Comics Corner: Secret Wars II 5

   

Title: Secret Wars II
Issue Number: 5
Release Date: November 1985

Highlights

• First appearance of Boom-Boom, AKA Tabitha Smith
• First appearance of World Complex Headquarters
• While walking down a train track, Beyonder makes a gun out of his fingers, and "fires" at the train, causing all its parts to separate, but gently landing the passengers on the ground
• Boom-Boom, who was on the train, and is also a mutant, figures out that it was him who did it, and says the least he can do is let her walk with him
• Boom-Boom says she's headed for Professor X's school
• After Beyonder makes a camp for them, we get a brief origin of Boom-Boom, and her backstory at home, and a showcase of her powers
• Beyonder leaves, and returns home, only to quickly have the desires of everything he left behind, including his love for Dazzler
• Boom-Boom has left an exploding ball in Beyonder's back pocket, and it does just that
• Beyonder returns to Earth, and drives Boom-Boom to Professor X's school
• When the X-Men see Beyonder, they storm out after him, chasing him away
• As Boom-Boom is left there alone, she quickly realizes she doesn't want to be there, but instead with Beyonder
• After not being able to call him back, Boom-Boom sets a bomb for herself, content on killing herself, but Beyonder arrives as it explodes, saving her from it
• Beyonder takes Boom-Boom for a ride - Deep into space, to the headquarters of the Celestials
• When Beyonder states he's the most powerful being in the universe, Boom-Boom tells him that the Celestials didn't so much as move when they saw him
• Wanting to prove a point, Beyonder tells the Celestials that he is going to destroy the universe in three seconds, sending them into battle against him, which he easily defeats them
• Sickened by this, Boom-Boom tells him to send her back to Earth, and never find her again
• Beyonder returns to his mansion in Brazil, and checks in on Algrim, stating he should find Thor in about a week
• Boom-Boom calls the Avengers emergency line, and with them, sets up Beyonder to be ambushed by them, which he is by not only the Avengers, but West Coast Avengers, Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, and Thor
• Beyonder doesn't fight back, and when the fighting stops, he wanders off into the woods, depressed

Low Points

• No Spider-Man
• To continue the story, you would need to read The Thing 30, Doctor Strange 74, and Fantastic Four 285

Oddities

• None

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

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man Annual 1

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man Annual
Issue Number: 1
Release Date: September 1985

Highlights

• First appearance of Future Max, AKA Max, Beatrice, Alexis Sharp, Spike, Chester, and Tanner
• Spider-Man goes toe to toe with a robot that almost defeats him with sonic sound waves, and gas, but mustering all his strength, Spider-Man kicks its head off, taking it for later to study
• Spider-Man confesses to himself that he's long since forgotten a lot of Peter Parker's dreams
• As crippled boy, Max, throws away his sports equipment, a bunch of bullies sneak up, and tie strings of tin cans to his leg braces
• Max has a female friend, Beatrice, but he only knows her by talking to her through the wall
• Max tells her he was playing sports with Spike and his gang, and Beatrice says she doesn't like them, and saw them picking on a handicap boy - Max immediately gets disheartened knowing he was that boy, and sad that she referred to him as handicapped
• Beatrice pops one of the bricks out, and tells Max they can now see each other face to face, but this just serves to make Max panic, and he fumbles with the brick, jamming it back into place
• Max makes reference that he reached out to Reed Richards to help him with his disabilities, but that he was declined
• The robot which Spider-Man fought earlier fumbles into Max's home, still headless from when Spider-Man took it
• Alexis Sharp walks the street trying to con anyone he can, when he sees an ad for a science fair, and decides to try his luck there
• Max has entered the fair, where he meets not only Peter Parker, but Alexis, who convinces him he knows Reed Richards, and gets Max to agree to build him a strength enhancement suit
• After seeing the science fair, and then returning home to inspect the robot head, Peter deduces that Max created the robot he fought
• Alexis puts on the suit that Max built, but just then, Spider-Man shows up
• Spider-Man see's through Alexis' dupe that he knows Reed, and it sends the conman into attack mode
• Spider-Man leads Alexis to a series of buildings designated for demolition, and proceeds to destroy them while the battle rages
• Alexis keeps talking like he's in various movies, bouncing from genre to genre
• Max works up the nerve to go on a date with Beatrice, and the two hit it off immediately

Low Points

• Too long, too boring, and took me two days to get through
• Still really disappointed with the generic nature that Spider-Man issues have become in 1985
• Where are the classic villains, the deep story threads, and continuity from issue to issue?

Oddities

• None

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

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Retro Spins: Jody Watley - Larger Than Life

 

Following the success of her self-titled debut (1987), Jody dug in to co-write eleven of the thirteen tracks for her next album. She continued to work with producer, and co-writer, André Cymone, who once again brings the familiar sounds he adopted from Prince when under his tutelage.

Larger Than Life (1989) would peak at number sixteen on the Billboard 200 upon its release. The single, Real Love, would repeat the history of her previous hit, Looking For A New Love, by also peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. This was followed by Friends, which peaked at number nine, and the ballad, Everything, which reached number four. It would also be the last top ten hit in her career. Minor hit, Precious Love, would stall at number seventy-eight.

Friends would become a noteworthy track for being the first multiformat hit to incorporate pop music with rap, featuring the duo, Eric B. & Rakim. Its formula became commonplace in pop music, later leading to the Grammys to add the category of Grammy Award for Best Rap / Sung Collaboration in 2002.

Real Love would be noted as the most requested video of all time in 1989 and only be usurped in 1995 by the Michael Jackson / Janet Jackson duet, Scream. The popularity garnered it nominations for seven MTV Video Music Awards in 1989.

I think what I enjoyed most of all about this album was once again finding the forgotten hits from the era. When I first picked up the album in the dollar bin of a used CD shop, I had no idea that with it I would be reunited with the three aforementioned songs.

For the most part, the album continues the dance friendly pop trend of her previous work, while maturing in sound to keep up with the times. In comparison, the track Everything, could have easily been included as a Janet Jackson song from her Rhythm Nation album, which was dominating the charts at this same time. In fact, if you didn't tell me that it was Watley, I may very well could easily mistake the song for one of Jacksons. They have very similar voices.

What 'Cha Gonna Do For Me was another nice surprise to find. However, this would be the only other song which would do this. The remainder of the album played out quite generically, with nothing really popping, or achieving the heights of all the other noted songs. Overall, I got a little bored with it all, and by tracks seven (of thirteen), I was more so focused on how much longer the album was going to go on.

Before the year ended, Jody would release the remix album, You Wanna Dance with Me? This was followed by the music video collection, Video Classics. In 1990, she'd pivot, and release, of all things, a fitness video, Jody Watley's Dance To Fitness.

She'd go on to release a total of five studio albums in the 90's. However, only two of the three would be for MCA (Affairs Of The Heart, and Intimacy). Her latter three saw the artist hopping from Avitone / Bellmark-Life (Affection), to Atlantic (Flower), back to Avitone (The Saturday Night Experience Volume 1). Under Avitone, she'd release her two final albums, 2001's Midnight Lounge, and 2006's The Makeover. Since then, she focuses on releasing EP's, releasing four between 2014 through 2021.

Watley would make headlines in 2014 when it was announced that she had acquired the rights to the name Shalamar. Adding the word, "Reloaded" to the end of it, she set out on several successful package tours with other artists. Acknowledging that the name Shalamar brought with it negative historical baggage, the name would be changed in 2017 to SRL (Soul Revolution Love), and then again to Jody Watley & SRL. This was followed by her cancelling her registration of ownership for the name Shalamar, and her return back to her solo career, for the aforementioned series of EPs. She continues to perform here and there periodically.

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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 9

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 9
Release Date: December 1985

Highlights

• Death of Smithville Thunderbolt, AKA Fred Hopkins
• Last appearance of Roxanne DeWinter, and Ludlow Grimes
• First appearance of Amy Grimes, Willy Grimes, and Jeff Grimes
• There are two prologues, the first takes place thirty years ago, the second, one year ago
• The first prologue retells the origin of Fred Hopkin's Thunderbolt, and the second of Ludlow Grimes'
• Ludlow finds the meteor piece while tilling a field, and picking it up, draws strength from it
• Ludlow returns home from his day of work, and as his wife serves dinner with him and the children, Ludlow swings a hand at a fly, hitting the house, and destroying the wall
• In a panic, his wife grabs the kids, calls him a monster, and screams at him to leave
• As the fight between Ludlow and Spider-Man takes place, Roxanne stands back taking photos, and dreaming of her future journalist jobs in New York
• During the battle, Fred runs away
• Spider-Man tells Roxanne to get help, which she says she will, right after she finishes her roll of film, and gets it to a lab for development
• We learn of Ludlow's troubles after getting his powers; being branded a demon, hunted by his neighbors, and determined to become the next Thunderbolt to gain admiration as opposed to fear
• Fred sets up another scheme to stop Roxanne from publishing her story, but as she finds out that she's being tricked, Ludlow attacks, knocking her van, with her inside, over the edge of a cliff
• As Spider-Man and Ludlow fight, Fred climbs down the cliff to help Roxanne
• Ludlow realizes that Fred is a hero, and that he did it without powers, and stops his rampage
• S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits Ludlow, and promises to not only help him, but reunite him with his family
• Despite everything, Roxanne still publishes her story on Fred, exposing his secret identity
• Fred commits suicide, and Roxanne, being the ***** she is, pulls out her camera, and starts snapping photos of his body

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

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

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Retro Spins: Jody Watley - Jody Watley

 

Born to choir singer, and radio evangelist, Jody spent her time growing up in a household that frequently entertained high-profile musicians, such as Sam Cooke, Joe Tex, and Jackie Wilson, the latter who became her Godfather. She'd perform with him on-stage at the age of eight, giving her a taste of a future to come. At the age of eleven, she'd form the dance trio, Black Fuzz, where she would hone her skill with the moves.

She would be approached by Parishioner of Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church, Glenn Stafford one morning, and presented an offer at the age of fifteen to join him as his dance partner on Soul Train. Watley would become a regular on the program by 1975. After teaming up with dancer, Jeffrey Daniel, she grew in popularity among fans of the show.

In 1976, Don Cornelius and his then business partner Dick Griffey formed Soul Train Records and bought masters for a record called "Uptown Festival", a disco medley of Motown classics that was billed with the name "Shalamar". Gary Mumford would provide lead vocals, with both Watley and Daniels backing him up. While the record would be successful, the label would soon fold. Griffey would form SOLAR Records in 1978, with Shalamar and the Whispers as his first signed artists.

By this point, Mumford had departed from the band and was replaced by Gerald Brown. This trio would record Shalamar's second album, Disco Gardens, which featured Watley's first lead vocal song, Take That To The Bank.

Departing in 1979, Brown would be replaced by new lead singer, Howard Hewett. With Watley and Daniels, this would become the classic lineup of Shalamar from 1979 to 1983. Together, they recorded Big Fun (1979), Three for Love (1980), Go for It (1981), Friends (1982) and The Look (1983). Despite the success that followed, the band members had a lot of contention amongst themselves, which wasn't helped by the lack of payments from SOLAR. Both Watley and Daniel would leave after the subsequent tour for The Look.

Watley relocated to London, and took on session work for multiple acts, such as Musical Youth, Gary Langan, Anne Dudley and J. J. Jeczalik (who later became Art of Noise). She eventually got the chance to record two singles, putting them out under the name Jody in 1984, and would be one of the few American artists, among members of Kool & The Gang, to perform on Bob Geldof's Band Aid project.

Returning to the USA in 1986, Watley would sign with MCA Records, and work with Prince protege André Cymone and Bernard Edwards of the group Chic to complete her self-titled debut, released in 1987. Upon its release, the album would reach number ten on the Billboard 200. The record would spawn three hit singles, Looking For A New Love (peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100), Don't You Want Me (peaking at six), and Some Kind Of Lover (peaking at ten). Minor hits, Still A Thrill, and Most Of All, also evolved. The album also became noteworthy for the George Michael duet, Learn To Say No.

Two Grammy Awards nominations would come at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, with Watley winning Best New Artist. However, this came with a bit of controversy, since the artist had technically already released solo work, as noted above. Watley's win was also negatively compared to the Grammy snubs of Whitney Houston and Richard Marx.

With all of that said, it's time to dive into today's Retro Spin.

I purchased Jody Watley's debut album for the song, Looking For A New Love, which was subsequently the opening number. Frankly, I had completely forgotten about the hit, Some Kind Of Lover, and was pleasantly surprised to find it tucked in a couple tracks later. I love finding forgotten memories.

As a whole, the album is very dance friendly, and being produced and co-written by Cymone, adopts a lot of the beats reminiscent of a Prince album from the era. By that, I mean the common beats produced on the Fairlight CMI. This familiarity, coupled with the hits, makes it both easy, and enjoyable to listen to the album.

The George Michael duet was a welcome hidden gem. It was just nice to hear his voice again, while also getting something "new". Keep in mind that Watley's album came out in between the breakup of Wham, and several months before Michael's massive solo album, Faith. So, his future as an artist at this point was in unknown territory.

Overall, the album was enjoyable. However, the majority of the tracks honestly forgettable. Nothing bad, but also nothing beyond the three noted tunes above that were good. Frankly, in typing this, I don't even remember how the Michael / Watley song went, but I have only ever heard it once.

Jody would release her follow-up album, Larger Than Life, in 1989, and while sales would drop considerably from her previous album, would still end the decade on a high note. She would also be among the few artists to survive the 90's, but at this point, we're getting too far ahead. First, we have to stop and play through the aforementioned decade ending album, which will happen tomorrow.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.