20 May 2008, early evening
The Time Traveler’s Wife was probably not the best book to read while Shima is away in Europe. It’s a story about separation, loneliness, waiting, etc. It’s certainly a lovely book, but it is kind of a downer when you already miss your favourite person. Nevertheless, it’s quite enjoyable. The book was first recommended to me by my cousin Jana, a serious-ass Sci-Fi fan. He explained the time travel, and how it makes for an interesting story. Much later, Shima’s friend Nina recommended it, making passing reference to the number of times she cried while reading it. Nina and Jana both probably have very different tastes in books, so I find the overlap here interesting. It takes serious work to appeal to such disparate demographics. The Time Traveler’s Wife is classic sort of love story. I felt it manages to avoid being overly sappy, and doesn’t veer in to the realm of chick-lit. Though the dialog is at times a bit awkward, on the whole it’s very well written. I think it’s worth checking out. Of course, if you don’t like reading, you can just wait for the movie.
Read an interview with Audrey Niffenegger at Bookslut.
Comics and Books
23 February 2008, early morning
I just finished reading Sophie’s Choice. It began far funnier than I thought it would be. There was also a lot of sex. Still — my god — how depressing.
Comics and Books
10 January 2008, early morning
I was at chapters with a gift certificate in my hand informing me that if I spent more than $50 in the store, i’d get 40% off my purchases. Well, that’s a good way to get me to pad out my shopping. I bought The Gum Thief because it had a nice cover and I thought i’d give Douglas Coupland another shot. Also, the book was already 30% off. Oh Hells Yes. The Gum Theif was great. I liked it so much more than JPod, the only other book by Coupland that i’ve read. The story revolves, more or less, around two people, a depressed middle-aged man and a goth girl, both working at Staples. The story is told via letters and diary entries passed between the two protagonists, and other characters as the case may be; mixed into this is a novella being written by one of the characters. Unlike JPod, you feel for the characters, they are interesting and illicit your empathy. It’s a very enjoyable read. Another plus with this book is that the actual book, once you take of the dust jacket, is a beautiful pink. It’s an awesome book to carry around.
Comics and Books
14 August 2007, terribly early in the morning
I finished reading The Culture Struggle last week. As the title suggests, the book is about the conflicts that arise from, or are rooted in, culture. The book is comprised of 4 sections, each section contains a few short essays. Despite the subject mater, it’s a fairly easy read.
The book begins, more or less, with a discussion on how the dominant class within a nation use culture to reinforce its interests. The book ends with a section on hyper-individualism, which is probably the most America-centric section of the book. The end ties into the start of the book in that the culture of individualism that is so prevalent in the United States is what helps perpetuate much of the inequity that exists in the country. Individualism is the cultural base that helps the dominant moneyed class maintain there position in society. The middle two sections of the book are on imperialism, the subjection of people, and racism. (There are two chapters on violence against women which are insane; I need to look up the source he cites because the facts he spits out sound so unbelievable.) The chapters on racism are quite good, examining how slavery, amongst other things, was made palatable. Parenti also touches on how the dominant class will sometimes try and instigate racial strife so as to redirect anger that would rightly be directed at them. So, for example, you have poor White workers complaining about immigrants stealing their jobs, not about those who control all the money. The middle two chapters of the book were what I found the most interesting.
The topics may sound a bit heavy, but I found it to be a fairly easy read. The essays in the book are all quite short: Parenti makes a few points, and then moves on. The book as a whole is really a series of observations, and interesting topics for further discussion. Any essay in this book could probably be turned into something far more substantial. On the whole it’s a great read; it leaves you with a lot of things to think about.
[4] Politics | Comics and Books
13 July 2007, terribly early in the morning
I finished reading Chalmers Johnson’s Nemesis last night. It’s a very interesting book on the decline of American democracy and the rise of American imperialism. The book posits that America can keep its empire, or keep its democracy, but it can’t have both. Johnson does a great job of outlining the various things he feels have contributed to the decline of democracy in the US. The main gist of his argument is that increased militarism is incompatible with a health democracy. With respect to this, he discusses the creation of the CIA (essentially the presidents private army), the ever expanding network of US army bases globally, and the militarization of space and the inordinate amount of money spent on weapons research. Nemesis was quite interesting to read. You may want to check it out. I’m on to The Assault on Reason, which thus far looks to be Gore’s attempt to catalog and discuss the reasons why Americans are so dumb now, but apparently turns into a scathing attack on the Bush administration. Nice.
[1] Comics and Books
16 May 2007, terribly early in the morning
I’m working my way through Necessary Illusion, by Noam Chomsky. It’s one of the Massey Lectures books the CBC has been putting out recently. It’s quite good. It’s also a very frustrating read. I can’t get through 2 paragraphs without having to stop to take a few deep breaths: the book makes me so damn angry. Necessary Illusion is all about thought control and propaganda in a democratic society. Chomsky focuses on how the US media contorts the news to push an agenda that the state approves of. Much of his examples comes from the news coverage in the US of the war in Nicaragua: the US was terrorizing the civilian population there because they were so brazen as to support a communist/socialist party, and not another puppet leader from the US. (I need to read more about South Americas history.) It seems like every single country has been personally fucked by the US.) What the US was getting up to was bad, but the way it all was covered makes it all the worse. I am left wondering if there is any point reading the traditional press for coverage of any news of consequence.
[1] Comics and Books
2 April 2007, early morning
The people in Harlem know they are living there because white people do not think they are good enough to live anywhere else. No amount of “improvement” can sweeten this fact. Whatever money is now being earmarked to improve this, or any other ghetto, might as well be burnt. A ghetto can be improved in one way only: out of existence.
— James Baldwin, “Fifth Ave, Uptown: A Letter from Harlem“
I’ve been going through James Baldwin’s non-fiction work. I finished Notes of a Native Son last week, which is excellent, and have started on Nobody Knows My Name, which looks to be even better. Both books are collections of essays he did before the civil rights movement really got underway. The quote above comes from an essay Baldwin wrote for Esquire. This essay is excellent. If you can track it down I recommend you read it. James Baldwin is the best writer America has produced yet.
I wonder if Shima and her planner friends are required to read essays by Baldwin and other people who have lived in the ghettos they aim to improve. My guess is no. Shima seemed a bit disappointed in what was going to be done with Regent Park. I also felt it was more of the same, but really, what do I know? I thought of the quote from Baldwin above while reading the following in the Globe:
Flemingdon Park is one of 13 so-called “priority neighbourhoods” identified by the city for targeted funding by the municipal government, social agencies and other groups. Over the next four years, the city plans to add an extra $13-million for these neighbourhoods.
— Wall of silence breached in Toronto revenge killing.
After 50-60 years of failed government housing here in Canada and in the US, you would think they might want to try something different.
Previously: Go Tell It On the Mountain, and I’m not a nigger, I’m a man.
[1] Quotes | Comics and Books
2 February 2007, terribly early in the morning
I’m almost done Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam. I’ve really liked it so far, and I can’t imagine ending up disappointed with it in the last 20 or so pages. While reading one of the short stories on the SARS outbreak, which I did during the bus ride home from work last night and the bus ride to work this morning, I felt my chest tense up like I was getting bronchitis. It is strange how your body reacts to things.
Comics and Books | Life
11 January 2007, early morning
Daredevil: Father marked Joe Quesada return to Daredevil. This was also the first time he wrote and illustrated any comic. It’s a good mini-series, which easily holds its own when compared to the recent (and excellent) Alex Maleev and Brian Michael Bendis run of the series. It takes place in the period of time after Daredevil has kicked Kingpin out of Hell’s Kitchen and declared himself the new Kingpin. At this point in time, Daredevil is a bit more of a jerk than he normally is. There is a serial killer on the lose, but Daredevil isn’t interested in catching the him so long has he stays out of Hell’s Kitchen. That’s the main plot, but much of the story is about people with father issues. It all makes for an interesting read. The art is really top-notch. I was very impressed with how much better Quesada has gotten since he first drew for the comic. It’s quite amazing really. I really enjoyed this comic. Daredevil is the only comic I follow now, and so far remains a consistently good series. I haven’t written about any of the trade paperbacks i’ve read here on this site, but I really can’t say enough good things about them.
Comics and Books
5 January 2007, early morning
I read Marjane Satrapi’s Sugar and Plums on the ride to and from work yesterday. Set in post-coup Iran, Satrapi tells the story of her great uncle Nassar Ali Khan’s last 8 days of life. He was apparently a well regarded tar player in Iran. The book has a very similar feel to her other comics. The art is simple looking, but manages to convey a lot of feeling and emotion. I like her style a lot; it looks like something you could draw yourself — I’ve tried with limited success. The storytelling is a bit more intricate this time around. There are lots of flashbacks, with sequences of panels alternating between the past and present in some of the more extreme cases. It’s not hard to follow whats going on mind you, as the art gives obvious clues as to when the event is taking place. It’s a very cool book.
Comics and Books
14 August 2006, early morning
I finally finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It took me a fairly long time to get through; the book is a bit of a tome. Set in 19th century England, the book narrates the story of the two men that would return magic to English soil. It’s a fantasy novel of sorts, but really reads much more like a novel from the period it is set in. It is only a fantasy book insofar as it is a book about magicians. The book is reminiscent of Quicksilver, but without the maddening vocabulary. Like Quicksilver, the pace of the story is also very slow, but it is a bit more focused. The book is split into three parts, and the story really doesn’t start moving till the end of the second part. Once the story gets going however, the book is very engrossing. Beyond the story, the characters themselves are interesting and entertaining. The pages and pages of back story really do contribute to the overall book. It was a good book, worth checking out.
[1] Comics and Books
21 June 2006, early morning
I bought the novel The Coma a few weeks back because it is written by the fellow who wrote the screenplay for 28 Days Later, and because it was really cheap. I like buying books that are 80% off at Indigo. You can get it at Indigo for $7—in hardcover no less. I don’t want to tell you much about the novel’s plot, because its twists and turns are probably the best thing about it. I will tell you the book starts with a vicious beating that leaves a man in a coma, and continues from there. It’s quite short, and can be finished quite quickly. I read it on my commute to work over the course of a few days. The book is really quite interesting; it’s very well thought out—at least I thought so. If you are looking for something to read, I recommend you check this out.
I’m reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell now. It’s a very different book, which reminds me a bit of Quicksilver in its pacing. I am enjoying the book so far.
[2] Comics and Books
6 June 2006, early morning
I bought my copy of JPod at a reading of the book. I didn’t know much about the book, or Douglas Coupland, beyond the fact he had written a book called Microserfs. This was the first time I had paid pretty much full price for a book in ages. Since JPod was reviewed by the Globe and Mail, it is on sale at Amazon for 40% off. I probably should have bought it there. (Still, I can take heart in knowing that my cousin would have been proud of me supporting Pages, who were selling the books during the reading.) JPod is very different from the books I have been reading recently. It is funny for starters, which Hemmingway and Baldwin rarely are. So in this way it was an enjoyable read. It’s nice to read something that doesn’t leave you depressed. The problem though is the book doesn’t feel like it has any substance to it.
I didn’t feel any sort of attachment to any of the characters in the book. This actually might be a function of the characters themselves; they are all thoroughly apathetic, amoral, twenty-somethings. They really aren’t likable. They are memorable insofar as they are quirky.
That said, the book is very much character driven. The plot for the book is more or less non-existent, and isn’t as important to the story as the characters and their various neuroses are. The story centres around Eathan, a video game programmer. He works at a nondescript game company in Vancouver, in an area known as the JPod (because your last name starts with a J if you are working in that chunk of cubicles). Him and his fellow JPodders are working on a skateboard game that gets repurposed into a skateboard game with a kid-friendly turtle. The working life of these characters is portrayed in all its soul-sucking glory. Beyond the video-game programmers, the reader is introduced to Eathan’s dysfunctional family: a pot growing mom; a people smuggling real-estate agent brother; a ball-room dancing wannabe actor. Coupland himself shows up in the novel. The first few times it is actually funny. (The last couple times, not so much.) The book is very surreal and absurd. There are hints of real life hidden within all the exaggeration and caricature. I suppose it does make for an interesting read.
As I said at the start, I did enjoy reading the book. I’m not sure if it is a classic or any such nonsense, but it is entertaining. The book has a nice cover. It’s probably worth checking out.
Comics and Books
2 June 2006, early morning
Meetings are Toxic was one of the chapters in 37signals Getting Real book. It’s a sensible enough idea, which generated a lot of discussion over at Signal vs. Noise. I’m sure all of us in the working world have endured meetings we thought would never end. I find that once you get more then 3 or 4 people in a room your productivity is going to quickly turn to shit. Eathan, the lead character in JPod by Douglas Coupland seems to agree. Midway through the book, we the readers are told meetings are toxic:
Here’s my theory about meetings and life; the three things you can’t fake are erections, competence and creativity. That’s why meetings become toxic—they put uncreative people in a situation in which they have to be something they can never be. And the more effort they put into concealing their inabilities, the more toxic the meeting becomes. One of the most common creativity-faking tactics is when someone puts their hands in prayer position and conceals their mouth while they nod at you and say, “Mmmmmmm. Interesting.” If pressed, they’ll add, “I’ll have to get back to you on that.” Then they don’t say anything else.
Update: I emailed 37signals about this quote, and they posted it to their website, where it is being discussed.
Comics and Books | Nerd Alert
24 May 2006, early morning
Apparently I am the only person I know from Waterloo who hadn’t heard of Douglas Coupland. He has written several books, one of which is called Microserfs. Microserfs is about Waterloo graduates getting snatched up by Microsoft to toil on their various computer projects. The novel began as a short story published in Wired. It sounds like it would be a whole book about people I know. My cousin brought him up over the weekend; I don’t remember how the conversation turned to Microserf, but it did. Yesterday, Heather emailed me to say she has a spare ticket to see Douglas Coupland read from his latest book, JPod. That was a strange coincidence.
Angela, Heather and I went to the show together. I met them at Townshoes, where Heather was buying shoes for a wedding. The sales lady was trying to up-sell her some sort of satin scotch guard like spray. She was very strange. The show was held in a theatre at U of T, and it was packed. The show has sold out some time ago. The audience was a real mix-bag of people. Coupland came on shortly after 7:00, and told a story about how his agent wanted him to go on this show, MTV Live. It was a funny story. He then read briefly from his book, a passage in which one of the main characters in the novel meets Douglas Coupland. How post-modern. He read three passages in total, and passed the remaining time cracking jokes and telling stories. It was a very entertaining book reading.
Angela stuck around to get her book signed. Neither Heather or I were in the mood to line up. Heather walked South to her home, and I headed North to bloor. I bought a double-cheeseburger at McDonalds; it was awesome.
Comics and Books | Life
16 May 2006, early morning
I finished reading A Farewell to Arms on the bus this morning. The rest of the bus ride was depressing. It was raining. I suppose if there is one thing wrong with Hemmingway’s books, it is that you know how they all will end. A Farewell to Arms is no exception to this rule. While the book isn’t as depressing as For Whom the Bell Tolls, which I think is the saddest book ever written, it’s still pretty damn sad. I think as human beings we have a natural revulsion to the sorts of endings Hemmingway writes. Deep down I knew how a A Farewell to Arms would end, once the story got going, but the ending your mind conjures up is so depressing you just can’t accept it as the probable outcome. So you read hoping for something else, a more typical conclusion to the story, and when you come to the end its like being punched in the stomach.
[1] Comics and Books
5 March 2006, mid-afternoon
A review of Getting Real by 37signals
37signals are a design firm turned web application studio that get on my nerves more often than not. (Saying they get on my nerves is infact an understatement.) Despite the more aggravating posts on their web site they remain to this day a good source for insight on modern web development and web design practices. I like reading about the entire software development process. This is one reason I enjoyed Joel on Software so much. Last week 37signals put out a book compiling their manifesto on web application development entitled Getting Real. If you read the 37signals blog Signal vs. Noise you will have heard the term countless times. (It can be grating to hear over and over again.) Still, a few days after the eBook came out I bought it. I’m not entirely sure why. I think the $19 price tag, just shy of $20, and the fact they make it very convenient to buy, were two contributing factors. I enjoyed the book. I am by no stretch a rabid 37signals fan-boy; I sincerely liked it.
Read the rest of this post. (544 words)
[1] Comics and Books | Web Design
21 February 2006, early evening
I’m reading Giovani’s Room now, which was written back in 1956. The book is about a man trying to come to terms with his homosexuality—at least this is what I think it is about after reading the first few chapters of the book. The book is quite good so far.
‘Love him,’ said Jacques, with vehemence, ‘love him and let him love you. Do you think anything else under heaver really matters? And how long, at the best, can it last? since you are both ben and still have everywhere to go? Only five minutes, I assure you, only five minutes, and most of that, hellas! in the dark. And if you think of them as dirty, then they will be dirty—they will be dirty because you will be giving nothing, you will be despising your flesh and his. But you can make your time together anything but dirty, you can give each other something which will make both of you better—forever—if you will not be ashamed, if you will only not play it safe.’ He paused, watching me, and then looked down to his cognac. ‘You play it safe long enough,’ he said, in a different tone, ‘and you’ll end up trapped in your own dirty body, forever and forever and forever—like me.’
I wonder how many homosexuals still feel a strong compulsion to hide (or deny) their sexual orientation. I think one of the things that made Brokeback Mountain so depressing was the internal conflict of Heath Ledger’s character.
[3] Comics and Books
17 February 2006, early morning
I just finished reading Go Tell it on the Mountain., which I bought a few weeks back. I had forgotten how complex the story is, and how open-ended things are left by the end. The book is excellent. Baldwin essentially tells the stories of 4 characters: the lead, John; his mother, Elizabeth; his father, Gabriel, and his aunt, Florence. The story is rich and always twisting. Each character’s past is revealed to us piece-by-piece as the story progresses. It’s really good. I recomend you read this book. (I wonder if the book would have more meaning for me if I was Christian. Have any of the Christian’s here read it? The book is all about the Lord bringing people low, and then raising them back up—seemingly. I feel like reading the Bible.)
Comics and Books
2 February 2006, late morning
I was in the Indigo on Bay St. a couple days ago, killing some time while waiting for some photographs to get developed. I like shopping; the problem with shopping at Indigo is that almost all their books are cheaper online. Krishna can confirm this, as I called him 3 or 4 times while in the store asking him for the prices of the books online. Ultimately I left with a copy of The Tipping Point which was discounted both online and offline. Before leaving, I noticed a small stand with a strange mix of books. It took me a couple seconds to clue in that the authors were all black, and the stand had been set up in celebration of black history month. I picked up the copy of Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin) they had put out; it was a crappy paperback, with newsprint paper and an ugly cover.
Read the rest of this post. (530 words)
[3] Life | Comics and Books
23 September 2005, late at night
If you asked me what my favourite movie or song was I probably couldn’t tell you. There isn’t any one movie or song that I can single out as being my absolute favourite of all time. When it comes to books on the other hand I can. My favourite book, the story I think everyone should read, is Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, by J. D. Salinger.
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters takes place one hot afternoon in New York city. The story is all about a wedding, and in particular the absent groom who happens to be the narrator’s brother. It’s a simple story, much like all of Salinger’s others, but all the little details make it truly a joy to read. I was shocked to read it was received poorly when it came out in the 50s. It isn’t quite a love story, but it is very much about love. The ending is classic.
Salinger is most famous for writing Catcher in the Rye. I read that novel first during the early years of high school. In my last year, I ended up doing a ISU on Salinger (after picking and giving up on Charles Dickens). I ended up reading all his other stories published as novels: Nine Stories, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour, An Introduction, and Franny and Zooey. I’ve never felt more angry at someone I don’t know when I discovered that the four books I’ve mentioned are the sum total of the man’s published works. You can track down some of his other short stories printed in old magazines if you work hard enough—Tiffany found them in the Waterloo library for example. Nowadays you can also find them online, which is quite nice. Sometime in the late 60s Salinger stopped publishing. Sonuvabitch.
I reread Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters a few days back, which is why it is on my mind. I just finished reading Franny again, and am almost done with Zooey. If you are looking for some good books to read, I can’t recommend these stories enough.
[1] Comics and Books
16 August 2005, mid-morning
Will you join in the battle to build the Great Society, to prove that our material progress is only the foundation on which we will build a richer life of mind and spirit?
There are those timid souls that say this battle cannot be won; that we are condemned to a soulless wealth. I do not agree. We have the power to shape the civilization that we want. But we need your will and your labor and your hearts, if we are to build that kind of society.
Those who came to this land sought to build more than just a new country. They sought a new world. So I have come here today to your campus to say that you can make their vision our reality. So let us from this moment begin our work so that in the future men will look back and say: It was then, after a long and weary way, that man turned the exploits of his genius to the full enrichment of his life.
—Lyndon B. Johnson, Great Society Speech
I wonder if America can recapture the ideals it once had, or if it has become so arrogant and confident in itself and its stature that it can’t see any of its flaws. (Actually, I don’t wonder these things at all, I have an opinion I’m sure those who read this site are well aware of.)
I’ve been reading The World is Flat, which I am enjoying immensely. The book’s premise is that technology has made the world flat—that is to say people from any part of the globe can collaborate with one another easily and cheaply. We can see this today with the growth of labour markets in the developing world. Anything that can be turned in to a stream of digital data can be worked on from anywhere in the world. And the reality is that this work is going to be sent to those places that can do it the best, and for the best price.
This is good for those of us in countries currently outsourcing work because it should free up our labour pools to do exciting new things. Well, that’s the idea anyway, things are never that simple. A society must provide a way for its citizens to improve their training and education. More than that though, citizens have to be willing to adapt and improve themselves. It isn’t enough to be average anymore, because there is a world full of above average people ready and willing to do your job. There was a time when we in the west were insulated from the East, but that time is coming to an end.
So, back to my original point. I think the end of the American empire is near. Friedman, author of The World is Flat, is fearful of the fate of America and tries to suggest ways in which America can turn itself around. His ideas are all interesting and valid, but I don’t see them being implemented. America doesn’t have a Lyndon B. Johnson or a John F. Kennedy who is willing to marshal the collective energy of the country and put that energy towards improving the society as a whole. And, as far as I can tell, many American’s themselves do not want to do such work.
Of course, America has all the guns, so we’ll have to see what happens.
[7] Comics and Books | Current Events
11 August 2005, late morning
Richard Stevens was the author of several classic textbooks on computer networks and programming; he wrote the TCP/IP Illustrated series, in addition to Unix Network Programming Book and Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment. Steven’s passed away in 1999, but his web site is still online today. I’ve been reading it the past few days while trying to find information on dealing with UDP packet loss. His conversational, friendly, style of writing obscures the fact that he has been dead for 6 years now; it’s a little strange. There is a lot of interesting stuff on the site. He has links to obscure Usenet posts, interesting because they provide context to papers I have read or subjects I have seen in textbooks. For example, the paper Congestion Avoidance and Control by Van Jacobson is mentioned as a work in progress in the following two email messages: Re: interpacket arrival variance and mean and Re: Your congestion scheme. Interested in implementing software timers in C? You may want to check out Implementing Software Timers by Don Libes. Steven’s site is definitely worth reading through if you are in a particularly geeky mood.
[6] Computer Science | Comics and Books
10 August 2005, early morning
Shima and I are now the proud owners of The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. Jacob’s now lives in Toronto—respect. I don’t know much about planning, so reading the introduction to the book was enlightening. It sounds like Jacobs really dug in to the established planning academia. I wonder if her ideas are in use some 30 years later.
So far I have learned that one of the earliest modern planning movements was the Garden City movement, fronted by Sir Ebenezer Howard in his book Garden Cities of To-Morrow. The idea was to basically move people out of the cities into sparsely populated baby cities with big green belts. Two cities were built using this model: Letchworth and Welwyn. I spent my childhood in Welwyn Garden City, whose name now has much more meaning for me.
So far the book has struck me as well written and well thought out.
There is a quality even meaner than outright ugliness or disorder, and this meaner quality is the dishonest mask of pretended order, achieved by ignoring or suppressing the real order that is struggling to exist and to be served.
[2] Comics and Books
2 August 2005, evening time
Dave lent my V for Vendetta, a graphic novel that will soon be turned in to a major motion picture. Alan Moore has had some bad luck with adaptations of his books, and has disavowed himself from all further adaptations of his work, but this new film looks like it will be quite good. The comic is amazing. The story is set in a totalitarian British state. V is the protagonist, a man dressed up like Guy Fawkes, who is attempting to bring down the government. I would say the comic is an excellent introduction to fascism. This is definitely a graphic novel worth reading, probably considered a classic by people who read more comics than myself.
Comics and Books