Trust the Fortune Cookie.

The cat’s out of the box.

Ever dream of making your cat happier than kid in a candy store? Me either. But I was interested in making something we could both enjoy. It begins with a box.

Then gather some simple supplies, like an exacto, a ruler, Mod Podge, a Sharpie and TV.

Then round up some *old comic books (old as in the ’90s and preferably wimpy characters like the Avengers, Fantastic Four or Silver Surfer).

The next steps are simple: remodel the box as you wish and begin gluing only the finest pages of the comics to the surface of the box.

Finally, make certain there’s plenty of litter in the litter box because your cat is going to plutz! PRESTO! A new bed that your cat AND your guests will find astonishing.

Bonus points if one of the comic pages illustrates former President Bush Sr. with Arab sheiks shaking hands with a d-bag.

My Hero

While passing through the snack aisle recently, my eyes were assaulted by a box of crackers with an image of Spiderman from the most recent film. His new costume looked like it should have a NIKE swoosh on it (Image care of Filmdrunk).

What happened? Why get so detailed and compromise the imagination? Super hero comics are still a huge part of my life and greatly influence my personal work. The Uncanny X-Men, issue 273, was the one that started it all for me. Two pages in was a full spread of all the characters and their names.

From that point on I began collecting and learning.

I was there when the X-Men met Gambit’s wife. I was there when Scott Summers became distracted by Betsy Braddock and nearly lost Jean Grey. I was there when Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton was ripped from his body by Magneto.

The writing and illustrating were flawless! There was amazing back story. There was well thought out imagery that would augment imagination, not overtake it. I can appreciate new generations becoming fans of comic book heroes, but I’m saddened they won’t benefit from the visual stimulation, stories and overall composition and layout comic books presented.