The Toy Box

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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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: 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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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man - Spirits Of The Earth

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man - Spirits Of The Earth
Marvel Graphic Novel: 63
Release Date: January 1990

Highlights

First appearance of Dark Mairi Of The Shore, Alan Sinclair, Hugh Monro Jr., Duncan Munro, and the robber Louis
First appearance and death of Sir Hugh Munro, and Angus Munro
First appearance of Castle Duncraig
Beautiful artwork by Charles Vess fills each page from cover to cover - worth reading just for that alone (but see low points and oddities)
After breaking up a petty robbery as Spider-Man, Peter high tails it to a restaurant to meet Aunt May for dinner

Peter inform her that a Mrs. McLeod has passed away, and left her home in Scotland to Mary Jane, and that the two are taking a second honeymoon of sorts to head out there

The letter from Mrs. McLeod explains that she hopes Mary Jane will love the property, and not give in to the developers who are trying to purchase all the surrounding land

In Scotland, as Mary Jane plays pool against Angus Munro, Peter is regaled with a tale by Sir Hugh Munro of the faeiries and a kidnapping his grandsonson, Hugh Munro Jr.

As Mary Jane returns to Peter's side, she mocks the ghost story of the townsmen

Mairi enters the tavern, and informs them all that their fears of the faeries have made them all fools
Spider-Man heads to the castle to investigate everything, and while there hears howling, which alerts him to some ghosts wandering about outside

A ghost with a sword spots him, and floats upwards towards him, attacking

The ghost then gets larger, and literally blows Spider-Man and the castle tower wall down

Mary Jane is accosted by Angus in the kitchen while making tea

Fortunately, Sir Hugh breaks it up

The next morning, Peter heads out to visit Mairi, who tells him she will answer all of his questions

She explains about the magic still feeding the land, despite developers trying to cover it with concrete and steel

That night, everyone is meeting about selling their land to the developers

Mary Jane apparently gave Sir Hugh some city spunk to speak out against the sale, but he bites his tongue at the last minute

Despite this, Alan Sinclair speaks out about it, stating that this is his and their home, and has been for a long time

He questions where they will all go if they sell their land

The ghosts reappear, but disappear again in a firework explosion, drawing attention to Spider-Man on the rooftops

The people think he's a demon, and give chase

Mairi is able to calm the mob, and tells them she will do away with all the ghosts that evening

When they disperse tells Spider-Man she knows who he really is, and tells both him and Mary Jane they will be needed this night

She directs Spider-Man to the castle, and takes Mary Jane with her, stating her youthful energy will be needed to bring him back safely

In the castle, Spider-Man tracks down a running generator, and in doing so, deduces the ghosts are just holograms that can't hurt him

His theory is tested and proven almost instantly by a ghost which appears

Spider-Man follows his spidey senses down a drain inside the castle, and comes across a hidden base

He overhears some Hellfire Knights talking about how command has gotten tired of waiting for the people to willingly sell, so they'll be making a physical move against the people

Spider-Man is spotted on camera trying to infiltrate the place, and the whole station goes on alert

He's subdued by a sound magnification device which renders him unconscious, and when he awakens, he's imprisoned with Sir Hugh

The prison is surrounded by an energy wall, which Spider-Man says they better not touch, only to learn that Sir Hugh already has, and his hand is all mutilated from doing so

Angus Munro is behind it all, having learned that an ancestor, Duncan Munro was part of the Hellfire Club, and disowned by the people

Angus found a powerful crystal buried deep in the land, and thus orchestrates everyone giving it up to take ownership of it with the Hellfire Club

Angus informs Hugh that they have grown tired of waiting on everyone to leave of their own accord, and will kill everyone tomorrow

Angus is also who kidnapped Hugh Munro Jr., and brings the boy out to die in front of his grandfather, but doesn't get the chance to carry his deed out

Above ground, Mairi embraces Mary Jane, and begins to chant, awakening the Earth, which begins to crumble, sending giant rocks down on the cavernous base below

The destruction kills the power to the cell holding Spider-Man and Hugh

While battling the Hellfire Knights, Spider-Man dodges gunfire which strikes Hugh, as he lies dying, he gives Spider-Man his ring, telling him to give it to his grandson
After being defeated by Spider-Man, Angus deems himself weak, and commits suicide by jumping off a cliff
Mary Jane tells young Hugh he can live in her cottage until his castle is rebuilt

Low Points

Ghosts and land developers? This reads like an episode of Scooby-Doo
The (mostly) great artwork can't save this story (see oddities) - It's incredibly long (over 80 pages), and boring

Why are the long ones always the boring ones?

The mystical elements of Mairi seem out of place and unnecessary

With tighter editing, this story could have still gone from point A to B without the supernatural element, and been shorter too

If not for the (mostly) great artwork, I would have given this book zero Stans
After initially seeing the artwork, I was sad that I didn't get this book signed by Charles Vess

After reading it, I no longer have that desire

Vess also wrote the story

I stayed up way past my bedtime to read this one because I knew if I put it down that I wouldn't want to come back to it

Oddities

Mary Jane has been left a property in Scotland, but when they arrive they stay in a room they've rented from someone else in a tavern?
Editor's Day Off: Spider-Man says to himself, "Hope there aren't any side passages off this tunnel. A guy could get lost in this place and spen the rest of his life looking for..."

While most of the art is wonderful, some of it is off, such as this weird drawing of young Hugh Munro Jr., who is just a kid...or is he?

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

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Retro Spins: Robert Plant - Now And Zen

When Robert Plant released his previous album, 1985's Shaken 'N' Stirred, it was met with critical backlash for its changed musical style, which Plant himself admitted was because of his fondness for Talking Heads. The singer had convinced himself he would be opening for the new wave band, though this would never come to fruition.

After a botched Led Zeppelin reunion performance at Live Aid that same year, he headed out on a solo tour. However, this wouldn't be a full-blown series of shows. Rather, select dates throughout the years. It wouldn't be until three years later that he'd return to the studio to record the tracks that would become Now And Zen.

Returning to form, Plant focused on a more direct rock and roll album, and with it came his biggest selling solo album of his career. Now And Zen would go triple platinum in the USA, and gold in the UK, peaking in the top fifteen, and in most cases top ten, across six countries. Singles, Tall Cool One, Heaven Knows, and Ship Of Fools would become major hits on the mainstream rock charts, with the first two taking the number one spot, and Fools peaking at number three. Tall Cool One and Ship Of Fools would also hit the Billboard Hot 100, but not fare quite as well, landing at twenty-five and eighty-four, respectively.

Personally, I bought this album for the hits, but I was glad to see this wasn't all it had to offer. I really dug The Way I Feel, Helen Of Troy, and Why. Overall, it's a solid rock album, and it's great to see that Robbie has gotten back to his A-game.

A fun aspect of Tall Cool One is the influence that the Beastie Boys had on it. With their 1986 breakthrough debut, Licensed To Ill, the trio sampled Led Zeppelin songs across three tracks. Taking inspiration from this, Plant would in turn do the same thing, sampling multiple Zeppelin hits on the song.

The fun doesn't stop there. If you owned the original CD or vinyl release of the album, you could have scored yourself a boss red satin flag packaged inside. This was included as Plant's own tribute to his favorite association football team, the Wolverhampton Wanderers.

These days, the flag isn't too common of an item, and as such, has become a forgotten piece of memorabilia.

At this point, I would normally close with my, "Where are they now" information, but I mean, come on. We're talking about Robert Plant. If you think he faded into obscurity after the 80's, dig yourself out from under the rock you've been living under. He's a legacy act, an icon, and a major influence on the world of music. He kept going, and he's still going. Probably the only thing that surprises me at this point is that he's only seventy-seven years old. I really expected him to be in his eighties by now.

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 50

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 50
Release Date: May 1989

Highlights

First appearance of Ernie, Maggia member Winston Walker III, and Daily Bugle employee Nick Katzenberg
Also the first appearance of The Outlaws: Silver Sable, Sandman, Prowler, Puma, Rocket Racer, and Will O' The Wisp
First appearance of the West Side Marina, and Greenpoint locations
Nick Katzenberg brings photos of Spider-Man appearing to be a thief to J. Jonah Jameson showing him to be a menace, and is hired as staff to the Bugle (after negotiating hard with Jameson for the position)
A comedic moment occurs when Jameson returns home, and greets the door man by the name of Sam, and asks how his wife is

The man responds that his name is Ernie, and that he's not married

Jameson simply continues on, telling Bert he's sorry to hear that because every man needs love

As Jameson steps off the elevator at his building, a mysterious figure gases him, rendering him unconscious
The photos are front page the next day, and those who would become The Outlaws see it, reacting in their own way to it, either believing it, or wanting to prove it wrong
Winston Walker yells at his security team, furious that he was allegedly robbed by Spider-Man, and he only finds out about it by the paper which has led to the police calling him for a report

Spider-Man has gotten away with stealing millions in negotiable bonds from the Maggia criminal

A mysterious figure takes photos of the home from across the street

As Aunt May's home bustles with breakfast time, and Peter leaves for class, Mary Jane sees the headline
As Robbie reads the headline from prison, his visiting son Randy is pleading for him to take a potential guilty verdict series, as this could put him in prison for a long time

As Randy's wife scolds him in the hallway, there's a familiar looking character being escorted by police

The dialog from The Joker is actually taken from The Killing Joke, which hit store shelves prior to this issue

Reference is made to recent issues of The Spectacular Spider-Man, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 104, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 7, and The Amazing Spider-Man 235
The Arranger arrives on scene of another slew of murders of the Kingpin's men, and another note scrawled in blood, "wolves take revenge"

As the detective questions him, the Arranger is told he has a call on his car phone

The call is from Carlos Lobo, who informs him that he and his brother are town, and that the Kingpin not only disapproving of their drug running, but thinking they were after part of his city will cost them both their lives

Carlos asks his brother, Eduardo about Gloria Grant, and he responds that she is not only his, but will do everything he tells her to
Peter is awoken by Dr. Swann at school, and finds out he was asleep for three hours

Peter also apparently has a beeper, and it goes off, causing him to bolt from the room

As Peter heads out on the roof, he's attacked by Puma

Peter states that he thought they were pals now, and that Puma owed him a debt

Puma informs him the debt was paid when Peter declined his offer to come work for him

Puma further explains his reason for attacking is because his honor was shamed when he learned Spider-Man was a common thief

In an unexpected turn of events, Spider-Man admits he did actually rob Winston's house

Spider-Man drops his beeper while escaping the fight, which Puma retrieves

Prowler arrives at Winston's home intent on finding evidence that Spider-Man isn't a thief

He's met by Rocket Racer who too is there for the same reason, but mistakes Prowler as the thief returning to the scene of the crime

Naturally, they fight, but it's broken up by the cops who think they're both the thieves

The two finally come to their senses and escape together

They spot the mysterious figure, and after grabbing him find out Silver Sable hired him to keep tabs on the house, and inform her when Winston leaves
Spider-Man heads across the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, finding Winston's car, and informing the readers that the beeper he had was provided by Silver Sable, and the device went off to inform him when the Maggia had left his home

He follows the vehicle via a spider tracer he planted on it at a time not shown in the story

The vehicle stops in a secluded area, and Winston unearths a cylinder of documents from a hidden safe underneath a fake rock

Spider-Man makes his presence known, and the fight begins

Spider-Man is able to get the cylinder, but the fight is interrupted by Will O' The Wisp who is there to confront Spidey on the report of him being a thief

Spider-Man is able to break lose by tricking Wisp into running into some power lines

Spider-Man meets up with Silver Sable and gives her the cylinder, but the meeting is interrupted by Rocket Racer and Prowler who seeing this are now convinced Spider-Man is a thief

Though they try to attack, Sandman hits them from behind

Spidey tries to intervene, and stop everyone from fighting

Silver Sable, intent on her mission leaves them all there to duke it out, only to be attacked by Puma who has tracked her through the beeper he picked up

As Spider-Man attacks Puma to get him away from Sable, Will O' The Wisp joins the fray, exploding Sandman into particles of sand, but he soon recovers
Frustrated with nobody listening, Spider-Man pulls the dock down around everyone, giving him a moment to toss the cylinder to Puma, and telling him to read the documents for himself, which he does
After everyone finally learns that Winston is part of the Maggia, and that Sable and Spider-Man were working together to uncover this, cooler heads prevail

Silver Sable gives them all her card, and tells them to call her if they ever want freelance work

Puma is once again angry because he feels he owes Spider-Man another debt of honor

Spider-Man set up his camera during the fight (apparently), and Peter now has photos that prove him innocent

Peter takes the photos to Jameson, who is mysteriously at work, and no mention of the gas incident, but something isn't right - Peter's spidey sense keeps going off

Jameson says he won't publish the photos because he needs the public to believe Spider-Man is a criminal

As Peter and Mary Jane get interment, Aunt May bursts into the room with hot cocoa, only to be told the two are already warming each other up

Embarrassed, she races out of the room

Jameson returns home, talking to himself about his plans to overthrow the US government, and that phase one is already complete by taking over the Bugle

As he enters the home, we find the real J. Jonah Jameson tied up, and the fake Jameson morphs into the Chameleon

Fantastic issue!

Low Points

None

Oddities

Happy with his photos, Jameson leaves the Bugle on cloud nine, kissing Gloria Grant on the cheek on his way out - I know times were different, but could you still do that in 1989?

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

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Retro Spins: Robert Plant - Shaken 'N' Stirred

By 1985, Robert Plant was looking towards a different musical direction. In his mind, he was bound and determined to become the opening act for Talking Heads, and as a result of this started crafting more oblique pieces of music. The stylistic pivot, particularly on tracks like the single Too Loud, was largely rejected and ridiculed by his mainstream audiences at the time, and he never actually secured the opening slot he sought.

Regardless, his third solo effort, Shaken 'N' Stirred garnered him another gold record, and the Mainstream Rock chart number one hit, Little By Little. It would further reach number thirty-six on the Billboard Hot 100. Sixes And Sevens would also make its way to the mainstream charts, peaking at number eighteen.

On thing is for sure. This album is different from his previous work. It starts off with the strangely intriguing Hip To Hoo and only goes deeper down the rabbit hole from there.

Too Loud reminds me of the experimental shifting sounds that Prince dove into between 1986 with his Camille persona. It almost has that quirky charm that you would get from something like Housequake.

I think its overall uniqueness is what makes it stand out, and mind you, that's in a good way. I actually kind of dug it. Mainly because it was so different. With that said, I honestly only grabbed one more track for the shuffle list, that being Easily Lead.

You definitely have to come into this one with a clear mindset. If you're expecting a traditional rock and roll album, you're not going to get that. Though you will get moments of it, such as on the track, Trouble Your Money. However, if you're interested in hearing an experimental Robert Plant trying on different hats, then you'll be in for a treat.

Personally, I'd like more from him like this. While I'd love that to be what happened on future albums, sadly, I'm already aware that by 1988's Now And Zen, he had retracted back to his rock roots.

Following its release, Led Zeppelin reunited for an appearance at Live Aid. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones, joined by guest drummers Phil Collins and Tony Thompson, alongside bassist Paul Martinez performed Rock And Roll, Whole Lotta Love, and Stairway To Heaven.

The performance would be widely panned by critics, and Plant himself would later call it horrendous. Throughout it, the dual drumming of Collins and Thompson was out of sync, Page's guitar out of tune, and Plant's voice strained. It was considered so bad that the band have blocked its release from subsequent home video releases, including the 2004 four-disc DVD release.

In the band's defense, Plant's appearance at Live Aid was initially planned to be with his side project, The Honey Dippers. However, this quickly spiraled into a full-blown reunion, putting the members on stage, but having not played together since 1980. Essentially, little practice and rehearsal time garnered the end results.

With that said, this wouldn't be the last time Robert Plant would be part of a massive concert, only to perform so poorly that he's block future releases. Such was the case at the 1991 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, where he absolutely butchered his cover of Innuendo. So, you know, say what you want, but I think at the end of the day, this is a Robert Plant issue. Either from not being prepared or not having the talent his legacy professes. Regardless of which it is, it's unprofessional.

As noted above, Plant would go on to release 1988's Now And Zen, a return to form album for him. It would become his biggest selling solo album of all time, and his final release in the decade. It's where I pick up tomorrow and wrap things up.

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