Thursday 29 April 1999
Pic of the day: More spring: Green leaves.
Paid the rent and got a stack of new bills today. The phone bill for the dedicated Internet line wasn't as bad as I had feared, which says a lot about my fears. It should still take a noticeable bite out of next month. (Almost exactly the same as my rent, actually.) Good thing there isn't anybody around who needs new clothes by then. Though my own everyday shoes are terribly worn, I think they should make do another month.
My right wrist isn't exactly improving, but I'm getting more used to left-hand work. Getting enough sleep may help, but we'll never know.
As for the comic book Savage Dragon, I have come to the
end of the issues I bought (up to no 56) and I have to admit that
I've missed out on a great series. Yes, the characters are drawn
with exaggerated proportions: Larger than life boobs on the females
and even more exaggerated shoulders on the males. But at least he's
an equal opportunities sexist ... And the in-jokes on various other
comics are often subtle, allowing the new reader to go on with the
book without pondering too much if he doesn't get it.
In general, I think there is too much overstating the physical
traits of superheroes in superhero comics. You don't need extremely
broad shoulders to fire energy blasts (just look at me), and you
definitely don't need melon-sized breasts to throw a devastating
punch. Still, there are few comics in which an important character
look more or less like the expected reader. Billy Batson in
Power of Shazam did - but not while in superhero form.
I've found this strange for quite some time. But it's not like
I can do anything about it. Except possibly recommend the
Books of Magic, where the main character is a rather
young sorcerer who look quite normal and also acts quite normal
apart from being a cosmic level sorcerer. Not that it quite
qualifies as a superhero comic, really, but close enough for
comfort.
Seeing as I'm seeing things through a flickering haze, I guess it's bedtime already. Bye bye!