Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 123

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 123
Release Date: February 1987

Highlights

• First appearance, and death of Blaze, AKA Kirk Donaghue
• First appearance of the 1400 Club
• Spider-Man sees and hears an explosion from the apartment of Black Cat, and rescues her from the wreckage
• She makes a play at him, telling him to give her mouth to mouth, which he declines
• Spider-Man ponders to himself why his spidey sense always goes off when Keating is near
• In a flashback, which shows the reader why Spider-Man was near Felicia's apartment, she calls Peter on the phone, and tells him about a letter slipped under her door that says that since she's Spider-Man girlfriend, she's the first to die, the note then burns up
• Mary Jane heads to Peter's apartment, determined to sort out their relationship once and for all, not knowing that he and Felicia are there
• She's stopped by Alfredo who says to call her if she ever wants to work out their relationship
• Seeing Felicia at Peter's apartment results in words between the two girls, and despite Peter asking what Mary Jane wanted to talk about she clams up with him
• As Spider-Man and Black Cat head out, Mary Jane calls Alfredo
• J.D. meets Kirk Donaghue, and gives him his contract to kill Spider-Man and Black Cat
• Black Cat and Spider-Man go to see Foreigner
• Foreigner sets up a meeting with Blaze, but he doesn't tell him Black Cat and Spider-Man will be attending
• J.D. enters the room, bringing Foreigner a drink on a tray, showing that Foreigner is in on everything
• When confronted by Black Cat and Spider-Man, Blaze informs them he knows he can't win a fight, so he offers to let them buy his contract out for $30,000.00, and also free the hostage he has as insurance
• After punching Blaze, and webbing him up, Spider-Man notices that Black Cat's fingernails have instantly grown long
• When the two finally find the hostage, they discover she's already dead
• The two return to Blaze to find he's not only free, but has several men
• Spider-Man goes into a rage at the death of the woman, and he's brutal on the bad guys
• Just as Spider-Man gets his hands on Blaze, Keating and his officers arrive on scene, and tell the hero to back off
• As Spider-Man sits on a roof confiding in Black Cat, the two embrace, and kiss
• Keating goes to see Blaze in his cell, and proceeds to inform the villain that he knows all about J.D., the Foreigner, and how all the events occurred
• He then breaks Blaze's neck killing him
• In a surprise ending, Keating has super strength, and uses it to rip a hole in the prison wall, and lies down next to it before calling for help
• As other officer's arrive, Keating pins everything on Spider-Man, saying he kicked in the wall, and killed Blaze

Low Points

• No, not Spider-Man and Black Cat in a relationship again

Oddities

• None

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

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Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 23

   

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 23
Release Date: February 1987

Highlights

• First appearance of Hyves, the security guard, Davis, the Atlantic City Honeymooners, Jeff and Laura, and NYPD officers Anderson and Vasquez
• As Joy and Peter fly back from England (see low points), she tells him, in answer to his question, that he'll never make it in this business because he's unreliable, immature, and treats his assignments like a high school field trip
• Joy and Peter proceed to argue, and she tells him that everyone knows he only works for the paper because of his arrangement with Spider-Man to get photos, and split the profits
• Back at the Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson yells at the two about their extended trip from England to Dublin, until he see's Peter's photos
• Slyde infiltrates the Bugle, and steels a computer disk from the office of Carl Jenkins
• Spider-Man sees the ad in the Bugle left for him by Silver Sable
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 281
• Peter sits in his apartment, redesigning his web shooters for easier passage through airport security
• Peter heads to his Aunt's for dinner, and decides to stay the night
• Only Aunt May and Vic appear to live in the house now
• Jerome Beacher, AKA Slyde, sits in his apartment, attempting to crack the password protected floppy disc he stole
• When he finally does, he learns about the exchanges of his former employer every Tuesday and Friday
• Slyde breaks into Talmadge Investments as a case full of money is exchanging hands, and takes it for himself
• Though it's not noted as being Optimus Prime, a very familiar looking tractor trailer makes an appearance

• Peter buys Mary Jane three pounds of Godiva chocolate, just to have it all melt when he tucks it in his webbing with his clothes when he goes after Slyde as Spider-Man
• Spider-Man snags the briefcase of money from Slyde, leaving it for the cops who are also pursuing the thief
• Peter and Aunt May head for Atlantic City for the weekend with her senior citizens group
• Vulture flies through the city, hunting for his prey

Low Points

• The issue starts with Joy Mercado and Peter Parker flying home from England, meaning the chronological reading order is all off again

Oddities

• None

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

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Comics Corner: Ka-Zar The Savage 23

   

Title: Ka-Zar The Savage
Issue Number: 23
Release Date: February 1983

Highlights

• First appearance of Drake Previn, Roescher, and Freidrick
• First appearance and death of Laslo Victor, and Vobo
• First appearance of Rick's Bar, and the Ickitari plant
• Ka-Zar and Zabu are alive, and in Casablanca
• Ka-Zar is being controlled by an unknown person, who sends electronic shocks through him when he wants Ka-Zar to act
• Ramona (real last name, Starr) reveals she's an agent of A.I.M., and they're using Ka-Zar as muscle
• Ramona reveals in a thought bubble that their efforts to keep Ka-Zar will only work for another few days

Low Points

• Ramona rapes Ka-Zar
• I'm getting bored with Ka-Zar

Oddities

• Shanna was shot in the last issue, but now only has a bang on her head from hitting it on something

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

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Comics Corner: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 23

   

Title: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man
Issue Number: 23
Release Date: October 1978

Highlights

• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 164, 143, 144, 180, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 19, 20, and Defenders 47, 48, 49, 50, and 51
• Betty Brant Leeds realizes the mistake she's made leaving Ned, and trying to rekindle her old love for Peter

Low Points

• Mary Jane is such a jezebel - Moments after declining Peter's proposal she's headed to a disco with someone named Marty?!?
• Not a fan of this Maggia storyline which came out of nowhere a couple issues ago

Oddities

• None

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

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Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 23

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 23
Release Date: July 1974

Highlights

• First appearance of Equinox
• The first page of the story picks up from Giant-Size Spider-Man issue 1, just as Human Torch provides Spider-Man with a jet to take him to find Doctor A.J. Max
• Lots of action to keep you turning the pages

Low Points

• With Spider-Man's exit to the pages of Giant-Size Spider-Man issue 1, that means he's not part of this overall story
• Not sure if the overall story arc will be relevant to Spider-Man in the future
• Classic Marvel misunderstanding between Human Torch and Iceman - Fight first, talk later
• The motive of Equinox is never provided to the reader, making it a pointless story in the long run

Oddities

• Spider-Man makes a cameo in his own monthly title, then exits for Human Torch and Iceman to take center stage
• If Iceman uses his ice powers to make ramps all over the city for travel, what happens when they melt - Wouldn't deadly ice chunks break off an fall on people or property?

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

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 23

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man

Issue Number: 23

Release Date: April 1965

Highlights

• The Green Goblin returns
• First appearance of Lucky Lobo
• Frederick Foswell is out of prison (see issue 10) and returns to work at the Daily Bugle
• Lucky Lobo's entire gang gets busted

Low Points

• The back and forth distrust between Peter Parker and Betty Brant has officially worn thin - One issue she doesn't trust him, the next he doesn't trust her

Oddities

• Peter Parker leaves his Spider-Man outfit just sitting on a hanger in the attic?
• Spider-Man stops mid-fight to call Aunt May and tell her he won't be home in time for dinner

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

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