Awakening, I nervously eyed the precarious stack of books on my bedside table. The pile, arranged all akimbo, teetered above my head.
A recent acquisition, Showcase Presents: Ambush Bug proudly sat atop the stack. This b&w collection features all of Ambush Bug’s hilarious appearances prior to the most recent mini-series Ambush Bug: Year None. I had previously owned much of this book, but hadn’t read them in years. They are even funnier now than when they first appeared some 20 years ago.
Directly under the nearly 500 page trade paperback, the mass market of Laurie R. King’s third Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes novel A Letter of Mary lead to much of the precarious nature of the stack. Like the first two novels, A Letter of Mary intelligently and skillfully relates the adventures of the elderly Holmes and his young wife Russell. These novels are among some of the finest Holmes pastiches and come highly recommended.
Another recent acquisition, Chicken With Plums is the latest from Persepolis author Marjane Satrapi. Brandy read this and insists I read it. She called Chicken With Plums "sad and beautiful." Brandy really "enjoyed the way she told the story."
Although I had previously read all of the stories in Sanctified and Chicken-Fried: The Portable Lansdale, I am reviewing select tales for a forthcoming hush-hush project. More details later…
Sitting under the Lansdale, Fantagraphic’s Blazing Combat collects all four issues of the groundbreaking Warren comic. I discuss this volume (and a few others) in the upcoming May 1 Nexus Graphica.
Digging even deeper unearths Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold – The Batman Team-Ups, Vol. 1 These often strange Bob Haney-scripted self-contained tales make for some enjoyable bedtime reading.
At the base of the stack, A People’s History of Sports in the United States is a compendium of Dave Zirin’s sportwritings. In an alternate vein similar to Howard Zinn’s classic study The People’s History of the United States, Zirin examines US history though sports. Read about 1/3 of the book, which offers some fascinating insights into American culture.
After realizing the pile wasn’t going anywhere, I took the books down, re-stacked them, and started my day.