Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 116

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 116
Release Date: July 1986

Highlights

• First appearance of J.D.
• Death of Fritz Woolcot
• Spider-Man's first fight with Sabretooth
• As Black Cat lay on the ground with a broken nose, Foreigner's thugs tell her to explain why she broke into his place, with a twist - answer slow, and they'll break three ribs, answer fast, and they'll only break one
• Peter goes to Mary Jane's house, but when he sees Roderick Kingsley exiting, he blows up on her, and storms off
• Mary Jane ponders if they just had their first lover's quarrel
• Sabretooth seeks out his old teacher, Foreigner, and finds out that after killing FBI and CIA agents to find him, it was Foreigner himself, disguised as a wino who told him where to find him
• Sabretooth wants to work for Foreigner as an assassin
• Peter wrestles with his own emotions, pondering if he should tell Black Cat that he had her bad luck aura removed from him by Doctor Strange, which in turn removed the powers from her completely, but also concluding he doesn't want to see her ever again, nor get into an argument with her
• The Woolcot family moves so Fritz can get away from the accusations of child abuse on his son Alex
• Foreigner and Sabretooth walk in on the aftermath of the fight with Black Cat, and Sabretooth sets off to deal with her, despite Foreigner not wanting him to
• Foreigner tells his men they're fired, but they in turn quit
• Spider-Man goes to see Felicia, but makes it clear he's not there to reconcile their relationship
• Spider-Man tells her about Doctor Strange, and the two do indeed fight, resulting in Spider-Man leaving annoyed
• Sabretooth appears in her apartment, ready to take her life, but Spider-Man returns, kicking him in the face
• Spider-Man makes short order of Sabretooth, and the villain actually does himself in by trying to rip the webbing sprayed on him off of his face, ripping the skin off in the process
• A drunk Fritz returns home, and when he sees his son's room not clean, he attempts to abuse him, only for Alex's power to activate in fear, disintegrating his father into a pile of ash

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Retro Spins: Pointer Sisters - Black & White

It's time to circle back to the sisters known as Pointers. I touched on them in 2023 when I listened to their 1983 opus, Break Out, and circled back to them in 2025 when I started from the beginning of their 80's journey with 1980's Special Things. These were both relatively enjoyable listening sessions, resulting in some tracks being pulled for my shuffle.

I touched pretty extensively on the girl's history in the above noted posts, so there's not much more to really be added to that at this point in time. As such, we'll just dive right into 1981's Black & White.

The album stays rooted in the groups R&B / soul era, which is not my favorite style from the sisters. I much prefer their later new wave / pop material. As such, while I wouldn't call this a terrible album, there were definitely more moments of boredom versus songs I actually enjoyed.

Of the nine tracks, three stood out; Someday We'll Be Together, Slow Hands, and Should I Do It. The first noted feels reminiscent of the original Supreme's song. Despite this, it's not a remake. Meanwhile, Slow Hands stands out as their biggest single from the album, and the reason I bought it.

The final track was a nice hidden doo-wop gem, and oddly one that was recorded and released by both the Pointers, and Tanya Tucker at the same time. Obviously, the Pointer Sisters put the track on Black & White, while Tucker released it on her album of the same name.

I think what disappoints me the most about the girls is that they don't seem to put much effort into their music. Wait a moment before you blow up. Let me explain. The girls don't play any instruments on their music, nor do they contribute to much of the writing. They essentially show up, sing, serving as a conduit for other people's creative juices. The writing aspect is particularly odd to me because the girls wrote one of their biggest hits, I'm So Excited. So, clearly, they have the talent to pen their own music.

Coincidentally, So Excited is where we head to next in their storied discography, and if you're like me, you'll be baffled by how initially that classic track floundered, only to become a massive smash after being revived years later. I'll get into those details tomorrow.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

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: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 115

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 115
Release Date: June 1986

Highlights

• First appearance of Brenda Burman, Ralph Mackie, and Spencer
• Brenda walks home from a late movie when she's grabbed by a bunch of thugs with super hero masks on
• Their intentions are anything but good
• The fencer who bought Peter's golden notebook brings it to Foreigner to sell it to him
• Peter is sent to Fritz Woolcot's house to be part of the interview with Joy Mercado regarding the accusations of child abuse
• Joe Robertson introduces his wife Amanda to his father
• Alex Woolcot is showing signs of his new powers, doing his best to control them
• Katheryn Cushing gives Peter an ear full for getting no pictures of Mr. Woolcot
• Black Cat breaks into Foreigner's place, intent on robbing him, and giving the riches to local orphanages
• Spider-Man seeks out Doctor Strange to help him with his recent string of bad luck
• Doctor Strange determines there is definitely a bad luck aura that has affected him
• It's concluded that the hex came from Black Cat, and Doctor Strange says that removing it from Spider-Man may have an affect on "the source"
• Spider-Man decides he doesn't owe Black Cat anything, and tells Doctor Strange to proceed
• Doctor Strange succeeds in removing the aura, and unbeknownst to him and Spider-Man, across the city Black Cat is getting beaten down by Foreigner's men since she no longer has her powers of bad luck

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

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

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Retro Spins: Irene Cara - Carasmatic

After releasing 1983's What A Feelin', Irene Cara was one of the hottest female acts in town. However, in 1985, legal battles soon ensured between her and her label over unpaid royalties for her smash hits, Fame, and Flashdance...What A Feelin'. While she would ultimately win these claims in 1993, throughout all of this she was labeled difficult to work with and blacklisted in the industry.

While this served to stall her music career, Cara would pick up roles in films City Heat (1984), Certain Fury (1985), and Busted Up (1986). It wouldn't be until 1987 that she'd secure a deal with Elektra, and record her final solo studio album, Carasmatic. Unfortunately, a lot had changed in the music scene, mainly with the emergence of hair metal bands, shifting focus away from your traditional pop album. Her record was considered a failure, not charting anywhere, and not producing any successful singles.

But is that fair? Is the album really that bad? Or was it just an unfortunate outcome from an industry which relishes in destroying the careers of those who don't accept being taken advantage of?

From the opening notes of track one, Get A Grip, I can tell you my first impression was, "This feels dated." Meaning, it sounds like an immediate successor to her 1983 album, out of touch with the evolved music sounds of 1987.

To put that in perspective, by 1987, I was listening to the heavier Guns 'N Roses Appetite For Destruction, Def Leppard's Hysteria, and Aerosmith's Permanent Vacation. When I did turn my attention to pop music, it was albums like Michael Jackson's Bad, Prince's Sign 'O' The Times, Whitney Houston's Whiteny, and George Michael's Faith. The point I'm making is that Carasmatic sounds like none of these. Instead, the best comparison I can make is track three, We're Gonna Get Up, which sounds like Pointer Sister's Neutron Dance from 1983. It just doesn't jive with the year it's from, and in retrospect, I can understand why this wouldn't resonate with critics at the time.

Even if I take the year it was released out of the equation, and look at it strictly as an 80's album, it fails in comparison to many of the other bigger and better releases. It's mediocre at best, and that, I think, is giving it more credit than it deserves. Yes, Cara's voice is as good as it's ever been, but there's no catchy hits here that make the album worth listening to, let alone buying.

It's honestly disappointing. I really wanted to find a hidden gem here. To point at the rest of the world, and say, "You missed out!" Unfortunately, that's just not the case.

Irene returned to the screen, acting in various television series in one-off roles, while also providing vocal work in films for various animated films between 1989 and 1996. She formed the band, Hot Caramel in 1999, and released in 2011 their only album, Irene Cara Presents Hot Caramel. She also saw a return to form, and brief resurgence in popularity when in 2005 she won first place on NBC's Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, performing Flashdance...What A Feelin', which she performed with her new band. She would also perform the song as the opener to the 2006 AFL Grand Finale. Sadly, Cara tragically passed away in November 2022.

On a side note, if you're a fan of "older" acts getting another fifteen minutes of fame, I definitely recommend checking out the 2005 show, Hit Me Baby One More Time. You'll catch acts from the likes of Gloria Gaynor, Howard Jones, Limahl, Tiffany, Belinda Carlisle, Doctor And The Medics, Junior, Sabrina, Shalamar, Loverboy, A Flock Of Seaguls, Tommy Tutone, The Motels, Wang Chung, Greg Khin, Club Nouveau, Glass Tiger, Animotion, Missing Persons, Shannon, and so many more! I mean, come on, what are you waiting for? Head to Youtube!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

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.