This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée line their cage with Hawkman no. 7! In the first adventure, the sunlight-powered villain I.Q. is on the loose and only Hawkman and Hawkgirl care enough to try to stop him! Can the Hawks put an end to the man whose whole thing is that he's kinda smart under certain conditions? Let's just say there's a re…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée stuff the ballot box with Your Vote is Vital! It's election day and Uncle Sam is so full of patriotism that he's gonna be hanging out at the polls all day instead of spending time with the loved ones that he definitely has! Come along as he attempts to educate a string of low-information dunces who can'…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée let the jokes write themselves when they read Giant-Size Man-Thing no. 1! He's got a silly name, a sillier nose, and the silliest book title of all, it's Man-Thing! And he's taking on the greatest threat of all: Philosophy students! Then, it's a bevy of batty back-up stories involving ice monsters, invi…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée lay down some papers for Animal Man no. 71! Enraged at the world that done him wrong, the man with the animal powers has decided to get literal with it and transform himself into an horrific chimera creature! But even worse: He's gotten super preachy about his views on the environment! Can Animal Man be…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée spend some time with the member of Batman's rouge's gallery who's spent the least amount of time coming up with his gimmick, Man-Bat! It's the second and final issue of Man-Bat's swingin' 70s solo series, and the scientist-turned-chiropteran (it means 'bat') is going out with a bang! Having moved to Chi…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée zip on back to 1941 to check out Zip Comics no. 17! It's eight big, bountiful tales of pugilism and WWII-era patriotism as a load of beefy dudes punch each other out in the name of freedom! But if that's not your bag, don't worry: There's also explorations into circus crime, cow physics, and an incident…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée swoop down and gracefully land on Darkhawk no. 1! Young Christopher Powell is a typical angsty 90s kid with a couple of dopey brothers and a set of parents who can't seem to figure out how to take an easy bribe. But when his family's overall schmuckiness lands him in a creepy abandoned carnival, he'll d…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée RIP off the Band-Aid and go HUNTING for something good to say about Rip Hunter... Time Master no. 12! Time-traveler/suburban loungewear model Rip Hunter has been called upon to get rid of a dangerous meteor that's been hanging out at Stonehenge for centuries, becoming an object of worship for the easily…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée fry their circuits over Magnus, Robot Fighter no. 9! In the year 4001 AD, there are only two things that sci-fi adventurer Magnus hates: Robots, and the idea that any robot has gone unfighted. But when conflict brews between the residents of upscale North Am and the rebellious freewill bots of Synchron,…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée dig deep into the DC vault with three tales from Showcase '93 no. 6! First, Robin steps out from Batman's shadow to take down a terrifying mob boss using nothing but his wits and a couple of Constitutional violations. Then, the joykilling Blue Devil won't let an innocent demon enjoy his simple meal of e…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée put on a fresh pair of JNCOs and check out Knighthawk no. 1! It's the radical '90s, and Neal Adams' latest creation Knighthawk is destined to be the edgiest superbro on the comics rack! Sure, Spawn's cool, but did he ever decimate an orphanage with his cyberclaws just to make a point about equality? Huh…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée are deemed worthy to lift Journey into Mystery no. 89! Thor, a literal god who controls thunder, must do battle with a crooked businessman who sold poor building materials to the city! Can the thunder god defeat this most wily of villains? Yes. Very, very easily. It honestly wasn't even an adventure wor…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée are taking it to the streets with Captain America no. 133! Living soda can M.O.D.O.K. is back for revenge on Cap, and this time he's got a new, stupid plan that can't fail! Enter the Bulldozer, who never actually bulldozes anything, but rather sows seeds of dissent among the slums of New York! Luckily, …

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée viciously tackle Kickers, Inc. no. 4! Jack "Mr. Magnificent" Magniconte and his team of NFL pros with way too much time on their hands take a break from whatever it is that got them a comic book and actually decide to play some football for once! Unfortunately, their opponents are a pack of spine-snappi…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée meant to text you back, but they got distracted by Batman no. 184! What strange event could possibly cause Batman and Robin to ignore every attempt Gotham City has made to contact them for nearly two weeks straight? It might have something to do with Gotham asking them "What even are we anyway?" the las…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée get weird with it when they read Weird Tales of the Future no. 2! Do you often lie awake at night, worrying about what the future holds? Well fear no longer, because this glimpse of times to come should put all your concerns to rest! The world of the future will be a utopia: There'll be hunky dudes in c…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée fight over the last churro while reading Metamorpho no. 4! When Metamorpho, the fugly superhero who can transmute his body into any element he wishes, has to compete with a chadly billionaire for the affections of his perfect dime of a girlfriend, their competitiveness will lead them into the middle of …

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée dunk on Godzilla Vs. Barkley! It's the radical 90s, and even the King of the Monsters has hoop dreams! But standing in Godzilla's way is NBA superstar Charles Barkley, and he's brought his massive ego! Who's gonna win that sweet Nike endorsement? Well, it won't be Godzilla. That guy won't even wear clot…

This time on the Couch: Call your stockbroker, because Mike, James, and Shée are bullish on The Badger issue 37! It used to be the mall was the only place a fella could go to get away from rampaging buffalo attacks. But when the Badger, the superhero with multiple unhinged personalities, brings his bison buddy in for a spa day, can even the well-tr…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée get bit by the love bug after reading the Question no. 26! Schlubby supervillain the Riddler has been released from prison on account of harshing their whole "bad boy" vibe with his endless dorkiness. But when he meets a busted stripper with a thing for receding hairlines, can the Riddler resist her mur…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée wish for I Dream of Jeannie no. 1! It's a delightful romp through workplace unprofessionalism and the careless wielding of power when Tony the Astronaut and his infinitely-thirsty genie sabotage rocket launches and set off international incidents without consequence! Eh, who cares about all that; Just k…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée lace up for Strange Sports Stories no. 5! It's a pair of twisted tales of sports gone awry, and not due to steroids or CTE! First, a hockey player is forced into the game of his life against a demonic goalie! But here's the cruel twist: Even if he wins, he's still in Canada! Then, a sheriff must abandon…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée swear a loyalty oath to Nexus no. 1! Space vigilante Nexus spends his nights dreaming about atrocities and his days figuring out who he needs to laser-blast in the face to alleviate said dreams! It's a pointless, agonizing existence, but at least he's got perfect obliques and a crew of alien weirdos tha…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée spank 2023 out the door with World's Finest no. 201! Superman and Green Lantern are at odds because they have very different ways of dealing with problems: Superman prefers to do things moronically, whereas GL likes to behave like an idiot. When the Guardians of Oa decide they've had enough of this nons…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée deck the halls with Batman no. 27! In this 250th episode spectacular, Batman helps a teenage millionaire discover the joy of the season through child abduction and unrestrained physical violence! Plus, Alfred the butler scoffs at the poors, the Penguin breaks into the literature game, and Robin uses his…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée take to the skies for Kickers, Inc. no. 6! Superhuman NFL pro/toppler of Central American governments/robot hater/all-around manchild Jack "Mr. Magnificent" Magniconte is late for the big game! Hopefully this plane he's hopping on doesn't get hijacked by a psychologically-broken flight attendant... HEY …

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée pledge allegiance to Suicide Squad no. 22! Likeable bootlicker Rick Flagg has run off to Washington to assassinate a senator who's trying to extort his beloved Suicide Squad, throwing off Squad maestro Amanda Waller's masterplan! The only sensible thing to do, of course, is to send a bunch of psychopath…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée unzip their lips to talk about Zip Comics no. 11! It's a bountiful fall harvest of supertypes in these eight Golden Age adventures! There's Steel Sterling, the man with the steel skin, battling a guy who's a little too into snakes (aka your burnout roommate)! There's Lil' Dicky, an unsupervised child ex…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée plan to go to a Halloween party, but bail on it at the last minute and read The Haunt of Fear no. 26 instead! It's an eerie anthology of tales designed to chill the bones, raise the hair, and dissuade the marriage! Yeah, turns out a lot of creeps in the 50s were getting hitched for money and then murder…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée get their paws on the Amazing Spider-Man no. 139! It's been almost a month since Peter Parker got his girlfriend Gwen Stacy killed, so naturally he's pretty much over it now, which means it's time to cut lose and fight some new goofy villains! Enter the Grizzly! He's big, he's dumb, he's dressed like a …

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée try to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but end up with Zatanna no. 1 instead! Backwards talking magician and fishnet enthusiast Zatanna has given up the superhero life in favor of becoming a high-powered California talent agent! But now she's seeing demons and monsters everywhere, and her simpering, redhead…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée are in hot pursuit of the Brave & the Bold no. 4! Green Arrow, the Question, and whoever the Butcher is are all on the case when a Native American man is blamed for the death of an innocent land developer! Hey, if they didn't wanna sell their land why'd they keep the resale value up for so long? We've e…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée open a big wooden door to adventure with Adventure Comics no. 271! Learn how the budding friendship between Superboy and Lex Luthor came to an early end (As with all male friendships, it involves hair-related jealousy). Then, Congo Bill shoves his brain into…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée sniff out a winner with the New Guardians no. 2! The newly-minted superteam are on a mission to usher in the next generation of humanity, but that's going to have to go on the backburner for a minute because Uncle Sam needs them to be CIA assassins instead! You see, cocaine-powered supervillain Snowflam…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée tally up Bruce Wayne's body count with Batman no. 208! Who is the most important woman in Batman's life? Is it Poison Ivy? Catwoman? A random old woman we've never heard of before who will play almost no part in the Bat mythos going forward? Here's a hint: It's the stupidest option. Along the way, revis…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée rip a rad frontside 180 to nosegrind right off their copy of New Warriors no. 6! Teenage idiots the New Warriors have a lot on their plates. They've stumbled onto a plot to blow up the Inhumans' city on the moon, they've gotta deal with NASA-hating madman Star Thief, and they've got to figure out how to…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée saddle up for the Billy Ray Cyrus Marvel Music Special! In the 90s, Marvel Comics went looking to the music world for their next hot properties, and country music megastar Billy Ray Cyrus threw his mullet into the ring for a couple of pageturning adventures! In the first, Billy Ray employs ghosts and cu…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée cross over with cheap corporate synergy when they read Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Meet Archie! It's interdimensional terror when the turtles get stranded in the scariest universe of all: One where being a ginger makes you popular! Local redhead Archie Andrews has two smokeshow girlfriends and not a ca…

This time on the Couch: The batteries in Mike, James, and Shée's iPads die, so they resort to reading 1987's Visionaries no. 1 instead! In the future, on a planet that's totally not Earth, a horrible apocalypse has ended the age of science/nerds and ushered in the return of the age of magic/uberchads! Bored magician Merklynn promises a bunch of sel…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée trash the place in solidarity with Captain America no. 222! Steve Rogers has a lot of problems at the moment. He's not sure of his own background, his buddy Falcon isn't clocking in at work, and now a Volkswagen's attacking him! In his own apartment, no less! If he can manage to best its fine German cra…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée blast off for a return trip to William Shatner's TekWorld with issue no. 17! The last time the Couch checked in on the good Captain's ambitious vanity project, it was a hodge podge of generic sci-fi tropes and poorly-developed characters, but that was probably just first issue jitters! Sixteen issues la…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée throw a pie at Funnyman no. 1! A decade after Superman, creators Siegel and Shuster went double or nothing with their new hero, Funnyman! Armed with a rubber nose, zero training, and the ability to never take anything seriously ever, Funnyman pratfell his way onto the comics rack for six glorious issues…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée do something no comic book fan's ever done; Go to the beach! In Punisher War Journal issue 19, Frank Castle has murdered his way out to Hawaii in relentless pursuit of still more people he'd like to kill! But can he get over his crippling and never-before-referenced fear of water, so that he'll have eas…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée shake forearms with Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers no. 12! In the 1980s, Jack Kirby snuck one past the copyright gestapo with Captain Victory, a stealth continuation of his legendary Fourth World comics in the guise a new IP. Free and clear from any legal action, Kirby and the good captain tra…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée earn their stripes by reading Detective Comics no. 275! It's the debut of another classic Batman villain, the Zebra-Man! You know, the Zebra-Man? Electromagnetic powers, dresses like a scrambled tv signal? Well, he's really cool, just trust him. In fact, he's so threatening that Batman will have no choi…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée gallop away from Black Knight no. 4! In the mythical land of Camelot, the mysterious Black Knight maintains a secret identity as the wussified, lute-plucking Sir Percy! As the unlovable court bard, Percy pines after Lady Rosamund, who think he's the scum of the Earth. But he wore his frilliest tunic! Wh…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée get punched in the face by Justice League issue 5! An irritable and presumably very bored Batman has assembled a new Justice League consisting of a bunch of goofballs whom he can order around more easily than actual heroes. But every rose has its thorn, and 3rd tier Green Lantern Guy Gardner's bad attit…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée wrap up Supermanuary with Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane no. 5! It's a trilogy of torment, as Superman's borderline sadistic treatment of the woman he loves leads to... absolutely no consequences whatsoever! From constant negging to covertly attacking her with a size-changing ray, Superman gets away w…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée plant their flag in the dirt of Action Comics no. 381! As Supermanuary continues, our hero has become even more unhinged, causing a ruckus at the UN and demanding the entire Earth kneel before his immaculately-toned Kryptonian physique! Has Superman finally come to his senses and realized that a war-hun…

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée put on their top hats and spats to read Action Comics issue 337! It's only week two of Supermanuary, but it seems Superman's already gotten bored and has resorted to bizarre stunts to keep himself invested in this whole "fighting crime" thing. Why is the man of steel dressing up in a series of goofy out…