Rail-thin and timid as a kid, I often was the target of a neighborhood bully named Tommy S (I’ll withhold his last name). Beefier by far and a year or two older, he picked on me mercilessly, often causing me to retreat to the safety of my bedroom.
During those moments of isolated despair I became fixated on those old Dynamic Tension ads that ran in the comic books of the day. For the unfamiliar, the illustrations depicted a skinny fellow named Mac enjoying a pleasant day at beach with his girlfriend. The bucolic scene is suddenly interrupted by a boisterous lout who kicks sand in Mac’s face.