diff --git a/docs/example_generation.jl b/docs/example_generation.jl
index d7369229..16cba2c0 100644
--- a/docs/example_generation.jl
+++ b/docs/example_generation.jl
@@ -157,8 +157,21 @@ const examples = PlotExample[
               [
                 :(y = rand(10)),
                 :(plot(y, ann=(3,y[3],text("this is #3",:left)))),
-                :(annotate!([(5,y[5],text("this is #5",16,:red,:center)),(10,y[10],text("this is #10",:right,20,"courier"))]))
+                :(annotate!([(5,y[5],text("this is #5",16,:red,:center)),
+                             (10,y[10],text("this is #10",:right,20,"courier"))]))
               ]),
+  PlotExample("Custom Markers",
+              "A `Plots.Shape` is a light wrapper around vertices of a polygon.  For supported backends, pass arbitrary polygons as the marker shapes.  Note: The center is (0,0) and the size is expected to be rougly the area of the unit circle.",
+              [
+                :(verts = [(-1.0,1.0),(-1.28,0.6),(-0.2,-1.4),(0.2,-1.4),(1.28,0.6),(1.0,1.0),
+                           (-1.0,1.0),(-0.2,-0.6),(0.0,-0.2),(-0.4,0.6),(1.28,0.6),(0.2,-1.4),
+                           (-0.2,-1.4),(0.6,0.2),(-0.2,0.2),(0.0,-0.2),(0.2,0.2),(-0.2,-0.6)])
+                :(plot(0.1:0.2:0.9, 0.7rand(5)+0.15,
+                       l=(3,:dash,:lightblue), 
+                       m=(Shape(verts),30,RGBA(0,0,0,0)),
+                       bg=:pink, fg=:darkblue,
+                       ylim=(0,1), leg=false))
+              ])
   
 ]
 
diff --git a/src/args.jl b/src/args.jl
index a069ae0f..4bd8d443 100644
--- a/src/args.jl
+++ b/src/args.jl
@@ -382,6 +382,9 @@ function processAxisArg(d::Dict, axisletter::@compat(AbstractString), arg)
   elseif T <: AVec
     d[symbol(axisletter * "ticks")] = arg
 
+  elseif arg == nothing
+    d[symbol(axisletter * "ticks")] = []
+
   else
     warn("Skipped $(axisletter)axis arg $arg")
 
diff --git a/src/backends/gadfly.jl b/src/backends/gadfly.jl
index 0da398ec..b32db77c 100644
--- a/src/backends/gadfly.jl
+++ b/src/backends/gadfly.jl
@@ -217,24 +217,26 @@ function getMarkerGeom(d::Dict)
 end
 
 
-function getGadflyMarkerTheme(d::Dict)
+function getGadflyMarkerTheme(d::Dict, initargs::Dict)
   c = getColor(d[:markercolor])
   α = d[:markeropacity]
   if α != nothing
     c = RGBA(RGB(c), α)
   end
 
+  fg = getColor(initargs[:foreground_color])
   Gadfly.Theme(
       default_color = c,
       default_point_size = d[:markersize] * Gadfly.px,
       # highlight_color = getColor(initargs[:foreground_color]),
+      discrete_highlight_color = c -> fg,
       highlight_width = d[:linewidth] * Gadfly.px,
     )
 end
 
-function addGadflyMarker!(plt::Plot, d::Dict, geoms...)
+function addGadflyMarker!(plt::Plot, d::Dict, initargs::Dict, geoms...)
   gfargs = vcat(geoms...,
-                getGadflyMarkerTheme(d),
+                getGadflyMarkerTheme(d, initargs),
                 getMarkerGeom(d))
   kwargs = Dict()
 
@@ -328,7 +330,7 @@ function addGadflySeries!(plt::Plot, d::Dict)
 
   # markers
   if d[:markershape] != :none
-    prepend!(layers, addGadflyMarker!(plt, d, smooth...))
+    prepend!(layers, addGadflyMarker!(plt, d, plt.initargs, smooth...))
   end
 
   lt in (:hist, :heatmap, :hexbin) || addToGadflyLegend(plt, d)
@@ -367,10 +369,20 @@ end
 
 function addGadflyTicksGuide(gplt, ticks, isx::Bool)
   ticks == :auto && return
+
+  # remove the ticks?
+  if ticks in (:none, false, nothing)
+    return addOrReplace(gplt.guides, isx ? Gadfly.Guide.xticks : Gadfly.Guide.yticks; label=false)
+  end
+
   ttype = ticksType(ticks)
+
+  # just the values... put ticks here, but use standard labels
   if ttype == :ticks
     gtype = isx ? Gadfly.Guide.xticks : Gadfly.Guide.yticks
     replaceType(gplt.guides, gtype(ticks = collect(ticks)))
+
+  # set the ticks and the labels
   elseif ttype == :ticks_and_labels
     gtype = isx ? Gadfly.Guide.xticks : Gadfly.Guide.yticks
     replaceType(gplt.guides, gtype(ticks = collect(ticks[1])))
@@ -382,6 +394,7 @@ function addGadflyTicksGuide(gplt, ticks, isx::Bool)
     labelmap = Dict(zip(ticks...))
     labelfunc = val -> labelmap[val]
     push!(gplt.scales, gfunc(levels = ticks[1], labels = labelfunc))
+
   else
     error("Invalid input for $(isx ? "xticks" : "yticks"): ", ticks)
   end
diff --git a/src/backends/pyplot.jl b/src/backends/pyplot.jl
index 2b8a8f8f..2e4b34d4 100644
--- a/src/backends/pyplot.jl
+++ b/src/backends/pyplot.jl
@@ -63,7 +63,8 @@ supportedArgs(::PyPlotPackage) = [
 supportedAxes(::PyPlotPackage) = _allAxes
 supportedTypes(::PyPlotPackage) = [:none, :line, :path, :steppre, :steppost, :sticks, :scatter, :heatmap, :hexbin, :hist, :bar, :hline, :vline]
 supportedStyles(::PyPlotPackage) = [:auto, :solid, :dash, :dot, :dashdot]
-supportedMarkers(::PyPlotPackage) = [:none, :auto, :rect, :ellipse, :diamond, :utriangle, :dtriangle, :cross, :xcross, :star5, :hexagon]
+# supportedMarkers(::PyPlotPackage) = [:none, :auto, :rect, :ellipse, :diamond, :utriangle, :dtriangle, :cross, :xcross, :star5, :hexagon]
+supportedMarkers(::GadflyPackage) = vcat(_allMarkers, Shape)
 supportedScales(::PyPlotPackage) = [:identity, :log, :log2, :log10]
 subplotSupported(::PyPlotPackage) = true
 
@@ -87,6 +88,16 @@ function getPyPlotLineStyle(linetype::Symbol, linestyle::Symbol)
   return "-"
 end
 
+
+# function getMarkerGeom(d::Dict)
+#   shape = d[:markershape]
+#   gadflyshape(isa(shape, Shape) ? shape : _shapes[shape])
+# end
+
+function getPyPlotMarker(marker::Shape)
+  marker.vertices
+end
+
 # get the marker shape
 function getPyPlotMarker(marker::Symbol)
   marker == :none && return " "
@@ -98,7 +109,11 @@ function getPyPlotMarker(marker::Symbol)
   marker == :cross && return "+"
   marker == :xcross && return "x"
   marker == :star5 && return "*"
+  marker == :pentagon && return "p"
   marker == :hexagon && return "h"
+  marker == :octagon && return "8"
+  haskey(_shapes, marker) && return _shapes[marker].vertices
+
   warn("Unknown marker $marker")
   return "o"
 end