Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 107

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 107
Release Date: October 1985

Highlights

• The first issue of Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man to adopt the tagline, "The all new, all daring" above the title
• The events of this issue, plus 108, 109, and 110, which continue after each other, take place at come point during the events of Web Of Spider-Man 11
• Origin and Death of Captain Jean DeWolff
• First appearance of Sin-Eater, AKA Stanley Carter, Celia (DeWolff) Weatherby, Carl Weatherby, Russ, Sandy, Reverend Bernard Finn, Reverend Jackson Tolliver, Judge Horace Rosenthal, and Ernie Popchik
• The police find Captain DeWolff dead in her apartment
• Peter runs into Ernie Popchik downtown, one of Aunt May's new boarders
• A trio of thugs grabs Ernie, mugs him, and beats him up, but Spider-Man is quickly on the scene to mop them up
• When the cops arrive, they inform Spider-Man of Captain DeWolff's death, but that they have no suspects
• While talking to Robbie Robertson about DeWolff's murder, J. Jonah Jameson admits that even people like Spider-Man don't deserve to be murdered, but not to quote him on that
• Spider-Man meets up with Sergeant Stan Carter, who's been put in charge of the investigation for DeWolff's murder case
• Carter explains that DeWolff was shot at close range with a double barrel shotgun, and that her badge is missing
• As Daredevil swings across the city, he hears someone refer to him as the man without fear, and laughing to himself thinks that if he could see what he was doing, he'd be scared
• Matt Murdock heads into Judge Horace's chambers sensing someone is in there, and gets confronted by Sin-Eater, who takes a shot at him
• Judge Horace hears the gunfire, and enters the room, only to be shot by Sin-Eater
• Finally, we're back to the good stories in Spider-Man

Low Points

• Matt Murdock is representing the trio of thugs who beat up and robbed Ernie, and he gets them released on $500 bail each - What happened to not taking the case for people who aren't innocent?

Oddities

• None

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

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Retro Spins: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Like A Rock

 

Popularity had waned drastically for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band over the past few years. Sales for his 1982 released, The Distance, drastically decreased from previous albums. While he remained a platinum selling artist, records such as Night Moves (1976), Stranger In Town (1978), and Against The Wind (1980), far surpassed it with their five- and six-times platinum certifications.

Returning to the mic, the band released Like A Rock. Like its predecessor, it fared well, reaching platinum status, but again failed to reach the status of previous releases. Despite this, the album peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 200, producing two hit singles for the Billboard Hot 100, Like A Rock (12), and American Storm (13).

Embracing the MTV generation, Seger would record music videos for both. However, the latter would prove to be the more popular, mainly for its inclusion of actors, Lesley Ann Warren, James Woods, Randy Quaid and Scott Glenn.

Things started out fairly strong with American Storm, Like A Rock, and Miami, but then quickly drifted off to mediocrity, and candidly, forgettable. I honestly found myself more entertained with reading about the remainder of the decade for the band. Things did course correct, and I can't believe I'm saying this, with the ballad, Somewhere Tonight.

I think the biggest aspect missing from the album is that traditional storytelling that Seger is known for. Rather than painting vivid pictures through his lyrics, things seem pretty generic. It's as if he's trying to embrace a more mainstream sound but failing in the process.

What makes no sense is the band's cover of Creedence Clear Water Revival's Fortunate Son. Mind you, the cover itself is serviceable. Seger definitely has the voice to do justice to John Fogerty. Where it fails is that it's a live track tacked on at the end and completely comes out of nowhere. Basically, it's out of place.

Prior to closing out 1986, Seger contributed the song, Living Inside My Heart for the film soundtrack About Last Night... Then in 1987, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Seger would have one final hit in the decade, but it wouldn't come about from normal circumstances.

Based on his hit single, The Heat Is On for the film Beverly Hills Cop, Glenn Frey was asked to take the reins on the sequels lead track, Shakedown. However, the singer not only disliked the lyrics, but came down with laryngitis leading up to recording sessions. He would ask his buddy Bob to take over, which in hindsight may have been a mistake by Frey. The song became Seger's one and only number one hit and garnered him an Oscar nomination as co-writer in the Best Original Song category the following year.

I already touched on where he went from there in my post about 1980's Against The Wind, so rather than rinse and repeat, we'll call it a day.

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Comics Corner: Secret Wars II 6

   

Title: Secret Wars II
Issue Number: 6
Release Date: December 1985

Highlights

• First appearance of Dave Shooter, an avid comic collector and reader, and clearly meant to embody Editor-in-Chief / writer, Jim Shooter
• First appearance of Mr. McCorkle, and the Council of Watchers
• First appearance of Sparta, Illinois and Perth
• Beyonder erects a giant headquarters in Sparta, Illinois
• Dave Shooter, reporter for the Sun-Telegraph notices the new building, and smelling a story, heads out to investigate
• Beyonder watches Power Pack "getting into trouble" on his large monitor, and heads out to help
• Reference is made to Power Pack 17, Fantastic Four 20, and Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars 11
• Beyonder helps them by beating up the gang who blast a train track, and then repairing the damage
• Back at his home, Beyonder meets Dave, and rather than answer his questions, shows him with his mento-projector
• Dave becomes Beyonder's personal coordinator, and hires staff to work under him
• Beyonder admits he doesn't need any of this, but is happy that Dave has found his own purpose in life through it
• Watcher comes to Molecule Man in his home, and is not greeted with happiness
• Watcher tells the origin of Molecule Man
• Watcher says the council of his people have agreed to ask Molecule Man to stop Beyonder before he undoes everything - Molecule Man declines, and tells him to find someone else
• With Dave's business model in place, Beyonder takes jobs across the world and universe, helping everyone he can
• Captain America and Reed Richards visit Beyonder, and tell him that while he's doing a lot of good, people will soon become to reliant on him
• Beyonder and Dave meet with Death, with the Beyonder's intensions to eliminate death for all life indefinitely
• Mephisto literally explodes on the scene with demons, ready to stop Beyonder from ruining his realm by destroying death
• Many cosmic beings arrive too, all led by Watcher, who ask Beyonder to hear them out, and not eliminate death
• Death drinks the cup, vanquishing death across every multiverse
• Molecule Man meets with Beyonder, and informs him he's destroyed the whole purpose of life, and people will now every living thing will exist without meaning
• Dave sacrifices himself to resurrect Death
• Beyonder realizes he too must find his purpose, otherwise it would be better for him to die

Low Points

• No Spider-Man
• You would have to read Cloak and Dagger 4, Power Pack 18, Thor 363, Micronauts16, and Power Man and Iron Fist 121 for the continuation of the story

Oddities

• None

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

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Retro Spins: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - The Distance

 

You know you have some sway in the industry when you can request your label release your album on a format that isn't even being produced anymore. Such was the case with Bob Seger's The Distance. Knowing many of his fans still utilized 8 track tapes, the artist was able to get Capitol Records to release the album on the defunct format.

As a whole, it sold over two million copies, and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200. With it came Billboard Hot 100 hits, Even Now (12), Roll Me Away (27), and Shame On The Moon (2). The latter being a cover of Rodney Crowell's tune from his own self-titled album released in 1980.

Seger drew inspiration from the Woody Allen film Annie Hall, initially intending the album to be about relationships. However, after realizing this would make for a rather boring record, he shifted course. Though ultimately some tracks ended up making the cut from this original vision. These included Even Now, Love’s The Last To Know, House Behind A House, and the album closer, Little Victories.

Playing though it, you immediately get treaded to the standard Bob Seger sound. I.E. songs that either dig into the roots of jukebox rock, or deep dive into the storytelling of the artist.

It's typical fare, but not without its high points. Take away tunes for me were Even Now Boomtown Blues, Shame On The Moon, Roll Me Away, and House Behind A House.

Overall, it's okay, but it doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table. I suppose that probably works for a lot of fans when an artist stays in their comfort zone and essentially releases the same album over and over, myself included in that camp. So, I can't fault Seger for not really doing anything mind blowing. He's found the formula that works for him, and he's running with it.

Sales for The Distance took a sharp downturn for Seger and his band. While it did reach platinum status, it failed to garner the numbers of his past three records, which achieved five- and six-times platinum certifications. This sudden downturn left the artist quickly becoming irrelevant in the MTV era.

While he contributed the 1984 song, Understanding to the soundtrack for Teachers, nothing else surfaced from him until 1986, when he released the studio album, Like A Rock. This would also be his last for the decade. Tomorrow is where I'll pick that one up.

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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.