A quick appointment at Dr. Frankenstein's

I probably would have knocked out Havana today if I hadn't grabbed a comic book on the way out the door.

I have a friend who runs a comic book store and he always has the kickass recommendations for me. He knows I don't like superhero comics--except maybe Daredevil and Batman (the darker stuff)--but he does know I like the horror. This was one he told me I should read and, as usual, he was spot on.

Anyway, I took it with me on the metro and I read that instead.

In a nutshell, Frankenstein is intelligent, misunderstood and a superhero. The writing is good, the art is good.

If you dig comics at all, Dr. Frankenstein (which is up to issue 3, now) is a good read.

Halfway through Havana

Well, I'm a little more than halfway through and digging it, as expected. Hell, it is a Swagger novel, so there is no surprise.

I think Dirty White Boys is still going to be my favorite of the Earl Swagger series, but Havana is by no means a disappointment. It's like comparing Casino and Goodfellas. They both rock, but you also have a preference.

No surprises have hit as yet, and Earl has only been shot once, but there's still 200 more pages of glorious badassedness, so there's plenty of time.

Havana

I'd like to say I'm plowing through two books right now--Havana by Stephen Hunter and Oogie Boogie Central by M. Stephen Lukae--but I'd only be fooling myself.

It's all about Earl Swagger and there's no doubt I will not put down Havana until I'm done. Don't get me wrong, I was really digging the Boogie, but I saw Hunter's newest at the bookstore and ol' Swagger was going to kick my ass if I didn't buy it.

If you are unfamiliar with the Swagger books (be it Earl or his son, Bob Lee), you are missing out. Both character are tough-as-nails, badass sons-of-bitches. These are the guys you want on your side anytime, all the time.

Havana takes place in Cuba during the 50s, before Castro came into power. Ol' Earl is "recruited" from his job as an Arizona police officer to be a bodyguard to a Congressman who is visiting Havana, but, as always, things aren't always what they seem.

I'm about 100 pages in and completely digging it. It's been a while since I've hung out with one of the Swaggers, so we have a lot of catching up to do.

Here is a link for the books to read, in chronological order. As that list has not been updated since Havana's release, I would place Havana third in the series.