The Toy Box

Comics Corner: Marc Spector: Moon Knight 2

Title: Marc Spector: Moon Knight
Issue Number: 2
Release Date: July 1989

Highlights

First appearance of Burunda, a small country in Africa
A couple kids walk the streets with their telescope, and spot Moon Knight standing on the roof near the embassy of Burunda

The narration explains that inside is his lover, Marlene Alraune, held captive by Raoul Bushman

Moon Knight makes reference to someone watching Disney, and the irony over thirty years later is laughable
Moon Knight is spotted on the embassy surveillance, and Bushman orders his messenger to communicate his demands, and also his personal guards are informed the hunt is on
The messenger leaves the embassy, and Moon Knight follows, only to walk into a trap of the personal guards

Moon Knight tells Frenchie to stay on the other man while he handles the soldiers

Spider-Man sees the soldiers running into Central Park and decides to follow, taking pictures, of course
Moon Knight makes short order of them, and when the battle is over, Spider-Man swings away
Moon Knight confronts the messenger, and gases him unconscious
Back in the embassy Bushman taunts Marlene, telling her that Moon Knight better meet his demands
When the messenger comes to, he's hanging upside down from Moon Knight's plane

The messenger tells him Bushman wants ten million dollars, or he'll hack Marlene to bits

Moon Knight throws the messenger from the plane, low enough to not kill him

At home, Marc yells at Hal that he needs ten million dollars, but is told his money is tied up in investemnts

When his response is to sell them, he's informed he can't just do that as it would cripple his other investors, and not to mention the damage it would cause to all the employees working at those businesses

Marc informs Frenchie he's cash poor, so they'll have to do it his way
Inside the embassy, Moon Knight fights his way to Marlene

Unfortunately, he only finds a television with Bushman on it, informing him he's taken the girl back to Burunda

Low Points

Spider-Man's involvement begins and ends with him taking photos of Moon Knight beating down Bushman's personal guards
A decent story, but hardly worth reading for Spider-Man's chronology

Oddities

Marc disguises himself as a cable installation specialist to infiltrate the embassy

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

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Retro Spins: Queen Latifah - All Hail The Queen

Queen Latifah wasn't on my want list, but still was someone I looked at frequently. While I don't know any songs from her, or at least I don't think I do, her album, All Hail The Queen checked several boxes for me:

It's an 80's album
It serves as her debut
It's her only album from the decade
It was relatively cheap

Still, even with all of those aspects, it took me quite some time to commit to buying it. I literally only did it in anticipation of this post following my series of late 80's rap artists that I've been listening to these past few days. Some have fared better than others, and I'm curious to see which side of the fence Latifah will land on.

The queen began beatboxing in 1988 with the group Ladies Fresh, which was part of the group that stuck close to DJ King Gemini. He'd make a demo of her song, Princess Of The Posse, and put it in the hands of Yo! MTV Raps host, Fab 5 Freddy. This would end up getting the attention of Tommy Boy Music employee Dante Ross, who signed Latifah and in 1989, and released her debut that same year.

Upon its release, critics praised it for topic relatable to woman listeners, which included domestic violence, street harassment, and troubled relationships. It would later go on to be named on several noteworthy lists, such as The Source's 100 Best Albums, and Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The song, Ladies First would also garner attention of VH1, who ranked it number thirty-five on their 100 Greatest Songs Of Hip Hop.

Further, its success would push it up the rap charts, where the album as a whole would peak at number six in the USA. Though it wouldn't fare as well, it would also land on the Billboard 200, reaching number one hundred twenty-four.

While the cassette and LP released with twelve tracks, the CD release would be maximized for the available runtime by adding three additional bonus tracks. However, these were simply remixes of other songs already included. As such, unless you were a mega fan, there's not much reason for these to be included.

Honestly, I had no expectations with this one. Like I said above, I don't know any songs from it, or rather, didn't until today. Overall, it was a pretty solid record, and I have to mirror sentiments of The New York Times, which noted, "the backup tracks are sometimes rich enough to carry the album on their own, but they don't have to; some songs have vocal choruses, while in others Queen Latifah's rising and falling speech provides melody enough."

That pretty much sums up the album perfectly. It was an enjoyable album to play through, and I will note standout tracks, Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children, Wrath Of Madness, The Pros, and Evil That Men Do. However, with that said, I would be lying if I said I was ever going to play this album again. As I've noted before, good music doesn't necessarily equate to memorable, and I don't suspect I'll remember any of these after today.

Following her debut, Queen Latifah's career took off. She's enjoyed a lucrative rap career which she released albums for through 2009. However, probably more so what she's known for these days is acting since her successful transition to film with 1991's Jungle Fever. Though she took a brief hiatus between 2023 and 2026, she's set to reprise the role of Ellie in the forthcoming Ice Age: Boiling Point.

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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: Web Of Spider-Man 52

Title: Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 52
Release Date: July 1989

Highlights

Death of Sam and Danny
J. Jonah Jameson lies chained to his bed, and screams unheard for Spider-Man who is swinging by his window
Chameleon gives Jameson a few more links in his chain, with the intensions of allowing him to read the paper

He also explains why he's impersonating the man

Reference is made to "current issues" of The Spectacular Spider-Man
Flashback twenty years ago to a young J. Jonah Jameson chasing a story at a local bar

As he asks Sam for information on the corrupt police department, shots ring out, and Sam is left dead

Jameson sees the shooter, and it's a cop

Back to present time, Jameson kicks his mirror, breaking off a piece of glass, and using it to cast a light beam through his window

He attempts to signal the traffic copter that flies by each day, but it doesn't work

Back to the past, young Jameson bursts into his editor's office, demanding to know why his story on corrupt cops was buried

He's told off by his boss, who also demands facts

As Jameson storms off, he tells the young copyboy, Danny, that if he ever becomes editor, he'll treat his writers with respect

Yeah...

Danny asks if he can tag along, and when the two exit the office, they're met on the street by Officer Kenner, and a couple other cops who give them both a beating

Two mysterious men watch from a car

Back in the present, Jonah has cut himself on the mirror shard, and uses it as lubricant to try to slip the cuff
Returning to the past, William Walter Goodman appears to be one of the men who watch Jonah get beat up, and he just so happens to own the Daily Bugle

Goodman gives Jameson his first cigar, and then offers him a job

Jameson accepts

Returning to current events, Jameson is able to slip his one hand free, and begins stretching for the key that Chameleon left on a dresser, just out of reach
Young Jameson has found a new informant, Officer Michael O'Hill, an eighteen year veteran of the force

O'Hill gives him a key to a locker at the bus station, and tells him there's a notebook inside with every cop's name who's on the take

At the bus station, Kenner is walking around, so Jameson gives Danny the key, who apparently has come to work with him at the Bugle

Danny sneaks off to open the locker, and Jameson realizes what's going on, but it's too late

As the boy opens the locker door, the bomb goes off, killing him

Jameson reaches the key and frees himself, but passes out from the pain and exhaustion of everything
Meanwhile, in his flashback, young Jameson is also passed out from drinking his guilt away

He's woken by Goodman

Goodman tells him that while it's his fault the boy is dead, he asks what he's going to do about it - quit, or fight?

The panels alter between the present and past as current times Jameson crawls for his penthouse elevator, and past Jameson confronts Kenner in his own office at the station

Jameson from the past is wearing a hidden radio that his boss is recording on the other end, and Kenner is caught confessing
Unfortunately for current time Jameson, as the elevator opens, the Chameleon steps off of it