Retro Spins: Bonnie Tyler - Faster Than The Speed Of Night

I'm a fan of educating myself. Especially when it comes to 80's toys, comics and music. Today was a day in class for me.

First and foremost, I didn't know Bonnie Tyler was Welsch. When I read this bit of information, I immediately called a time out and headed for any interview video I could find with her. Sure enough, when she's talking, there was a thick accent behind every word she said. Blew me away, but that was only the start of it.

As I listened to Faster Than The Speed Of Night, the title track stuck out to me almost immediately. I found myself saying, "That sounds like a Meat Loaf song." So further I dug into the album's history. While it wasn't a Meaty Meat Meat song, it was written by his long time songwriter, Jim Steinman. As such, it made perfect sense as to why it sounded the way it did.

Looking even further at the album's writing credits, I came to find out that even Tyler's most popular song of all time, Total Eclipse Of The Heart, was also written by Jim Steinman. As if to predict the future of Meat Loaf, Getting So Excited, AKA track number three, has a spoken portion where someone says, "I would do anything for love, but I won't do that." The song wasn't written by Steinman, but it was a freaky moment.

The album features a fair amount of cover tracks, which included, Creedence Clearwater Revival's Have You Ever Seen the Rain, Blue Öyster Cult's Goin' Through the Motions, Bryan Adam's Straight from the Heart and Billy Cross's Take Me Back. In fact, Tyler herself has zero writing credits on Faster Than The Speed Of Night. You know what that means? All she gets is performance royalties. Ouch. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure she's well off, but a lot of people got richer in the process.

What's interesting about the album itself is Tyler's unique voice. It has this interesting ability to make a song sound really good that would otherwise be one you would skip, while at the same time making good songs sound really bad. This is more so prevalent on the covers she is destroying paying homage to.

Overall, Bonnie Tyler walks away with more of my respect than I initially had for her, not that she cares. I used to think she was just that chick with the two silly 80's songs that had grown tired over time. However, knowing that Jim Steinman was the man behind one of them somehow makes it more so appreciable and, dare I say, good. I enjoyed hearing this record, and even pulled a fair amount of tracks for my shuffle list.

Okay, Bonnie Tyler. I'm listening. Show me more of what you've got.

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Big Lick NOVA 2023! Part X: Jim Shooter Part V - Web of Spider-Man

 

If you've been keeping up with my trip to Big Lick NOVA 2023, you've already seen quite a few Spider-Man related books that Jim Shooter signed for me. We've looked at The Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Team-Up, and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man. Now we rap it up with the final Spider-Man series which Mr. Shooter was involved with.

Spider-Man's second official comic series, Marvel Team-Up, rapped up in March of 1985, and on its heals in April was the debut of this fourth all new series, Web of Spider-Man. The series brought with it a finale to Peter Parker and the black symbiote suit, and all of this unfolded on the pages of the very first issue. From there, Web would drop subtle clues within the pages of two specific issues of the coming of Eddie Brock, and ultimately with him, Venom.

While Jim wouldn't be around to see the final birth of one of Spider-Man's most iconic villains, he was there to lay the ground work from issue number one through thirty-four, as well as a handful of annuals.

Third ongoing Spider-Man series

Controversial issue: hoodlums use
anti-Semitic insults while beating
up a man

1st appearance of Chance, a former
gambler turned criminal and Cameo
of the Foreigner, voice only

1st cameo appearance of Eddie Brock,
hands only, pushing Peter Parker
into the path of an oncoming train

1st appearance of Humbug, who
later mutated and was granted a
mercy-killing by Shang-Chi who
tore off his head 1st cameo
appearance of Solo, an enemy of
Spider-Man turned ally

Specialty border printed on select
covers published in November 1986
celebrating Marvel's 25th Anniversary
or more precisely, the 25th year
since Fantastic Four #1 was
published in November 1961

2nd cameo appearance of Eddie Brock,
a shadowy hand

Kraven's Last Hunt story arc part 1

Kraven's Last Hunt story arc part 4

This series holds a particularly special place in my heart because it contained the first Spider-Man comic I ever read as a kid, issue 55. Granted, that's well outside of the Shooter run.

As Mr. Shooter placed his final signature on Annual number three, I thanked him wholeheartedly for his time, and for doing this for me. We shook hands multiple times, and with that, day one at the convention officially wrapped up.

However, day two was on the horizon, and I had a lot of work to do to get ready for it. Hundreds of books to put back in their bags and organize. Then there were more books to pull in anticipation of heading back. Mind you, I still haven't shown you everything from day one...

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 140

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 140
Release Date: January 1975

Highlights

• First appearance of Glory Grant
• Foreshadowing of how the Peter Parker clone would soon come into existence
• Origin of how Maxwell Markham became the Grizzly

Low Points

• While it makes for an interesting story arc coming in future issues, we never find out what the motive of the Jackal is
• Everything wraps up too quick and neat
• Story feels like another throw away, a concerning trend in these past few issues

Oddities

• None

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

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 139

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 139
Release Date: December 1974

Highlights

• First appearance of Mamie Muggins, and Grizzly
• Peter admits that whether things go good or bad for him that he's unhappy as a person either way
• Peter rents his iconic Chelsea apartment
• Reference is made to Marvel Team-Up 28, and The Amazing Spider-Man 136

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• None

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

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Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 28

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 28
Release Date: December 1974

Highlights

• First appearance of Abe Koch, and Professor Aldritch
• Reference is made to The Amazing Spider-Man 136

Low Points

• Cover is irrelevant to the story
• Story is a boring
• The villains are just pawns, and we don't find out who the true mastermind was, nor do I care 

Oddities

• An earthquake causes a woman to fall through the glass of a window?

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

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Comics Corner: The Amazing Spider-Man 138

   

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 138
Release Date: November 1974

Highlights

• First appearance and origin of Mindworm
• Peter Parker moves in with Flash Thompson

Low Points

• Not a very good story, and not much action
• Mindworm is a throw away villain of the week

Oddities

• Peter Parker's landlord thinks that tearing up his lease and telling him to be out by tomorrow is sufficient for an eviction?

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

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Comics Corner: Marvel Team-Up 27

   

Title: Marvel Team-Up
Issue Number: 27
Release Date: November 1974

Highlights

• First appearance and death of Joe Cord
• Reference is made to Defenders 17, The Amazing Spider-Man 119 and 120

Low Points

• None

Oddities

• We skip from Marvel Team-Up 25 to 27 because 26 doesn't feature Spider-Man
• The police want to shoot Spider-Man in his tracks at the beginning of the issue, but then just let him leave at his leisure at the end

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

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Retro Spins: Stevie Wonder - Characters

The saving grace to your album shouldn't be a duet with another, more popular, artist. But, that's exactly where we are with Stevie Wonder's 1987 album, Characters.

Now, admittedly, R&B isn't exactly my genre. It's because of this that the songs on this album don't necessarily appeal to me. However, Stevie Wonder has definitely produced songs in the past which I really enjoy.

I guess the biggest problem for me with Characters, was I that I was expecting to hear peppy hits, such as, Part Time Lover and I Just Called To Say I Love You. Instead, what I got was heavy funk, R&B, with a mixture of ballads. The only standout track, for me, was the duet with Michael Jackson, Get It. Mind you, even for Michael Jackson, it's not mind blowing. It's just okay.

Look, there's no doubt he's put in the work to build a long career, and with his handicap, that was probably no small feat. I'm sure he has fans worldwide who would climb over each other to see him perform. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be one of those people. Stevie Wonder is a pass on my part.

I suppose what disappoints me the most here, is when you hear a name that has been in the music industry for decades, you expect to be blow away with their work - Regardless of who they are or what their music style is. Or, perhaps better stated, at least I do. Maybe this is an unrealistic expectation to have.

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Big Lick NOVA 2023! Part IX: Michael Golden and Renee Witterstaetter

 

And I'm back, picking up with part nine of my amazing trip to Big Lick NOVA, 2023!

The last two guests which I came to the show to meet, and have books signed from were Renee Witterstaetter and Michael Golden. The two were working as a pair, and I would later find out that this was because Renee also serves as manager for Golden.

Of all the creators there, the prices they were charging were top tier high. Issue number one's were $30.00 to have signed, with all others being $20.00. This was clearly not sitting well with people at the show. As I later discussed these price points with someone on hand to verify signatures for CGC, he said, "Don't even get me started on her," referring to Witterstaetter.

Though I clearly didn't let the price point shy me away from getting books signed, there were admittedly more I would have liked to have gotten. Specifically, her run as colorist and editor on Marvel Age. Had her price been $5.00, heck, even $10.00, I would have ultimately ended up spending more money than I actually did. There were about seventy-eight books I had in mind for her.

Also signed by Mark Bagley
when I met him at Galaxycon 2023!

1st appearance of Annex, a veteran
of the Gulf War turned into a cyborg

Also signed by Rick Leonardi and
Michael Golden that same day,
as well as Mark Bagley when I
met him at Galaxycon 2023!

Don't get me wrong. I'm not upset by what I did get signed. Further, because she was collecting the money on behalf of both her and Mr. Golden, she was even kind enough to give me a very nice discount. I'm not shunning either of them at all. At the end of the day, this is work for them. They're coming to make money.

Price point aside, she was extremely nice, and even happy to pose for pictures.

Renee Witterstaetter posing with the issue
of The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 27 which
she just signed for me

Whereas Renee was very bubbly and outgoing, Mr. Golden was on the other side of the spectrum, and seemed a man of few words.

Though he made a quip here and there, and came off as quite humorous in nature, he definitely gave the impression as someone who perhaps didn’t want to be there. This may have just been a mistaken impression of him on my part, as he wasn’t rude or mean. He was quite the opposite actually. Like I said, he made fun quips multiple times while I was at his table, and thanked me numerous times for the purchases I made. He even posed for a photo. Perhaps, I was just reading him wrong.

What was most interesting about him is how inconspicuously he signed each piece. He kept his signature both small and hidden, as if not wanting to detract from the artwork itself. It intrigues me because this was the same sense I got of him. He would have preferred to be somewhere hidden, out of the public eye, with people just enjoying his artwork.

I brought a few select things for him, such as a handful of prints, and even bought a copy of Marvel Fanfare from his table. Like Art Suydam, Mr. Golden came prepared with books he'd worked on in the past to happily sell. Because he charged $20.00 for each one, and then signed them, it wasn't a bad deal at all.

Let's start with the prints.

Truthfully, I don't know why I bought this Star Wars one. I'm not too big into Star Wars these days. I think it drew me in with it's lenticular design that shifted it from Darth Vader to Storm Troopers. It probably didn't help that it was allegedly limited to just 1,000 prints.

It took me several weeks after the show to get around to hanging everything.

Hanging next to the prints I bought from Larry
Hama at Big Lick NOVA 2022. These were already
signed by Mike Zeck, and then signed by Hama
in person!

With a reminder that he also signed the above Marvel Age 114, now, the comics!.

1st appearance of Wrath, a Batman
foil whose parents were killed by
Commissioner Gordon

Also signed by Jim Shooter that same day!

Also signed by Jim Shooter that same day!

Getting into the more obscure, I also brought issues one through six of Echo of Futurepast. You wouldn't know it from the cover of issue number one, but this is actually notable for being the first appearance of Bucky O'Hare. Both Golden and Larry Hama created the characters, and they appeared in issues one through six, with issue three being the first cover appearance.

Also signed by Art Suydam that same day!

Also signed by Art Suydam that same day!

Also signed by Art Suydam that same day!

Also signed by Art Suydam that same day!

Also signed by Art Suydam that same day!

Art Suydam didn't do anything in issue six, so that's why it's not signed by him. I am, however, kicking myself for not getting my Amazing Heroes 51 signed by him. His name is right there on the cover! How did I miss this?

Oh well. Perhaps there will be another time in the near future. I didn't own these when I went to Big Lick NOVA 2022. As such, I didn't get the chance to, but would really like for Larry Hama to sign these as well. Maybe one day...

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