Chapter 17: Page 15b | Trending Trauma: If It’s Not Viral, Did It Even Happen?

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Brad Guigar

Today's comic dives into trending trauma, where even pain and heartbreak are judged by views, shares, and social reach. For Hailey, the real tragedy isn’t what happened — it’s that none of it is gaining traction online.

The Comic Scout

I’ve been using Toocheke to run my sites for years, so when Brian Leeto launched a brand-new comics discovery platform, I didn’t hesitate.

The Comic Scout launched last week, and it’s a fantastic way to:

  • Follow Evil Inc updates

  • Discover new comics

  • Rebuild the kind of discoverability social media used to offer

Check it out here:

https://www.thecomicscout.com/

Transcript

Panel 1:
(caption): “Shortly in the kitchen…”
(Sound effect): “Bwaa”
Hailey: “Rose, I’m devastated.”
Rose: “I know, sweetie… but I think it’s for the best…”

Panel 2:
Hailey: “FOR THE BEST?! He didn’t even mention my hashtag once!”

Panel 3:
Hailey: “No ‘like and subscribe’… no username drop… Just ‘you’re a terrific person’ and ‘you deserve better’…”

Panel 4:
Hailey: “I’m a brand ambassador for Campbell’s soups… Would it have killed him to mention the chicken noodle dripping down his face?!”

Panel 5:
Rose: “He did say something about ‘scalding hot’ and ‘searing pain’…”
Cap (coming from a video playing on Rosie’s phone): “Gonna need another skin graft…”

Panel 6:
Hailey: “Omigosh… that’s horrible… how gruesome!”

Panel 7:
Hailey: “It’s not trending… Not even a little…”

Alt Text

Comic strip set in a diner kitchen with seven panels featuring two waitresses, Hailey (young, long hair) and Rose (older, hair in a bun). In the first panel, Rose hugs Hailey as Hailey cries dramatically, saying she’s devastated while Rose reassures her it’s for the best. In the next panel, Hailey angrily gestures while Rose looks upset, complaining Captain Heroic didn’t mention her hashtag. Hailey continues ranting about the lack of promotion — no “like and subscribe” or username mention — only sincere compliments. In silhouette, Hailey reveals she’s a brand ambassador for Campbell’s Soups and wanted attention drawn to the spilled soup incident. Rose checks her phone and notes he mentioned pain instead, joking about needing a skin graft. Hailey reacts with exaggerated horror. In the final panel, both women look at the phone disappointed as Hailey says it isn’t trending, adding, “not even a little.”

 

52 Web site

Posted on June 20, 2006 by Brad Guigar
DC Comics has been having a lot of fun with its 52 Web site, a site created to help readers follow 52, the comic series that will unfold this year, chronicling the aftermath of Infinite Crisis.

Check out the TV listings from the Daily Planet’s Senior Entertainment Columnist:

WGBS Announces Summer Season

Metropolis, May 17 — Last week, the series finale of “The Worst Wing” – a fictionalized version of the Luthor Administration – got its biggest ratings ever for a two-hour special where President Rex Boother pardoned himself on his way out of the Oval Office, only to be killed in an accident involving a lobbyist’s limo.

SPECIAL:
CRISIS OF INFINITE MIRTH
Comedians claiming to be from different dimensions offer their humorous looks at race, relationships and superheroes in a benefit for Star City.

SERIES PREMIERE:
LEADER OF THE BAND: SCARE TACTICS
Following last summer’s surprisingly popular reality show about the revived 1970s band Great Frog, this incarnation follows the cult-favorite “monster rock” phenomenon Scare Tactics as they look for a new lead singer. In the debut, singer Susie Kavanaugh has a voice unlike any the band has ever heard… but will being a soul-draining banshee keep her in the running, or make her the first contestant to be eliminated?

RETURNING SERIES:
I WANT A HOUSE! NO, A BIGGER HOUSE!
Master carpenter Roger Gail and country singer Alison Stevens travel the country, creating homes for people who need them. In the heartbreaking premiere, it’s a family who fled Bludhaven. Does a townhouse in Coast City offer them a second chance, or just a sad reminder of what they’ve lost?

GOOD KNIGHT AND GOOD LUCK
The sitcom about King Arthur’s trusted squire (Kevin McKinley) working at a Medieval-themed restaurant in 21st-century Metropolis returns for a third season. In the premiere, Sir Tristan decides to reveal his true background to his best friend, “mead wench” Traci (Alyssa Barrett) but will she believe him? Plus, comedian Frankie Sennett makes one of his popular cameos as Tristan’s meddling Uncle Modred.

MOVIE:
THE NEW FRONTIER
Director Darwyn Cooke’s award-winning 2004 epic about superheroics during the Kennedy era makes its network-television debut. HDTV viewers can enjoy the movie with enhanced “Absolute” features.

TV MOVIE:
INTERAMERICAN
Fact-based drama follows a suburban advertising executive (Gregg Rice) who quits his job and drives across country in search of the daughter he never knew he had… because her mother was his girlfriend on a parallel Earth.