I’m on the last few pages of Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay, which is a wonderful read. It reminds me of my casual relationship with comic books when I was younger. I never collected any, and my passion was never as great as others who collect and treasure graphic novels. But, rediscovering on a recent vacation some copies of The Flash and Firestorm reminded me of their fantastical plots and narrative brevity.

The book’s setting also reminds me that I’ve had a growing fascination with cultural artifacts from the 1920s and 1930s. Many of my favorite movies come from these decades, and most of the music I listen to with any regularity is from digitized 78 rpm records. These decades seem to me to hold a wealth of energy and creative activity. Lately, that’s been what I’m after.