Used to be only goddamn nerds read comic books. But as comics continue to become recognized as legit forms of both art and literature, going into a comic shop can be pretty intimidating. Thankfully there's Jo, who not only knows her shit when it comes to comics, but has a line-up of great ones you can get started with.

- The Cal McDonald Mysteries, by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith: "This hard-boiled monster detective does a lot of drugs--it's hilarious. Also, he gets shot. A lot."

- Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra: "It just rocks the fuckin' house. I don't know what else to say. Actually, there's really not much more you can say."

- 100 Bullets, by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso: "The longer they continue this series, it gets more and more intense. And even now, you still don't know the whole picture. It's rad."

- Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore: "Why would I recommend it? UmÉ because it's got zombies."

Casey
From Northwest Fitness
1338 NE Sandy Blvd.

It's official--you're fat. Should you go on a diet? Hell, no. Just budget in some extra money for an at-home workout machine. Imagine it, you can watch Trading Spouses while burning calories! Casey suggests these:

- X6200 Vision Fitness Elliptical: "It has most of the options and it's under two thousand. Or, for a little bit more, you can get the X6200 HRT, which tracks your heart rate."

- True 500 ZT HRC Treadmill: "True gets high rankings in consumer reports and it's the quietest treadmill. Also, its got a wide belt, so bigger people don't feel cramped."

- Vision Fitness R 2200 HRT Recumbent Bike: "This has a heart rate monitor, so you can enter in the heart rate you'd like to be working at and the tension loosens and tightens to make sure you're staying with it."

- First Degree Fitness Fluid Rower: "People like this one because water creates the resistance. You're not plugging anything in and you're not wasting any power."