Aw Yeah Tiny Titans!

I took half a day from work because of a nail-biting specialist's appointment, which luckily turned out well. I was also in and out of the doctors' office in 45 minutes -- and that's having undergone two procedures! Anyway, it was quite clear that celebration was in order, so I headed to Phantom of the Attic. None of this week's comics appealed to me except this gem: 

Tiny Titans! I heard that this children's comic book was fantastic from numerous sources, but wasn't sure if it would be too babyish of a read. Of course, I did read Chi's Sweet Home ... so yeah, that was a dumb concern. This issue is charming and cute and certain panels made me laugh out loud. Sadly, DC has announced that they're cancelling this title after #50, which is just two issues away! Sigh.

I've read the first eight trade paperbacks of Fables, but then lost interest. Honestly, I can't pinpoint a reason why. But I saw the ninth trade at the comic book store a few weeks back, and bought a copy. And it was really good! The Homelanders are preparing for war against the Fables and all of Mundy (i.e. human). Snow and Bigby's wolf-children are getting older and developing interesting personalities of their own. Oh, and the artwork is great, with a noir flair. My only complaint about this volume, and of what I've read before, is that the female characters aren't very memorable. You could argue that either Snow or Rose Red are the strongest female characters, but in this arc they are confined to supporting roles. To his credit, Bill Willingham has announced a spin-off series called Fairest, debuting in March, which will feature the women of Fables. Very exciting! 

One more graphic novel to review: Lynda Barry's lovely One Hundred Demons! God, I loved this book. It's funny, heartbreaking, insightful, and true. Each section is a "demon" Barry tackles, based on an ancient Zen  practice. These includes Barry's Filipino heritage, her painful descent into teenagehood, and quirky thoughts on hate and what it means to hate another person. The art is beautiful. I highly recommend this book!

Now onto the vegan food. J and I are just to going to have leftovers tonight, but the other day we had Tapas Night! 

This basically meant that I got really hyper and cooked a whole bunch of different dishes. From the top left hand corner: Polish Neighborhood Soup (leftover from the previous day), Warm Spinach and Mushroom Salad from Ripe From Around Here, polenta mishmash, and an adapted version of Southern Bowl: Chipotle Black-Eyed Peas (regular mashed potatoes without maple syrup, and no collard greens).

Here's a closer view:

Earlier this week, I made Pasta Puttanesca from Quick and Easy Vegan Celebrations by Alicia C. Simpson. Quick and easy are the key words here. This tasty linguine dish required the chopping of garlic, and then the ability to stir. Really. It took less than twenty minutes to make.