America
isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad,
'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free
speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood
boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his
lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of
yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the
symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to
be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in
protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your
classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of
the free".
The
above words come from The American President (1995). They’re part
of the stirring impromptu speech President Andrew Barlett (Micheal
Douglas) gives near the end of the movie. And they’re so damned
true.
America
isn’t easy. You gotta want it. Not the Trump version, but the
decent, hopeful and intelligent version. Looking back at August, I
see an endless tsunami of Trump violating the law and the
Constitution on a daily basis and the Republican members of Congress
violating their own oaths of office by not standing up to this
would-be dictator. I see necessary science and services being gutted
to feel the cavernous maws of billionaires and the insanity of
zealots. I see increasing savagery from the Gestapo-like ICE and,
especially, from the law officers and National Guardsman and military
people who are violating their oaths by carrying out illegal orders.
And the lies. So many stupid lies. Lies so easily proven false.
Hundreds every day and those who support Trump accepting them all as
truth. It’s maddening.
Hitting
alarmingly close to home are the fresh expressions of anti-trans
hate in the wake of the Minneapolis school shooting, whose murderous
maker is characterized as transgender without any nuance whatsoever.
Yes, he apparently considered himself to be trans for a time. Then he
didn’t. Then he de-transitioned. And now there are those calling
for trans people to be rounded up and put it camps. To be stripped of
their health care. To be forced to de-transition. To be outright
executed because they’re trans. This is the country I wake up to
every morning.
For
those who care about facts, the Gun Violence Archive breaks down mass
shooters since 2018. Four of them are transgender. One hundred seven
are non-transgender females. Four thousand twelve of them are
non-transgender males. The vast majority of all the shooters are CIS
white people. The math doesn’t justify the anti-trans hate. But
that kind of hate has always been the key to Republican policies.
I've
known Bob Rumson for years, and I've been operating under the
assumption that the reason Bob devotes so much time and energy to
shouting at the rain was that he simply didn't get it. Well, I was
wrong. Bob's problem isn't that he doesn't get it. Bob's problem is
that he can't sell it! We have serious problems to solve, and we need
serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem
is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in
solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only:
making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it.
August
was rough. I got through it with the love and support of my online
friends and my real life friends. It also helped that there were so many
things that made me happy last month. With sincere apologies, for my
lengthy opening remarks, here are the things that brought me joy in
August…
August
1: Atlas Comics Library No. 4: War Comics Vol. 1. It’s a collection
of the first eight issues of 1950s Marvel’s first war title. I was
truly moved by “Corporal Stanford, Hero of Anzio,” an incredible
story told in a tight four pages.
August
2: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver aired a segment on gang
databases and how their arbitrary nature and inaccuracy have serious
consequences. If I were writing Black Lightning, I would be all over
this story.
August
3: NEO Comicon was amazing! Old friends, new friends, all happy I’m
happy as Jenny. I now have an artist I’ve long wanted to work with
for my trans super hero comic book and discussed other projects with
other artists. More to come.
August
4: The Golden Treasury of Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics by Craig Yoe
(2010) is a big beautiful collection of great kids comics by some of
our greatest comics creators. It’s well worth tracking down. Hours
of fun.
August
5: My Journey to Her by Yuna Hirasawa. An informative and very
detailed real-life manga on the author’s gender-affirming surgery
in Thailand and subsequent changing her gender markers in Japan. I
learned a lot from it.
August
6: Godzilla #1 by Tim Seeley and Nikola Cizmesija with an exclusive
Carol and John’s Comic Shop cover. Exciting start to a new series
which pits Godzilla and other kaiju against a team of “super-heroes.”
I’m on board.
August
7: The Mailman by Andrew Welsh-Huggins is the first in a new series
about Mercury Carter, a freelance “mailman” whose gig is
delivering odd packages and who lives with the aftermath of a brain
injury. He’s an interesting hero. More please.
August
8: My ENJOYNIGHT pajamas. My work attire has been pajamas and
t-shirts. I’m embarrassed by how ratty these would get. I love my
new “uniforms.” Comfortable cotton, short sleeves, Capri pants.
Not a power suit, but I love them a lot.
August
9: The
Atlas Comics Library No. 5: Police Action. From the early 1950s, it
collects the full run of a crime comic that emphasized cops bringing
criminals to often violent justice. I remain a big fan of these
library editions.
August
1O: Woodworking by Emily St. James. Two trans women. One is a
divorced high school teacher yet to emerge from the closet, the other
an out student. They and other characters ring true in this gripping
first novel. Highly recommended.
August
11: My talented friend Jeff Polier created a very cool Black
Lightning shadowbox and sent it to me. I’m impressed by the
focus making something like this takes. The piece now has a home in
my office.
August
12: Universal Monsters: Frankenstein by Michael Walsh and Toni Marie
Griffin. Published by Image Comics, this is a classic and yet fresh
take on the classic. Its characters live in the shadows with madness
and death all around them.
August
13: The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This is the FF movie I’ve been
yearning for. The heroes were wonderfully written and acted. The
story felt authentic. I loved this movie as much as I loved the new
Superman movie.
August
14: Sherrod Brown. No Ohio politician ever fought harder and more
successfully for Ohioans than our former senator. He is expected to
declare for an open Senate seat soon. He is far and away the best
choice for the office.
August
15: Daredevil:
Born Again. I got a kick out of Yusef Kahn (Ms. Marvel’s dad) in
the series. The chemistry between him and Matt Murdock showed genuine
friendship and respect between them. I hope we see more of Yusef and
his daughter.
August
16: Flame Con is happening this weekend in New York. It’s the
world’s largest queer comics convention. To those who hoped to see
me there, I’m going to do my best to join you next year. It’s
clearly somewhere I need to be..
August
17: Writer Steve Orlando was the reason I read Avengers Assemble: The
Serpent Scenario. Simply put, I enjoy his work and he didn’t
disappoint. The Avengers Emergency Response Squad is a genius take on
the Avengers. More please.
August
18: Sunday’s
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver delivered a powerful report on the
Make America Healthy Again “movement” promoted by that menace
Robert Kennedy Jr and equally deranged zealots. Comedy helps me cope
with the madness.
August
19: Creature Clinic by Gavin Aung Than is one of the best kids
graphic novels I’ve read in years. A young doctor cares for
fantastic patients while keeping a big secret from the demanding head
of the clinic: her mother. Highly recommended.
August
20:
Nagata Kabi uses manga to tell true tales of her and troubles, most
self-inflicted. Her latest is My Pancreas Broke But My Life Got
Better. Brilliant but difficult to read because her truth is so raw
and exposed. She’s a genius.
August
21:
Kitty Pryde is a great character, but it seems every writer wants to
layer her with new personalities and traumas. I do like Eve L.
Ewing’s take on her in Exceptional X-Men, but I dread the next
person to write Kitty.
August
22: Savage Dragon #252 by Erik Larsen just surfaced in my Vast
Accumulation of Stuff. From 2020, it’s a hilarious salute to
classic comic strips like Peanuts, Rex Morgan, Thimble Theater, and
Calvin and Hobbes. Very clever stuff.
August
23: The
Naked Gun. Saintly Wife Barb and I saw this in an otherwise deserted
theater. Many laughs, some misses, but, all in all, a worthy
successor to the original. Liam Nesson and Pamela Anderson were
wonderful. More please.
August
24: Jimmy Olsen’s Supercyclopedia by Gabe Soria and Sandy Jarrel. A
super-powerful book is central as the sinister Toy Boy creates an
army of super-villains. Multiverse-spanning fun and action as
Superman’s pal fights the good fight.
August
25: The
Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #9. I’m a big fan of DC animated
titles like this series. From late 2024, Matthew Cody and Dario
Brizuela delivered a cool story making great use of Kite-Man. Had me
smiling from start to finish.
August
26: DC’s Batman Smells Robin Laid an Egg holiday special had me
from the title. The stand-out stories are Deadman by Marv Wolfman and
Dr. Mid-Nite by James Reid, but there’s not a bad tale in the
issue. Worth seeking out.
August
27: The
Glick Center. I returned to MetroHealth’s main campus for a
colonoscopy, It was good, even given what it was. I was properly
gendered. I joked with nurses. I don’t remember the actual
procedure, which I consider a win.
August
28: Superman:
The Last Days of Lex Luthor by Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch, Kevin Nowlan
and David Baron is a big bold thriller that speaks to who Superman is
and why he inspires the world. One of the best Superman tales of all
time.
August
29: Godzilla #1-6 by Kazuhisa Iwata (1988). Dark Horse did a great
job bringing this manga adaptation of Gojira 1984 to the U.S. It
conveys the drama and horror of the Japanese version of the movie. I
would love to see it collected.
August
30: The
Thursday Murder Club (Netflix). A wonderful movie with an outstanding
cast playing great characters. The mysteries are intriguing and
filled with twists. I dearly hope there’s a sequel in the near
future.
August
31: Branza’s
Bake Haus & Market
in Brunswick. I took Barb there for lunch and it was amazing. She had
a cabbage roll and a big pretzel. I had the Rachel, a Reuben with
turkey. Great food and an amazing market. Highly recommended.
BEST
COMIC BOOK/GRAPHIC
NOVEL/MANGA:
My
Journey to Her by Yuna Hirasawa
BEST
BOOK: Woodworking
by Emily St. James
BEST
MOVIE OR TV SHOW:
The
Fantastic Four: First Steps
BEST
PERSON: John Oliver
BEST
OTHER THING: The Glick Center
My
Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales are winding down for the
year. Just two more weekends to go. The second-to-last one will be
Friday and Saturday, September 12 and 13, 9 am to noon at 840 Damon
Drive in Medina, Ohio. The final one is September 26 and 27. I’m
adding new items to the sales every day and I am also planning some
very cool surprises for you. With day-to-day living becoming more
expensive and the possibility my health care costs will increase,
these garage sales (and my eBay store) are important to me. I hope to
see you at them.
I’ll
be announcing some convention appearances over the next few weeks. In
the meantime, I’ll be back soon with more bloggy thing fun for you.
©
2025 Tony Isabella
