I’m writing this on the first of the month, mere days (or maybe weeks, depending on how crazy things get) from learning if my country will once again commit itself to bringing compassion, decency and fairness back to us or if, instead, we’ll be living in a fascist, faux-Christian hellscape ruled by the obscenely wealthy and their willing enablers. Will I have hope for my and our future? Or will I be waiting for my inevitable demise at the hands of those monsters?
If I think about this situation for more than minutes at a time, it hurts my mind and my soul. So I’ll clutch what joy I can by sharing the things that made me happy in October…
October 1: Exceptional X-Men #1 by Eve L. Ewing, Carmen Carnero, Nolan Woodard and VC’s Joe Sabino. An excellent done-in-one tale of post-Krakoa Kitty Pryde trying to live a normal life. I would love more comics like this issue.
October 2: Junkyard Joe by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, Brad Anderson and Rob Leigh. One of the best comics of the year. A robot far more human than his creators protects brave and decent people from them. Everyone should read this book.
October 3: Fantastic Four #25 by Ryan North, Carlos Gomez, Jesus Aburtov and VC’s Joe Caramagna. “Star-Crossed” is an incredible tale of good choices, romance and survival. I was honestly moved by it. Time to catch up on this run.
October 4: I’m just speechless. Vengeance of the Moon Knight #2 by Jed McKay, Allessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg and VC’s Cory Petit has one of the best Tigra scenes ever written. Made me want to write my creation again.
October 5: It’s The Great British Bump-Off by John Allison, Max Sarin, Sammy Borras and Jim Campbell. It’s also a wondrous send-up of baking competition shows wrapped around a not-quite-murder mystery. This would be a great holiday gift.
October 6: Waking up in the early morning to find our neighbor’s Halloween game is strong indeed. There’s just something magical about fetching my morning newspapers while these creatures keep watch over me. Is this the year I wear a costume?
October 7: Black Cat Books’ Curiosities and Cryptids Festival on Medina’s town square was incredible. So many cool vendors. So many great attendees, some of them in costume. The square was packed with spooky fun. I loved it!
October 8: The Incredible Story of Cooking: From Prehistory to Today by Stephanie Douay and Benoist Simmat. Reading this tome I think I’ve earned college credit in a most entertaining way. A great gift for the chef in your life.
October 9: Dark Ride Volume 1: Hell Ticket by Joshua Williamson, Andrei Bressan, Adriano Lucas and Pat Brosseau. Devil Land is a horror-themed amusement park, the scariest place on Earth and then some. Just the ticket for Halloween reading.
October 10: The Monster That Challenged the World. I first saw this as a kid and watched it again when it aired on Svengoolie recently. Made in 1957, it’s still exciting, fun and just scary enough.
October 11: National Coming Out Day. If you’re coming out, know you are seen and loved. Andy Mangels has posted his rendition of a song that fits the occasion.
October 12: What We Wished For by Ilias Kyriazis. Kids. A comet. A supernatural being who offers to grand them wishes. 35 years later, the comet returns and grants their wishes. This graphic novel is a page-turner and highly recommended.
October 13: Ariana Grande on Saturday Night Live. I knew she was a great singer, but I never realized how funny she is. As per usual, not every sketch was a hit, but she made me laugh way more often than not.
October 14: Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft by David Avallone and Kewber Baal. Avallone is one of the best and funniest writers in comics and that should be more wildly known. This series was both exciting and hilarious.
October 15: Dark Spaces Dungeon by Scott Synder, Hayden Sherman, and Patricio Delpheche is one of the most flat-out terrifying horror comics I’ve ever read. Just the thing for your Halloween reading.
October 16: Joe Fixit #1-5 by Peter David and Yildiray Cinar. Published in 2023, this is the most fun I have had with the Hulk and Spider-Man in years. Action, character, humor, showgirls and mobsters in Vegas, baby! I loved it!
October 17: Spider-Boy #11 by Dan Slott and Paco Medina. I admit I rolled my eyes when I first heard about Spider-Boy. This was the first issue I read of the title. It was fun. It won’t be the last issue I read.
October 18: Kosher Mafia by David Hazan and Sami Kivela. This riveting historical fiction about Jewish gangsters in set in my native Cleveland of 1936. Well-written and well-drawn, this is a must-read for crime comics devotees.
October 19: Nathan Lane. His guest appearance on last Thursday’s Elsbeth (Subscription to Murder) was stunning. SPOILER WARNING. I found myself hoping he would actually get away with the murder he committed. Such a wonderful actor.
October 20: The Pedestrian by Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman. I’m not sure I actually understand this off-beat comic about a costumed hero trying to do the right thing all the time, but I’m two issues in and loving it.
October 21: Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver by Steve Orlando with artist Lorenzo Tammetta. A fun four-issue series with characters that work so well together. Orlando makes the hefty back story easy to follow. Recommended.
October 22: Recognized. From Good Trouble Comics, this wonderful anthology celebrates LGBTQ+ heroes. The stories are moving and the research is impeccable. It’s a great comic book and a great learning guide. Perfect for students.
October 23: Dead Dad by Jay Jay Patton with Kiara Valdez and Markia Jenai. This graphic memoir about growing up with a parent in prison and staying connected. This is a must-have book for public and school libraries.
October 24: Kite Man! A good friend has gifted me with this cool Funko Pop! figure. I’m a big fan of the character from his first comics appearances back in the day to his more recent animation appearances. Hell, yeah!
October 25: Kamora Freeland. Youngest female pilot in the United States. I learned of her from a Spectrum commercial. The spot is one of the most inspirational commercials in recent memory. May she continue to fly high.
October 26: Uncanny X-Men #1 by Gail Simone and David Marquez. I think the most striking aspect of this great series is how well it portrays the pain and sense of loss from the shattering of the Krakoa dream. I had tears.
October 27: Posting daily things that make me happy. Thanks to Trump and his vile followers, these are among the most dangerous and stressful times of my lifetime. I love bringing a little joy into the lives of myself and other decent people.
October 28: Edited by Kel McDonald, Failure to Launch: A Tour of Ill-Fated Futures is a thick collection of comics stories about, well, failures. Part of me is ashamed I enjoyed it so much, but I won’t let that stop me from recommending it to you.
October 29: Sparky’s Pizza (Seville, Ohio) serves up some of the best pizza I have ever had, but their tomato-basil soup paired with a garlicky-grilled cheese sandwich is next-level amazement. I’m drooling just thinking about it.
October 30: The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2024 World Series. To this long-suffering Cleveland baseball fan, the tears of the New York Yankees fans are like unto the sweetest morning dew.
October 31: Dunkin’ Donuts’ Spider Donut. Saintly wife Barb got me this cobweb confection for Halloween. The best part about it was the design, but the chocolate Munchkins donut hole head was tasty. It’s the spooky thought that counts.
Here are my “Best of the Month” picks.
BEST COMIC BOOK/GRAPHIC NOVEL: Junkyard Joe
BEST BOOK: not applicable this month
BEST MOVIE OR TV SHOW: The Monster That Challenged the World
BEST PERSON: Andy Mangels
BEST OTHER THING: The tomato-basil soup with garlicky-grilled cheese sandwich special at Sparky’s Pizza
My next convention guest appearance will be the Akron Comicon, Saturday and Sunday, November 9 and 10 at Emido’s Expo Center, 48 E. Bath Road in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Show hours are 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday. I’ll have more to say about the event in my next bloggy thing, but you can learn just as much and more by visiting the show website.
Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.
© 2024 Tony Isabella
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