Why does Taipei have a comic book shop? Not a manga shop, of which there are gazillions, but an American-style hole-in-the-wall comic shop? Dunno, but there it is in an alley off Xinyi Road: Banana Comics, purveyor of imported American comics to…to who? Taipei is filled with shops that make you wonder how they stay in business, but Banana takes the prize. I’ve never seen another customer inside.

But it’s just the antidote for a mind-numbing, writer's-blocked day at the office. I rocketed over to Banana after work and dug through the box of new arrivals. Alas, All-Star Superman #2 was sold out, so I settled for All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #3—which turned out to be one of the worst pieces of crap I’ve ever read. It was written by Frank Miller, who wrote and drew The Dark Knight Returns, one of the only things that made my high school years bearable. Frank’s heart doesn’t seem to be in it anymore.


Fortunately, sushi never lets you down. It nourishes the body and restores the soul: tea warms your stomach, wasabi dilates your sinuses, and the body is suffused in the contentment and sense of well-being that several plates of raw fish bring.

I like to practice a little autosuggestion after sushi. The method is simple: Sit upright on your stool at the sushi counter. Breathe deeply and regularly through the nose. Watch the plates pass before your eyes on the conveyor belt. You are detached; you have eaten; you are not hungry. Gradually relax your body, beginning with your eyes and working slowly down to your toes. Silently repeat your suggestion three times, once with each breath. (Mine was “In the morning I will be bursting with fun and interesting ideas.”) Then, beginning at 99, use the passing sushi plates to count backwards to zero.

In the morning, I was bursting with fun and interesting ideas. Unfortunately, none had anything to do with my new book, so the day was as mind-numbing as the day before.


But now the weekend is here. The stairwell of my apartment building is filled with cigarette smoke, from the neighbors who are already 12 hours into their weekly mah jong marathon. They won’t stop until Monday morning.

For my own relaxation, I hope to find time to see V怪客 (Stranger V), which opened last night. The comic it’s based on has always been a favorite; I re-read it last night for the first time in years and still enjoyed it. The movie is getting crummy reviews, so I’m braced for disappointment.