broke up.

In 1991, the band joined fellow rockers Bryan Adams, Colin James, Chrissy Steele, and Bill Henderson of Chilliwack at a benefit show at Vancouver's 86 Street Music Hall. After the event, they noted it was the most fun they'd had in years and decided to reform. However, a new studio album would not be released until 1997's Six.

One of the greatest aspects about Loverboy is that the lineup that started it all in 1978: Mike Reno, Paul Dean, Doug Johnson, Scott Smith, and Matt Frenette, not only stuck it out until their initial breakup in 1988 (or 1989) but then came back together to do it all again. I don't think they'd have made any changes to the lineup had it not been for the tragic death of Smith in 2000 who was lost at sea during a boating accident.

They would bring in Ken Sinnaeve to ultimately replace him, but not before embarking on a massive dedication tour to Smith. Since then, this revised lineup has released three additional albums (between 2007 and 2014). They remain together to this day, touring periodically.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 316

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 316
Release Date: June 1989

Highlights

Iconic Todd McFarlane cover that has been homaged numerous times
Todd hid one spider on the cover, can you find it?
Venom is living in the sewers, and a homeless man comes across him

At first, Venom doesn't believe the frightened man when he says he won't tell anyone about him, but after making an example of a helpless rat, the man gets more convincing

Venom leaves him alone

Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 300, and "recent issues" of The Spectacular Spider-Man
Spider-Man gets a couple of photos of a bank robber, but knowing Jameson (Chameleon) isn't buying heroic Spidey pictures, he makes sure to stay out of them
Peter takes the photos to the Bugle, and when he walks past Eduardo Lobo, he thinks his spidey senses are on the fritz again

Gloria Grant gives him change of address forms

Black Cat arrives at the Bedford Towers looking for Spider-Man, but see's that he's moved out

Venom appears behind her, questioning where Spider-Man is

The fight which commences is short, with Venom beating her severely

As he leaves, he mentions that Partker's wife didn't know where he was either

Black Cat now knows Peter is married

In the street below, Mary Jane sees Venom exiting the building

Back at Aunt May's house, Mary Jane tells Peter that Venom is back

As his wife worries about what will happen if Venom finds them, Peter assures her she doesn't have to be afraid because he's going to find him first

Spider-Man heads out into the city searching for hours, but not finding him, only to discover that Venom has been following him for the majority of the time, not setting off his spidey senses

As the fight commences, it becomes clear to Spider-Man that he can't win on his own, so he retreats

Venom finds Peter Parker's webbed up clothing bundle, and inside the filled out change of address forms

Did you find the hidden spider on the cover? It's to the right of the UPC box in the bottom left corner

Felix the cat can be seen on a poster in the room when Mary Jane is cuddling a stuffed bear

Low Points

None

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Loverboy - Lovin' Every Minute Of It

The landscape of 1985 was a unique time in music. Rap had become mainstream, new wave had taken over but was also on its way out at this point, rock and roll was shifting to hair metal, Prince was making movies, and Michael Jackson's Thriller was the biggest album of all time. Competition on the Billboard was coming from every direction.

Among all of this, Loverboy wasn't faring well. The band had taken a consider drop in sales with their 1983 released Keep It Up, and this was only going to continue with 1985's Lovin' Every Minute Of It. While it spawned multiple Billboard Hot 100 hits, which included the title track, which peaked at number nine, Dangerous (sixty-five), This Could Be The Night (ten), and Lead A Double Life (sixty-eight), the album itself would move less units then its predecessor.

Much like I said yesterday, selling four-times platinum is no small feat. For those of you who don't know, one platinum certification is a million albums. However, when your previous two records sold seven million each across Canada and the USA, your label starts to take notice. Especially when your latest album does even less, which is what Lovin' Every Minute Of It did. It would "only" go platinum in Canada and two-times platinum in the USA. Again, that's a lot, but not in comparison to previous success.

Perhaps at this point I'm listening to too much Loverboy back-to-back, and the fatigue is setting in at this point. I listened to their first two albums on day one, and their third and fourth on another. Or maybe the quality of their albums really is taking a nosedive.

Whatever it is, I'm definitely noticing that as I keep going through their discography that each subsequent record is less and less appealing. Even the title track, which I bought the CD for didn't really hold much of my attention. As a whole, I found my mind wandering quite a bit throughout this one.

Once again, I kept waiting in anticipation for that hidden gem to come, but it never did. The other hits were okay, but definitely not the best I've heard from Loverboy.

If there's one thing that stood out to me, it's that the band sure did embrace the MTV age. They churned out a ton of music videos between 1980 and 1985. Even better is that they released them all on a VHS titled, Any Way You Look At It, in 1986.

Moving forward, I may take a new approach to my Retro Spins. Wherein I've been going from start to finish through an 80's discography, I think I'm going to start rotating between a handful of musicians. This way I don't get bored of any one particular person, or if it truly is terrible, looking at you Martha And The Muffins, I'm not banging my head against a wall trying to get through it.

Loverboy released one final album in the decade, 1987's Wildside. Though, prior to this, they participated in the massively successful Top Gun soundtrack with their contribution, Heaven In Your Eyes. It would peak at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100.

While you won't find the music video for Heaven In Your Eyes on the aforementioned VHS, this was included on the 2004 Collector's Edition of Top Gun. Along with that, it also includes the music videos for Kenny Loggin's Danger Zone, Berlin's Take My Breath Away, and Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Steven's Top Gun Anthem. Sadly, no video for Playing With The Boys.

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 51

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 51
Release Date: June 1989

Highlights

First appearance and death of Oswald
First appearance of Lorraine Mandell's parents
Chameleon sits down with the Maggia and asks their permission to take over New York as its new crime boss

They hand him a card after convening, and tell them to contact the person on it, and that if they alliance with him, they may consider his request

As he leaves, he resumes his stolen identity of J. Jonah Jameson

Spider-Man comes across some of Kingpin's men jumping on a bus, and leaving town for good
Peter returns to Aunt May's home, and overhears Kristy puking in the bathroom

When she comes out, she says she's fine

Reference is made to The Spectacular Spider-Man 150, and Web Of Spider-Man 49
Peter is told by Kate Cushing that Jameson (Chameleon) has put a hold on buying any of his Spider-Man photographs because he only wants ones that make the hero look bad

His spidey senses go off as he passes Jameson, but he chalks it up to his bosses anti Spider-Man tirade

Jameson (Chameleon) asks Joy Mercado for the complete file on Wilson Fisk, and is told that it's gone

We cut to Gloria Grant handing the file to Eduardo Lobo

Peter steps off the elevator as the two kiss, and his spidey senses go off again

Peter meets up with Mary Jane to look at an apartment, and they're shown a very small single room with a bathroom attached

Mary Jane take sit particularly badly since the apartment was recommended by her friend

Out in the streets, she goes off on Peter for trying ot make light of the situation, and ends up throwing her briefcase, which in turn dumps all of her photographs in the street to be hit by a car

Mary Jane and Peter go to the rehab hospital, where she tells Peter she wants to help Lorraine kick her drug habbit

Peter interjects, saying he learned his lesson with Harry Osborne that you can't help people get off drugs if they don't want to

Turns out Peter is right, and Lorraine basically tells her off

Lorraine's parents arrive, and tell Mary Jane they're going to take their daughter home, and admit her to a closer hospital near them

As the Arranger heads home for the night, Eduardo Lobo attacks in full wolf mode

Spider-Man is able to stop him, and the Arranger tells him he has a proposition for him

Chameleon arrives at the home of the man on the business card, and when he'd denied entry, kills his way inside to find Hammerhead working out

Chameleon greets him as Kingpin, and when the man attacks, he changes to Spider-Man before shifting back to his normal identity

Chameleon pitches his offer of revenge on Kingpin

The Arranger tries to convince Spider-Man to help, but when he is told know, he pulls the only card he knows the hero won't turn down, and warns him of all the innocent people that will get caught in the middle of a gang war between the Lobo brothers and Kingpin

The story cliffhanger ends with Spider-Man pondering what his options are in light of that

Low Points

None

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: Loverboy - Keep It Up

Loverboy's 1983 album, Keep It Up wasn't one that was on my want list. Instead, I came across it in a used CD shop one day, it was relatively affordable, and as such it came home with me. It would be the fourth of their five 80's albums, and yet oddly, knowing this at the time, I still didn't pick up the "missing" one.

By this time, the band was living high on the success of their previous two records, their 1980 self-titled debut, and 1981's Get Lucky. Both had gone a combined total of seven-time platinum across Canada and the USA. Additionally, both spawned major hits on the mainstream rock and Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Unfortunately, with the release of their third album, sales would drop drastically. Granted, to people like us, selling four-times platinum would still be a major accomplishment. However, when you're Loverboy, or more specifically, the label supporting the band, that's a considerable red flag.

The album would once again perform well in the USA and Canada, and this time even chart in Germany, something which its predecessors had failed to do. Though in achieving this, it also had the opposite effect in Australia and New Zealand, where it didn't chart at all.

With it did come the Billboard Hot 100 hits, Hot Girls In Love, which peaked at number eleven, and Queen Of The Broken Hearts, which landed at number thirty-four. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Hot Girls, and prior to hearing it, I didn't even know Queen Of The Broken Hearts.

This one definitely takes a step down from previous records, and I can see the massive decline. I found myself not necessarily interested in Keep It Up as it played through, and the hits are definitely ones I could take or leave. Basically, they're just not that impressive as compared to the other hits they've churned out.

I really wanted to find a hidden gem tucked on this one, and while I will give a nod to Prime Of Your Life, it's not going to be something I remember by the end of the day. As such, I didn't end up coming away from this one with anything, which was disappointing.

Had you asked me two days ago, I would have said there was something to Loverboy, and I was quickly becoming a new fan. Today, not so much. I still have two albums to get through from them, so who knows, that may flip flop as those come into play. I mean, I certainly hope it does. I want to like the band.

They wouldn't actually release another album until 1985's Lovin' Every Minute Of It, which as many of you reading that already know was a major hit for them, so there's potential. However, before getting to that, they stopped off in 1984 to record the USA's team theme for the Olympics that year. This was compiled on the album, The Official Music of the XXIII Olympiad, which included Foreigner, Toto, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Christopher Cross, Philip Glass, Paul Engemann and Giorgio Moroder. That in and of itself sounds pretty hot, and I may need to track down a record.

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Comics Corner: The Spectacular Spider-Man 150

Title: The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 150
Release Date: May 1989

Highlights

First appearance of R.M. Ingersoll
The cover is no ruse, and in the very first page, Robbie Robertson is found guilty for concealing the murders of Tombstone for two decades
Peter narrates a quick rundown of the history between Robbie and Tombstone, AKA Lonnie Lincoln, and how we got to this point, referencing events from The Spectacular Spider-Man 139 - 142
Robbie's wife, Martha, and his son Randy try to talk to him, but he simply brushes them off
Nick Katzenberg, the newest Daily Bugle employee takes photos of Robbie with his family as he's being taken to prison

Seeing this, Randy Robertson leaps at the man

Peter breaks them up, but in the process, Nick's camera gets broken, to which he tells Parker that he owes him $800.00 for it

Outside the courthouse, Nick and Peter continue to argue, and J. Jonah Jameson (the Chameleon in disguise) sides with Katzenberg

Peter's spidey senses continue to go off when near Jonah, and he doesn't know why

That night, as Spider-Man swings across the city, he see's Kingpin's tower, and blames him for Robbie being in prison

He decides to pay the man a visit, and not as a friendly social call

While in route, he hears a scream from the subway, and upon investigating it sees a werewolf, which quickly vanishes

Spider-Man checks on the man, and finds he's still alive

As he swings him across the sky towards a hospital, he learns the man works for Kingpin

Joy Mercado is outside of Gloria Grant's apartment, watching her, concerned about the new man she's been seeing

While there, she sees a man climbing down the wall, and entering in through a window, but doesn't realize it's a werewolf

At the Robertson's home, several people have shown up in support of Robbie, but it's too much for Martha, who breaks down after dropping a tray of sandwiches
In his cell, Robbie too is upset, but says pushing his family away was for their best interest

He's met by a prisoner who gives him a cryptic message from "the man"

Reference is made to Spectacular Spider-Man 145
Spider-Man makes his way to Kingpin's tower, and revels in the pleasure of telling him of the attacks on his men as of late, which apparently the crime lord was unaware of

Both of them know the only person who could keep secrets from him is the Arranger, and when Spidey leaves, the man is immediately called into the Kingpin's office

Gloria Grant awakens the next morning to a nude Eduardo Lobo asleep on her floor

When she questions him, he tells her there are things about him she can't know yet

He does, however, ask her for the Bugle's files on Kingpin

At his sentencing, Robbie gets three years in prison
In prison, Tombstone has pulled strings to get his cell right next to Robbie's

Low Points

None

Oddities

Editor's Day Off: Robbie Robertson is referred to as both Robby and Robbie in the same panel

While both are technically acceptable, for the record, it's Robbie

This issue would get very confusing fast to a new reader, as the very next panel refers to Robbie as Joe Robertson, which is also technically his name, but come on, pick a lane

Spider-Man doesn't believe he saw a werewolf in the subway, and instead tries to play it off as someone in a costume

But he's seen werewolves before - Man-Wolf, and even a werewolf in Marvel Team-Up issue 93

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

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Retro Spins: Loverboy - Get Lucky

Hey, everyone! It's Tuesday. Are you working for the weekend?

Today I'm continuing my stroll through the 80's discography of Loverboy, picking up with 1981's Get Lucky. Much like its predecessor, their 1980 self-titled debut, it would be a massive smash for the band, equaling it in seven times platinum certification across Canada and the USA. It would further spawn the Billboard Hot 100 hits, Working For The Weekend (which peaked at number twenty-nine), and When It's Over (which peaked at number twenty-six).

Paul Dean and Mike Reno had already begun their careers before coming together as Loverboy. Dean served as guitarist for Scrubbaloe Caine, and Streetheart between 1970 and 1978, while Reno, as then Michael Rynoski, was the lead vocalist for Moxy. With these connections to the industry already, Dean's manager, Lou Blair, was able to connect the two with Bruce Allen, the biggest rock manager in Canada at the time. Allen would set to task of ushering in their debut as an opening act for Kiss in November 1979.

The band would be rounded out with Doug Johnson on keyboards, Scott Smith on bass, and Matt Frenette on drums. This lineup would stay together through their initial 1988 breakup, and reunion in 1991 through the tragic death of Smith in 2000.

Though they tried, every major label in the USA would reject the band, prompting them to sign with Canada's Columbia Records. Things from there went rather quickly, with the boys heading to the studio to cut their self-titled debut. As noted above, it was a smash and served as a major breakthrough for them. Its relative quick success garnered them the opportunity to hit the road with Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, Kansas, and Def Leppard, performing over two hundred shows.

Their 1981 follow-up, Get Lucky equally took off, putting them in arenas with Journey to support its release. This same year, they would receive seven Juno Awards, Canada's highest award for music. To this day, they retain the title of most Juno's received in one year.

For me, Loverboy was a surprise. I didn't expect to enjoy their debut as much as I did. When listening to it, I noted similarities to The Cars, The Babies, and even a little Oingo Boingo. However, with their second album, they seem to have shifted more so into the territory of Foreigner. In particular, the song Gangs In The Street could easily have been led by the vocals of Lou Gramm.

While I was enjoying things up through the previous noted track, admittedly, song five, Emotional, really derailed me. Out of nowhere, Paul Dean takes over lead vocals and delivers a country twanged bar style song. It wasn't for me.

With the exception of the above note Dean tune, I definitely found another enjoyable record in their discography. When It's Over is probably my all-time favorite from the guys, but Working For The Weekend can't be shunned. If nothing else, it's a major staple from the 80's, and easily one that you'll find on most compilation albums. With that said, I don't know that there would be anything beyond these two that would make a shuffle list on my end.

In light of that, I am noticing a little dip in quality, I'm hoping that as I continue on that I'll still enjoy their albums as much as I did their first and second. Though I'm not too sure how that will go, as with their 1983 released Keep It Up, Loverboy saw a massive drop in sales and chart positions. I guess we'll find out.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 315

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 315
Release Date: May 1989

Highlights

Todd McFarlane hid one spider on the cover - Can you find it?
First appearance of Hal
First appearance and death of Hugh Taylor
Seeing a dead guard on the ground inside Eddie Brock's cell, Hugh Taylor deactivates the sonic shield keeping him in to investigate

Though it costs him his life, Eddie Brock and the symbiote are both upset about having to do this to an innocent person

Eddie actually kisses Hugh on the forehead as he apologizes for both he and the symbiote

Venom returns, and he's dead set on killing Spider-Man
Spider-Man easily defeats Hydro-Man with bags of cement which mix with him, causing the villain to flee as he gets "lumpy"
Peter notes how it's important for him to sell as many photos as possible to the Bugle with Mary Jane's savings tied up in litigation from their eviction
As Peter is leaving Aunt May's house, he spots Nathan Lubensky putting his aunt's purse back, and ponders if there's something he should know
As Spider-Man swings above the city after selling his photos, he see's Nathan causing a commotion below at an ATM where he's shouting that he needs more than $500

Peter hits the streets, and asks him what for

After a brief argument, Nathan comes clean that he was using Aunt May's card, and that he has a gambling problem, which led to the beating that put him in the hospital

He owes them $5,000.00, which he doesn't have

Peter relieves Nathan of her card, and deposits his photo money into her account

Aunt May and Kristy catch Nathan in the kitchen, and May questions what he was doing with the flour when he doesn't even like to boil tea

Kristy thinks to herself that there's something really fishy about him

Nathan leaves the house at night, and goes to meet the folks he owes money, stating he only has $500.00

They tell him it's not enough, and their patience runs out with him

He pulls a knife and a can of Raid to defend himself from being killed, but one man pulls a gun on him, to which Nathan responds by flinging the bag of flour in his face

Spider-Man intervenes, and takes out the thugs, webbing them up

As they threaten Nathan that they'll get another opportunity with him, Peter arrives on scene and tells them about the photos he just took of them, and that he'll turn them over if they ever come back

As Peter pushes Nathan in his wheelchair back home, het tells him he not only wants the $500.00 back, but that he needs to give up gambling, which he agrees to do

The next day he heads to the newsstand for a paper, and immediately breaks his promise, buying a dozen lottery tickets

His defeat is not lost on him as he sits somberly disappointed with himself

In the epilogue, Eddie Brock has been picked up in his hitchhiking effort across the USA, and is headed towards New York
Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 271
Did you find the hidden spider? It's located above McFarlane's signature in the blue portion of Hydro-Man's water waves

McFarlane hid Felix the Cat on the front of a washing machine

Low Points

Despite being the main focal point on the cover, Hydro-Man only gets three pages at the beginning of the story
Nathan sucks

Oddities

Why is Eddie hitchhiking across the USA? The symbiote could easily web all the way there, and all night long at that

In previous issues, the symbiote would go out into the night while Peter was fast asleep

Why not do that with Eddie?

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

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Just Doodling: The Punisher

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Retro Spins: Loverboy - Loverboy

When did Loverboy hit my radar in the 80's? It's a question I truly have for myself. Did I know their hits, Working For The Weekend, The Kid Is Hot Tonite (P.S. not how you spell that), Lovin' Every Minute Of It, Hot Girls In Love, Turn Me Loose, and When It's Over? Candidly, if I did, I didn't associate it with them. Instead, I think they hit my radar with their 1986 contribution to the Top Gun soundtrack with Heaven In Your Eyes.

The band was an early addition to my 80's want list when I started building my CD collection, but not necessarily everything. My sights were initially on their 1980 self-titled debut, 1981's Get Lucky, and 1985's Lovin' Every Minute Of It. Essentially, I was after the hits I knew, and these albums were where they were hiding. However, as often happens, I came across others in a used CD show, picked them up, and then eventually finished off the list in anticipation of this series of Retro Spins.

Upon the release of their debut, it became not only their breakthrough, but a massive success, peaking in the top twenty in four countries. It would fare the best in the UK where it landed at number five. With it would come the Billboard Hot 100 hits, The Kid Is Hot Tonite, and Turn Me Loose, which reached number fifty-five and thirty-five, respectively.

With its hot synthesizer and guitar rock blend, the album comes off as a solid comparison to that of what was being churned out by The Cars and The Babies at the time. It was quite enjoyable, and by track four, I hadn't heard anything I wasn't digging.

Sure, by this point it had already hit me with the two aforementioned hits, bit in addition had delivered Always On My Mind, and Lady Of The 80's. When Little Girl came up next, my mind immediately shot to Oingo Boing. Not only did they have a song similar in title, but very different in context, but Loverboy was sounding a bit like their early decade material as well.

I didn't expect to like a song titled, Prissy Prissy, but it actually had a pretty catchy lyrical hook, and a solid guitar riff. By this point, I was really asking myself, "Self, where has this album been all my life?" I really enjoyed everything from it, and I'm down with keeping this momentum going by immediately jumping into 1981's Get Lucky.

There's not much to say in between all of that, and beyond continuing to elaborate on the enjoyable listening session, which I think I've more than made the point on, the only other thing to do is be on my way to their next album. Okay, actually I will say this; if you haven't heard this one, I highly recommend you check it out. But now I'm out of here.

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