Tops and Bottoms – 10th February 2026. – Never Iron Anything

‘It’s hard to replicate reality. So decide not to.’ – Barry Cheeseman.

My dog hates the rain.

I’ve got to write something this week. I’m a little behind on my self-enforced timeline. Work has me bent double at the moment. By the end of the day my head is porridge and by the end of the week my legs and arms don’t work.

But sometimes over a coffee in the morning the urge takes me. Not exactly a ‘mood’ but instead a combination of motivation and dopamine coupled with strong coffee after a solid 6 hour sleep.

Finally I attained a sleep not interrupted by my dog’s rain induced night terrors. He wakes me with a scamper and a low growl. I flip the covers and sit on the stairs with him talking as he side-eyes me. Then carry him back to his bed and blankets. We took him in knowing he’d been a stray with a biting history. Now he just bites me. Doggie karmic justice I suppose.

Sometimes during this canine care a thought hits and I note it down on the phone. But, many make no sense. (Cut and pasted story ideas genuinely written by sleepy me follow).

‘Star Trek was imaginary’.

‘A psychologist made up of fruity jelly.’

‘Chaos forces are the enemy of the combustion engine.’

‘We live in grids and boxes, movement is imaginary’ (too many comics before bed I think?)

The list goes on and on.

So I also wrote this blog in one go. No editing. All in the moment.

Does it read any different than normal.

Should I care?

Moving onwards. We reach the week of the Lysergic anecdote. How a person can be recreated in the moment. Add into the mix some Coltrane and a man who says nothing but is a hit with the ladies nevertheless.

It’s all in comics. Or at least it should be!

“I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.” – Johannes Kepler (1571–1630)

For those new here. I post my favourite read and my least favourite of the week. I’ll throw in an extra section for fun occasionally too.

Small Press Book of the Week.

This doubles up as an advert for Steve’s appearance this week on the ACP. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while and he didn’t disappoint.

‘Nikki & Ramona’ is just a bootleg preview at the moment. Steve sent me and Falpy a copy last week. It comprises his first two ‘1956’ volumes along with a third part to the story.

A tale of a cooler than cool period in the history of New York, Jazz music, suits, cocaine and prostitutes. But genuinely more uplifting than you might expect. It NEEDS a publisher to pick it up. Have a listen to the episode and hear Steve talk about his craft and this book. I couldn’t be happier to call this dude a friend.

Tops.

A collection. Purchased as I have a love of Keith Giffen’s work and the general vibe of Doom Patrol comics. It’s a fun read. A phrase I’ve been using more recently as code for a place I want to live. ‘Just plain fun’. A melancholic smile appears and the real world floats away.

Bottoms.