This morning on the way to work, I was sitting down on the subway with my ubiquitous ear-covering head phones, listening to music while reading Peter Bagge's "Buddy Does Jersey", the second collection of comics from Bagge's own comic magazine, when in the corner of my eyes I saw a person sitting opposite me behaving like an owl, moving his head and upper body back and forth. His eyes locked with mine; he looked about 50 years old, a little frustrated and frowning, and I quickly removed my head phones.

I: Pardon? He: I've been speaking with you! I: Sorry...I was listening to music. He: Well...what you readin' there? What's the title? I: Um, it's "Buddy Does Jersey", by Peter Bagge. He: Yeah?

Insert a too long, quite bizarre pause here.

He: What type-a comic is it? I: Well, it's about a guy named Buddy and his life. It's about the relationships in his life, during the mid 90s. He: Well, well...son's turning 15 soon. I was thinkin' of gettin' somethin' for 'im.

Something? I hope said kid usually gets something for his birthday. Insert awkward pause here, where the guy just stared at me.

He: Is it violent? With people who hate each-other?

Wow! What a weird second question, I thought.

I: No, not particularly violent, and I wouldn't say it's filled with hate.

About here the train slowed down to stop at a station. The man got up.

He: Oh. Quick, what's it called?

This was in the early morning, the man was on his way and I felt stressed, and even though I'd already given him the title of the book, I could only think of the title of the magazine in which these comics first appeared.

I: "Hate".

The was already moving, looking perplexed as I tried to rectify the situation. Well, I just hope he heard me loudly call out "Buddy Does New Jersey!" and that there were a lot of Americans in the subway cart...