Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 174

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 174
Release Date: November 1977

Highlights

• The People's Liberation Front hire Hitman to kidnap J. Jonah Jameson
• Liz Allen move's out of her apartment overnight, and disappears
• Dr. Hamilton, Harry Osborn's psychiatrist, seems to take an interest in Peter Parker - Foreshadowing things to come

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• Wait...Peter Parker's Landlord, Mrs. Muggins, cleans his apartment?

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

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Christmas CD Countdown 2023! December 8th

  

A couple years ago, or maybe just last year, I can't remember, I started packing away CD"s I was buying between October and November to have myself a CD a day Christmas countdown. It's like getting a gift every day leading up to the holiday. It helps tied over the excitement of the coming day, and well, it's just fun.

This year's focus was live albums, and 80's discography clean up. The latter meaning that it wasn't necessarily an album I had on my want list for a specific song, but rather to have an entire decade collection of a specific artist.

This one was picked up in correlation with yesterday's album, and strictly to say I've finally completed my 80's discography.

Released as the follow up to his breakthrough album, Falco 3, 1986's Emotional didn't fare as well, and only became his second biggest album as a result of his prior release. Despite this, I'm hopeful I'll find something off this one that is enjoyable, but I suppose time will tell that one. If nothing else, my 80's Falco collection is complete.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 173

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 173
Release Date: October 1977

Highlights

• First appearance of Dr. Jerry Hong, and an unnamed "Female Lab Assistant"
• Spider-Man is shot by the police - Fortunately, it's just a flesh wound
• It's tragic, really - Molten Man just wants to be human again, and all his efforts keep failing
• Peter receives official word from Empire State University that he's flunked, and will not be graduating
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 132, and 133
• Molten Man goes nova in this issue, seemingly dying in the process

Low Points

• No

Oddities

• Editor's day off: Spider-Man has webbing on his left hand in one panel, but then it disappears in the next, only to reappear again in the following

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

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Christmas CD Countdown 2023! December 7th

  

A couple years ago, or maybe just last year, I can't remember, I started packing away CD"s I was buying between October and November to have myself a CD a day Christmas countdown. It's like getting a gift every day leading up to the holiday. It helps tied over the excitement of the coming day, and well, it's just fun.

This year's focus was live albums, and 80's discography clean up. The latter meaning that it wasn't necessarily an album I had on my want list for a specific song, but rather to have an entire decade collection of a specific artist.

Today's album was purchased purely for the sake of checking a completion box.

Falco is extremely hit or miss for me. I want to like his music more than I actually do, so I keep pushing myself to dive in deeper and deeper. 1984's Junge Roemer was released prior to his US breakthrough with Falco 3, and as such, it appears to be in his native tongue. I'm going to go ahead and predict that this one won't resonate with me, but I'm willing to give it a chance.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 172

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 172
Release Date: September 1977

Highlights

• First appearance of Rocket Racer, alias Robert Farrell

Low Points

• Cover feels like a bait and switch - See oddities

Oddities

• They introduce a new villain on the cover, and then only put him in the first four pages of the issue

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

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Christmas CD Countdown 2023! December 6th

  

A couple years ago, or maybe just last year, I can't remember, I started packing away CD"s I was buying between October and November to have myself a CD a day Christmas countdown. It's like getting a gift every day leading up to the holiday. It helps tied over the excitement of the coming day, and well, it's just fun.

This year's focus was live albums, and 80's discography clean up. The latter meaning that it wasn't necessarily an album I had on my want list for a specific song, but rather to have an entire decade collection of a specific artist.

If you've not heard of Edelweiss, I wouldn't be surprised. I don't recall how I came across them, and I'd be lying if I said I was particularly blown away. Instead, this album got added to my want list for it's unique "borrowing" of ABBA's S.O.S., but changing the lyrics to be about the band.

Bring Me Edelweiss is actually not a full album, but instead classified as a single. This is odd, because the CD has eight tracks on it. Regardless, I'm not expecting much from this, but am hoping to be pleasantly surprised. 

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 11

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual
Issue Number: 11
Release Date: August 1977

Highlights

• First appearance of Anton DeLionatus, Spider-Squad, Strongman, Tumbler, Acrobat, Klemmer, Leroy, Barney Muller, Paul Cassidy, and Hank
• The Grey Panthers protest outside of city hall
• Aunt May is arrested in the protest
• Reference is made to Marvel Treasury 14, which is a reprints of The Amazing Spider-Man 100 and 101
• Spider-Man gets offered a job in a movie
• Two Spidey stories in one issue

Low Points

• Mary Jane and Peter Parker fight, and part on bad terms yet again

Oddities

• None

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

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Christmas CD Countdown 2023! December 5th

  

A couple years ago, or maybe just last year, I can't remember, I started packing away CD"s I was buying between October and November to have myself a CD a day Christmas countdown. It's like getting a gift every day leading up to the holiday. It helps tied over the excitement of the coming day, and well, it's just fun.

This year's focus was live albums, and 80's discography clean up. The latter meaning that it wasn't necessarily an album I had on my want list for a specific song, but rather to have an entire decade collection of a specific artist.

Today we come to the first live album of the bunch. In general, I've never been a fan of live music, but as of late have been trying to bolster my collection for some future posts. I've been digging through list after list of "the best", "the greatest", "must hear" live albums, and was surprised to not only see that options were pretty scarce, but that the same ones kept reoccurring on said lists.

Touted as Dire Straits at their best, 1984's Alchemy featured recordings from the band's July 1983 performance at the Hammersmith Odeon show as part of their Love Over Gold Tour. I'm actually concerned with this one, as many reviews describe it as slow paced, unlike most live performances which are typically full of energy. I guess we'll see.

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Retro Spins: Tracey Ullman - You Broke My Heart In 17 Pieces

Long before The Tracey Ullman Show, The Simpsons and being retro was considered cool, twenty-four year old Ullman recorded and released her first studio album, You Broke My Heart In 17 Pieces. It was a love letter to the 60's and 70's, featuring a variety of cover songs with an upbeat early 80's musical style.

Though I never would have put two and two together as a child, in terms of who the singer was versus her popular comedy sketch show of the mid eighties, I was very familiar with Ullman's top ten hit, They Don't Know About Us. It was something my sister played frequently, boosted by a steady rotation on MTV. As I watched it as an adult, it was actually quite interesting to have an understanding of what the video was portraying - A happy girl in the thralls of dating, shifting midway to a housewife not so taken in by the sweetheart who swept her off her feet.

You Broke My Heart In 17 Pieces is okay overall. You really have to appreciate the original source material in order to enjoy it. As someone who's always been a fan of jukebox diner style music of the 60's and 70's, I can certainly get behind it. Mind you, it's not something that necessarily has a whole lot of replay value. I don't like it that much. However, for an occasional listen, it's good.

Due to its overall price and lack of replay-ability, I wouldn't necessarily recommend rushing out and grabbing this one. Original pressings of the CD can run as high as seventy dollars, with low points being around forty. That's quite a bit of scratch. Most readily available versions, which are few, are usually the Stiff Records versions from the UK, or other foreign countries, such as Russia and the Netherlands. I don't think I've ever seen an MCA labeled USA release - If a CD version even exists.

If you want something unique in your collection, then this album is definitely that. However, if you're looking for something that's going to have a lasting impression, with songs that can be replayed over and over, you probably won't find that here.

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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.

Christmas CD Countdown 2023! December 4th

  

A couple years ago, or maybe just last year, I can't remember, I started packing away CD"s I was buying between October and November to have myself a CD a day Christmas countdown. It's like getting a gift every day leading up to the holiday. It helps tied over the excitement of the coming day, and well, it's just fun.

This year's focus was live albums, and 80's discography clean up. The latter meaning that it wasn't necessarily an album I had on my want list for a specific song, but rather to have an entire decade collection of a specific artist.

Keeping in theme with having my CD's alphabetized, we come to yet another Kate Bush album for today.

1989's The Sensual World is all new territory for me. In reading the track listing, nothing sounds familiar, but I suppose I didn't necessarily expect it to. Upon its initial release, it received fairly positive reviews from critics, and was even nominated for some awards. Sounds like it's got potential.

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Baltimore Comic Con 2023: Part VIII - My Buddy, And Driver, Dave Braun

As the date for the convention drew near, I got a call from an old co-worker / buddy of mine, Dave Braun, who asked if I had some time coming up that we could hang out. I suggested to him that my girl was having knee surgery, and would be recovering the weekend of the convention, which we already had tickets for. I told him that if he wanted to volunteer to drive, I would give him the ticket at no charge.

Dave opted to wear a mask. He may
have been the smart one. I'm praying
to, and trusting in Jesus that I don't get
Covid, or any other illnesses for not.

While I ran around in circles from table to table, Dave busied himself actually enjoying the convention. Well, when I didn't have him standing in lines for me. He got some great photos of some cos-players in the process. Granted these few were just the tip of the iceberg.

Being a fan of Grateful Dead, Dave's first stop off was to the table of Chris Miskiewicz, who created a graphic novel called, Grateful Dead Origins: The Graphic Novel. Though he didn't send me a picture, a compilation of Dead music was also pressed on a vinyl as a counterpart when reading the book.

While at Jim Starlin's table, Dave saw a print that he really wanted, so I spotted him the cash to grab it in exchange for a promise that he would buy lunch...which we never got.

As a thanks to Dave for driving, and standing in lines for me, I had Jon Bogdanove write up the blurb on this print, which he and his wife signed.

Dave ended up having to take a break after this, and I was left to my own devices for the next hour or so that I walked around. We left the convention hall around 5:30 PM, walking as quickly as possible on tired and sore feet, which wasn't as fast as when we walked there in the morning, got in the car, and got stuck in that good ol' fashioned DC / Maryland / Virginia traffic, made all the more worse by the rain storm that hit. In hindsight, though I missed out on certain autographs, we got out of there at a good time. Otherwise, it would have taken us two plus hours to get back.

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Christmas CD Countdown 2023! December 3rd

  

A couple years ago, or maybe just last year, I can't remember, I started packing away CD"s I was buying between October and November to have myself a CD a day Christmas countdown. It's like getting a gift every day leading up to the holiday. It helps tied over the excitement of the coming day, and well, it's just fun.

This year's focus was live albums, and 80's discography clean up. The latter meaning that it wasn't necessarily an album I had on my want list for a specific song, but rather to have an entire decade collection of a specific artist.

Kate Bush is an artist that I ended up amassing a collection of albums because of dollar bin digging. When I sat and actually looked at her discography, I discovered there were only two missing from her 80's decade of releases. Well, here's one of those two.

1980's Never For Ever may not be one I've ever heard, but it is noteworthy for the hit single, Babooshka. I mean, it's Kate Bush. If you're looking for radio friendly pop singles, you've got the wrong artist. That's not her thing.

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 11

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 11
Release Date: October 1977

Highlights

• First appearance of Dr. Jack Tryon

Low Points

• This series continues to deliver lackluster stories that don't feel necessary

Oddities

• Medusa and Spider-Man fight over the same serum, because again, it's easier to fight then talk

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

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