The Toy Box: July 2026

Retro Spins: The Human Leage - Travelogue

Today I'm heading back to new wave, for a dip in the ocean of The Human League. Admittedly, I know very minimal about this very impactful band of the 80's. I mean, who doesn't know the tracks Human, Don't You Want Me, and Fascination? They're classic staples of the decade.

For the longest time, my collection of their albums consisted solely of 1981's Dare, and 1986's Crash on CD, as well as an LP of the EP, Fascination! That was enough for me (at the time), as it covered all bases of the aforementioned tunes. However, as often the case, when preparing for my next block of Retro Spins, I decided to focus in on them, and see what albums from the era I was missing. Not too many, as it would turn out. Just 1980's Travelogue, and 1984's Hysteria.

Tracking them down was easy. Accepting how expensive they were was not. My biggest concern going into the purchase was that knowing nothing from the albums, or in general much more than a handful of songs from the group, that this could be a purchase which didn't deliver on value. Still, I took a chance, mainly driven by my desire to cover the entire decade in one fell swoop of posts.

Well...Travelogue, which kicks off 1980, but is The Human League's second album to date, not including EP's, definitely has a very new wave synth pop sound to it. With that comes the quirky sounds associated with the genre; beeps, boops, and distortion, as well as sometimes odd lyrics. This is all very prevalent in the opening track, The Black Hit Of Space, a song with lyrics such as:

I couldn't stand this bland sound any more so I walked towards my deck to turn it off

All I could see was the B-side of the disc which had assumed a doughnut shape with the label on the outside rim

I reached for the arm which was less than one micron long but weighed more than Saturn and time stood still

I knew I had to escape but every time I tried to flee, the record was in front of me

Yeah, sure, whatever all of that means.

Overall, though, and the biggest offense, was that it was just boring. There's nothing memorable on Travelogue. No songs which stood out, nor really entertained. Basically, when you get to the root of it, this one, for me, wasn't worth the price I paid, and that's incredibly disappointing. Further, it doesn't excite me to really press on in the band's discography. I mean, I will because I already own the albums, but I'm not exactly looking forward to it at this point. Though I do hope it gets better.

Beyond that, I don't have much of anything left to say.

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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: The Amazing Spider-Man 306

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 306
Release Date: Early October 1988

Highlights

Classic McFarlane Action Comics number 1 homage
First appearance of William Dukane
Spider-Man takes out his anger on a couple of reporters trying to get a comment from him on the Peter Parker published book, Webs

Spider-Man can't understand why he's jealous of Peter Parker, and vice versa, when they're the same person

Jonathon Caesar, the owner of their building, shows up at Peter and Mary Jane's home to give Mary Jane a giant bouquet of flowers, and invite them to a party towards the end of the week
Black Cat, AKA Felicia Hardy, swings through the sky towards Peter's old apartment, thinking to herself how lucky he is that she's decided to give him another chance

Entering in through the skylight, she's met by Hal, the new tenant, who's just finished a shower

As she heads back out into the night, Black Cat deduces that Spider-Man moved because the old place held too many memories of them together, and that he still loves her

Peter meets a kid backstage who asks for an autograph, but then drops his bag full of comics

Peter recognizes an issue of Action Comics, and says he used to have it when he was a kid

Mary Jane slips over to the convention the kid was headed to, and buys it for Peter

Roland Carson strolls into the office of William Dukane, and tells him he's there to take over his company

His face then shifts, and he transforms into Mr. Dukane

Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 19
Humbug heads to Empire State University to steal what he needs for his research, but picks the wrong door, and breaks into the women's locker room

He's met by screams, and decides to wait until night to try again

At home, Aunt May is visiting, and when she asks if Peter received any word on his Assistantship Grant at ESU, he remembers he not only forgot, but that the paperwork is due tonight by 9:00 PM
Spider-Man swings by the school as Humbug over amplifies the door he's trying to break into, and shatters all the windows surround him

Spider-Man ultimately defeats him by threating to destroy a jar of roaches

Peter and Mary Jane attend the party at Caesar's place, and when Mary Jane tells him that Peter will be away Monday on another signing, he thinks to himself that she'll be his by Monday
Dukane has been replaced by the Chameleon
Felix the Cat is on the mat in the bathroom of the man living in Peter Parker's old apartment

Low Points

None

Oddities

None

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

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Big Lick NOVA 2026: Part I - Keith Williams, Rick Leonardi, And Mike DeCarlo

This series of posts over the next three weeks is dedicated to the memory of Jim Shooter, legendary Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics from 1978 to 1987. He not only contributed so much to the world of Marvel, but got me bitten by the autograph bug, which has led me to the thrill of meeting other creative talent in the industry over these past few years.

As May 2026 rolled around, it was once again time for Big Lick NOVA. It was iffy for a bit, what with the Dulles Expo Center, where the show has been held annually since 2022. However, Manassas Mall filled the void, providing one of its vacated box stores as the new home for 2026. The location was incredibly convenient, and large enough to host a slew of vendors, and celebrity and comic guests.

This year, there were several voice actors from a variety of anime shows, as well as a couple folks from various Power Rangers iterations, and the original X-Men Animated Series. Perhaps the biggest draw was the Aliens reunion which featured Ricco Ross, Daniel Kash, and Jienette Goldstein. At one point, Michael Biehn was even slated to attend but cancelled a couple weeks prior to the show.

For me, I was watching the comic artist attendees. The list grew slowly, with Keith Williams being the first confirmed guest, but soon grew to include Rick Leonardi, Alex Saviuk, Mike DeCarlo, Patrick Olliffe, Joe Rubinstein, Matt Slay, Brian Kaiser, Tillman, and Larua Martin. As the weeks counted down, I slowly put my selected books together for autographs, as well as a list of items to be on the hunt for.

Arriving at 7:00 AM, early as usually, I took my normal place of first in line. Then the waiting began. With doors opening at 10:00 AM (early entry for weekend pass holders), I sat relatively alone until around 8:30 AM when a few more people showed up.

Things stayed relatively quiet until Russell showed up. I've hung out with him in line at Big Lick before, and he always has a way of bringing people together with his overall charm, personality, and magic tricks. He posts pretty frequently on his Instagram page, as well as his Facebook profile, and I encourage you to check him out.

Prior to the doors opening, staff came out and handed out badges to people with early access tickets. Shortly thereafter, the doors were opened, and off we went in our respective directions. My main focus was to check off all the artists I had come to get books signed by. While the below isn't in the order I went to them, this is the order in which they were seated from left to right along the front wall of the convention hall.

Keith Williams is someone I have frequently gotten books signed by. During my last "visit" with him, I not only wrapped up him signing all of the Web of Spider-Man books he ever worked on at Marvel but had procured him a copy of the Marvel Try Out Book. This was the book he completed back in the day which led him to getting signed with Marvel. I managed to get it signed by Jim Shooter shortly before his passing away.

As usual, Keith was at the show with his lovely wife

Mr. Williams has always been generous in his fees, charging just $5.00 per book. This made it relatively easy to get so many items signed in the past. Today, I finished up the last of what I own that he worked on at Marvel. This included Annuals for The Amazing Spider-Man series, a couple books from Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Spider-Man Unlimited, and Spider-Man (AKA McFarlane Spider-Man). This wrapped up with the one-shot of Spider-Man / The Punisher / Sabretooth: Designer Genes, and Annual number one of Marvel Age.

Also signed by Mark Bagley at
Awesome Con 2024

Also signed by Jim Shooter and
Rick Leonardi at Big Lick NOVA 2023

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023

Next in line was Rick Leonardi. I'm actually a little shocked at how many times he's been at Big Lick NOVA. When he first appeared in 2023, I thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and lined up perfectly for me to get all my black suit Spider-Man preview issues signed by both him and Jim Shooter. His would also be the first commission piece I would buy, followed at the same show by Jim's. While I checked that box off, among many others, it's been great to have multiple opportunities to meet up with him.

While I didn't necessarily have anything for Rick that I needed signed, I did end up buying a couple things specifically to take with me. The first two were a nice set of direct and newsstand editions of Spider-Man 2099 issue number one. Not that I needed these per se but just wanted to take the opportunity to get more copies signed by him. This is technically my first newsstand version that I own.

Next up were a direct edition, newsstand version, and second print of Web of Spider-Man issue number ninety. This is the (disputed) first appearance of Spider-Man 2099, who appears on a poster inserted in the book. My specific plan was to have Rick draw a specific Spider-Man head on each cover, which he did do, albeit, a bit smaller than I initially wanted. However, considering he was charging $100.00 per head sketch, but only charged me $20.00 each, with the signature, I was okay with the end result. For the just his signature, on the books above, it was $5.00 each.

He did learn the hard way that it was taking longer than he expected for the ink to dry on the hologram cover. As you can see in the signatures, his hand accidentally smeared them a bit. Technically, I could have gotten these three books signed by Alex Saviuk as well, but I opted to leave it as Leonardi's signature and doodle only. I already have his signature on a direct edition and second print, with Rick's and Howard Chaykin's.

The last person for this post, but by far not the last person I brought books for, was Mike DeCarlo. He's an artist I've not yet had the opportunity to meet, but one I got pretty excited about. He not only worked on several high-profile Batman books in the 80's, but also was prolific on several cartoon related series, such as The Simpsons, Animaniacs, and The Powerpuff Girls.

I wanted to see if I could get a commission from him for my Peter Parker: Decisions series, my fourth overall. This would be dependent on a few things: 1) If he was doing commissions at the show, 2) How much it costs, 3) How long it would take. The latter would be dictated by how quickly one got to said creator's table to get on the list, which is why he was actually my second stop. Well, more so first and a half. With nobody at either his or Rick Leonardi's tables, and with the two of them sitting side-by-side, I kind of hopped back and forth.

Mike DeCarlo holding up an awesome one-of-a-kind
watercolor painting he did of all four covers of the
A Death In The Family story arc - See the comics below

Several of the books below I actually bought for the purposes of taking them with me. However, all of them were ones I had been eyeing in the past but never pulled the trigger on. Upon finding out that DeCarlo worked on them, and that I could get them signed, pretty much solidified the purchases. These included the Ten Nights Of The Beast story arc, The Many Deaths Of The Batman.

Also signed by Jim Starlin at
Baltimore Comic Con 2023

I suppose I'll want to track down Jim Starlin again to sign the Ten Nights Of The Beast set.

You may notice that parts two and four are missing from the set of books in the A Lonely Place Of Dying arc. That's because those books crossed over to the Teen Titans title, and DeCarlo didn't work on them.

Also signed by Michael Golden at
Big Lick NOVA 2023

Also signed by Rick Leonardi at
Big Lick NOVA 2025

All and all, Big Lick NOVA 2026 was off to a banger of a start, and things were only going to get bigger and better. I daresay that this may have been the most fun I've ever had at a convention.

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Retro Spins: W.A.S.P. - The Headless Children

After receiving and taking to heart the critical reception of 1986's Inside The Electric Circus, lead singer, and only remaining founder of W.A.S.P., Blackie Lawless took a break from the studio to reflect on the band's musical direction. During this time, they'd still continue to tour, and several lineup changes would occur, specifically with a non-stop rotation of drummers.

When Steve Riley left the skins to join L.A. Guns, he'd initially be replaced by Chad Nelson. However, this would just be the start of the rotation, which soon saw Glenn Soderling, and Kelly Martella also stepping into the role. By the end of 1988, W.A.S.P. had no drummer. As such, when they returned to the studio to record what would become 1989's The Headless Children, former Quiet Riot drummer, Frankie Banali, would step in to give them a hand, but not formally join the band.

The Heretic starts things off and has a boss level slow building intro before things take off in the almost eight-minute epic. Things are definitely going in the right direction right from the get-go. This is followed by the thundering drums, and equally adept bass filled The Real Me.

Even when songs didn't necessarily grab my attention at first, such as the case with the title track, when the guitar solos of Chris Holmes took over, often kept up in pace by the fantastic drumming of Frankie Banali, my head started bobbing, and my foot tapping. My favorite combination of the two was probably Thunderhead. You know what? Check it out below for yourself and let me know your thoughts.

Other standout tracks for me included Mean Man, and Forever Free. Though, overall, I would call it a near perfect album. Mainly because each song had something worth listening to, often the guitar solos and drums.

Five months after its release, August of 1989 to be exact, Chris Holmes would decide to leave the band, stating that he wanted to have fun. Basically, it came down to the music direction Lawless was taking the band. Holmes preferred a much more straight forward hard rock style, while W.A.S.P. was leaning into a more progressive rock style. He would, however, return in 1996, only to depart again in 2001.

With and without Holmes, W.A.S.P. recorded and released twelve albums between 1992 and 2018 and continues to remain active. Yeah, sure, there's been a lot more lineup changes, with Blackie Lawless being the only constant. These days, Mike Duda serves as bassist, with Doug Blare on lead guitar, and Aquiles Priester on drums. As of June 24, 2026, they're all on the road touring with dates anticipated to wrap up on December 12, 2026.

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 22

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual
Issue Number: 22
Release Date: September 1988

Highlights

Mark Bagley's first work on Spider-Man
First appearance of Speedball, AKA Robbie Baldwin
Also first appearance of Spitface Flanagan, Madeline Naylor, and Marty O'Donnell
First appearance and death of Dylan Thomas
First appearance of Earl's Bar
Spider-Man breaks up a drug shipment delivery at pier7

After he alters the police, Splitface Flanagan shows up to claim the contraband without resistance

Peter returns home to a concerned Mary Jane, and a news report stating that Spider-Man is wanted in connection with the murders at pier 7
Young Robbie Baldwin is visiting New York with his mother, but something is awry with him
Matt Murdock learns of the accusations against Spider-Man and decides that either he or Daredevil needs to help
Meanwhile, at the Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson congratulates Peter for finally proving Spider-Man the criminal he always knew he was, and gives him a private stash cigar as a bonus
Reference is made to The Punisher Annual 1
Kingpin meets with his men, and discusses the recent events of mysterious armored warriors destroying drug shipments in South America
Spider-Man returns to the scene of the crime, where he's greeted by Daredevil

Daredevil uses his powers to hear Spidey's heartbeat, and knows he isn't lying when he says he didn't do it

Kate Cushing tells J. Jonah Jameson that the city is backing Spider-Man because they're tired of crime, and are glad someone is doing something about it

Jameson says he can't have Spider-Man labeled a hero, and tells her to put every reporter on proving his innocence

As Robbie walks down the street alone, he's grabbed by some thugs who are intent on robbing him

Pushing him down activates his hidden powers, and he's transformed into Speedball

As Speedball bounces all over the walls, he manages to make his way to the roof, and grab hold of the wall to stop his uncontrolled powers

Meanwhile, back on the ground, the mysterious armored warriors see the thugs, and attack

Speedball can't tell if they've been killed, or knocked out

One of the armored men is captured by Kingpin's men, and taken to him for questioning

However, when he doesn't cooperate, Kingpin breaks his ribs, rendering him unconscious

Speedball follows the other to their hideout, and overhears the mission from the High Evolutionary

Everyone in the city will be rendered unconscious the next day, and the sterilization process will begin with all people with unfit DNA patterns will be eradicated

Speedball decides he needs to get involved to stop them, but at that moment, his power leaves him, returning him to his high school youth state

He instead calls the cops, but when they don't believe his story, he heads to the Empire State building

Kingpin learns of the High Evolutionary from his prisoner, and informs the Arranger to get a message to Spider-Man and Daredevil
Spider-Man and Daredevil go from dive bar to dive bar seeking information, and finally get it from someone at Earl's

They bust through the top floor windows of the Empire State building, and the battle against the armored men immediately commences

Robbie climbs the building, and when he see's a satellite dish high above an observation deck, slams himself to the ground to activate his Speedball powers
Back inside, Daredevil and Spider-Man occupy themselves destroying every piece of equipment they can, but nothing is stopping the clock counting down

Outside, Speedball destroys the satellite by bouncing into it, but then realizes he's gone over the edge of the building

Spider-Man nabs him with a web line

Speedball introduces himself to the heroes

At the order of Kingpin, the Arranger takes some men, and aggressively make their way into Splitface Flanagan's hideout

Flanagan is given a choice - Go to the precinct and confess to the murders being pinned on Spider-Man, or stay there, and become the next victim

The Arranger returns to Kingpin and informs him they can continue their drug operations, but Kingpin tells him that for the first time, he's beginning to worry

This story continues in Fantastic Four Annual 21
There are some nice extras in this Annual, which include a layout of Peter and Mary Jane's new home, as well as a couple unpublished Spider-Man covers

Low Points

This is actually a major crossover event

The full story began four Annuals ago, and encompass an additional seven after this one

X-Factor Annual 3
The Punisher Annual (vol. 2) 1
Silver Surfer Annual 1
New Mutants Annual 4
The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 22
Fantastic Four Annual 21
The Uncanny X-Men Annual 12
Web Of Spider-Man Annual 4
West Coast Avengers Annual 3
The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 8
The Avengers Annual 17
Alf Annual 1

There is a "B" story which encompasses a solo adventure of Speedball
There is also a "C" story with features a tale about the High Evolutionary
It remains to be seen if only reading the issues related to Spider-Man have any impact on the overall story arc, or if they can be read as a standalone story

Oddities

None

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

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Retro Spins: W.A.S.P. - Inside The Electric Circus

With lead guitarist, and co-founding member Randy Piper gone, seats were shuffled internally for W.A.S.P. Blackie Lawless would return to rhythm guitar, and Chris Holmes would shift to lead guitar. This left the position of bassist open, which Johnny Rod would step in to fill.

Though their momentum was climbing, the content of their music, and visuals of their live shows painted a large target on their backs for the PMRC, who began publicly denouncing the band. This led to a lot of trouble for them, as planned venues would receive backlash, and even bomb threats. The band members themselves received hundreds of death threats, and Lawless was even shot at twice, though never hit. All of this negativity, and free publicity, did nothing more than fuel their popularity, which continued to grow.

Inside the Electric Circus was released in 1986, and with it came a massive support tour, including shows with Iron Maiden, Raven, Slayer, and Saxon. Though the album would be a hit among fans, critics would not be so kind, labeling it "7th grader rock." This criticism would hit Lawless the most, who upon reading about it prompted him to take a break and reevaluate the band's creative direction. In later re-releases of the album, liner notes would include Lawless stating that the album was, "a tired record from a tired band."

My initial listening session was interrupted by track six (of twelve). While this is something that would prompt me to restart the album, I honestly didn't feel inclined to. Mainly because by this point, I hadn't heard anything that necessarily tickled my fancy. As such, I simply picked up where I left off when I got back to it.

Overall, it just felt like a pretty basic and generic album. Lyrics like those for Mantronics come off as silly, and really put that 7th grader aspect noted above in a spotlight:

Mantronic, I'm on the loose
Bionic, my neck in the noose
Mantronic, I'm still the king
Bionic, half man and machine

It's goofy, and as a result, can't be taken seriously. None of this is helped by a grown man screaming like he just stubbed his entire foot on the side of a bed. I can definitely side with the critics on this one and can see why rethinking the band's direction was needed.

Taking a break from recording didn't mean the band was sitting idle. They not only continued to tour, but released the live album, Live...In The Raw (1987). However, during this period, several lineup changes occurred.

Drummer Steve Riley would be the first to depart, leaving to join the band, L.A. Guns. He was replaced by Chad Nelson. Glenn Soderling would then replace him but not perform with the band as Holmes would fall ill, halting shows. Soderling would leave shortly thereafter, replaced by Kelly Martella. However, he too would leave in 1988 and join the band Silent Rage.

Without a drummer in place, W.A.S.P. returned to the studio to record what would become their highest selling album of all time, 1989's The Headless Children. It would be the first to not feature any overly sexualized content and pave the way for a new era of the band, one often drenched in political topics. It would also wrap up their 80's era, and my journey through their discography. But that all happens tomorrow, when I actually play through it.

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Retro Spins: W.A.S.P. - The Last Command

Depending on the day of the week, if you were to ask founder, and lead singer Blackie Lawless what W.A.S.P. was an acronym for, he'd give you any number of answers. These could include, White-Anglo Saxson Protestant, We Are Satan's People, or even, We Ain't Sure, Pal. However, the most commonly accepted one is We Are Sexual Perverts, and this is because the words are etched on the center labels of the band's self-titled debut album from 1984.

Regardless, the band has its roots in the now defunct Los Angeles band, Circus Circus, which both Lawless, and other co-founder of W.A.S.P., Randy Piper were in. Rik Fox and Tony Richards would round out the original 1982 lineup and make a name for itself around the surrounding local areas for their raunchy, and often shocking stage shows.

This lineup didn't last long, as Fox would be dismissed, and be replaced by Don Costa. However, he too wouldn't last long, and Brayden Parker would take on the role as bassist. After he departed, Lawless would opt to take over both lead vocals and bass. By 1983, Chris Holmes also joined the band, completing the roster of Holmes, Lawless, Piper, and Richards, who would sign with Capital Record and record their first album.

I already touched on the controversial nature of their initially intended track, Animal (F**k Like A Beast), as well as that the album as a whole performed well, leading to subsequential tours with many notable acts. For more on that, check out yesterday's post. Point being, the album was successful, and the band returned to the studio to record their sophomore follow-up, The Last Command (1985).

This, however, would be without drummer Tony Richards, who was fired in 1984 by Lawless at the demand of their record label for his substance abuse. Steve Riley would not only come in as the new drummer for the album, but the aforementioned tours.

Today, I actually get a song from W.A.S.P. that I was familiar with. No, not from my childhood, but instead from my past recent years of Google searching 80's music and coming across their music video for the tune. While it's definitely the best the album has to offer, the rest isn't bad by any means. Fistful Of Diamonds, Jack Action, Widowmaker, and Cries In The Night were additional standout tracks.

As I noted yesterday, my ears weren't necessarily ready to return to heavy metal after coming off the likes of Megadeth and Iron Maiden and moving on to the more hair band stylings of Hanoi Rocks. Now that the initial system shock had passed, I was back onboard. This also allowed me to appreciate more the slick guitar work of Chris Holmes and Randy Piper, while also getting more into the raspy voice of Blackie Lawless. I wish I could praise the drumming of Steve Riley, but candidly, it felt basic.

After completing The Last Command tour, Piper opted to leave the band and sign on with Alice Cooper. However, when he found out that he would not be the lead guitarist for Cooper, quit. Chris Holmes would step into the roll as lead guitarist, with Lawless putting down the bass for rhythm guitar. This left the roll of bassist open, which was filled by Johnny Rod.

W.A.S.P. released their third album, Inside The Electric Circus in 1986. While it would ultimately lead to mainstream success, it wouldn't be a smooth ride. I'll pick up there tomorrow.

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 43

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 43
Release Date: October 1988

Highlights

Death of the Cult of Love members, Teacher, and Brother Bruce
Last appearance of Reverend Tolliver, and Tracy Cushing
Flash, with the help of Reverend Tolliver, have kidnapped Betty Leeds from the Students of Love's compound, and with Peter now there too, she's begging him for help
Though Peter initially protests the kidnapping, he agrees with Reverend Tolliver that it's for a good purpose - to deprogram the brainwashing the cult has instilled in Betty's mind
Teacher hands Brother Guy a list of Betty's friends, which she created when she joined the cult, tricked into believing it was an emergency contact list

He also tells Guy to check on Brother Bruce, who may be in a fragile state after the kidnapping

He's down in the basement working on more arson materials

Aunt May goes to visit Peter and Mary Jane, but as Mary Jane showers, she finds the envelope of sultry photos taken for the lingerie shoot, causing her to faint
As they make progress on breaking the hold on Betty's mind, members of the Students of Love burst into Flash's apartment from the door and windows

Reverend Tolliver is ushered through the battle to the hallway by Peter, who tells him to get help

He leaves a message for Ben Urich

The cult take Peter, and Flash hostage, while also bringing Betty back to the compound

Down in the basement, Brother Bruce leaves his new flame thrower, only for it to light a pile of clothing on fire

Back at the apartment, Mary Jane burns the photos and negatives after May tells her that if she causes her nephew any embarrassment that she'll deck her
Ben calls Kate with the location of the cult's compound, and she asks him to pick her up
Brother Bruce is scolded for his violent tendencies, demanding that the hostages be killed, but Teacher tells him to go meditate\

Instead, he finds a gun in Teacher's desk, and decides to handle things himself

With the house now on fire, and Betty, Peter and Flash all tied to chairs, sequestered in the same room, Peter decides it's now or never, and breaks his binds

When Flash asks how he did that, he replies, "spider strength", but Flash doesn't believe him, so he replies, "adrenalin, frayed ropes, loose knots, gamma rays, take your pick"

Bruce tries to shoot them, but Peter disarms him, and tells him he better get out of there while he's letting him

With Flash and Betty unconscious from the smoke, and a quick change to Spider-Man, our hero attempts to get them out of the building

He's stopped by Teacher, who also now has a gun

Teacher shoots at Spider-Man, but he dodges, and the bullet hits Bruce

Spider-Man says he'll web up his wound, but Teacher tells him to instead get Betty and Flash out, and that he'll help Bruce

Teacher instead walks away from Bruce, but as he does, Bruce grabs him by the leg pleading for help

The delay causes the burning ceiling to collapse on both of them

They don't make it out of the fire

Kate and Ben arrive, and Betty points Kate to Tracy

It's not Kate's Sister, and distraught, she tells Peter, exclaiming, "Not everyone gets a happy ending"

Low Points

It's kind of like the Mad Dog Ward story arc, wherein it's long, drawn out, and not that interesting

Oddities

Editor's Day Off: In issue 40 of Web Of Spider-Man, Kate Cushing refers to her sister as "Tracy", but in issue 42, says her name is "Tracey"

Now in issue 43, we're back to "Tracy"

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

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