A Look Back at Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #109 (1985)

Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, 1980s arts and culture enthusiasts, Spider-Man fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the year 1985 to examine a small part of the Marvel Comics shared universe through a tale of the Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man monthly series.

The first two chapters of the murder of Jean DeWolff really impacted not only Spider-Man but also Daredevil and the city of New York. Issue #107 was the start and the search for answers started with a good amount of mystery and suspense. In issue #108, the plot thickened somewhat and Spider-Man encountered the Sin-Eater with lots of bystanders nearby. Since the start, the creators crafted a compelling tale with a heavy touch of detective storytelling.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #109, published in 1985 by Marvel Comics with a story written by the late Peter David and the late Rich Buckler.

The cover.

Early story

The story begins with the news of the violent death of a reverend being reported on television. The local authorities believe that the victim’s concern for criminals – a concern shared by the late judge Horace Rosenthal – marked him as a target of the Sin-Eater. While the news broadcast goes on, Peter Parker talks to Stan Carter as Spider-Man on the phone (with a cloth on the mouthpiece to distort the sound of his natural voice). Other people who saw the news broadcast are affected in different ways and there is the feeling of dread clouding the city.

In the evening, Wilson Grant Fisk (the Kingpin) dictates into his small recorder. While dictating and recording, the Kingpin knows Spider-Man is hiding in the dark very close to him. He fires a shot at Spider-Man who easily evades it. As the webslinger starts talking to him, the Kingpin reminds him that he is trespassing…

Quality

Danger inside the Daily Bugle!

Right from the start, this tale not only maintained the gritty detective story tone since issue #107, it continued to build-up the tension and intrigue smoothly as the story went on. At this stage of the storyline, Spider-Man and Daredevil are both doing detective work to find out who the Sin-Eater really is and why precisely has he been killing people and causing chaos in the first place.

Both superheroes encountered different people in their respective searches for answers. Because he was not successful finding details as Daredevil, he decides to do it in his civilian form as Matt Murdock. Spider-Man, who is not a professional detective at all, continues his search with his limitations and with the only ways he knows how (including the use of violence, humiliation and threats).

Without spoiling the plot, I can say that there two notable plot turning points that are really fine payoffs to the build-up that started since issue #107. What happened here was finely dramatized by the David-Buckler duo and easily justified the cover price.

Conclusion

Spider-Man doing detective work the way he knows how.

Considering the very strong qualities of the writing and visuals combined with the two major plot developments, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #109 (1985) is easily the most compelling part of the death of Jean DeWolff storyline. I should also state that Spider-Man and Daredevil are the key detectives of the tale and the creative team succeeded again in shaping this detective story to be very grounded with reality. The superhero elements are still present but noticeably contained with the brooding detective story. As to the two plot turning points I mentioned earlier, I encourage you all to grab a copy of this comic book and find out for yourselves. I promise you, they are worth your time and attention

Overall, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #109 (1985) is highly recommended.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What To Watch On YouTube Right Now – Part 148

Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching.

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following videos I found.

#1 Heaven’s Gate Revisited – What is there to be said about the 1980 historical epic Heaven’s Gate apart from the facts that it failed spectacularly and brought down United Artists a lot? To its credit, it has a grand look that required a massive amount of money to be spent and the sheer depth of authenticity implemented under the direction of Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter) is eye-catching. The film also had fine performances by Kris Kristofferson, Jeff Bridges, Christopher Walken and Isabelle Huppert. Historically, the massive failure of the movie impacted Hollywood as a whole and movie studios rarely grant the final cut privilege to movie directors. That said, there is a lot more to learn about Heaven’s Gate and I encourage you all to watch the video below.

#2 Moments That Destroyed Political Careers – Imagine yourself working so hard to get elected into public office in America followed by efforts to solidify the trust of voters who helped you win. With huge expectations, there obviously is pressure on you (the elected official) to serve them and fulfill your promises. Then one day, you committed a blunder or a very embarrassing moment that eventually leads you into a painful downfall. In America, there are Democrats and Republics who saw their political careers get destroyed because of the moments gone wrong. Watch and learn from the video below.

#3 History Of Sega And Its Impact On Video Gaming – Remember long ago when Sega was a highly prolific and innovative maker of games for arcades and consoles? Remember seeing consoles and add-ons with Sega branded on them? Decades ago, Sega was a gaming titan and it was a powerful competitor with Nintendo during the so-called 16-bit wars of the 1990s. Today, Sega is still operating but it is a shadow of what it used to be. To find out what happened, watch the very informative video game documentary below. It also has interviews with Tom Kalinske and other important video game personalities.

#4 Totally Whatever Reacts To Deep Impact – Back in 1998, I encountered some people who claimed to have cried while watching Deep Impact inside the movie theaters. When I saw it in the cinema, I saw a few other moviegoers near me having tears flowing from their eyes. Indeed, Deep Impact was made to move viewers emotionally with its themes of family, strained ties, and the struggle to remain intact before a massive tragedy happens. That said, you must see how the movie impacts the YouTubers in the video below.

#5 Tuna In Japan – Whenever I visited Japan, I always made the effort to enjoy a meal with tuna on it. I enjoy eating sashimi (specifically raw tuna), sushi and cooked meals that have tuna in different forms in them. If you love eating tuna and if you plan to visit Japan soon, watch the video below. Learn the details.

#6 Child’s Play 3 Reaction/Review Videos – Believe it or not, the 1991 movie Child’s Play 3 was released less than a year after Child’s Play 2. The movie followed the character Andy Barclay again, only this time he was portrayed as a troubled teenager who enters a military school. Unsurprisingly, the evil Chucky was revived and pursued Andy once more. Having seen Child’s Play and Child’s Play 3 on home video just months apart from each other, the viewing experience was unique given each film’s differences in terms of casts and settings. When Child’s Play 3 came to an end, there was this feeling among many moviegoers that the film series concluded solidly. To see what kind of reactions the 1991 movie attracted from YouTubers, watch the videos below.

#7 The Legend Of The Lone Ranger’s Failure Explained – As a young boy, I saw The Legend of the Lone Ranger on home video and enjoyed it. Back then, I was completely unaware about the controversy regarding past Lone Ranger actor Clayton Moore who was legally barred from appearing in public wearing the trademark black mask. That controversy alone hounded the movie and was arguably the single biggest factor behind its failure. By the way, the film’s star Klinton Spilsbury was dubbed over as the Long Ranger and he never acted again. To learn more, watch the video below.

#8 Minty Comedic Arts Examines Tales From The Crypt – When you hear the title Tales From The Crypt, do you think about the about the horror anthology TV series or the original comic book series published by EC Comics in the 1950s? I myself read several reprints of EC Comics – including Tales From The Crypt – and saw some episodes of the TV series. That said, both the TV series and the comic books delivered a very unique kind of entertainment that is sadly missing today. In his video, Minty Comedic Arts revealed a lot of interesting details about the TV series as well as EC Comics. I encourage you to watch his video now.

#9 The Unification Church Exposed – When former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in 2022, the killer Tetsuya Yamagami committed the act not because of politics but because of the perceived connections the politician had with the controversial Unification Church which he blames for financial ruining his family and his own life. The killer’s own mother was a member of the Unification Church and because she donated so much money to it, her own family ended up lacking money for survival, education and other needs. The murder investigation eventually unraveled decades of allegations about financial exploitation, shattered families and the immense influence the said church had on its members from Japan to South Korea and the United States. There are a lot of very intriguing details in Dark Asia with Megan’s video below and I encourage you all to watch it.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 51

Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

#1 The dirty business behind Caffeine – Have you been drinking coffee, or sodas or energy drinks a lot over the past twelve months? Chances are, you are dependent on caffeine for your livelihood and your own lifestyle. Sadly, a lot of people out there are not even aware about the subject of caffeine in American history, in business and health studies. YouTuber fern has this in-depth look at caffeine and why there dirty business behind it. Watch and learn.

#2 You, Me and the Movies react to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective – Despite being negatively received by movie critics in 1994, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective still went on to become a surprise hit in the cinemas grossing over $107 million worldwide and establishing Jim Carrey as an effective cinematic comedian. The film has an effective formula on making viewers laugh with Carrey’s performance, the jokes, the unfortunate turn of events, the funny one-liners and the like. I saw the film on home video in 1995 and I revisited it by watching the reaction video of You, Me and the Movies. If you have not seen Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, go watch it first. Otherwise, the reaction video below is entertaining to watch.

#3 The hunt for Ted Bundy explained by fern – Way back in 1989, I saw The Deliberate Stranger on local TV here in the Philippines. It was an engaging portrayal of the very notorious serial killer Ted Bundy (executed in 1989) who was responsible for the kidnapping, rape and murders of several young women and girls. While a lot of documentaries about Bundy have been released, fern’s visual presentation and explanatory observation of the killer’s story is a must-see.

#4 A look at the history of the Ikari Warriors trilogy – Back in the mid-1980s, I played Ikari Warriors (Japanese title: Ikari) on the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) and it was a fun game and even relatable. Why relatable? Because at the time of its release, the fictional character Rambo (played by Sylvester Stallone) and the Cold War were still present in our minds. As it turned out, Ikari Warriors was originally intended to be an official video game adaptation of Rambo: First Blood Part II but no agreement was made. Regardless, the game still had Rambo-inspired designs for the playable characters, an obvious Vietnam-inspired environment and lots of shooting-oriented action. It became so successful commercially, it eventually spawned two sequels. To know more about the history of the Ikari Warriors trilogy, watch PatmanQC’s video below.

#5 A look at 50 underrated arcade games from the 1990s – The 1990s was a wild time for people who love playing games in the arcades. While the decade was often perceived to be all about fighting games defining the arcade experience, there still was a greater variety of arcade games of different genres or game designs. This retro gaming video from Marvelous Gamers is a fun look back at the 1990s arcade games that got overlooked.

#6 Ashleigh Burton reacts to National Lampoon’s Vacation – If you are looking for a 1980s comedic viewing experience with a theme about going on holiday, then you should focus on National Lampoon’s Vacation directed by the late Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase. Released in cinemas in 1983, the movie became a box office hit grossing over $60 million in the American box office and it won a lot of rave reviews from the critics. If you have seen the movie and want to revisit it without the need to spend time watching it all over again, you should watch the reaction video by the jolly YouTuber Ashleigh Burton.

#7 Popcorn in Bed reacts to Quantum of Solace – I will say it clearly – Quantum of Solace was a very disappointing follow-up to Casino Royale (2006) as it was so negatively impacted by the strike of the Writers Guild of America as well as the lack of focus within the production. By the time I left the cinema, Quantum of Solace left me feeling numb and unsatisfied. That being said, I encourage you to see the reaction video of Popcorn in Bed (who also reacted to Casino Royale) and witness how the 2008 James Bond movie affected their viewing experience.

#8 Justin Trudeau officially resigns from office – I really do not like Justin Trudeau. As Prime Minister of Canada, he has been very out of touch with his people and does not seem concerned with them. Under the super woke and feminist Trudeau, the costs of living in Canada has gone way up, housing is too expensive and crime has gone up. There is also division and infighting within his Liberal Party which is not helping Canadians at all. Trudeau’s failed leadership should be a lesson to everyone that woke nuts, Satanic Leftists and outrageous liberals should not be voted to lead the government. Liberals do not care about common sense at all. Watch and learn from the videos below.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco