Welcome to this horrible delayed edition of “Things That Make Me Happy.” I’ve been feeling sickly all month and it caught up with me in the form of a four-day stay in the hospital. Nothing life-threatening, but it’s left me very weak. I’m taking it easy as I regain my energy. I set myself modest goals every day and I have been able to meet them.
Here are the things that brought me joy in January…
January 1: 2026. New year, new hopes. While hope alone will not be enough to achieve the better and more just world all decent people seek, it’s the first step in creating that world. Let’s all try to live up to those hopes.
January 2: House of Secrets #83 (January, 1970). The DC horror comics were at their peak here. A sad/happy tale by Marv Wolfman and Alex Toth. A super-scary one by Gerry Conway and Bill Draut. These comics were a training ground for great writers.
January 3: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The third and most intense in the Benoit Blanc series. Daniel Craig gives his best performance yet as the master detective with Josh O’Connor impressive as a troubled young priest. Magnificent.
January 4: Supergirl #5 [November 2025] by Sophie Campbell and Pauline Ganucheau. “Paws and Effect” is a charming tale of the Super-Pets. I laughed out loud when Krypto “thought” he couldn’t understand English because he was just a dog.
January 5: Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns set the NFL’s single-season sack record. The Browns are and have been a train wreck due to their immoral ownership, but individual players can and do rise above that stink. Huzzah to Myles Garrett.
January 6: All-Negro Comics: America's First Black Comic Book is a comics history treasure, reprinting that singular issue with additional commentary and even some new stories. The reprinted material is what makes this a must-read.
January 7: Ed Isabella was sworn in as Medina’s new Councilman-at-Large and, in addition to being named to several committees, he was named chairman of the Streets and Sidewalks Committee. He is the youngest member of the City Council.
January 8: The Daily Show: Jordan Kepler’s masterful takedown of Russian operative and Batman fanatic Benny Johnson is epic and hilarious. My Batman would have never been an inspiration to scum like Johnson.
January 9: Kaijumax Complete Collection Volume One by Zander Cannon. A gritty series about a kaiju prison that’s much grimmer than Toho’s Monster Island. A great example of how much a clever creator can do with this genre.
January 10: On Starlit Shores by Bex Glendining. A graphic novel about grief and growth, made more evocative with a haunting and satisfying supernatural element. It’s aimed at young adults, but this old lady loved it. Recommended.
January 11: Ed Isabella is Medina’s new councilman at large. His swearing in was amazing. Barb held a Bible and my dad’s service flag while our friend Jess administered the oath of office. It was a grand night of pride and family and friends.
January 12: Elvira in Horrorland by David Avallone and Silvia Califano. This five-issue series finds our mistress of the dark traveling through films like Psycho and Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s got laughs, legs and cleavage. I love this stuff.
January 13: Abbott Elementary came back from its winter break to face a new challenge. With their school in need of repair, they relocated to an abandoned mall. Making the space work for their students has been challenging and hilarious. The show is better than ever. .
January 14: Good Life Fine Jewelry and Piercing. This happy girl got her first ear piercing from the wonderful Monica. The photo here doesn’t do justice to the beauty of this jewelry, but there will be better photos in the future.
January 15: Star Trek Starfleet Academy. I enjoyed this. It’s a different kind of Star Trek series with a fascinating premise and characters. Maybe too many, but I’m hoping for episodes that focus on individual crew and students.
January 16: Star Trek Starfleet Academy. Holly Hunter’s Captain and Chancellor Nahla Ake has some annoying tendencies, but when I see her curl up in the command center, all else if forgiven. Her character is a strong principled woman. I’m a fan.
January 17: Star Trek Starfleet Academy. Gina Yashere is amazing as First Officer and Cadet Master Lura Thok. Knowing she’s also a great writer (Bob Hearts Abishola), I hope she gets the chance to write some episoes as well.
January 18: Ripperland by Steve Orlando, John Harris Dunning and Alessandro Oliveri. Post-Brexit England as a Victorian theme park and its own Jack the Ripper. Two stalwart detectives. I want a movie adaptation now!
January 19: Crime Rangoon by Vivien Chien. This new Noodle Shop Mystery finds Lana Lee working with her detective boyfriend to solve the murder of a mystery writer. I can’t believe no one has picked this series up for an ongoing TV series.
January 20: The Godzilla 2026 Wall Calendar. Produced by Trends International, this gorgeous calendar offers a year of terrific Godzilla artwork.
January 21: The New Girl by Cassandra Calin. Lia and her family move from Romania to Montreal. She’s shy. Her French is shaky. Yet she grows during her first year of school in Canada. This is a success story that left me smiling. Recommended.
January 22: Rental Family. One of the very best movies of 2025. Brendan Fraiser is an American actor in Japan who who works for an agency playing roles in the lives of strangers. It’s dramatic and heartwarming. I recommend it highly.
January 23: DC Finest Hawkman Wings Across Time. I liked Hawkman as a kid. I grew to love the character and the intricate plotting and world building of writer Gardner Fox when I reread the comics for my own Hawkman run. These stories are some of the best from DC’s Silver Age.
January 24: Peacemaker Season Two. I thought it was better than the first. More character development. More fantastical events and settings. Both Scarier and more heartwarming at the same time. Sign me up for Season Three.
January 25: Peacemaker Season Two. The close bond between Chris Smith (John Cena) and Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) carries the emotional weight of the season. It is as amazingly odd as it is amazingly right. I believe them.
January 26: Peacemaker Season Two. As Rick Flag, Sr., father of the murdered Rick Flag, Jr., Frank Grillo joins the small racks of TV villains I scream obscenities at. He joins Tobias Whale and Hiram Lodge. Well acted, sir.
January 27: Governor Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey. Her recent appearance was wonderful. She has great ideas for her state. She has a sense of humor. We need more young leaders like her and fewer old farts, Bernie Sanders being the exception.
January 28: Catherine O’Hara. I’m happy for the truly wonderful entertainment she brought me and countless others. She was one of the funniest performers of all time. I mourn her death, but celebrate her life.
January 29: Sarah Sherman. With the departure of Bowen Yang, she is my new favorite Saturday Night Live cast members. She’s cute and hilarious and obviously game for whatever the writers throw at her. I want to hang with her.
January 30: Greg Ketter, founder of DreamHaven Books & Comics in Minneapolis. His protest of ICE as tear gas swept around him was inspirational. Comics have always been “woke” and that’s one of the things I most love about them.
January 31: Troll 2. A sequel even better than the original. The stakes are greater. The human stories are more intense. This is a film that explores heroism and humanity, courage and fear, and will leave you stunned by how good it is.
Here are the “best of show” winners.
BEST COMIC BOOK: Elvira in Horrorland
BEST BOOK: Crime Rangoon
BEST MOVIE OR TV SHOW: Rental Family
BEST PERSON: Ed Isabella
BEST OTHER THING: Godzilla 2026 Wall Calendar
This is where I would normally tell you about my next convention appearances. Alas, I have no such events scheduled for the rest of February, March, April, May and June. I’m sad about this. I feel like the girl who never gets a Valentine’s Day card.
However, I’ll make good use of the time, writing stuff, working on various other projects, getting ready for the year’s comics and pop culture garage sales, which will commence as soon as the weather permits. I would love to have that be April, but it will more likely be May.
Still, if you’re a convention or events promoter and would like me to appear at your show, just e-mail me and we’ll work out an agreement to make that possible.
That’s all for now. I hope to have new bloggy things for you on a more regular basis. Until then, be brave, be kind, and be your true selves.
© 2026 Tony Isabella
