The Toy Box

Comics Corner: The Spectacular Spider-Man 154

Title: The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 154
Release Date: September 1989

Highlights

Reference is made to The Web Of Spider-Man 50, and 54
J. Jonah Jameson publishes an article in the Bugle that the gang war is over, and credits an unidentified passer-by as the individual who rescued him from the villain, instead of crediting Spider-Man
As a limo drives by, Spidey's spider senses go off, and learning from his mistake of ignoring the disguised Chameleon, states he'll never let that happen again

The passenger is Thomas Fireheart, AKA Puma

In Hammerhead's home, he and Chameleon discuss the lost battle with Spider-Man, and the setback in their gang war against Kingpin

One of Hammerhead's men informs them that there is a visitor to see them, one of the Kingpin's top men named Vermicelli

With a quick change, Chameleon becomes the Arranger

He informs Vermicelli that he's worried that their boss, the Kingpin, has gone missing, and to inform him immediately at Hammerhead's home as soon as he's found

J. Jonah Jameson calls Nick Katzenberg into his office, and while he fears it's to be yelled at, Jameson praises him for his photo of Spider-Man outside of Kingpin's window

Jameson tells Kate Cushing to give him a raise the next time circulation breaks ten million, to which she reminds him they've never achieved above five

He simply shrugs her off, explaining that these are just details

Jameson has received a letter from his broker that unknown foreign entities are staging an aggressive bid of stock to take over the Bugle
With Fireheart back in town, Peter breaks his dinner date with Mary Jane
Spider-Man breaks into Fireheart's office, and comes face to face with Puma, who finds the intrusion to be a dishonor

The fight starts, with Spider-Man simply wanting to know why Puma is in New York

Elsewhere, Arranger is meeting with a gunsmith, who's crafted him silver and lead alloy bullets
Though they continue to battle, Puma explains he came to New York to help Spider-Man after misjudging him previously, but now that he's been dishonored with the break in, they must fight
Later, Peter heads to the hospital to visit Kristy, and finds Aunt May there as well

Kristy refuses to admit she has an eating disorder

Low Points

Puma randomly ends the fight saying they'll pick it up another time
The battle with Puma is pointless to the story

Oddities

Mary Jane still goes out dancing, even when she's married

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

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Retro Spins: R.E.M. - Fables Of The Reconstruction

Before I start, I'd like to give a shoutout to the robots. Nobody has ever said anything so kind about my blog than them. So, thanks!

Fables Of The Reconstruction saw R.E.M. taking their established sound from its two predecessors and adding in elements of folk and darker toned lyrics. With it came new instrumentation for the band, including strings, brass, and banjo. Though critically well received, the band has vocalized mixed opinions of it since its release.

The album would prove to be another success for the band, peaking at number twenty-eight on the Billboard 200, while also charting in Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. Though it wouldn't produce any Billboard Hot 100 singles, both Can't Get There From Here, and Driver 8 would land on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts at number fourteen, and twenty-two, respectively. Wendell Gee would also be released as a single, but only chart on the UK Singles at number ninety-one.

The new sound is very obvious from the starting gate, and quite honestly, I dig it a lot more than their previous releases. It showcases the sound that R.E.M. was soon to be associated with, but not quite there just yet.

Starting tracks, Feeling Gravitys Pull, Maps And Legends, and Driver 8 made me want to consider being a fan, even if the remainder of the album took a back seat for the most part. Mind you, it's not bad, but those three were definitely the standouts. In retrospect, I'm wondering if it was because things sounded fresh at first. Perhaps this just wore off fast. I don't honestly know.

What I do know is that as a whole, the album is still pretty mediocre. I don't see myself picking it up again or even wanting to hear the aforementioned tracks for a second time. As a whole, I'm just not all that into R.E.M., and it's a bit of a slog getting through their albums. Regardless, my next stop is 1986's Lifes Rich Pageant.

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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.

And now, 31 Days Of Halloween!

House and House II are underrated hidden gems in the horror genre. The first one takes you on a somewhat action-adventure akin to that of your average Schwarzenegger or Stallone films, but with a massive zombie villain. Meanwhile, the second one adopts a more comedy horror script.

Part three serves as a standalone film, but with four, we're returned to the life of Roger Cobb, last seen in the first installment. It serves as not only a direct sequel to the original film but also wraps up Cobb's story.

Retro Spins: R.E.M. - Reckoning

Today I'm circling back to R.E.M. to go through their remaining discography of the 80's. I touched on them way back in 2021 when I played through 1987's Document, and again in 2025 when I went into their 1983 debut, Murmur. It's during the latter that I touched on the band's initial history, so unfortunately, there's not much groundwork to include here.

Much like its predecessor, Reckoning found its success on college radio stations, but remained relatively ignored on mainstream airwaves, including MTV. Despite this, it did manage to have the minor Billboard Hot 100 hit, South Central Rain (I'm Sorry), which peaked at number eighty-five. The album itself also reached number twenty-seven on the Billboard 200.

For me, it's a relatively forgettable experience. Beyond South Central Rain (I'm Sorry) there was nothing that really stood out as necessarily good or noteworthy. Not that it's a terrible album. It's just not for me. Then again, I didn't really expect it would be. R.E.M. is a band that made its way to my discography after a used CD store run, and not necessarily because I was actively seeking them out.

I can definitely see the appeal to the college radio scene. It's layered with hints of post-punk and alternative rock, something which appealed greatly to the young adults of the time bucking against traditional conformist mainstream sounds. Personally, I never fell into that landscape.

Even when R.E.M. took off in the early 90's, I never really got onboard with them. So, I honestly don't have a lot of expectations for any of the albums I'm about to go through. But I suppose without expectations things can only have a chance to exceed them. My next stop is 1985's Fables Of The Reconstruction, and we'll see what happens from there.

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And now, 31 Days Of Halloween!

As my teenage self-grew into my twenties, my VHS collection of the time continued to expand as well. Soon, Hellraiser was added to the fold, mainly as a result of me finishing my viewing sessions of the complete (at the time) Friday The 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street franchises.

Admittedly, I've only seen the first four, with the latter being one I saw in the theater. I think I may be among the few who really liked Bloodline. I thought it was a great origin story for the box.

Christmas Catalogs - JCPenny 1977

Hey! You want to spend the next two years looking at the fantastic Christmas catalogs produced by Sears, JCPenny, and Montgomery Ward? Cause I do! Yeah, I said two years, cause that's a lot of catalogs! Join me on most Monday's each month as I post up one of those fabulous books starting with 1970, and ending with 1989.

Look through every page, feeling every bit of nostalgia. Chuckle at the look and style of the wardrobes those zanny past decade people wore. Gawk at the toys you used to have, but long since parted ways with. Bring back all those memories of hours spent laying on the floor, combing every inch as your young mind pined over everything you wanted. Reminisce over the Christmas that followed as you unwrapped those lucky few that you got.

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