Showing posts with label Iron Fist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iron Fist. Show all posts

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Down in the Bardo, Part I: Iron Fist #8, Buddhist Dante's Inferno



For nearly 20 years I bought $10 to $15 of comic books every week. Once that got me a fistful of comics, but no matter how well off I am I can't rationalize that the same amount of money now gets me perhaps two or three 22-page comics. Still I stop by a comics shop every few weeks and pick up something off of the new rack. This week it was Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #8, which turned out to be a Buddhist version of Dante's Inferno. Some of the smartest, most intellectually curious, and well read people I've ever met work in comics. Glad to see that trend continues, even if the business model is a wreck.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

So Much Kung Fu My Body Rejects Poison



Recently I read several books with characters that are so in touch with their bodies, are so Zen, have Kung Fu so bad ass that their bodies reject poison.  The first was the title character in an Immortal Iron First comic book, then later that same day in an audiobook of a Remo Williams, the Destroyer book (Chinese Puzzle, book #3 in the series, which per the authors is much better than their crappy first two novels and the real start of the series).

The notion of bodies rejecting poison concerned me, because I take poison every day.  One of the heart medications that my bionic cardiac system needs to work effectively is based on a rat poison.  Given that I need poison to live, will I ever be pure enough inside that my body would reject poison?

Yes, it will, as I learned last week. 

On a business trip I stopped at a rest area looking for a drink and a snack.  Walking by a McDonald’s I saw that they now offer Fish McBites, which are just what they sound like.  I still eat fish occasionally, so I went to a McDonald’s counter for the first time in eight months and said “one snack size McBites and a small french fry, please.”

Half an hour later down the road I learned that my body does indeed reject poison.  Luckily I was close to my destination and was able to charge through the front door and dash to the bathroom in the nick of time.  No more Fish McBites for me.

My Kung Fu is huge.