In which a silver lining is found and we learn that real cops don't have dinosaurs.

As a good number of things in my life spiral towards their most assuredly grim and emotional ending, I've been trying what I can to keep up my spirits. I've always had a bit of a cheery disposition, and generally speaking I'm rather worry free. This has not been the case of late. But rather than dwell on that, I'm going to dwell on some things that have recently happened that I use to remind myself that all is not crap, and there are still piles of greatness laying around for whenever someone decides to pick them up.

My job at the bookstore is a wonderful one. For one, its a job, which I am forever grateful that I have, when so many people sadly do not. The bookstore is full of amazing people and good memories. And children. So many children. They mostly blend into the sea of people that its my job to watch, but recently there has been a trend happening that makes me happy. More and more children are dressing themselves. This means that the bookstore is filling up with toddlers in various states of chaotic dress and they are still too young and hopeful to worry about being judged by others. Like the little boy wearing elf ears who spent his time looking at barbie coloring books. Then the little girl who was in the store with her father, she was dressed as a knight and spent her time chasing other customers trying to slay them. And my personal favorite, Little Batman. I see this boy in the store all the time. He comes in with his mother and goes about normal shopping business with her, he just happens to be wearing a homemade Batman costume. The cowl is too big for him and constantly falls over his eyes, which usually means he runs into a table, or trips and falls. But, like any good superhero, I've never seen him without his mask. No matter how many times the cloth blinds him or he steps on his cape he doesn't take it off, and I like to think he leaves it on at home also. The image of a toddler in a Batman costume sitting at home eating cereal or coloring, without any concern for anything other than playtime always makes me smile.

And speaking of carefree children and playtime you should all go buy a copy of the comic book Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth. Axe Cop is perhaps the second best thing on the planet right now. It is illustrated by Ethan Nicholle, who knows what he's doing well enough to get paid for it, and written by his six year old brother, Malachai. The comic is about Axe Cop, who is a cop with an axe. He is, of course, different from Normal Cops, who don't have axes. Normal Cops also don't have dinosaurs. Axe Cop's dinosaur is named Wexler, in case you were wondering. And with other characters like Uni-Avocado Soldier (which is an avocado. Thats also a soldier. With a unicorn horn... Obviously.) and Leafman, and The Best Fairy Ever, reading the comic is just like being six again, surrounded with action figures, with cartoons on the TV and no concerns other than who is going to have Their Head Chopped Off in the next fight. Which is how the comic is written. The two brothers sit around the house with their plastic axes and sunglasses (because all Good Guys wear sunglasses) and they play with toys while Ethan asks questions and takes notes as Malachai narrates what's happening. The end result is one of the best comics I've read in a very long time, full of wisdom like "nighttime is the best time to kill Bad Guys because they are asleep."

And speaking of reading and the second best thing on the planet, lets move onto the best thing on the planet. My brother is Talented. He's also just published his first book for kindle and various other e-reader things that involve technology that I am unfamiliar with because I find it to be scary. The book is called Engines of the Broken World and it is what I like to call A Really Good Book. To quote from the Amazon listing...

 "When Merciful's mother dies during a brutal, early snowstorm, she and her older brother Gospel are left almost alone in a dying hamlet. With only the questionable aid of a strange, shapeshifting Minister, they will discover that death is not neccessarily final any longer. As the blizzard worsens and horrible secrets become clear to them, Merciful will be forced to make decisions that will either save or doom her world." 


Sounds good, huh? Well, what that little snippet doesn't tell you about is the Horrible And Dangerous Fog Of Doom...  Occasionally I will read something that makes me terrified of something that I shouldn't be. The HADFOD in this book does that to me for fog. I used to think that fog was kinda neat. I liked the muffling effect it seemed to have on life, and the fact that I never really feel cold in fog. A bit chilled perhaps, but never cold. Now fog scares me. The other day I woke up and it was foggy outside and I was convinced that that was The End. Thankfully, not everything in books is real and the world wasn't devoured by HADFOD and we can all continue to read others books by Jason Vanhee, some of which I've read already, and all of which fill me with more pride that should be allowed. The book is incredibly well written, with characters who are memorable and unique. This endorsement doesn't come from a sense of familial duty... anyone who knows me knows that I'll be honest to your face, feelings be damned. This endorsement is because I truly mean that it is A Really Good Book. Which you should go buy right now. Or I'll chop your head off.