diff --git a/src/args.jl b/src/args.jl
index 7e36cac8..cb18f451 100644
--- a/src/args.jl
+++ b/src/args.jl
@@ -638,9 +638,7 @@ function getSeriesArgs(pkg::PlottingPackage, initargs::Dict, kw, commandIndex::I
   aliasesAndAutopick(d, :markershape, _markerAliases, supportedMarkers(pkg), plotIndex)
 
   # update color
-  # dumpdict(d, "before color")
   d[:color] = getSeriesRGBColor(d[:color], initargs, plotIndex)
-  # dumpdict(d, "after color")
 
   # update markercolor
   mc = d[:markercolor]
diff --git a/src/backends/pyplot.jl b/src/backends/pyplot.jl
index 33c645ce..cf2edf76 100644
--- a/src/backends/pyplot.jl
+++ b/src/backends/pyplot.jl
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ nop() = nothing
 
 
 makePyPlotCurrent(wrap::PyPlotFigWrapper) = PyPlot.figure(wrap.fig.o[:number])
-makePyPlotCurrent(wrap::PyPlotAxisWrapper) = PyPlot.sca(wrap.ax.o)
+makePyPlotCurrent(wrap::PyPlotAxisWrapper) = nothing #PyPlot.sca(wrap.ax.o)
 makePyPlotCurrent(plt::Plot{PyPlotPackage}) = makePyPlotCurrent(plt.o)
 
 
@@ -341,7 +341,8 @@ function updatePlotItems(plt::Plot{PyPlotPackage}, d::Dict)
   # PyPlot.sca(ax)
 
   # title and axis labels
-  haskey(d, :title) && PyPlot.title(d[:title])
+  # haskey(d, :title) && PyPlot.title(d[:title])
+  haskey(d, :title) && ax[:set_title](d[:title])
   haskey(d, :xlabel) && ax[:set_xlabel](d[:xlabel])
   if haskey(d, :ylabel)
     ax[:set_ylabel](d[:ylabel])
diff --git a/src/plot.jl b/src/plot.jl
index a6e8d1bd..b53c935a 100644
--- a/src/plot.jl
+++ b/src/plot.jl
@@ -46,19 +46,11 @@ function plot(args...; kw...)
   pkg = backend()
   d = Dict(kw)
   preprocessArgs!(d)
-
   dumpdict(d, "After plot preprocessing")
 
-  # # ensure we're passing in an RGB
-  # if haskey(d, :background_color)
-  #   d[:background_color] = convertColor(d[:background_color])
-  # end
-
   plt = plot(pkg; getPlotArgs(pkg, d, 1)...)  # create a new, blank plot
 
   delete!(d, :background_color)
-  # print(d)
-  # return plt
   plot!(plt, args...; d...)  # add to it
 end
 
@@ -82,10 +74,6 @@ end
 
 # this adds to a specific plot... most plot commands will flow through here
 function plot!(plt::Plot, args...; kw...)
-  # println(plt)
-  # println(args)
-  # println(kw)
-
   d = Dict(kw)
   preprocessArgs!(d)
 
@@ -93,21 +81,13 @@ function plot!(plt::Plot, args...; kw...)
 
   warnOnUnsupportedArgs(plt.backend, d)
 
-  # handle a "group by" mechanism.
-  # group = get(d, :group, nothing)
-  # if group == nothing
-  #   groupargs = []
-  # else
-  #   if haskey(d, :subplot)
-  #     groupargs = extractGroupArgs(group, d[:dataframe])
-  # end
+  # grouping
   groupargs = get(d, :group, nothing) == nothing ? [] : [extractGroupArgs(d[:group], args...)]
 
   # just in case the backend needs to set up the plot (make it current or something)
   preparePlotUpdate(plt)
 
   # get the list of dictionaries, one per series
-  # dumpdict(d, "before createKWargsList")
   kwList, xmeta, ymeta = createKWargsList(plt, groupargs..., args...; d...)
   
   # if we were able to extract guide information from the series inputs, then update the plot
@@ -136,11 +116,11 @@ function plot!(plt::Plot, args...; kw...)
 
   warnOnUnsupportedScales(plt.backend, d)
 
-  dumpdict(d, "Updating plot items")
 
   # add title, axis labels, ticks, etc
   if !haskey(d, :subplot)
     d = merge!(plt.initargs, d)
+    dumpdict(d, "Updating plot items")
     updatePlotItems(plt, d)
   end
   current(plt)
@@ -161,25 +141,19 @@ end
 function setTicksFromStringVector(d::Dict, di::Dict, sym::Symbol, ticksym::Symbol)
   # if the x or y values are strings, set ticks to the unique values, and x/y to the indices of the ticks
 
-  # @show sym di
   v = di[sym]
-  # @show v
   isa(v, AbstractArray) || return
 
   T = eltype(v)
-  # @show T
   if T <: @compat(AbstractString) || (!isempty(T.types) && all(x -> x <: @compat(AbstractString), T.types))
-    # @show sym ticksym di[sym]
 
     ticks = unique(di[sym])
-    # @show ticks
     di[sym] = Int[findnext(ticks, v, 1) for v in di[sym]]
 
     if !haskey(d, ticksym) || d[ticksym] == :auto
       d[ticksym] = (collect(1:length(ticks)), UTF8String[t for t in ticks])
     end
   end
-  # @show sym ticksym di[sym] d[ticksym]
 end
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/subplot.jl b/src/subplot.jl
index 78f85881..86c7f8fb 100644
--- a/src/subplot.jl
+++ b/src/subplot.jl
@@ -200,62 +200,25 @@ end
 # NOTE: for the subplot calls building from existing plots, we need the first plot to be separate to ensure dispatch calls this instead of the more general subplot(args...; kw...)
 
 # grid layout
-# function subplot{P}(plt1::Plot{P}, plts::Plot{P}...; nr::Integer = -1, nc::Integer = -1, link = false, linkx = false, linky = false)
 function subplot{P}(plt1::Plot{P}, plts::Plot{P}...; kw...)
   d = Dict(kw)
   layout = subplotlayout(length(plts)+1, get(d, :nr, -1), get(d, :nc, -1))
-  subplot(vcat(plt1, plts...), layout, d) #, link || linkx, link || linky)
+  subplot(vcat(plt1, plts...), layout, d)
 end
 
 # explicit layout
-function subplot{P,I<:Integer}(pltsPerRow::AVec{I}, plt1::Plot{P}, plts::Plot{P}...; kw...) #link = false, linkx = false, linky = false)
+function subplot{P,I<:Integer}(pltsPerRow::AVec{I}, plt1::Plot{P}, plts::Plot{P}...; kw...)
   layout = subplotlayout(pltsPerRow)
-  subplot(vcat(plt1, plts...), layout, Dict(kw)) #, link || linkx, link || linky)
+  subplot(vcat(plt1, plts...), layout, Dict(kw))
 end
 
 # this will be called internally
-function subplot{P<:PlottingPackage}(plts::AVec{Plot{P}}, layout::SubplotLayout, d::Dict) #, linkx::Bool, linky::Bool)
+function subplot{P<:PlottingPackage}(plts::AVec{Plot{P}}, layout::SubplotLayout, d::Dict)
   p = length(layout)
   n = sum([plt.n for plt in plts])
   subplt = Subplot(nothing, collect(plts), P(), p, n, layout, Dict(), false, false, false, (r,c) -> (nothing,nothing))
 
-  # # update links
-  # for s in (:linkx, :linky, :linkfunc)
-  #   if haskey(d, s)
-  #     setfield!(subplt, s, d[s])
-  #     delete!(d, s)
-  #   end
-  # end
-
   preprocessSubplot(subplt, d)
-
-  # # init (after plot creation)
-  # if !subplt.initialized
-  #   subplt.initialized = buildSubplotObject!(subplt, false)
-  # end
-
-  # # add title, axis labels, ticks, etc
-  # for (i,plt) in enumerate(subplt.plts)
-  #   di = copy(d)
-  #   for (k,v) in di
-  #     if typeof(v) <: AVec
-  #       di[k] = v[mod1(i, length(v))]
-  #     elseif typeof(v) <: AMat
-  #       m = size(v,2)
-  #       di[k] = (size(v,1) == 1 ? v[1, mod1(i, m)] : v[:, mod1(i, m)])
-  #     end
-  #   end
-  #   dumpdict(di, "Updating sp $i")
-  #   updatePlotItems(plt, di)
-  # end
-
-  # # handle links
-  # subplt.linkx && linkAxis(subplt, true)
-  # subplt.linky && linkAxis(subplt, false)
-
-  # # set this to be current
-  # current(subplt)
-
   postprocessSubplot(subplt, d)
 
   subplt
@@ -288,11 +251,9 @@ function postprocessSubplot(subplt::Subplot, d::Dict)
 
   # add title, axis labels, ticks, etc
   for (i,plt) in enumerate(subplt.plts)
-    # di = copy(d)
 
     # get the full initargs, overriding any new settings
-    # TODO: should this be part of the main `plot` command in plot.jl???
-    di = merge!(plt.initargs, copy(d))
+    di = copy(merge!(plt.initargs, d))
 
     for (k,v) in di
       if typeof(v) <: AVec
@@ -339,16 +300,6 @@ function subplot!(subplt::Subplot, args...; kw...)
 
   d = Dict(kw)
   preprocessSubplot(subplt, d)
-  # preprocessArgs!(d)
-  # dumpdict(d, "After subplot! preprocessing")
-
-  # # process links.  TODO: extract to separate function
-  # for s in (:linkx, :linky, :linkfunc)
-  #   if haskey(d, s)
-  #     setfield!(subplt, s, d[s])
-  #     delete!(d, s)
-  #   end
-  # end
 
   # create the underlying object (each backend will do this differently)
   # note: we call it once before doing the individual plots, and once after
@@ -386,40 +337,10 @@ function subplot!(subplt::Subplot, args...; kw...)
     end
     dumpdict(di, "subplot! kwList $i")
     
-    plot!(plt; di...)
+    _plot_from_subplot!(plt; di...)
   end
 
   postprocessSubplot(subplt, d)
-  # # -- TODO: extract this section into a separate function... duplicates the other subplot ---------
-
-  # # create the underlying object (each backend will do this differently)
-  # if !subplt.initialized
-  #   subplt.initialized = buildSubplotObject!(subplt, false)
-  #   # subplt.initialized = true
-  # end
-
-
-  # # add title, axis labels, ticks, etc
-  # for (i,plt) in enumerate(subplt.plts)
-  #   di = copy(d)
-  #   for (k,v) in di
-  #     if typeof(v) <: AVec
-  #       di[k] = v[mod1(i, length(v))]
-  #     elseif typeof(v) <: AMat
-  #       m = size(v,2)
-  #       di[k] = (size(v,1) == 1 ? v[1, mod1(i, m)] : v[:, mod1(i, m)])
-  #     end
-  #   end
-  #   dumpdict(di, "Updating sp $i")
-  #   updatePlotItems(plt, di)
-  # end
-
-  # subplt.linkx && linkAxis(subplt, true)
-  # subplt.linky && linkAxis(subplt, false)
-
-  # # set this to be current
-  # current(subplt)
-  # # --- end extract ----
 
   # show it automatically?
   if haskey(d, :show) && d[:show]
@@ -430,3 +351,19 @@ function subplot!(subplt::Subplot, args...; kw...)
 end
 
 
+
+function _plot_from_subplot!(plt::Plot, args...; kw...)
+  d = Dict(kw)
+
+  setTicksFromStringVector(d, d, :x, :xticks)
+  setTicksFromStringVector(d, d, :y, :yticks)
+
+  dumpdict(d, "Plot from subplot")
+  plot!(plt.backend, plt; d...)
+  
+  addAnnotations(plt, d)
+  warnOnUnsupportedScales(plt.backend, d)
+end
+
+
+
diff --git a/test/refimg/v0.4/pyplot/ref1.png b/test/refimg/v0.4/pyplot/ref1.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ff1d4cae
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/refimg/v0.4/pyplot/ref1.png differ