Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 314

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 314
Release Date: April 1989

Highlights

• First appearance of Howell Thurston III, department store Santa, Clark, Marty, Sid, and Kermit
• First appearance of J.C. Herdling Department Store
• The story opens with Peter and Mary Jane being evicted from the Bedford Towers on December 24th
• They learn that Jonathan Caesar is behind the eviction order, despite him being in jail for the kidnapping of Mary Jane 
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 304 - 309
• Aunt May tells the two to put their stuff in her attic, and move into Peter's old bedroom
• They take her up on the storage, but Peter tells her they already have somewhere else to stay
• In the office of Howell Thurston III, manager of J.C. Herdling Department Store, he scoffs at Christmas Eve being on a Saturday, with all the banks closed
• He says this to Clark, who is working at a small desk behind him
• Howell asks if this is his 19th Christmas to work, to which Clark informs him it's his 23rd, but will be his best, as the man uncovers a gun in his briefcase
• As Aunty May heads home, Mary Jane asks Peter where they're staying, to which he responds that he doesn't know
• He explains that he simply can't move back home, and have to start explaining his comings and goings to his aunt
• As the two walk through the park, they see a woman getting mugged
• Though wanting to wallow in his sorrows, Mary Jane convinces Spider-Man to intervene
• At a security firm, a truck speeds away from the place, and in the back are the three guards intended to be in it tied up and gagged, their uniforms removed
• Peter and Mary Jane head to the Bugle for their annual Christmas party, and while there, Peter considers asking a few co-workers if they can crash at their place
• He considers the Robertson's, Joy Mercado, and even briefly, J. Jonah Jameson
• Thurston and Clark head outside to meet the security truck, only for Clark to pull a gun on him
• Peter heads to the cemetery to talk to Uncle Ben
• Back at the store, another guard sees Clark holding the gun and springs into action
• The three fake guards in the truck spring into action, and open fire, but Clark calms everyone down by taking a department store Santa hostage, dragging him to the truck which takes off with Thurston's money
• Peter hears the gunfire, and springs into action
• A short battle later, and Clark and all the guards are subdued
• Peter returns to Uncle Ben's grave to find Aunt May there
• Peter realizes he and Mary Jane that staying with Aunt May is what she wants, and decides to do it
• The Parker's enjoy Christmas Eve together
• While there's no spiders on the cover, Felix the Cat makes two appearances
• The first is on the splash page where the Parker's are being evicted

• The second is on the wrapping paper of a gift being given to Spider-Man by a woman he saves from being mugged

Low Points

• Another issue with no major villain

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.

Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 49

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 49
Release Date: April 1989

Highlights

• First appearance and death of Winston Shepherd
• First appearance of Sal
• Spider-Man stops Winston from selling drugs to a kid, and then tosses all his drugs into the wind to blow away
• The story flashes back to Mary Jane meeting her friend Lorraine, who's with Winston
• Lorraine and Mary Jane go to the former's apartment, and she crashes out from drug induced side effects
• Mary Jane calls the Bugle looking for Peter, who's in Kate Cushing's office being reamed out
• Unknowingly, Mary Jane ends up on the phone with Kate, and tells her that she knows her husband is in with that "ice queen", referring to Kate, and to please get him for her
• Mary Jane points out Winston to Peter from the window, and asks him to make him go away
• Peter proposes a series of photographs of a day in the life of a drug dealer to Kate, and she tells him to go do it
• Back in the present, Spider-Man tracks down Winston again, and stops him from selling drugs to someone else
• Winston calls Sal, and tells him about his troubles
• Sal sends him to a specific location to get a resupply, but tells him that if he leads Spider-Man to him that he'll kill him
• Mary Jane attempts to get Lorraine checked in to rehab, but keeps getting told there's a waiting list
• When they find a private institute they're told that it's $50,000.00 year, which they can't afford
• This portion of the story is intercut with Spider-Man breaking up more of Winston's attempted sales
• After dropping Lorraine off at home, Mary Jane leaves, and shortly after, so does Lorraine
• Across town, Winston makes his way to Sal, and pleads for help
• Sal shouts at him, telling him he warned him not to come there, and shoots the dealer
• Spider-Man enters the warehouse, and is met with gunfire
• Mary Jane returns to Lorraine's house to tell her that some of her well off friends will help with rehab costs, but finds she isn't there
• Spider-Man makes short order of the criminals, and approaches a dying Winston, who he promises to get to a hospital
• Winston asks him why he did all of this to him, and Spider-Man says because of Lorraine, to which he responds, "Who's Lorraine?"
• Peter turns over the photos to Kate, and then goes to find Mary Jane, only to learn that Lorraine has overdosed, and is in the hospital\
• She cries about how even though Winston is gone that all she did was find another pusher to sell her drugs, finding the whole effort pointless
• Peter tells her it wasn't pointless, but rather that the fight against drugs is long
• As the two walk off, a new dealer takes his place on the corner

Low Points

• No major villains, just a preachy story

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off: Mary Jane tells her friend Lorraine, "Tomorrow when you're feeling better, we'll just just show up at one."

• The Daily Bugle wants a story on a day in the life of a drug dealer
• It sounds odd on the surface, but Spider-Man breaks up every deal before they can happen

• The woman at the private facility tells Lorraine that it took years to get addicted to drugs
• Not that I'm on drugs or anything, but I'm pretty sure it happens a lot faster than that

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.

Comics Corner: The Spectacular Spider-Man 148

   

Title: The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 148
Release Date: March 1989

Highlights

• The skeletal remains of Ned Leeds, Gwen Stacy, and Spider-Man rise from the ground, and Betty sees all of this, though she's miles away in Flash Thompson's apartment
• Betty tells Flash about her vision, and Flash tells her that he wishes Spider-Man were there because he's his hero
• The demons outside overhear this
• Flash and Betty are the only ones left in the building
• Outside it's a furnace, inside an ice cube
• The demons of N'Astirh have been given free reign to "play" with the humans
• On the roof, "Spider-Man" appears before Flash, and starts fighting with him, while in the apartment, the remains of Ned Leeds arrive, scaring Betty
• "Spider-Man" webs Flash to an antenna, and removes the lightning rod from the roof, making Flash the potential new conduit
• Inside, Betty whimpers for help, but the ghost of Ned Leeds appears to her, and tells her she needs to stop depending on everyone else for strength, but instead to help herself
• Back on the roof, Flash breaks free of the webbing, and realizes that the fact that he broke free means this isn't the real Spider-Man, and the fight continues
• The demons reveal themselves to both Ned and Flash, and Betty explodes the apartment with a gas heater, fleeing with Flash at the last moment
• Outside, the skies clear, and the demons vanish
• Reference is made to X-Factor 38
• The Inferno storyline ends, but...

Low Points

• Without reading the full Inferno storyline, everything just resolves itself in the span of one panel with no explanation

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off: The narration from Flash Thompson's thoughts reads, "I heard a dog whimper like like that once"

• Betty blows up Flash Thompson's apartment

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.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 313

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 313
Release Date: March 1989

Highlights

• Todd McFarlane hid two spiders on the cover, can you find them?
• Peter and Mary Jane are in a cab headed out of town to go check on Aunt May
• As the cab drives through a tunnel, a flying shark comes at them, taking its roof off
• Mary Jane pushes the cab driver's head down, while Peter webs the creature, and gives it a solid debilitating punch
• In the ESU lab of Dr. Curt Connors, though he's resisting, the Lizard is taking control, and he changes into the villain
• Reference is made to "current issues" of X-Men, New Mutants, and X-Factor
• The two make it to Aunt May's, and find out that May left ten minutes ago to maker her way to their place
• Spider-Man heads out to find her
• While he's out looking, May returns, turned back to her home by a police officer who informed her all public transportation had been shut down
• Despite separating initially, Martha Connors has started talking to her estranged husband since he informed her he can now control the Lizard, and she's on her way to see him with their son, Billy
• After talking to the doorman at their apartment, Spider-Man learns that May has not been there, and decides that his next place to search should be his school, ESU
• The school security guard, Officer Murphy has been possessed, and leads Martha and Billy into a demon trap
• Lizard intervenes, telling the demons that the two are his, but is that a good or bad thing?
• Meanwhile, two kids sneak into a warehouse where the floats for an upcoming parade are stored, and come across a giant Spider-Man balloon
• Possessed, it comes to life and chases after them, but Spider-Man breaks the spike off of the Chrysler Building, and runs it through the balloon, popping it
• It turns out to be a bad thing, and Lizard wants to kill his wife and kid
• Spider-Man incapacitates him with a kick, and tells them he can cure him, but they need to get to his lab
• Conveniently, this happens in seconds, and Spidey manages to easily get the formula down Lizard's throat, but it doesn't work
• Spider-Man deduces that the chemicals need to be jump started with an electrical current, and when he attempts to juice Lizard with an electrical line is stopped by Billy
• The Lizard takes the opportunity to knock Spider-Man away, and tell Billy he'll give him a quick death for the assistance, but being part human, Lizard's left hand begins to reist, and instead reaches for the electrical line
• Lizard decides he will gnaw his own arm off, since he can simply grow it back later, but Spider-Man springs back into action, giving him a singe with a bunsen burner
• The distraction is all his left arm needed to grab the electrical line, and give himself a solid shock, turning Curt Connors human again
• Billy tries to go to his father, but his dad tells him to stay away
• Connors tells his wife and kid to go somewhere he doesn't know, and that he'll send money through his wife's lawyer, but that he can't be with them
• Mary Jane arrives at the school, and informs Peter that Aunt May is safely at home
• In a cliffhanger ending, Jonathan Caesar is meeting with his lawyer, and vows to himself that since Mary Jane rejected to allow him to make her life heaven on Earth that he'll make it a nightmare that she'll never wake from
• Did you find the hidden spiders?
• Number one is on Lizard's right arm, just above Spider-Man's fingerless glove
• Number two is on the ring finger of Lizard's right hand
• Felix the Cat is hidden on the paper cup of the cab driver on the first page of the issue

Low Points

• From the battle with Lizard to a sudden cure, everything just feels too convenient

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.

Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 48

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 48
Release Date: March 1989

Highlights

• Reference is made to The Spectacular Spider-Man 147, and The Amazing Spider-Man 313
• Spider-Man remains knocked out after the fight with demons inside the Daily Bugle city room
• J. Jonah Jameson admits that without Spider-Man's help that the city room would be a morgue, but follows this by stating that Spider-Man is probably behind all the troubles with the demons
• Spider-Man comes to, but is hallucinating that everyone in the Bugle is a demon
• After webbing Jameson's mouth, he jumps through a window, and swings away
• Eduardo Lobo and Gloria Grant make their way through the carnage of the city
• Eduardo saves her life from a machine that comes to life, and as they kiss, she tells herself she loves him
• The demons attack Kingpin's tower, and learn quickly the mistake they've made as he makes short order of them with his bare hands
• Kingpin sees it more of a failure on the Arranger's part to handle day to day affairs, and not interrupt his mission against the demise of Daredevil
• He threatens to terminate the Arranger's employment
• Possessed by the Demogoblin, Hobgoblin quickly realizes the mistake he's made trying to barter with N'Astirh
• He only wanted the powers of a demon, not to be deformed
• As he reflects on this, he sees a giant lizard man running through the brush, and think's he's going insane
• But it really is the Lizard, AKA Dr. Curt Connors
• Hobgoblin also see's Spider-Man swinging by, and blames him for what's happening to him
• Spider-Man makes his way to the photo shoot where he looks for Mary Jane, and tracks her down to the sewers
• The demons are there too, and they attack her and the photography crew
• In Forest Hills, Norman Osborn checks on Aunt May
• Back in the sewers, Spider-Man is attacked by Hobgoblin, and realizes he's faster and stronger
• Hobgoblin shows him his demonic face and explains as they fight what happened
• Meanwhile, Mary Jane and the crew with her realize that light frightens the demons away
• Mary Jane decides that breaking the gas pipes and blowing the tunnel up is what they need to escape, but just as she's about to toss the flame, Spider-Man and Hobgoblin burst through a wall
• She throws the fire on Hobgoblin, and Spider-Man in turn, and unintentionally kicks him down the tunnel, igniting the gas
• In an epilogue ending, Aunt May decides to go to the city and look for her nephew

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off: Several panels with Spider-Man's eye lenses colored red

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.

Comics Corner: The Spectacular Spider-Man 147

   

Title: The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 147
Release Date: February 1989

Highlights

• First appearance of Mr. Wexler
• Hobgoblin flies through the city, fresh off his defeat against Harry Osborn and Spider-Man, and acting like a baby about it
• While he mopes, a group of demons attack him, but he's able to defeat them
• The though of becoming a demon, as he's already dressed as one makes him ponder
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 312, Web Of Spider-Man 47, and "current issues" of X-Men
• Spider-Man gets knocked from the sky by a massive wind, and when he's slammed across a building façade is bitten by a gargoyle demon, and sent hurtling to the ground
• After awakening from being knocked out, Spidey slowly makes his way to the Daily Bugle
• Inside, led by J. Jonah Jameson, the staff are barricading the city room, and arming themselves for battle against the demons
• Spider-Man enters the room, and passes out in Jameson's arms
• At her now derailed photo shoot, Mary Jane and the crew are battling against their own series of attacking demons
• As Green Goblin leaves the city, he's attacked by a water demon who tells him to stay within the barrier of the city to be a meal for his master, N'Astirh
• Harry deduces he made it through the barrier before it closed, and decides he should check on Aunt May for Peter's sake
• We see that several demons have gotten out of the barrier as well, and are swarming Queens
• Hobgoblin makes his way to the Empire State Building, the source of the demons, and demands to see their master
• Hobgoblin offers his sould to N'Astirh for demonic powers, and this makes the demon laugh, who then takes his soul before zapping him away
• Back at the Bugle, the demons attack again
• Spider-Man comes to, and fights side by side with Jonah
• After the battle, Spider-Man's side begins to bleed again, causing him to also pass out again
• The deal is done, and Hobgoblin becomes possessed by Demogoblin

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• In a moment of clarity, Robbie Robertson says he's been running from his issue with Tombstone too long, and it's time for him to take a stand
• He's talking about the horde of frightened people preparing to attack him with handheld blunt objects
• So he's afraid of Tombstone, but is brave now to take on a group of people in a physical fight?

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.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 312

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 312
Release Date: February 1989

Highlights

• Todd McFarlane hid one spider on the cover, can you find it?
• First appearance of Eddie
• Harry Osborn has once again become the Green Goblin, and he's out for vengeance against Hobgoblin for endangering his family
• This time, Harry doesn't want to be the Goblin, but he knows that it's the only way he can protect his family
• Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 47
• At their apartment, Mary Jane and Peter want to Aunt May's together, but neither swallows their pride enough to say it
• Mary Jane heads to her photo shoot, and Peter to the Bugle
• Norman (the Green Goblin) arrives at his Manhattan office to find the place covered in ice, but knowing Hobgoblin couldn't possible have done this
• Inside, an angry Hobgoblin shouts that Norman lied to him about the formula being there
• The entire city is in utter chaos, including the Daily Bugle where the presses are printing pornography, and override controls aren't responding
• This is all a result of the demons running amuck in the Inferno crossover story
• After getting shouted at by Jameson, Peter heads to ESU, only to be told only staff are being admitted
• Back at Osborn's office, the two Goblin's fight, but Harry admits to himself that he's frightened by what he's gotten himself into
• At Empire State University, though he thinks that he can control his transformation, the Lizard suddenly takes control of doctor Curt Connors
• Upon returning home, the door man gives Peter a note from Liz, informing him that Harry is missing, and worried he's gone after Hobgoblin
• Meanwhile, at her photo shoot, Mary Jane's serpent jewelry comes to life, causing a panic
• Spider-Man intervenes in the fight between the Goblins, but Harry yells at him to let him handle it, and protect his family
• Spider-Man suggests he go stay with his friend Peter, but Harry tells him no, leading Spidey to conclude that at least he doesn't remember his secret identity
• Spider-Man follows Hobgoblin and Green Goblin out into the city, but gets knocked into a water tower
• Green Goblin manages to get the drop on Hobgoblin, nailing him with his entire satchel full of pumpkin bombs, causing him to crash his glider
• Green Goblin tells Hobgoblin that the formula was destroyed, and if it hadn't been, he'd have used it himself to kill Hobgoblin
• He then gives him a final warning to never come near his family again
• Hobgoblin retreats after one final attack
• Spider-Man tells Green Goblin the city could use another hero, but he declines, stating he has a family to take care of
• The story ends with a cliffhanger of Lizard emerging from Curt Connor's office
• Did you find the hidden spider? It's hidden in the smoke below Spider-Man's raised left hand

• Felix the Cat is sitting in Norman Osborn's attic, seen on the very first splash page of the issue

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.

Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 47
Release Date: February 1989

Highlights

• The story picks up with Spider-Man catching up to Hobgoblin later that night, who's returned to Harry Osborn's plant
• Reference is made to The Spectacular Spider-Man 146, and the Inferno crossover story arc
• Though fighting, Hobgoblin informs him he had nothing to do with the destruction of the plant earlier that day
• A creature comes up from the ground, grabbing Spider-Man, who makes short order of it
• In the interim, Hobgoblin makes a hasty retreat
• Spider-Man ponders why all these strange events as of late are not altering his spider senses
• Glory Grant is once again out and about with Eduardo Lobo, the man who bumped into her at the Bugle
• Ben Urich is in the same place with Joy Mercado, and when he see's Glory with Eduardo, he attempts to tell Joy who the man is, but this is interrupted by the escalator coming to life, and causing a ruckuss
• Eduardo grabs Glory, and with ease leaps from the top floor of the mall to the lower level, telling her something bad is going down
• Peter and Mary Jane, take cousin Kristy, and stay the weekend at Aunt May's house
• While there, they pawn Kristy off on May, who is over the moon about the idea, and even says it's been a long time since she's had a child in the house, which doesn't sit well with Kristy who seems unhappy with being ditched
• As Peter and Mary Jane leave later that morning, Kristy makes a comment to herself that one day Peter will be hers
• Peter stops by Harry Osborn's house, and perched on the roof, unseen, is Hobgoblin
• Liz is outside, and tells Peter she's worried about her husband, who's been in the attic all day
• Peter makes his way to the attic, and is not warmly welcomed
• As Harry yells at him to go away, his family screaming outside pushes him into action
• Outside, Hobgoblin is attacking
• Hobgoblin demand's Norman Osborn's formula from Harry
• Spider-Man intervenes, but the battle ends with Hobgoblin spraying him in the face with tear gas
• Harry bluffs, telling Hobgoblin the formula is in the safe in his office, causing the villain to depart with a warning that he'll be back if it's a lie
• Ben Urich bursts into J. Jonah Jameson's office to inform him of fires breaking out everywhere, and demons running rampant around the city
• Jameson tells him when he was younger that the bomb was the impending doomsday when he was younger, and he used to practice writing articles based on the end of the world, referring to it as "very funny"
• After leaving his family with the neighbors, Harry returns to the attic, determined that his father would have done something to protect his family, and continuing his search finally finds what he's looking for, the costume and accessories of the Green Goblin

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.

Comics Corner: The Spectacular Spider-Man 146

   

Title: The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 146
Release Date: January 1989

Highlights

• As Spider-Man swings home, happy with his day, he's suddenly attached by a robotic monster air vent, and worse, his spidey sense doesn't warn him
• He makes short order of it, but finds no clues as to who was behind the attack
• Mary Jane and her cousin, Kristy, walk home with groceries, and we learn from Kristy thinking to herself that her parents don't actually know she's there
• As the two enter the Bedford Towers building, a lamp post above seemingly comes to life
• A still recovering Joe Robertson returns home from a walk, letting his wife know he managed to make it around the block
• Joe and his wife still disagree with him pleading guilty as an accessory to Tombstone's murders
• Harry Osborne is once again woken up by nightmares
• His wife convinces him that moving back to the old Osborne house wasn't a good idea, and Harry agrees to move back to Jersey over the weekend
• Meanwhile, outside, Hobgoblin once again watches the house
• Cousin Kristy sneaks into the bathroom while Peter is showering, and gives him a towel
• Mary Jane tells her not to flirt with her man
• Harry calls Peter and asks him to meet him at his chemical plant in Manhattan
• Peter immediately worries if the Green Goblin has something to do with it
• Ben Urich is on the scene of a crime where twenty local mob lieutenants have been murdered
• There's blood spelling out a threat to Kingpin on one of the tables
• The Arrangers arrives, but plays dumb, saying that the location is merely one of Wilson Fisk's assets, and he has no knowledge of what happened
• At the Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson goes ballistic over a headline on the front page about poltergeists
• Eduardo Lobo bumps into Glory Grant, and to apologize, takes her to lunch, swooning her every step of the way
• At the chemical plant, Peter tells Harry to sell his dad's old house, and move back to Jersey, but just as he says this, his spider senses kick in
• The pipes around the plant come to life, and start attacking, but just as they do, Peter's spidey senses stop working
• A quick change to Spider-Man, and our hero is thrust into the job of saving his friend's life
• As he does, he ponders if the timing of Harry's nightmares, and the sudden inanimate objects coming to life are somehow connected
• As the plant burns, Harry gets angry, telling Peter it's all he had left of his dad, and rebuilding it would mean it would never be the same again
• Spider-Man catches a glimpse of Hobgoblin flying away from the scene
• That night, Harry awakens again from a nightmare, but this time when he goes to the bathroom to get a drink of water, the face of Green Goblin stares at him in the mirror, telling him the he, Harry, belongs to him

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.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 311

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 311
Release Date: January 1989

Highlights

• McFarlane's hidden four spiders on this issue's cover, can you find them all?
• First appearance of "Peanuts" Mulroney
• Spider-Man swings over the New York library, and sees the lion statues outside have come to life
• He makes short order of them, but starts to feel nausea coming over him, and quickly sings away
• No sooner than he's on his way, Spider-Man comes across "Peanuts" Mulroney robbing a couple, and makes short work of him too
• As soon as that's done, the building he's attached to feels like it's moving, and a façade shaped giant bursts from it
• Though Spidey destroys it by chucking a car at it, it's not before the creature smashes and kills the man who Spider-Man just saved
• Peter returns home, and confides in his wife what just happened, stating he doesn't know how to deal with someone dying because of him (see oddities)
• The next day at school, Peter runs into Doctor Connors, and says the two should work together, but as he leaves, Connors admits to himself that he's been feeling strange as of late
• That evening, Peter and Mary Jane go to a sponsored party for a client who's hired her
• While there, a man enters, and causes a scene, but instinctively, Peter jumps in and stops him
• Seeing this Mary Jane gives him the pep talk he needs to keep going as Spider-Man
• Spider-Man returns to the alley and retrieves his camera, and while there, he starts to put things together
• There's no wreckage, no sign of a fight, and no fog like the other evening
• Spider-Man tracks down "Peanuts" Mulroney, and convinces him rather quickly to tell him where he can find the man who paid him
• Spider-Man gets led to Mysterio
• Spider-Man is quick to deduce that Mysterio is drawing power from the building to provide energy to his props and robots
• Spidey destroy the main source, causing Mysterio's suit to automatically compensate for the sudden drop in power, overloading it with energy
• In an epilogue ending, Harry Osborne wakes up from a nightmare about Green Goblin, and when he goes to check on his son, it cuts to the outside of his house where Hobgoblin is grinning ear to ear
• Did you find the hidden spiders?
• One is located on Mysterio's gauntlet on the left, and the other three on the gauntlet on the right

• There are two hidden Felix the Cats in this issue
• One is being held by a sleeping child, and the other hidden in the mist of Mysterio

Low Points

• The battle with Mysterio is short, and warps up with no real satisfactory ending beyond him being back in custody
• Though it's not hindered by it (yet), this is the first Spider-Man issue sandwiched in yet another Marvel crossover event called, Inferno, which spreads across thirty-nine issues of varying titles

Oddities

• Peter says he doesn't know how to go on with someone dying, and him being responsible for it, um...Gwen Stacy, Captain Stacy, Ben Parker? Any of these names ring a bell with Spidey?

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.

Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 46

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 46
Release Date: January 1989

Highlights

• First appearance of Peter's tour asistant, Jeff Wainright, town local, Dan, inn manager, Evie, talk show host, Jeanette Latour, Carolyn, and clinic secretary, Katie
• Peter Parker arrives in Shriver Cove, Massachusetts, but the welcome is anything but friendly when a local named Dan rushes him shouting that he hates outsiders
• Peter easily subdues him, and Dan is taken into custody
• As Jeff Wainright walks Peter to the inn he'll be staying at, he explains that as of late the entire town seems stressed out over a looming expansion
• That night, as Peter lays restless in bed, he hears an explosion which blows out the window of his room
• Looking outside, he sees a group of locals have blown up his car, and are chanting about hating outsiders
• A quick change to Spider-Man, a few fists, and webbing, and the crowd is subdued
• None of the men will answer questions, and though they weren't hit hard, all begin to pass out
• Jeff call's Peter's room, and informs him he'll get him another car, but that Peter will most likely have to stay one additional day for that to be arranged
• Overnight, the town seems to have done a 180, with everyone being super friendly
• Peter learns from Jeff that many people in town go to the Hatros Clinic for help with stress, Jeff included
• Peter follows him to the appointment, and asks to see the doctor for a publicity chat, he's promptly turned away
• Spider-Man infiltrates the building, and discovers the towns folk are being drugged through the water, and submitted to mind control sessions
• The most recent is prompting Jeff, and others, to hate outsiders
• Reference is made to Vision And The Scarlet Witch 11 (vol. 2), Avengers 58, Shanna The She-Devil 5, Spider-Woman 16, and though no specific issue, West Coast Avengers
• Spider-Man finds a phone, and ask Wanda to get Hank Pym to come to the town
• Pym arrives, and immediately sets to task on testing the town's water
• He's quick to discover it is polluted with a substance developed by tribal chieftains in Africa
• Before he can implement a treatment, he's grabbed by cultists, and knocked unconscious
• The cultists bring him to Nekra, the head of the Cult of Hate
• Hank tells Nekra that she can't move without a half-witted plot, which is exactly how I feel about this story

Low Points

• Awful story, another throw away that has no long term impact on the storied history of Spider-Man

Oddities

• Hank Pym makes an antidote for the town, and it just so happens to be compatible with Spider-Man's web shooters

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.

Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 310

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 310
Release Date: December 1988

Highlights

• McFarlane hid one spider on this issue's cover - Can you spot it?
• First appearance of Dr. Evan Swann, Anne-Marie Baker, and Mr. Graff
• Spider-Man attempts to stop Killer Shrike from robbing an armored car, but the villain gets away
• Peter is registering to go back to college, and even has a $9,000/00 Research Assistant Grant to help pay for it
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 307
• Mary Jane has had the locks changed from her recent abduction by building owner, Jonathon Caesar
• After registering for school, Peter reports to Dr. Swann's lab, where he'll be serving as a research assistant alongside Anne-Marie Baker
• Dr. Swann receives a delivery for an integrated geradyne, and Anne-Marie questions where he's getting the funds if they're already over budget
• Peter's spidey sense goes off when Dr. Swann opens his office door
• After their evening date, Peter tells Mary Jane to go up, and that he'll go down the street for ice cream, but stops himself, and tells her it was a lie
• He really wants to go to ESU, and find out why his spidey sense tingled
• Spider-Man finds Dr. Swann working, and tells him to give him access to his lab to see what's up, or he'll break the door
• The door opens, and Spidey is greeted by the Tinkerer, who happily gloats about what he's up to - building a secret weapon for Killer Shrike, who just so happens to burst through the window at that moment
• Shrike demands the weapon from the Tinkerer, but tells him he doesn't have the money thanks to Spider-Man interfering earlier
• Tinkerer declines to give him the tech until he gets his money, to which Shrike convinces him with a threat
• The last laugh is the Tinkerer's who laughs when the equipment overloads on Shrike because he removed a circuit in just such the event that Shrike reneged on their deal
• From there, the fight with Spider-Man is short, and Shrike is easily detained
• Dr. Swann explains he did it because the Tinkerer discovered he didn't graduate high school, and his college degree was fake, leading to his job being earned as a lie
• Did you find the hidden spider on the cover? It's located on the right side of the largest building

• This issue's Felix the cat is hidden on Peter Parker's new key ring, which is handed to him by Mary Jane

Low Points

• Great art, but boring story

Oddities

• Editor's Day Off: Despite establishing him as Dr. Swann, and even having it in the panel above, the panel at the bottom of the page refers to him as Dr. Swan

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.

Comics Corner: The Spectacular Spider-Man 145

    

Title: The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 145
Release Date: December 1988

Highlights

• First appearance of Kristy Watson, Cynthia Bernhammer, and NYPD officer, Lieutenant Frank Farrow
• Death of Teddy Tones
• Picking up where the last issue left off, Peter is startled awake in his hotel room by a revelation - Baxter wasn't Boomerang's target, Crippen was, and Baxter was behind it all
• Spider-Man heads out to investigate Baxter's yacht, but is ambushed by Boomerang, who gases him unconscious
• Back in New York, Ben Urich received a tip from Lieutenant Frank Farrow, who allows him to come down to a crime scene to get exclusive photos
• The body of Teddy Tones has been bled dry, and the blood used to write a message to Kingpin on a window
• Outside the apartment building to their home, a late Mary Jane literally runs into her cousin, Kristy Watson who says she's there to visit until Easter
• Robbie Roberston is out on bail, but informs his legal counsel, Cynthia Bernhammer, that he wants to plead guilty, much to the protest of his son and J. Jonah Jameson
• As Spider-Man comes to, he finds himself chained up in a speedboat
• Boomerang informs him it's loaded with plastic explosives, which will go off as he drifts towards Baxter during the race, providing one last alibi for the man
• After Boomerang takes his leave, Spider-Man is able to break free, but the villain notice this, and circles back
• Baxter uses every dirty trick in the book to attempt to win the yacht race
• Smoke clouds from the side of his boat, and hidden rocket engines on the back
• Spider-Man hangs on the bottom of the boat, and then surprise attacks Boomerang
• During the confusion, the boat heads straight towards Baxter's yacht, and seeing the inevitable collision, they all bail out

Low Points

• It's like Wacky Races, but with Spider-Man
• All that's missing is Baxter saying, "And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids"

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.

Comics Corner: The Spectacular Spider-Man 144

   

Title: The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 144
Release Date: November 1988

Highlights

• First appearance of Louise Baxter III, Tama Janowitz, Ruth, Mr. Lily, and Ed
• First appearance and death of Artie Crippen
• Louise Baxter III is appearing on the show, Hello There, San Diego talking about his love for boating, and his disdain for his fortune
• Peter Parker is also appearing on the show, another promotion for his book, Webs, along with another writer, Tmam Janowitz
• Baxter informs the host that in a few days, his boat, "the Champion" will go up against Melbourne tycoon, Artie Crippen for the North American Cup
• When it's Peter's turn to talk about his book, and Spider-Man, Boomerang, who is watching on television, destroys it in anger
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 281
• The television belonged to Mr. Lily, who goes through the plan with Boomerang, and it all involves the marina where the racing boats are stored
• After the interview, Baxter catches up with Peter and Tama, and offers him some advice on making all interviews about himself with self absorption
• After a rough day, Peter has a well needed call with Mary Jane, and when he hangs up, realizes his bad day is more so because he misses her, and swinging around the city as Spider-Man, the latter he rectifies by suiting up, and heading out into the night
• Though he tries to ignore an explosion at the marina, not wanting to get involved, Spider-Man finds himself eves dropping on the security guard, learning about a found boomerang, and seeing a shadowy figure on the rooftops
• He's oddly happy to have run into a familiar villain in a strange new city
• Back in New York, Robbie Robertson returns to the Daily Bugle, greeted by a standing ovation from everyone there
• The warm welcome is cut short when a couple of Federal Marshalls show up to arrest Robbie Robertson as an accessory to Tombstone's murders
• Peter steps away from signing books to have lunch with Baxter, but his warnings about Boomerang fall on deaf ears
• Lunch is interrupted by an angry Artie Crippen who shouts at Baxter for trying to get him blocked from the race through various means
• Peter's spidey senses warn him of danger, and he sees Boomerang fling a boomerang at Baxter
• Peter knocks Baxter out of the way, but the projectile strikes Artie in the throat, killing him
• Baxter is all broken up about it, leading Peter to conclude their feud was only for publicity
• After a quick change, Spider-Man grabs hold of Boomerang, but the villain uses his rocket boots to no only take off, but then to flash Spider-Man, knocking him in the water
• Baxter gets stopped by a reporter who asks about the rumors of he and Artie being rivals, to which Baxter said it was all to the contrary
• However, we then cut to Baxter's office, and him stroking a check to Boomerang for Killing Artie

Low Points

• Peter really needs to get back to New York, and stay there
• This whole traveling the country to sign books is lame

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.

Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 45

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 45
Release Date: December 1988

Highlights

• First appearance of Morris "The Snake" Diamond, Harry, Danny, and Lenny
• First appearance of McCarran International Airport
• Peter Parker is still in Las Vegas, but he's happy because he thinks he's going home
• He's wrong
• Peter makes it to the airport, and finds out he's flying on Rattlesnake Airlines, along with Morris "The Snake" Diamond
• Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 24
• The Vulture is out for vengeance against Mr. Diamond for stealing the plans to his invention, a pair of ultra sonic controlled trick dice
• Vulture flies towards the plane headed for New York, and blows it from the sky with a bomb
• As everyone parachutes from the plane (see oddities), Vulture issues a warning to them all that he will strike when they least expect it
• On the ground, the Stewardess, Sara, suggests they all head back to the plane wreckage, as that will be their best bet for a rescue
• Diamond has his own plans, and his many Danny pulls a gun, slapping Sara across the face with it to make her shut up
• As Peter prepares to intervene, the Vulture appears, and grabs Diamond, air lifting him from the group, and telling him he has a serum he wants to test on him
• Spider-Man carries Sara away to safety, and then goes after Vulture
• Diamond explains to Vulture that the journals he stole, which the villain wants back, were on the plane, and destroyed in the explosion and subsequent crash
• Spider-Man uses the last of his web fluid to stop a mountain lion preparing to pounce on Sara
• As Spider-Man and Vulture fight, Diamond's men rescue their boss
• As Spider-Man hangs on to Vulture, the villain jabs him with a syringe full of the previous noted serum
• Vulture tells him it's a mummification serum, just as Spider-Man gets one final blow, and blacks out
• When he awakens, Sara is standing over him, and informs him she's with the CID, Central Intelligence Division
• She also informs him that they "convinced" Vulture to give them an antidote for Spidey
• Spider-Man asks for a lift home

Low Points

• The whole story is just dumb, very amateurishly written, and the ending too convenient
• Someone at Marvel got paid to write this throw away story?

Oddities

• The plane is equipped with enough parachutes for every passenger on board

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.

Comics Corner: The Incredible Hulk 349

   

Title: The Incredible Hulk
Issue Number: 349
Release Date: November 1988 

Highlights

• Death of Anthony Gold
• First appearance of the locations St. Alfredo, and Point Blank Casino
• Reference is made to Web Of Spider-Man 44
• The Hulk is intent on Delta being killed for hurting Marlo, the girl he knows
• Charlie says he'll do it for him, and while Hulk's fine with it, Spider-Man isn't
• Spider-Man tries to intervene, but Hulk tells him to mind his own business
• When Spidey doesn't yield, he finds himself on the defensive against the grey beast
• Meanwhile, Charlie and Alpha continue their Warzone game
• On the rooftops, Bravo tracks down Alpha, and they too get into it
• Anthony "Tony" Gold's superiors come to see him, and they're none to pleased with his lack of ability to take over Vegas for the Maggia
• His punishment is a gunshot to the chest, which kills him
• Charlie runs out of ammo, and grabs a long candlestick, hurling it at Charlie like a spear, it strikes her in the chest
• Spider-Man and Hulk arrive on scene, and when Hulk thinks she's dead, he feels satisfied, and leaves
• Spider-Man goes after Alpha, but when he's gone, Charlie gets up
• The Hulk returns, and grabs her by her throat when she won't tell him what's going on
• As Spider-Man battles Alpha, the warrior shoots out the supports of a large sign, forcing Spidey to disengage, and grab it
• As Alpha takes aim, Hulk grabs him from behind, and rips his arms off, revealing them to be robotic
• In the desert, Bravo defeats Alpha, winning the amulet, and the game
• Hulk explains to Spider-Man that the four are cyborgs who found an amulet that amplifies their speed and power, and every year they play Warzone to see who will get to wear it until the next game
• The cyborgs celebrate their game over drinks, and start to plan their next game
• Hulk returns to his room, intent on putting in a room service order, but in a cliffhanger ending is interrupted by Doctor Doom, who somehow got inside

Low Points

• Another crossover
• So, Warzone is both a group and a game the four cyborgs play, but at the end it's all just a game for an amulet

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.

Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 44

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 44
Release Date: November 1988

Highlights

• First appearance of the Warzone team, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta
• Also the first appearances of Lloyd, Harry, Dinah, Mr. Peterson
• First appearance of the location Page After Page is Las Vegas, Nevada
• As Spider-Man swings through Las Vegas, he makes his way into the path of where Delta is aiming his rocket launcher, and this sets off his spidey sense
• Delta takes notice, and duck into the shadows
• The remaining members of Warzone are at a bar catching up, and planning for the upcoming game
• Marlo Chandler goes to the casino hotel room of Joe to surprise him
• When she knocks, she says she was watching MTV, and Michael Jackson's The Way You Make Me Feel came on, prompting the visit to him
• When she asks if he knows what else Michael sings, Joe replies, "Beat It," and slams the door in her face
• As Warzone get ready in their respective rooms for the game, they each take a line from Beat It
• Meanwhile, on the television, the introduction for the Dinah Show notes that special guest, Peter Palmer, will be on that evening, showcasing his book Webs
• Despite repeatedly correcting her, Dinah continues to call him different names
• Marlo watches Peter on television, and takes a shining to him
• Peter's appearance at Page After Page isn't going well, with minimal people coming by for an autograph
• As Marlo heads to the store to meet Peter, the games begin, and Delta fires a rocket at Charlie, who is also nearby
• Spider-Man makes an appearance, and attempts to question Charlie, but is met by two rockets coming his way, which he neatly webs up
• Spider-Man hits Delta with a spider tracer, but then diverts his attention to the injured Marlo, who he takes to a nearby hospital
• Marlo's roommate Mona works at the hospital, and when she see's her friend, she call's Joe to let him know that she was hurt by a woman in fatigues
• Spider-Man and Charlie track Delta to a hotel, and it just so happens to be the one Joe is at
• As Spidey and Delta enter, Alpha appears, and starts shooting, only to be interrupted by Joe who blocks the gunshots with his hand, and tells him he doesn't like noise
• Joe sees the woman in camouflage, and deduces that she's the one who hurt Marlo
• Alpha says he'll take care of her, and fill her full of holes, to which Joe says he's fine with
• Spider-Man protests, and realizes it that Joe, AKA Mr. Fix-It, is actually the Hulk, but he's sure he's supposed to be green, and dead

Low Points

• The story continues in the pages of The Incredible Hulk 349
• So tired of all the crossovers

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.