NEO Comiccon was held on Sunday, August 3, from 10 am to 4 pm at the North Olmsted Soccer Sportsplex. Those of you who have read my previous accounts of this annual event know the venue is all artificial turf. It’s easier on the feet and legs than any other convention I attend.
NEO covers two huge playing spaces. Plenty of room for creators and vendors. While I was not presenting as my true self per se, the sign on my table identified me as JENNY BLAKE (FORMERLY TONY ISABELLA). With rare exception, every one called me “Jenny” and, in doing so, made me feel seen and welcome. I especially have to give a shout-out to Don Simpson, my friend oF many decades. When he saw me, he came up to me and said “I don’t believe we’ve ever met. My name is Donald.”
My table was next to Don’s, so we did a lot talking about this and that. On the other side of my space was Dan Berger (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and his wife Jessica. They are amazing and we bonded quickly.
Other creators included Marc Sumerak who has written all manner of cool books, making his first convention appearance in years. He has a new book out: Scooby Doo! and the Attack of the Scooby Snacks (An Official Cookbook): From Scooby Snacks and Pickled Vampire Wings to Fried Moombeams and More. Just writing that long title makes me hungry.
Jason Moore is another amazing creator, penciling and inking a library’s worth of great books and comic books. I also chatted with old friends Dan Gorman, Rick Lorenzo, Ted Sikora, and the legendary Gary Dunn.
Besides being the main artist for American Splendor (Harvey Pekar’s groundbreaking series), Gary has drawn a number of non-fiction graphic novels on a variety of Cleveland and other historical subjects. He was also the main artist on my long-running comics panel The Outbursts of Everett True, featuring a belligerent turn-of-the-century comics character I repurposed as a modern-day comics fan. I wrote well over a hundred of these for Comics Buyer’s Guide, Movie Collectors World and other mags. Gary drew or inked most of them. A Facebook friend said I should write a new Everett in which he weighed in on my transition. So I did...and Gary will be drawing it. I don’t know when and where it will appear at this time. But it’s coming!
Steve Benjamin, a friend of over four decades and a member of my wedding party, assisted me at my table. He even brought a photo of when my Saintly Wife Barb and I attended his sister’s bat mitzvah. She’s as gorgeous as ever.
I sold and signed many copies of DC Pride 2025, which presented my first comic-book story as Jenny Blake. I signed a variety of Isabella-written items while selling DC and Marvel archives and omnibus editions at bargain prices.
The convention’s returning charity partner this year was Super-Heroes for Kids in Ohio. To quote the website:
“Super-Heroes for Kids in Ohio endeavors to spread goodwill through simple acts of kindness, recognizes individuals who have battled through adversity, and encourage the involvement of the community to make a positive difference in the lives of others. The group makes costumed visits to children’s hospitals, special needs centers, and various charitable events whenever and wherever they are needed.”
The group occasionally enlists celebrity cosplayers, so it’s not impossible that Jenny Blake might make an appearance with them in the future. What to wear, what to wear.
The high point of the convention for me was the ready welcoming of my authentic self. Jenny was embraced by old friends and made new ones as well.
In the category of more great news to come, I now have an artist for my new trans super-hero series, someone I’ve wanted to work with for a long time. He’ll also run a Kickstarter so we can get the first issue out to you next year.
To sum up, NEO Comicon was fun and fulfilling. I smile whenever I think about the event. You can bet I’ll be back in 2026.
© 2025 Tony Isabella
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