June
was Pride Month. It brought so many wonderful moments into my life
that I will be devoting an entire blog to all the events I attended
and the truly awesome people I met at them. I’ll also be writing
about the DC Pride 2025 anthology and the reaction to my story
therein.
I
experienced one more happy thing on the last day of June. As my
Facebook followers know, the Hickory Ridge movie theater in nearby
Brunswick, Ohio, is one of the select theaters across the country
that screens movies from the Asylum. These films run one week, one
showing per day, and the Asylum pays the theater to run them. As near
as I can ascertain, this is so the filmmakers can say their films had
a theatrical release. Which likely helps their overseas sales. If
there’s more to it, please feel free to enlighten me.
This
time around the movie was Jurassic Reborn, ninety minutes of CGI
velociraptors on a secluded island shredding the humans who dared
bring them back and an assortment of security guards and villains.
Daniel Baldwin is the main villain and he chews the scenery like he
was a thespian raptor. If you like off-brand movies like this, and
you know I do, it’s fun.
Normally,
when I see an Asylum picture at the Hickory Ridge, I’m the only one
in the theater. This time there were several other people, a couple
of whom thought they were going to see Jurassic World Rebirth. That’s
why the Asylum refers to films like this one as “mockbusters.”
Anyway, for a change, it was kinda nice to not be sitting alone in
the theater.
Like
theater #1, which we all went to because our tickets were printed
with the wrong information. Or like theater #2, where because of
equipment problems, we all had to move to theater #8. Where working
out the problems meant the movie started about 40 minutes late. We
were offered free drinks and popcorn.
I
was sitting in a row with a comics fan and his son. We’d never met
and he was pleased to know a long-time comics writer lived in the
area and held regular comic books and pop culture garage sales. He’s
going to try to attend the next sales.
Not
a bad way to end the month. Watch a fun cheesy monster movie and meet
some new people. I’ll take it.
Here
are some
of the other things that
brought me joy in June.
June
1: HGTV’s
Ugliest House in America has started a new season and I’m both
fascinated and horrified as host Retta takes us to a house that is
wall-to-wall moldy carpets, including the walls themselves and the
ceilings. Oh my stars and garters!
June
2: Anyone
Comics (a fine store in Brooklyn, New York) has delivered my ordered
copies of DC Pride 2025. I’ll have them for sale at my next garage
sales. Just ten bucks each and, if buy
from me,
I’ll
sign them for free.
June
3: Kosher
Mafia
by David Hazan and Sami Kivela made
my list last October. I’ve now read the entire historical fiction
series about gangsters and Nazis in Cleveland
of 1936. Hazan
and Kivela absolutely nail the landing. Highly recommended.
June
4: Public
Domain Volume One: Past Mistakes by Chip Zdarsky. The creator of The
Domain, super-hero star of comics and movies, gets little recognition
or reward for his genius. But that might be changing. An outstanding
series!
June
5: Pride on the Square. In my home town Medina, hundreds of LGBTQ+
folks and our allies came together to celebrate and show support for
our community. It was a great event, made all the better because my
wife and son joined me for it.
June
6: I’m happily catching up with Randy Reynaldo’s delightful Rob
Hanes Adventures series. Issue #22 has a story that spans seven
decades with hidden Nazi gold, paramilitary villains, an old enemy
and a lost love. Spectacular fun.
June
7: Pride in the CLE (Cleveland). Over 25,000 good people, members of
the LGBTQ+ community and our allies, came together in a lovely
life-affirming day. As Jenny and Tony, I was recognized by comics
fans wanting me to sign DC Pride 2025.
June
8: John Force, Magic Agent ran three issues and a pair of bonus
tales, but I loved the low-key 1960s series about a secret agent with
a magical talisman. If I had extra cash after buying DC and Marvel
titles, ACG was my go-to publisher.
June
9: Barry
Pearl. I had a great phone conversation, catching up with my
long-time pal and noted comics historian. We talked about comics, our
lives, and mutual friends. We’re hoping to do a better job of
staying connected.
June
10: Bullet Train Explosion (Netflix). A 2025 Japanese movie filled
with deadly bombs, political intrigue, edge-of-your seat suspense,
shocking surprises and an amazing group of interesting actors and
characters. I love this movie!
June
11: Pat Sajak was in excellent form for his final hosting of
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. It’s probably not in the cards, but I’d
love to see him continue in that role. He remains a still vital elder
game show icon.
June
12: All
those who give emotional support to their trans children, fellows,
friends and partners and to trans people they don’t know
personally. We are a community under siege and it’s a hard way to
live. Thank you.
June
13: The Amateur. Rami Malik is outstanding as a CIA decoder whose
wife is killed by terrorists. He uncovers CIA involvement with the
killers and goes after them. I love films where the bad guys meet
their just fates. An outstanding movie.
June
14: Catching up with Alex Krislov, my dear friend of many decades. I
took him to two of my favorite places in Medina: The House of Hunan
and Black Cat Books. I learned being photographed next to a skeleton
is not a slimming effect.
June
15: Louis
Isabella. My dad and I didn’t always see eye to eye, but he was
more supportive of my writing than any member of my birth family. The
pick of his parents’ litter, he once said I was the pick of his. He
inspires me to this day.
June
16: Godzilla Monopoly. For Father’s Day, Barb and our kids agreed
to play this, which I’ve owned unopened for five years. We had such
a good time I’m keeping it so we can play it again. Highly
recommended. The Big G brings the fun.
June
17: Murderburg
by Carol Lay. It’s a delightfully dark humor collection of comics
stories about a sinister small town off the coast of Maine with a
semi-retired mobster for a mayor and oh so many deadly corners. I
love it!
June
18: Fubar
(Netflix).
I binge-watched the
action
comedy spy series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. A cast of fun
characters with crazy situations, lots of twists and turns and
satisfying resolutions. Two seasons of solid entertainment.
June
19: The
monthly lunch of friends who were part of the late Dave Massaro’s
movie club. I’ve known these guys forever. They were fine with my
transitioning. That’s not the case with some people in my life, so
I’m very grateful.
June
20: Fortune Feimster. The actress/comedian was delightful as Roo on
the Netflix series Fubar. She was utterly relatable as a talented CIA
agent and an acerbic lesbian. She had some of the funniest lines in
the series to date.
June
21: Secrets of the Bunny Ranch (A&E). A documentary series about
the world's most famous brothel and the HBO series that popularized
it. It’s especially unsettling for me because a dear friend worked
there for a time. Recommended.
June
22: Time Travelers (Berkley, Michigan) hosted my first ever signing
as Jenny Blake. This store has everything a fan could want, including
a super staff. I was warmly received by all and hope to return soon.
June
23: I was a special guest at the Berkley Pride Block Party, across
the street from Time Travelers. I gave a short talk about my journey
and how the LGBTQ community goes forward. I also gave the countdown
for the party’s color toss.
June
24: Marvel’s Ironheart is streaming on Disney+. A version of
Rampage, a villain I created for the Champions in the 1970s, appears
in the series. It’s always a thrill to see my name in the special
thanks credits.
June
25: The
Skechers
Women's Hands Free Slip-Ins Sneakers
have become my go-to footwear. They go with almost everything and are
so comfortable. I wore them all day during my visit to Berkley,
Michigan and have ordered a second pair.
June
26: We celebrated son Eddie’s 37th
birthday at Fat Head’s Brewery in Middleburg Heights. Joining us
were daughter Kelly, dear friend Jess and Uncle Terry. Nice place,
great company, too much food. It was worth the food coma. .
June
27: John Lutz. He’s hilarious as the “Leave Him Alone” guy on
Late Night with Seth Meyers. He’s also a writer for the show. As
someone considering trying my hand at stand-up comedy, I love seeing
writers perform.
June
28: The
Day the Earth Blew Up. While it isn’t an animation classic, it is
ninety minutes of good, occasionally heartwarming fun. I’m glad to
see Porky and Daffy get a star vehicle and hope we get more films
like this.
June
29: Dept.
Q (Netflix). I’ve watched one episode of this UK show about a new
police department dealing with unsolved cases. It has a terrific cast
of rough around the edges characters and plenty of thrilling twists.
I’m hooked.
June
30: Behemoth
by Grant Sputore, Ryan Engle and Jay Martin. Swallowed alive by a
monster, a group of people fight to escape. It’s a different kaiju
thriller with scary moments galore and a satisfying conclusion.
BEST
COMIC BOOK/GRAPHIC NOVEL:
Public
Domain Volume One: Past Mistakes
BEST
MOVIE OR TV SHOW:
Fubar
BEST
PERSON: Louis Isabella. I miss you, Dad.
BEST
OTHER THING: Time Travelers in Berkley, Michigan
July
continues my 2025 Vast Accumulation of Stuff comic books and pop
culture garage sales. You can find much more information on my
various social media, but, for now, here’s the schedule for June:
FRIDAY,
JULY 11
SATURDAY,
JULY 12
FRIDAY,
JULY 18
SATURDAY,
JULY 19
FRIDAY,
JULY 25
SATURDAY,
JULY 26
The garage sales are held from 9 am to noon at 840 Damon Drive in Medina, Ohio. We accept Cash and PayPal.
Thanks
for stopping by. I’ll be back with more bloggy things in the near
future.
©
2025 Tony Isabella
