Chapter 17 | Page 3b: Hot Stuff

Today’s page takes us back to Ralph’s Diner, where Captain Heroic proves—once again—that nothing rattles him… not even a surprise soup bath.

Hailey is mortified, Captain Heroic is dripping, and somewhere across the diner, Yazmine Velour is livestreaming the whole thing as heart emojis rain from the internet. It’s a small moment, but one that says a lot about who Cap really is—and why people can’t help falling for him.

Transcript

Panel 1
Hailey (distraught that she has dumped hot soup on Captain Heroic): Omigod Omigod Omigod…

Captain Heroic (turning to another person eating at the diner): Excuse me. Would you hand me a napkin, please? (The person hands him a napkin)

Panel 2

Hailey: I’m so sorry Captain Heroic, sir. I didn’t mean to — {sob}

Panel 3

Captain Heroic (handing her the napkin): Here. Please don’t cry.

Panel 4

Captain Heroic (continues): Most of my first impressions involve disintegration rays. And actual impressions. In concrete.

Panel 5

Captain Heroic: This was far more pleasant — not counting the bay leaf in my shirt.Yazmine Velour (as she livestreams the interaction from the other side of the diner, a torrent of heart emojis flow from her phone as the audience reacts): Omigod Omigod Omigod

After Dark

This week's commissioned MicroFic delivers exactly what you’d want from a pairing between Dynasty and Father Christmas.

  • Yes, he lives up to his name.

  • Yes, Dynasty knew exactly what she was doing.

  • No, the North Pole will never be the same.

I also posted the Goblin Girl MicroFic from the Monster Girl poll — and the response was so good, I might need to make these poll-powered MicroFics a recurring thing!

Name That Nightmare


Marvel Comics baddie, Nightmare, pulled double duty last week, appearing in two unrelated titles concurrently, vying for two different goals.

He was paired with Arcade in Deadpool Team-Up (a nightmare in itself), battling Herc and the Merc.

Meanwhile, in Dr. Voodoo, he was using the neophyte doc to gain entrance into our poor, defenseless dimension.

Not only were his motives different in each book, but his overall look and voice were polar opposites. In Deadpool he appeared as a ghostly apparition (left), materializing behind Arcade for a little expository goodness and then disappearing for the duration of the tale.

In Voodoo, he (right) was closer to his traditional characterization, the seething, plotting, otherworldly demon.

It’s enough to make a fanboy dizzy. That is, unless he has a handy scorecard…

Nightmare
(Deadpool Team-Up
#1)
Category
Nightmare
(Dr. Voodoo
#2)
Classic Victorian Gentleman
Fashion
Classic Steve Ditko
Slimy, disgusting third-stringer (Arcade)
Lackey(s)

Slimy, disgusting "Psychlodermic Mindphibian"

Embodiment of Deadpool’s inner voices
Pawn
Daimon Hellstrom
Gary Oldman in "Dracula"
Look
David Bowie in "Labyrinth"

Revenge for Hercules’ part on the war with the Skrull gods

Plot
Use Daimon Hellstrom to trick Voodoo into freeing Nightmare
Disappears before Arcade falls to ubiquitous defeat
Outcome

Gains Dr. Voodoo’s mystic staff. And freedom.

"Only by combining the left brain and the right brain aspects of our powers shall we…"
Oddball phrase

"My heart could just explode."

A Tijuana postcard to Amadeus Cho from Herc and Deadpool
Special bonus feature

Dr. Strange remembers the history of Dr. Voodoo