🌏 Updates and rec's
New developments, including a very good excuse for why I haven't written in a while.
First thing's first — Alli and I are going to travel through Asia for a year. Yep. We've quit our jobs and will be backpacking through Southeast Asia, starting in early July in Indonesia and finishing up in Japan next June (The “From fish sauce to soy sauce 2022,” or “FFSSS22” tour). We'll be doing a little remote freelancing, but mostly we'll be trying to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime trip that we've been saving up for. I can’t wait to eat all the things, not be in cold climates, and of course, indulge my love of miniatures.1
I’ve been to Korea and Alli and I went to Thailand together, but everything else is a blank slate and I'm really excited to see it up close. I keep thinking of little details from Thailand like the reserved seating for Buddhist monks on public transit. These small, fascinating details aren't in the guide book, but taken cumulatively, they are one of the things I love most about travel. I hope to capture details like that in my writing — and occasionally, drawing — for this newsletter.
Ok, shocking revelation #2: I broke my collarbone. Very prudently, Alli and I decided to take a motorcycle class so we could be legally insured riding scooters, and also so we would know how to ride them. Turns out, motorcycle/scooter brakes are on opposite sides than that of a bicycle, and you don't have to be going that fast to stop suddenly, fall off, and hurt yourself. Oh well. I'm more than halfway through four weeks in a sling — no surgery needed (yet).
Finally, I have another project to announce: a fiction comic about teleportation called FREE RIDER. It's pretty fun, and I'll have much more to say about it, and show you, very soon.
Recommendations
No fancy name for this segment… here are some things I’ve been into lately, in a variety of formats.
📺 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
I know, there have been a lot of new Star Trek shows lately. But this one is episodic, so it’s focused on a monster/crisis/moral dilemma of the week, and it’s very easy to drop into. Some of cast, like Anson Mount as Cap. Pike, are really excellent. The only thing that hampers it a bit is the prequel trap of knowing that obviously Spock and all of the other familiar characters are going to be fine in the end. Also deeply excited for the new season of “For All Mankind,” which just premiered.
📼 Lucy (2014)
Never would have watched this if I hadn’t been with a friend who enthusiastically vouched for it (Thanks Peter!), and I must admit, this mess of a movie is such a blast. Yes, this is the one where Scarlett Johansson “uses 100% of her brain.” Luc Besson directs ScarJo in a whiplash-inducing 89 minutes of constant “WTF?!” moments that I really enjoyed.
🍽 Making whipped cream
In the Mid-Atlantic, it’s strawberry season. One of the best dinner party desserts is fresh strawberries and cream: get someone to cut the tops off the strawberries while you mix sugar and heavy cream in a stand mixer (or comparable). My friend Zach is quite adept at this, and says to use superfine sugar, because normal sugar can be grainy. You can look up a recipe, but he says to eyeball the amount of sugar, depending on how sweet you want it, and then stop the mixer periodically to see if the peaks stay up. “You have to be careful, it is easy to overbeat and then you will have butter,” he says. Sounds complicated, but it’s not, and it only takes two ingredients and a few minutes. I know some people grew up doing shots from the pressured can o’ whip, but I didn’t, and I think this is plainly better.
🗯 Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne
I picked this up because I was curious about the upcoming show and I was immediately bowled over by the inventive fourth-wall breaking and upbeat adventure story tone. Honestly, ‘80s superhero comics are all over the place in terms of quality, but I was surprised by how joyful this title is. If you like Claremont’s X-Men and Chaykin’s “American Flagg!” you’ll definitely enjoy this. By the way, if you have an iPad and like comics, you really have to get the Libby app and connect your library card. Depending on where you live, there are tons of free comics to read.2
🖥 New_ Public Magazine: The Trust Issue
I am sad to be leaving my job at New_ Public, but I’ll continue to do some freelance newsletter writing. I’m very proud to have finished up this second issue of our online magazine with Editor Wilfred Chan, which one of my bosses called a “parting gift.” There’s some interesting stuff in there, and if like me, you enjoy the nuanced, gray areas of the internet, there’s a lot to check out, including a lot of art by yours truly. This cover, by cartoonist pal Sam Sharpe, is a stunner:
More soon!
– Josh
Don’t worry, Alli, I’m not going to buy too many 😘
I would also really recommend seeing if you can get virtual library cards for other nearby, partner library systems. I use a Montgomery County virtual card to get access to Hoopla, which has even better comics.
Hey Josh - landed here cuz of your work w New_ Public - really dug the MetaFilter piece and joined meFi as a result lol. Excited to keep up w your stuff thru this newsletter!