DJ Comics Cavalcade

Just in time for Halloween, Tom examines Phantom Stranger #3, where the world's greatest proto-emo psychic detective and Douche of the Year candidate, Doctor Thirteen, tries to save a carnival owner from being destroyed by a ghostly fortune-teller who looks like a loan officer.

In the second part of his annual celebration of Halloween, Tom covers the debut of Man-Thing from Savage Tales #1, explains the origin of this unique magazine, as well as the character's odd position in comic book history. Plus, boobies. And Tom gets very disturbed trying to figure out where one character keeps a lit cigarette.

In the first of our special Halloween episodes for 2010, covering Phantom Stragner #2, the Phantom Stranger and Doc Thirteen try to figure out what's behind a man's nine-lives claim, but don't bother questioning why a suburban family has a collection of sinister Amerind artifacts. Plus, the horror of Evil Larry Fine! Flashback Time! And even listener mail!

In the debut issue of Teen Titans, the team joins the Peace Corps and goes south. They also battle a giant robot and strange monsters with heads that look like middle-aged account executives. All this and insensitive Latin stereotypes!

In Tales of Suspense #81, The Red Skull has the Cosmic Cube and it's up to Captain America to stop him... by begging his foe to knight him? It wouldn't be funny if it wasn't for the villain cosplaying King Arthur. Plus, Tom sings and giggles over having to use the phrase "man-thing" repeatedly.

In this, the last tryout story from Showcase #59, the Teen Titans have to prove the Flips, Bob Haney's insane idea of what a pop group is like, innocent of going on a bank-robbing crime spree. Plus, enjoy Tom's horror as he sings The Flips greatest hits. Funny thing? Those Flips lyrics are still better than anything Lady Gaga has come up with.

In Tales of Suspense #80, Cap's pursuit of a hypnotized Keeper of The Cosmic Cube leads him to a confrontation with The Red Skull that somehow involves him calling Hitler a little loser biatch. Well, metaphorically, of course.

In The Brave and the Bold #60, Tom looks at the second Teen Titans tryout issue, which introduces the character-that-should-not-be: Wonder Girl. It also begins the association of the title with artist supreme Nick Cardy, and depicts an epic battle between surfboarding teens and a giant who can separate his body into different body parts. Plus Hondas. Lots of Hondas.

In Tales of Suspense #79, Captain America's seeing assassins that no one else can, but it's just the opening gambit of The Red Skull and his two stereotypical German assistants. All this, plus Them gets a name change, and more Flashback Time.

Because you demanded it, this episode begins Tom's examination of the earliest, goofiest adventures of the Teen Titans! In The Brave and the Bold #54, the first Titans tryout, Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad face a guy dressed as a Revolutionary War Bluecoat who steals a small town's teenagers -- because the town won't pay him his passenger pigeon feathers. And this is one of the saner stories.