three things i did today that i rather enjoyed

• Made moss poles for K's philodendrons by cutting up PVC pipe with my new Japanese pull saw which I absolutely love. Have all fingers.

• Ran in my usual 5k circle and midway through chatted with Randy the Chihuahua's human (RTCH) who informed me that Randy the Chihuahua (RTC) had to be put to sleep in January as I handed RTCH his newspaper and we shared a brief "aw damn" moment. Not sure that "enjoyed" is the right word here but it was definitely a human, empathetic moment. I'll miss that little shit (RTC).

• Read the first issue of Ryan North and Iban Coello's FANTASTIC FOUR and got hooked. Excellent, excellent stuff.

reading

links/2023w27

• A teacher-turned-governor willing to use their line item veto pen as a middle finger directed at their opposition-stacked legislature is a grand thing: Tony Evers extends increases for public schools in perpetuity | The Guardian

• Sharing this only because I'm deeply disturbed that WaPo deems NXIVM "cultlike" in the opening when it's clearly, beyond any shadow of a doubt, a cult: Allison Mack released from prison early in NXIVM case | WaPo

• Yet another reason why I remain and will remain a lifelong proponent of amassing a personal, physical library: Disney Deletes Streaming Movie That Only Released In May 2023 | Kotaku

• Mycelium & orange peels were used to create these visually appealing + sustainable partitions | Yanko Design

• Fantastic document: THE AMAZING WORLD OF SUPERMAN: HOW A COMIC MAGAZINE IS CREATED | Tom Brevoort

• This is one beautiful home: Wabi-sabi philosophy guides design of accessible coastal home in Australia | Dezeen

complete

20 years after picking up my last issue (13) on the Wednesday it came out, I've finally assembled the back half (14-28) of ALIAS, one of Bendis's three best series (the others being TORSO and his DAREDEVIL run with Maleev); a damn fine day for The Collection.

reMarkable (2) incoming...

After a few years of looking at one, I finally took the plunge yesterday and purchased a reMarkable 2 writing tablet (along with the typepad folio)...

Goals: a capture device and an easy-on writing device for pieces here – as well as fulfilling (and amplifying) the usual functions of my Boogie Board: handwritten explorations of specific sections of a WIP. Planning to use the reMarkable app on desktop and mobile to facilitate the export and import of notes and scaps and other writings from reMarkable to Obsidian for work and zettelkasten archiving. Potential use as a Daily Note device too?

Should arrive next week. Penning this to start the tag and log its purchase.

SUPERMAN, Vol. 1, No. 423 + ACTION COMICS, Vol. 1, No. 583: "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" (Moore / Swan; DC, 1986)

Filing yet another under the "no I can't believe I didn't read this until now either" header because, not only is "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" now my favorite Superman story, but it's one of my favorite comics stories of all time, my ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST of comics.

In fashion not dissimilar to Leone's masterful deconstruction and exploration of the mythological Western, the pairing of Moore's words with Curt Swan's immortal and character-defining pencils is magic: a deconstruction of the hallowed and iconic by a mind matched by few wrapped in a rousing action story with deep emotional stakes; a distillation of, at that point, nearly 50 years of monthly storytelling that not only showed why Superman has endured, but why he must: it's the first work anyone tasked with carrying on that legacy – be it in comics or in film or in any other media – should read; I can only hope that Gunn uses this as a guide – fortunately, from what he's said of what's coming in LEGACY, it sounds like he has. Certainly nailed the casting so far.

Other than Morrison and Quitely's ALL-STAR SUPERMAN (now my second-favorite Superman story and apparently one of Gunn's guiding texts), I can't think of another take that so deeply captures every facet of the character – the hope, the action, the sacrifice, the tragedy – in such a powerful, poignant, and emotionally satisfying way. Essential.