Oh, that reminds me. Jon, did you know that Converse sneakers now come in metallic silver?

I was psyched when I found a pair that was all black (laces, rubber around the edge, etc.).

I was trying to buy a pair of all-black Chucks last weekend, but they didn't have them in my size. And then I found that they had all-black Vans now too.

I was trying to buy a pair of all-black Chucks last weekend, but they didn't have them in my size. And then I found that they had all-black Vans now too.

I should have gotten two and stashed one away. The place I got them was going out of business and everything was half off.

I've still got a regular pair of black Chucks from college. Not in too bad shape, but they were never shoes that I lived in like some people I know.

Btw, did you ever read the comic book The Badger by Mike Baron in the 80s?

YES!!!! I freakin' LOVED Badger. Gotta love a superhero who talks to himself, calls everybody Larry, and names himself after one of the meanest mammals on the planet.

Silver kryptonite.

YES!!!!

(Don't mind me, I just all asscaps and exclamation points this morning. I blame Tennessee Williams.)

Ohhh! Although a little too dear...

It was on sale on Haight Street for $76. You should check a shoe store for sales in Harvard Square.

YES!!!! I freakin' LOVED Badger. Gotta love a superhero who talks to himself, calls everybody Larry, and names himself after one of the meanest mammals on the planet.

It really was a cool little comic. It never had the art or cachet of Baron's other project, Nexus, with Steve Rude, but Badger was really well written and interesting. Plus, set in Madison, WI - which is underused geography for superhero stories.

I interviewed Mike Baron for Comic Journal. I think Gary let me do the interview because he knew Mike would go on and on with very little prompting. Very interesting guy, though. I also got to ride back from the San Diego Comic Con one year with Steve Rude.

Jack Purcell's smile. That is all.

I think Gary let me do the interview because he knew Mike would go on and on with very little prompting. Very interesting guy, though. I also got to ride back from the San Diego Comic Con one year with Steve Rude.

I don't suppose there's a copy of that interview online somewhere?

I just had an epiphany which I must share. "Honky-tonkin'" is a gay-boyfriend song!

when you and your baby/have fallin-out/just call me up sweet darlin'/and we'll go steppin' out ...

Now I seriously want a disco version.

"Honky-tonkin'" is a gay-boyfriend song!

Of course it is. It's the favorite song of gay astronauts!

I don't suppose there's a copy of that interview online somewhere?

I sincerely doubt it. But I've got a copy of it buried somewhere in my magazines and comic book boxes. Next time I go through those, I'll pull it and make a copy for you if you like. It's mostly (intelligent) ranting about the nature of the comic book business back in the mid-80s, though there's a fair amount about his writing process which is interesting. To paraphrase: "When I was creating Nexus I knew I needed an instant hook. People love characters that kill, so I knew immediately he'd be a killer. But then I had to figure out a way to make that narratively interesting. So I added the idea of a man compelled to kill out an alien's twisted sense of justice."

He was also a huge fan of Carl Barks as a storyteller and referred to Scrooge McDuck a lot.

He was a very interesting guy. He'd been working in alternative journalism (Boston Phoenix etc.) for years before he switched over to comics. It was a very conscious decision on his part and he had real strategy for making it in that world.

It bugs me that so many of the great genre comics of that era are forgotten because they don't belong to DC or Marvel continuity. Nexus was a great, great comic. Had probably the best superhero artist of the age working on it in Rude. And Baron took Whedon-like risks and consequences with his storylines. And the characters were spectacularly cool and interesting. Where are the Judah Maccabee fans of today?!?