(from New Teen Titans v2 #24, October 1986; by Wolfman, Barreto & Tanghal) I could have mentioned I was taking last week off, but how punk rock would that have been? Recommended listening: Like all power pop romances, it works best if you imagine the subject has no idea who the singer is.

(from Batman: The Cult #3, 1988; by Jim Starlin, Berni Wrightson & Bill Wray) There are some folks out there who’ll tell you Batman: The Cult is a profoundly terrible comic. They are wrong. There is nothing profound about this misbegotten piece of shit. Recommended listening: Change the channel, please.

(from Ronin: Book Two, September 1983; by Frank Miller & Lynn Varley) Ronin becomes a lot less impressive after one realizes the working title of the series was “Frank Miller Spent a Long Weekend Reading Lone Wolf and Cub and Akira.” Recommended listening: Beg for it.

(from What If…? v2 #13, May 1990; by Kurt Busiek, Vince Mielcarek, Ian Akin & Brian Garvey) It was bound to happen once Professor X cut funding for the Institute’s midnight basketball program. Recommended listening: A warning to some, a business model to others. (With thanks to Bully, the Little Stuffed Pogo-dancer.)

(from Fantastic Four #292, July 1986; by John Byrne & Al Gordon) WATCH OUT, MEG RYAN!  THERE’S A PUNK ROCK DUDE FOLLOWING YOU! Recommended listening: A brief, bright flash then utter silence. (With thanks to Bully, the Little Stuffed Pogo-dancer.)

(from Cinder and Ashe #2, June 1988; by Gerry Conway and José Luis García-López) Time to call Triple-Ⓐ! Recommended listening: Sit right back and you’ll hear a tale.

(from Detective Comics #570, January 1987; by Mike W. Barr, Alan Davis and Paul Neary) I miss the version of Batman who’d banter with ladies of dubious virtue while sporting a wide, goofy grin. Recommended listening: Feel the pain.

(from X’ed Out by Charles Burns) I’m glad someone finally had the stones to give Paranex his three-chord due. Recommended listening: More of an isolated case than a global pandemic. (Thanks to Dave Lartigue for the tip-off!)

(from The Titans #3, May 1999; by Devin Grayson, Justiano, Drew Johnson, Marlo Alquiza & Rich Faber) The dude on the the far left has the right idea.  Hearing Donna Troy’s origin makes me want to start drinking heavily, too. Recommended listening: The only logical response.

(from New Mutants #2, April 1983; by Chris Claremont, Bob McLeod & Mike Gustovich) For the record, Rahne “Wolfsbane” Sinclair was my first comic book crush. Recommended listening: Gie me ae spark o’ Nature’s fire, That’s a’ the learning I desire.