February
was a month that just plain got away from me. It was as bitterly cold
in Ohio as I can remember. I was feeling poorly as I prepared for
Akronomicon and ended up leaving the event early when I got quite
ill. Three days later, I was admitted to the MetroHealth hospital in
Cleveland Heights. I was there four days and received excellent care
on all fronts.
I
came home on Friday the Thirteenth, which made my Saintly Wife Barb
nervous. I don’t understand that. She’s never even seen any of
the movies. All kidding aside, she took wonderful care of me as I
slowly recovered from the debilitating effects of being too damn old
for my own good.
If
my being physically ill wasn’t enough, the child-molester-in-chief
and his vile cronies and his idiotic supporters ramped up their
awfulness way past 10. You saw the news. You know the evil they
continued to unleash on our country and the entire world. I wish Hell
would take them all right now.
The
purpose of my daily “Things That Make Me Happy” posts is to
embrace whatever joy each of those days brought me and to share that
joy with all of you. We must hold on the little things as we pray for
better big things to come our way.
Here
are the books and more that brought me considerable joy in the
otherwise shitty month of February.
February
1: Separation
of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible
from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds by John
Fugelsang.
The long title says it all. The best non-fiction book I’ve read in
years.
February
2: Sabrina
Carpenter singing
and performing “Manchild” at the 2026 Grammy Awards. Her lively
appearance made me smile from the start. The choreography and props
were amazing. One of the best awards show performances ever.
February
3: Do
Women Need Sex Entertainment Vol. 1 by Yachinatsu and Sono Yoshioka.
Broke and single, Sono takes an admin job at an escort agency
catering exclusively to women. A delightful, funny and gentle sex
romp. Mature readers only.
February
4:: The
Muppet Show
is back and I loved it. It had the funny quirky feel of the original
but still felt fresh. I was grinning like a kid all through the
episode. Let’s hope this is just the launch of a new series!.
February
5: Godzilla
Legends: Mothra: Queen of the Monsters by Sophie Campbell and Matt
Frank.
IDW continues to produce amazing Godzilla series. This one is a
different and fascinating take on one of my favorite Kaiju.
Recommended.
February
6: Mana
to Miniskirts by Tanya Mondragon.
A gamer nerd is struck by a gender-change virus and navigates her new
reality like a D&D campaign. Transgender romances are often
formulaic, but this one takes a different approach and is
well-written to boot.
February
7: Akronomicon
2026
was a winter horrorland of actors, creators, creatures and vendors. I
was thrilled to connect with old friends like Brinke Stevens and
Nancy Anne Ridder. I will be back in 2027.
February
8: My
Girlfriend is 8 Meters Tall by Wataru Mitogawa.
This manga is more charmingly saucy than sexy as normal-size student
Yumeji tries to make life a bit easier for his childhood friend
Chieri. I love these characters and this series.
February
9: Louis
Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine.
I love the Late Show band and I’m guessing/hoping the new name
means we have not seen the end of this wonderful group of musicians.
Long may they make musical magic!
February
10: “See
the USA in Your Chevrolet!”
I’ve never been a car girl, but when I listen to rising country
artist Brooke Lee singing a modernized version of that tune, I’m
filled with warm nostalgia. What a wonderful way to celebrate the
brand’s 20-year anniversary!
February
11: Godzilla
Kai-Sei Era #1-6 by
Tim Seeley and Nikola Cizmesiga. IDW is breaking the rules with all
kinds of different takes on the Great Scaly One. I prefer traditional
Godzilla, but I can’t deny these are very interesting.
February
12: MetroHealth.
I spent four days in Metro’s Cleveland Heights facility. It was
excellent. A comfortable large room. Staff that was efficient,
friendly and kind, and who always used my correct name and pronouns.
Top marks all around.
February
13: MetroHealth.
Comics writer Jenny was the celebrity of my floor, almost as big as
the soap opera star who was there a while back. I enjoyed talking to
staff members about comics. I didn’t have an appetite, but they
surely fed my ego.
February
14: MetroHealth.
An
amusing thing about my stay at the Cleveland Heights hospital was
people telling me about the deep divide in their families. They were
divided between Marvel and DC. This took me back to the 1960s.
February
15: Sensation
Comics #38 (Facsimile Edition).
I always get a kick out of these DC editions featuring complete
issues of rare Golden Age titles. It’s like time-traveling to a
different era of heroes, gangsters and Nazis.
February
16: Live
with Kelly and Mark.
Saintly Wife Barb got me hooked on this talk show. The banter between
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos pairs well with a breakfast sandwich.
We both love the daily “Stump Mark” segment. Pleasant viewing.
February
17:
Doctor Doom Epic Collection: Enter...Doctor Doom.
I lean towards Victor being the quintessential Marvel villain. These
1962-1969
tales
tales show his beginnings and development. Six decades later, he
still intrigues me.
February
18: The
Leopard from Lime St. by Tom Tully.
Yes, this is a blatant rip-off of Spider-Man with the young hero
getting powers from a radioactive leopard. But, gosh darn it, it’s
funky fun and I’m enjoying it immensely.
February
19:
The Gorgon (1964).
I’d not seen this British horror movie until it aired on Svengoolie
recently. I saw the ending coming but the film itself was well acted
with decent suspense and a real sense of tragedy. I liked it.
February
20: Christine
Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography
was a gift from a Facebook friend. She was the most famous transwoman
of the 1950s and beyond, yet I knew little about her. This great book
is filling in the gaps for me.
February
21: The
Complete Yancy Street Gazette.
The YSG was one of the first fanzines I subscribed to. It was also
one of the first I wrote for. I made lifelong friends though its
pages and I am thrilled to see those issues again.
February
22: Men’s
Adventure Quarterly #9.
It’s been a minute or three since I last wrote about this fine
magazine. This issue has gators galore. Lots of great men’s
adventure mags history and chilling croc attacks. What’s not to
love?
February
23: Barb
found this box while
going through stuff. It’s full of my dad’s cuff links and tie
clips. He didn’t get many chances
to use them because he worked six days a week, but he most definitely
had style. I’ll showcase some of these pieces in the near future.
February
24: Tombstone
French Fry Crust Pizza (Loaded Bacon Cheddar).
Frozen pizza’s a go-to here. This was a hit. You could taste the
“french fry” and the bacon and cheddar complimented it. Warning:
it loses something if you eat it cold. Heat the leftovers up.
February
25: Taylor
Tomlinson Prodigal Daughter
(Netflix).
What a sensational stand-up special! Hilarious, insightful, moving,
spiritual. It hit so many marks for me. One of the best stand-up acts
I’ve seen in years.
February
26: Black
Cat Books
in Medina. There are many reasons to love this place. One of them is
the monthly Tatum’s Top 5. It’s rare when my interest is not
piqued by one of this woman’s choices. She has excellent taste. Now
excuse me while I order one of her latest recommendations.
February
27: I hadn’t driven my
SUV
since just before my recent hospital stay. Today, I drove it for the
first time in three weeks. I went to the Medina Library and Carol and
John’s Comic Book Shop, Cleveland’s best. I’m on the road
again.
February
28: Saintly
Wife Barb
bought a new car. It’s a Cadillac XT4 and, if I’m a very good
girl, she may even give me a ride in it. Seriously, she deserves this
vehicle and I am over the moon happy for her.
Here
are the “best of show” winners.
BEST
COMIC BOOK:
Doctor
Doom Epic Collection: Enter...Doctor Doom
BEST
BOOK: Separation
of Church and Hate
BEST
MOVIE OR TV SHOW:
Taylor
Tomlinson Prodigal Daughter
BEST
PERSON:
Barb
Isabella
BEST
OTHER THING: The
Complete Yancy Street Gazette.
As
I mentioned in my previous bloggy thing, I have no convention
appearances scheduled until July when my son Ed drive to Chicago for
G-Fest. I can hazard a guess as to why this is the case, but I’m
honestly not crushed by this situation.
This
will give me the time to finish one major project and make a lot of
headway into a second. If the months go as smoothly as I would like,
I may be able to add a few small projects to the mix. This
excites me.
If,
perchance, you are someone who wants to invite me to appear at your
comics convention or store, e-mail me and we can work out the various
details of such appearances. I’ll do my best to accommodate you.
That’s
all for today. I’ll be back with more bloggy fun in the very near
future. See you then.
©
2026
Tony Isabella