Virtual Memories

Official VM bestest pal Tom Spurgeon turns 39 today! Go celebrate by reading his great interview with Joe Sacco!

Now that he’s opened his birthday package that I sent last week, I can finally reveal the single greatest gag gift I have ever stumbled across. Before you flip out over this, please note that

a) I found it on the used DVD shelf at GameStop, and

b) it cost $1.99

(Click on the pic for a larger version of the image)

I can’t tell you how difficult it was to keep a straight face when I brought the case up to the stereotypically pimply-faced cashier.

This present doesn’t come anywhere close to the magic of the one that Tom sent me for Hanukkah earlier this month: The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen, a collection of comics from the 1950 & ’60s. Amy wrote about it (along with her gift from Tom), and offered up a “self-portrait”.

Here’s an incredibly out-of-context panel:

Thanks for being a great friend, Tom.