There won’t be an online Vast Accumulation of Stuff sale this week. I’m catching up on some writing, working on a business matter and keeping myself loose if my father comes back home from the extended care facility he’s been in for close to month.
My legendary Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales aren’t going to start until the first weekend in June this year. Between such important events as daughter Kelly graduating from The Ohio State University in May, the new Godzilla movie hitting the theaters in mid-May, and the out-of-start wedding of our neighbors’ oldest son at the end of the month, I’m not going to be able to devote as much time to preparing the garage sales as I had hoped. When the sales do start, though, they’ll be held almost every Friday and Saturday morning, 9 am to noon, through the month of September.
I remain in good health and in good financial shape. However, with the likelihood of additional expenses for this and that coming my way, I’ll be taking on more paying gigs than I’d originally planned for 2014. Some of these have already been lined up, but I’m open to others as well. E-mail me if you’re interested.
I’ll be attending PulpFest 2014 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus, Ohio, August 7-10. I’m not a guest of the show. I’m just going to hang out with friends and relax. Unless I’m invited to a really great convention this summer, one that will cover my hotel and travel expenses, that’s the only convention I’m going to this summer. I will be attending the Wizard World Ohio Comic-Con and the Akron Comic-Con later in the year.
Let’s see what else I have for you today.
******************************
I watched Frozen over the weekend with Kelly, my “other daughter” Giselle and Sainted Wife Barb. I liked it a lot, so much that I’d rank it as one of the best “Disney Princess” movies. Apparently, a bunch of right-wing lunatics have deemed the film an attack on all that is holy. Now the right-wing baffles me frequently, but I can usually figure out where their ignorant complaints are coming from.
In this case, I had to go online to suss it out.
Much to my surprise, Frozen is a challenge to things the right-wing finds alarming. A scene in a sauna that takes about a second of the film may or may not indicate the presence of a same-sex couple with children. Elsa’s empowerment is a threat because she probably won’t be happy earning 77% of what male rulers earn. The love between her sister Anna is maybe kind of gay. Women have minds of their own. Living snowmen are dark sorcery from Hell, which makes me wonder if that place has, indeed, frozen over. I didn’t dig any deeper, but there’s probably something kinky about the reindeer. And, not that it has anything to do with Frozen, but the Disney Company no longer donates to the Boy Scouts of America on account of the Boy Scouts discriminating against the gays.
There are two things to take from this.
One, the right-wing is ridiculous. If they weren’t nigh-criminally insane and capable of hurting so many innocent people, I would hire them to entertain at parties.
Two, I like Frozen even better now than I did when I first watched it. Go figure.
******************************
Speaking of movies, I’m hoping this summer’s Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales are successful enough that I can afford to buy some of the great and not-so-great films that will be available on Blu-Ray soon.
A 40th anniversary edition of Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles will be released next month. I’ve never made a list of my top ten favorite movies, but, if I did, this crazy western spoof would be on it. The movie made me laugh out loud the first time I saw it and, all these years later, it still makes me laugh out loud.
The most recent Previews catalog offered a trio of Godzilla movies from the 1960s and 1970s on Blu-ray: Ebirah Horror of the Deep (aka Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster), Godzilla Vs. Gigan (aka Godzilla on Monster Island) and Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (aka Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster). I already own all the Godzilla movies - as well as all of the Gamera movies - on DVD, but I have a hankering to upgrade them to Blu-ray versions. The three Godzilla movies are due to hit the stores in early May. The two-volume Gamera: Ultimate Collection is also due out next week.
The 1998 Godzilla movie by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich wasn’t really a Godzilla film, but it did spawn a pretty terrific cartoon series. Godzilla - The Complete Animated Series will be available next week, but only on DVD. I’ll buy it anyway.
******************************
Here’s an interesting observation from my friend Tom Hegeman, who has given me permission to share it here:
I assume that new Donald Duck stories are still being produced, if not here, then in other parts of the world. And I assume that some of the stories feature the Junior Woodchucks. I wonder if [these stories] still have the nephews reading a paper copy of the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook, or if they are using it as an app on their smart phones.
Now I’m wondering, too. If the Guidebook has been adapted to such technology, I’d love to see scans of panels showing Huey, Dewey and Louie accessing the Guidebook by computer or phone.
******************************
Much to my surprise, I received a small check from DC Comics marked “participation” for the fourth quarter of 2013. It was a wee tiny check, but it came with 22 pages of confusing documentation which I assume all those means were meant to show where the small amount of Black Lightning money was coming from. It should surprise no one who knows DC Comics that it did a piss poor job of that. I added up the participation amounts on the 22 pages. The total I arrived at was around $500 more than what DC paid me.
If DC would simply return all Black Lightning rights to me and sign a license allowing me to reprint my own Black Lightning stories, I would be happy to give them 30% of whatever profit I make from my use of Black Lightning. It would be an honest accounting instead of this horseshit they send me.
I arrive at the 30% participation payment because, though I remain adamant that I am the sole creator of Black Lightning, I would also give 10% of whatever profit I make from my use of my character to artists Eddy Newell and Trevor Von Eeden. That would be 10% each. In addition to what I would pay them to draw new Black Lightning stories once I figure out how to revamp Jefferson Pierce for 2014 and beyond.
I’m sure DC will be calling me any second now to accept this deal. It’s a much better one than the company gives me.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
© 2014 Tony Isabella
I know it will never happen, but I am sure that I am one of many Jefferson Pierce (and Tony Isabella fans) that would go absolutely wild if you were able to give us a modern take on your creation.
ReplyDelete