Friday, August 30, 2019

NEW BLOGGY THINGS RESUMING SUNDAY

To my dear bloggy friends...

I've been dealing with a number of issues of late, but am working my way through them. None od them are life-threatening or even life-altering...with the possible exception of a Dumpster President who seems determined to do as much damage to the environment, our country and the world before he's voted out of office and, shortly thereafter, sent to prison for the rest of his hopefully miserable life. But I digress.

I owe a bunch of people responses to e-mails and more. I don't think I've forgotten any of you. I have this list I'm working through. But, just in case, your e-mail got lost in the crazy mix that is my life, please e-mail me at your earliest convenience.

I'll be back on Sunday with the list of things that made me happy this month. That will be followed by my long-awaited (Hah!) review of The VeliciPastor and that will be followed by a mix of comics convention reports and other things. I literally have a half-dozen bloggy things in various stages of completion. 

For the most current news on all things Tony Isabella, check out my Facebook page

Enjoy your weekend. See you soon.

Monday, August 26, 2019

UPDATE: MY FINAL GARAGE SALE OF 2019

Life happens. At this particular time, it happened in the form of necessary garage and home repairs, not remotely serious medical appointments, organizational problems and even several work-related matters and meetings. Because of this, I’m postponing my final Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sale of 2019 to Friday and Saturday, September 6-7. It will still be held at 840 Damon Drive, Medina, Ohio. That’s the only garage I own.

Because this is my final garage sale of the year, I’m extending my usual garage sale hours. I’m determined to make it possible for as many fans as possible to take advantage of this sale.

Friday, September 6: 9am to 1pm, and 3pm to 7pm.

Saturday, September 7: 9am to 1pm, and 3pm to 7pm.

By appointment, I am also willing to open on Sunday, September 8. The same appointment policy holds true for Monday through Thursday, September 9-13. To set up these appointments, you have to e-mail me or text me via my cell phone number. If you already have my cell phone number, you will be able to text me. If not, you’ll need to e-mail me. If you have my old land line number, it won’t do you any good. I unplugged that line due to excessive scam and spam callers.

This year’s garage sales have not been as successful as I’d hoped. For 2020, I’m going to be rethinking how I do them and whether I’m going to do them at all. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that this last garage sale of 2019 will be my last one.

My game plan for the next ten days before this garage sale is to make it as terrific as I can. One of my goals is to have more $10 mystery boxes than ever before.

Another is to offer some discounts on large purchases. Excepting only the mystery boxes, you will get $5 off on any total purchase over $50. You will get $10 off on any total purchase over $100. You will get $15 off on any total purchase over $150. You will get $20 over any purchase over $200. You’re seeing the pattern, right?

I’m going to go through my dollar comics boxes and put a bunch of them into my quarter boxes. With the exception of my Commando digests, my fifty-cent tables will be quarter tables.

I’m going to reduce prices on just about everything else that I’m selling. A good number of my hardcovers and trade paperbacks will be either put on the quarter tables or put into my mystery boxes. My overall goal is to have as little stock left over as possible, allowing me to start anew in 2020.

As always, I’ll sign any Isabella stuff for free at my garage sale. It doesn’t matter if it’s an item you’ve purchased from me or that you’ve brought with you.

Look for further information on this garage sale on Craig’s List, Facebook and Twitter. I also plan to give the Medina Gazette just one more chance to see if advertising there can move the needle on my bottom line in a positive direction.

In other matters...

My next convention appearance is the Flaming River Con, September 21 at the Cleveland Public Library’s downtown branch. This is the second year for the Midwest’s only LGBTQ comics convention. I will be appearing on a panel during the convention and doing a signing to benefit the convention that evening. I’ll have more details on these in the near future.

In October, I’ll be a guest at the Fanboy Expo Comics Convention in Knoxville, Tennessee. The dates are Friday through Sunday, October 18-20 at the Knoxville Convention Center. Celebrity guests include prominent voice actors like Rob Paulsen and reunions of actors from movies and shows like The Addams Family, Scream, She’s All That and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’m the only comics guest who’s been announced at present, but there will be more added in the weeks to come. For more information, visit the website.

I’m doing two shows back to back in November. Under new management, the Akron Comicon will be held November 2-3 at Emidio's Expo Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Less than a week later, I’ll be attending the Grand Rapids Comic-Con, November 8-10, Grand Rapids, Michigan. I might also do a library event near the end of the month in Ohio.

I’m not currently scheduled for any December events.

I’m also not scheduled for any conventions in 2020. Obviously, I’m hoping that changes. If it doesn’t, well, I’ll be able to spend a lot more time writing, preparing for next year’s garage sales and planning more household renovations.

If you’re a promoter that would like to have me as a guest at one of your events, or a college or library that would like to have me speak at your institution, e-mail me as soon as possible. Whenever I hear from you, I’ll send you my appearance requirements and see if we can work together for our mutual benefit. 

Quick tip. Don’t come with a request for me appearing on panels at your event in exchange for a free table. Honey, I don’t get out of my pajamas for a free table. That’s why you don’t see me at Wizard World shows anymore, not even in Cleveland or Columbus.

One more thing...

I don’t say this often enough but I am immensely gratified by the love and respect shown to me by the cast and crew members who work on the incredible Black Lightning TV series. I am equally gratified when comics industry professions - my fellow creators - come up to me and express their delight in my good fortune.

I know few creators have received this kind of support. I know how lucky I am that Black Lightning (on TV) is in the hands of talented people who understand and embrace the core values of my creation. Who are as determined as I have always been to tell not just great stories about these characters, but meaningful stories about their world and, by extension, our troubled society.

The only downside to this bounty of good will is that I constantly ask myself “Why me?” Why doesn’t this extend to all the incredible comics creators who have so informed our blockbuster movies and TV series? You know the names and the work of these creators without which these movies and TV shows would not exist.

Comics publishers and the entertainment industry in general should do everything in their considerable power to keep these creators working in comics and to get them involved in movies and TV shows and whatever other venues in which their creations appear.

They deserve it. Their creative wells are not dry. They have much to offer. Most importantly, it’s good for business. The next great comics/movies/TV blockbuster will not come from one of the suits. It will come from a creator with a vision for something only they can bring to life.

I’ll be back soon with more bloggy stuff.

© 2019 Tony Isabella

Saturday, August 24, 2019

TONY'S TIPS #313

This week in TONY'S TIPS from Tales of Wonder...Some comments on comics trends plus my reviews of Red Sonja: The Falcon Throne by Marguerite Bennett with artists Aneke and Diego Galindo; Black Widow: No Restraints Play by Jen and Sylvia Soska with art by Flaviano; and Geek Girls Don’t Cry: Real-Life Lessons From Fictional Female Characters by Andrea Towers!
                                                                                
                                                                                  


DATE CHANGE: LAST GARAGE SALE OF 2019

I'll have more details on this shortly, but, due to several medical appointments - nothing serious - and the need to get some electrical work done on my garage and house, I am postponing my last VAST ACCUMULATION OF STUFF garage sale of 2019 to Friday and Saturday, September 6 and 7. It's just too difficult to get stuff done in the garage until that work is done. 

On another note...regular bloggy thing posting will resume within a day or two. First up will the full garage sale update, followed by my review of the VelociPastor, followed by my multi-day report on the San Diego Comic-Con International. 

Thanks for your patience.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

BACK FROM NEW MEXICO

I won't be able to start posting new bloggy things until late next week, but I would be remiss if I didn't tell you how much Saintly Wife Barb and I enjoyed our time at the New Mexico Comic Expo and visiting Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Promoter Matt Trujillo did a phenomenal job putting together this first time event. Hard to believe, right? It takes most conventions several years to get to this degree of excellence.

I want to thank Matt for inviting us and also thank Mark Fenton for his great assistance to ourselves and other guests. Great show, great guests, great volunteers, great fans, great vendors. This event had it all.

I also want to express my appreciation to all the nice people we met as we did tourist stuff in the area. This is a beautiful region of our country with so many wondrous things to see and do. I'll be writing all about in the weeks to come.


Wednesday, August 14, 2019

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2019 REVIEWS #8

What Has Gone Before:

I’m reading and reviewing the Free Comic Book Day comic books sent to me by my pals at Stormwatch Comics in West Berlin, New Jersey. When I read and review FCBD comics, I look at three areas.

QUALITY: Is the material worthwhile?

ACCESSIBILITY: Is the material presented in such a way that someone coming to it for the first time can follow it?

SALESMANSHIP: After reading the FCBD offering, would someone want and be able to buy more of the same?

I score FCBD offerings on a scale of zero to ten. Each category is worth three points with the tenth point coming from my interest in seeing more of what’s ever in the book.


We begin with...

Starburns Presents #2 is an anthology presenting six excerpts from SBI Press, a division of Starburns Industries. I had no idea what this company was until I did a Google search and found its website. It’s a full-service production company which has done what seem to be a bunch of shows on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. The studio is also involved in advertising animation, podcasts, vinyl records and graphic novel creation.

QUALITY: Like most anthologies, this is a mixed bag. I got a kick out of “Nasquatch,” which is about a race car-driving sasquatch. I have some interest in one strip about intergalactic wrestling and another involving the Mogwai from Gremlins. The writing and art are a mixed bad as well. Good on the strips I mentioned, journeyman at best on the others.

ACCESSIBILITY: So-so. The series I liked were very accessible and the others not so much.

SALESMANSHIP: So-so. That I had to do a Google search to find out anything about the publisher was not a good sign. The last panel of each feature directs you to Comixology for more of them. The inside front cover is nothing more than a credits page, which I think was a wasted opportunity. The inside back cover is a house ad for SBI’s cassette tapes. The back cover is a contents page, another wasted opportunity.

SCORE: Four out of ten points.

                                                                                

Punchline #1 [Antarctic Press] is a Free Comic Book Day reprinting of the first issue of a super-hero title by Bill Williams with art by Matthew Weldon. I’m tempted to immediately take a point off on account of the book’s cover logo is obscured. On a first issue of a new title. That’s a rookie mistake, but I like the issue so much I’m going to overlook it. This time.

QUALITY: This is not a game-changing super-hero comic book, but it is a very good one. I like the lead character. The writing is top-notch. The art is equally so. I plan to order the Punchline trade paperback.

ACCESSIBILITY: Everything a new reader needs to know is contained in the 26-page story.

SALESMANSHIP: Good. There’s a full-page house for a Punchline trade paperback. There’s another full-page ad for the next issue of the comic book, though that isn’t made explicitly clear. There’s a back cover ad for the publisher, which, unfortunately, fails to promote any of said publisher’s other titles.

SCORE: Nine of ten points.

                                                                                  

Dragonfly and Dragonflyman [Ahoy Comics] showcases two titles from a new publisher that has gotten off to an impressive start. In this Free Comic Book Day issue, we get a 20-page Dragonfly/Dragonflyman story from the title The Wrong Earth, an eight-page Captain Ginger story (humanoid cats in space), a two-page strip by Hunt Emerson and a one-page prose story.

QUALITY: Dragonfly and Dragonflyman involves two alternate universe versions of the same vigilante who, in The Wrong Earth, end up on each other’s world. This story predates that event. It’s written by Tom Peyer with art by Russ Braun. It’s first-rate stuff.

Captain Ginger is very well done by writer Stuart Moore and artist June Brigman, but it didn’t do much for me personally, even though I can recognize its quality. The Hunt Emerson gag strip is hilarious and the text story, as is usually the case with me and comic-book text stories left me cold.

ACCESSIBILITY: I had absolutely no trouble getting into any of the stories in this issue.

SALESMANSHIP: Solid. There’s a welcoming editorial, a house ad for The Wrong Earth and house ads for other Ahoy Comics titles. Still, the back cover does nothing more than reprint the cover sans logos and other copy. That’s a waste of valuable real estate.

SCORE: Nine out of ten.
                                                                               

Scout Presents Midnight Sky #0 [Scout Comics} has three excerpts from various of their comic books and a passel of nicely-crafted house ads for seven other titles. Near as I can recall, this FCBD book is my first look at Scout Comics. What I see here looks very professional to me.

QUALITY: The 10-page Midnight Sky excerpt by James Pruett with art by Scott Van Domelen was well-written and well-drawn, though a bit more background information would have helped. I’d like to see more of this series.

Long Live Pro Wrestling by James Haick III and illustrator Branko Jovanovic is intriguing. It’s about a former pro wrestler turned talk show host who decries the silly stories foisted on wrestlers by their bosses. I’d like to see more of this as well.

Gutt Ghost? This four-page gag strip did nada for me. The writing wasn’t witty and the art was just kinda ugly.

ACCESSIBILITY: Midnight Sky and Long Live Pro Wrestling were easy to follow. That’s a boon to new readers.

SALESMANSHIP: Excellent. Though not every one of the house ads made me want to read the comics they advertised, these ads did give me enough information to make my decisions. Crucified, Red Winter and Headless are the ones that interest me.

SCORE: Nine out of ten points.

******************************
This will be the last bloggy thing until sometime after I get back from the New Mexico Comic Expo. When I do return, I’ll concentrate on my convention reports for the San Diego Comic-Con, NEO Comicon and the New Mexico Comic Expo. After that, I have some other stuff in the works, including the usual news, views and reviews. Thanks for visiting with me today. See you next week.

© 2019 Tony Isabella

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

WHY I WON’T FLY FRONTIER AIRLINES

Frontier Airlines is dead to me. From here on, when I’m invited to a convention and send my appearance requirements to the promoters, one of those requirements is that I won’t fly Frontier. The airline has lost my business for all time because of its unwillingness to make right a situation of its own making that could have been happily resolved for just two hundred dollars.

After the San Diego Comic-Con, Saintly Wife Barb, daughter Kelly, Kelly’s roommate Lauren and I were flying back to Cleveland on an early morning non-stop Frontier flight. We all checked our luggage at a cost of roughly $50 per bag. Our luggage was in the custody of the airline, which meant they were responsible for it.

I had an very nice but not terribly expensive American Tourister suitcase that my wife and kids had given me for Christmas. I’d only used it a few times since receiving it. The approximate cost of the luggage was $150.

Frontier is close to the rock bottom of airlines. Its prices are low in comparison to other airlines, but every little thing costs an additional fee. Most airlines allow you one carry-on suitcase. Frontier charges you for the privilege of cramming that into one of their overhead bins. I kept waiting for them to charge me for the briefcase I put underneath the seat in front of me.

Frontier charges for every drink and snack with the exception of a cup of water. I understood “no free stuff” is one of the many ways Frontier improves its bottom line. I even purchased some snacks and water bottles on this flight. I even tipped the flight attendants on account of the bill included copy to the effect that those tips were greatly appreciated. I tip pretty well when I travel and did so in this case. In retrospect, I suspect Frontier takes at least a sizeable cut of those tips. The airline is that cheap.

Our flight was delayed two hours because of maintenance issues. We boarded the aircraft, then we were asked to leave the aircraft but leave our carry-ons behind, then we were asked to get our carry-on luggage after all, then we were told to wait in proximity to our gate, then we waited for the two hours in a small circle of gates, much to the consternation of other airlines and airport people who wanted us to clear the area. It was not a pleasant two hours, but, eventually, the maintenance issues were resolved without Frontier charging us for duct tape. We re-boarded our aircraft and sat down for the long flight back home. Thankfully, that complimentary duct tape held and we landed safely.

When we arrived in Cleveland, over two hours late, we had to wait nearly a half-hour before our luggage came down the baggage claim belt. From the moment I grabbed my suitcase, I could tell something was wrong. Some items were poking their way through what should’ve  been a tightly-zippered bag.

My first thought was that the TSA had rummaged through my bag and left it less than completely zippered. However, there was no notice that they had checked my bag. Unless that notice had slipped out of the suitcase. Then I looked closer.

The zippers on the main part of the bag had been damaged and could not close securely. I didn’t I had lost anything from the suitcase. However, when I got home and emptied the suitcase, I noticed I was missing several issues of Commando (the British war comics digest) that I brought to read in San Diego. I was relieved that was all I had stolen from my suitcase.

I immediately went to the Frontier Airlines baggage claim office to file a complaint and seek restitution. However, between our delayed arrival and the long wait for our luggage to arrive at the baggage claim area, the Frontier office was closed. There was no one there to listen to my complaint and file my claim.

My son Eddie picked us up at the airport. We took Kelly and Lauren to their house, then headed home. It was late when we got home and I was exhausted.

The next morning, I went on the Frontier Airlines website to find  out how to make a claim for the damaged-beyond-repair suitcase. I found the website less than easy to navigate. I had other work to do, so I put this matter aside.

The next day, I had no better luck navigating Frontier’s website. It took a while, but I found a number to call. The person answering my call helped me find the proper form, or what passed for the proper form on account of there was no dedicated form for the problem I’d experienced.

I noticed with alarm the form said all claims must be filed within four hours of landing. Which was impossible given that there was no one at the Frontier baggage office when we landed two hours later than scheduled. Nonetheless, I filed out the form and attached two photos of the damage as required.

The first Frontier e-mail totally rejected my claim because I had not filed within four hours. I complained.

The second Frontier e-mail claimed it wouldn’t be fair to my fellow passengers if I received special treatment. I bet if I could take a poll of those fellow passengers not one of them would object to my getting “special” treatment. I told Frontier I would take this to social media.

The third Frontier e-mail offered me a $50 travel voucher on their airline, an airline I never plan to fly again. I responded this was an absurd offer and suggested the person who wrote the e-mail kick the matter to her superior. I demanded $200 - the cost of replacing the suitcase and a refund of what I paid to check the bag with them - and not in the form of their useless-to-me travel vouchers. By the way, had I accepted the travel voucher, I would have had to do that by the end of the month and sign an waiver protecting Frontier from further action.

The fourth Frontier e-mail was the exact same “not fair to others” e-mail and didn’t even offer the travel voucher. I haven’t answered that one yet. But I am determined to keep after Frontier until they make right what they made wrong.

Today’s blog is part of my “keeping after Frontier” campaign. As I can take a few minutes here and there, I will be contacting pretty much anyone who might be able to legally cause Frontier grief. I’ll be posting negative reviews of their practices on travel websites. I’m open to suggestions.

Barb bought me a new suitcase for our trip to the New Mexico Comic Expo. It’s a little nicer than the one Frontier destroyed. So I’m covered for our trip to Albuquerque in two days. One less thing for me to worry about.

But I’ll be coming after Frontier again and again. Because that’s how pissed off I am at their inability to deal with this customer fairly. I’d consider it a personal favor if, unless you’ve no other choice, you don’t fly Frontier. I also recommend comics conventions not use Frontier when they book flights for their guests.

That’s all for now. I’ll be back tomorrow with one more blog before I leave for Albuquerque. See you then.

© 2019 Tony Isabella

Monday, August 12, 2019

TONY'S TIPS #312

This week in TONY'S TIPS at Tales of Wonder...Some comments about the NEO Comicon plus my reviews of George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy; Kaiju Girl Caramelise by Spica Aoki and the DC/Walmart title Batman Giant!
                                                                             
                                                                               

MY LAST VAST ACCUMULATION OF STUFF GARAGE SALE OF 2019

                                                                           
                                                                              
My last Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sale of the year will be Friday and Saturday, August 30-31 at 840 Damon Drive, Medina, Ohio. Because this is my final garage sale of the year, I’m extending my usual garage sale hours.

Friday, August 30: 9 am to 1 pm, and 3 pm to 7 pm.

Saturday, August 31: 9 am to 1 pm, and 3 pm to 7 pm.

By appointment, I am also willing to open on Sunday, September 1. The same will hold true for Monday through Thursday, September 2-5. To set up these appointments, you have to e-mail me or text me via my cell phone number. If you already have my cell phone number, you will be able to text me. If not, you’ll need to e-mail me. If you have my old land line number, it won’t do you any good. I unplugged that line due to excessive scam and spam callers.

This year’s garage sales have not been as successful as I’d hoped. For 2020, I willo be rethinking how I do them and whether I’m going to do them at all. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that this last garage sale of 2019 will be my last one.

My game plan for the next two weeks and change before this garage sale is to make it as terrific as I can. One of my goals is to have more $10 mystery boxes than ever before.

Another is to offer some discounts on large purchases. Excepting Isabella-written books, Isabella-related posters and mystery boxes, you will get $10 off on any total purchase over $100. You will get $20 off on any total purchase over $200. You can get $30 off on any total purchase over...you see the pattern, right?

I’m going to go through my dollar comics boxes and put a bunch of them into my quarter boxes. With the exception of Commando digests, my fifty-cent tables will be quarter tables.

I’m going to reduce prices on just about everything else that I’m selling. A good number of my hardcovers and trade paperbacks will be either put on the quarter tables or put into my mystery boxes. My overall goal is to have as little stock left over as possible, allowing me to start anew in 2020.

As always, I’ll sign any Isabella stuff for free at my garage sale. It doesn’t matter if it’s an item you’ve purchased from me or that you’ve brought with you.

Look for further information on this garage sale on Craig’s List, Facebook and Twitter. I also plan to give the Medina Gazette just one more chance to see if advertising there can move the needle on my bottom line in a positive direction.

In other matters...

My next convention appearance, as you saw in yesterday’s bloggy, is the New Mexico Comic Expo, August 16-18, in Alburquerque. I have no appearance scheduled for September or October, though I’m still hoping to attend the Flaming River Con, September 21 at the Cleveland Public Library’s downtown branch. Whether I attend or not depends on if I can resolve a personal scheduling conflict.

I’m doing two shows back to back in November. Under new management, the Akron Comicon will be held November 2-3 at Emidio's Expo Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Less than a week later, I’ll be attending the Grand Rapids Comic-Con, November 8-10, Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’m not currently scheduled for any December events.

I’m also not scheduled for any conventions in 2020. Obviously, I’m hoping that changes. If it doesn’t, well, I’ll be able to spend a lot more time writing, preparing for next year’s garage sales and planning household renovations.

One of the hardest things about the possibility that my shelf life has expired is that, as I believe I proved with Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands, I’m not just as good as I ever as, I’m better than I ever was. When I mentioned this to someone on the Black Lightning set, they couldn’t understand why I would think my shelf life has expired. They mentioned my creation of the iconic Black Lightning, my other characters/concepts and the comic books I have written in my 47 years of comics. But, in truth, the comics industry has never made sense to me.

I intend to continue writing comic books, books and other things. I don’t know if I’ll be able to bring them to the marketplace. My pockets are the opposite of deep. But I’ll write them and hope for the best while keeping in mind that the best might well be someone discovering these unpublished works in my office after I’ve passed and become a vengeful spirit.

I’m depressed about this, but not all that depressed. With a little  help from a friend, I’ve come to realize I don’t lack confidence in the quality of my work. I think my work measures up to some of the best and surpasses that of other darlings of the moment. I’m still here. I’m still writing great stuff. I’ve been writing great stuff for longer than some of those writers have been living.

The comics industry can break your heart and it’s broken mine on a number of occasions. But it hasn’t broken my spirit or my talent. I’m still here and plan to remain here until, you know, that whole becoming a vengeful spirit thing. Be afraid.

I’ll be back soon with more bloggy stuff.

© 2019 Tony Isabella

Sunday, August 11, 2019

NEW MEXICO COMIC EXPO (August 16-18)

The New Mexico Comic Expo is my next convention appearance. It will take place Friday through Sunday, August 16-18, at the Albuquerque Convention Center, 401 2nd Street NW. The show hours are Friday 2-8 pm, Saturday 11 am-7 pm and Sunday 10am to 5 pm.

From my quick scan of the media, comics and cosplay guest roster, the show will be hosting over fifty celebrities. Among the media guests I’d like to meet - but whom I probably won’t get a chance to meet - are Jason Momoa (Sunday only); Jon Bernthal (Saturday and Sunday); Hayley Atwell (all three days); and Felicia Day (Saturday and Sunday). The list would be longer if I had more time to watch movies and TV shows. I’m embarrassed to admit how many great films and series I haven’t watched yet.

The comics guest lists reads like FOOT (Friends of Old Tony): Chris Claremont, Roy Thomas, Don McGregor, Julia and Eric Lewald, Kevin Eastman, Larry Houston, Bob McLeod, Mike Zeck, Ron Wilson, Keith Wilson and many others. Forgive me for not listing all of the great comics guests, but I don’t want this pre-convention report to read like a phone book. Though it would be the coolest phone book in the entire history of phone books.

Over the three days, the New Mexico Comic Expo will present forty panels featuring its guests and cosplayers. I will be appearing on two panels, both scheduled for Saturday.

At noon in Room 2, I’ll be on the “I Created That Character” panel with Don McGregor, Keith Wilson, Steve Erwin and Kerry Gammill. I suspect I’ll mostly be asked about Black Lightning, but I’m ready to be surprised by audience questions about lesser known creations that I may have forgotten about.

Then, at 6 pm in Room 1, my friend and mentor Roy Thomas and I will be talking about “The Good and the Bad with Marvel”. It was Roy who hired me to work at Marvel in 1972. I don’t think he has regretted that decision more than four or five times since then.

The convention is also hosting several special events. Friday has Comic Trade Night (where you can bring up to one box of comics to trade with your fellow fans) and the Kick-Off Party with proceeds benefitting Safe House Albuquerque. Saturday will have the Cosplay Contest with three categories - Youth (0-13), Adults (14+), Groups (6 members maximum) - and Late Night Karaoke. Sunday’s events will wrap up with the Art Auction. For more information on the guests, panels and special events, check out the Expo’s website.

When I’m not doing panels or roaming the vendors area for wondrous comics and related items that I can buy and sneak into my suitcase without Saintly Wife Barb catching me, I’ll be at my booth. While the major attraction there will be your getting the opportunity to  meet SWB, I’ll have a selection of Isabella-written books for sale as well. Because we’re flying in, I’m limited to how many books I can bring to the convention. At this time, I expect to have copies of these books:

Black Lightning (my 1970s series)
Black Lightning Volume 2 (1970s stories not by me)
Black Lightning: Brick City Blues (my mid-1990s run)
Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands (my 2018-2019 series)
July 1963: A Pivotal Month in the Comic-Book Life of Tony Isabella Volume 1
Marvel’s Greatest Creators Tony Isabella #1 (the exclusive-from-me limited variant edition reprinting Misty Knight’s first appearance)

If you buy a book or comic from me, I’ll sign them for free. Even if you bring a grading company representative to witness my signing said book or comic.

Here’s the rest of my signature policy:

All other items: $5 each.

Items signed in front of a grading company witness: $10 each.

Photos are free, but I do ask you e-mail them to me with permission to post them online.

Speaking of photos...

I love cosplayers who dress as characters I created or characters I’ve written. I just love cosplay in general. If you are cosplaying at the New Mexico Comic Expo, please stop by my booth so I can get a photo of you for possible use in my future New Mexico Comic Expo convention report.

On other matters...

If you are a publisher, editor, artist, filmmaker, movie and/or TV producer or actor who wants to work with me, we can certainly talk during the Expo. If you e-mail me before Wednesday, we can schedule that conversation. If you don’t e-mail me, I’ll still do my best to find time to meet with you. I’m an agreeable guy.

If you are a media person, print, podcast, TV or radio, who would like to interview me, I’ll do my best to make that happen as well. As with the above, e-mail before Wednesday and we will schedule an interview. Also as above, if you first contact me at the Expo, I’ll try to make that work.

One more thing.

Barb and I are flying into Albuquerque early Thursday. We will be spending all day Monday in the city as well. We’d like to do some tourist stuff and welcome your recommendations. You can post them in the comments, on my Facebook page or send them to me via e-mail.

I have a couple conventions in November, but that looks like it for the year. I’m probably going to do fewer conventions in 2020, but we’ll see how that goes.

If you’re a promoter who would like to book me as a guest at your convention or other event, e-mail me with as much information about your event as possible. I’ll email my appearance requirements back to you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Saintly Wife Barb and I are excited about coming to Albuquerque and the New Mexico Comic Expo. We hope to see you there.

I’ll be back soon with more bloggy stuff.

© 2019 Tony Isabella

Saturday, August 10, 2019

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2019 REVIEWS #7


What Has Gone Before:

I’m reading and reviewing the Free Comic Book Day comic books sent to me by my pals at Stormwatch Comics in West Berlin, New Jersey. When I read and review FCBD comics, I look at three areas.

QUALITY: Is the material worthwhile?

ACCESSIBILITY: Is the material presented in such a way that someone coming to it for the first time can follow it?

SALESMANSHIP: After reading the FCBD offering, would someone want and be able to buy more of the same?

I score FCBD offerings on a scale of zero to ten. Each category is worth three points with the tenth point coming from my interest in seeing more of what’s ever in the book.


We begin with...

Hope by Dirk Manning and K. Lynn Smith [Source Point Press]. Dirk is a friend of mine; I wanted to state that up front because I am a full disclosure kind of reviewer. He normally writes horror comics. Here Dirk writes a 22-page story introducing his first super-hero creation.

QUALITY: This is one of the best of the Free Comic Book Day issues. While the story certainly touches upon the unease with which your average folks and average law enforcement agents react to supers in so many other comics, Dirk and K. Lynn have come up with some fresh takes on that basic situation. I liked it a lot.

ACCESSIBILITY: This is the first issue of an ongoing series. It has every thing a reader needs to know to get into and enjoy this first Hope tale.

SALESMANSHIP: Almost perfect. Dirk’s editorial talks about how Hope came to be. What the issue doesn’t do is tell us where we can find more Hope. Other house ads promote other comics; they are nice ads but a little more information would have been helpful.

SCORE: Nine out of ten points.

                                                                               

Interceptor Issue One [Vault Comics] is by Donny Cates with artist Dylan Burnett [Vault Comics]. It’s a combination of hi-tech super-hero, space colonies and future vampires. The 24-page comics story is by Cates, Burnett, letterer Taylor Esposito, and story editor Seamus Martin.

QUALITY: It’s a well-written story, albeit more than a little heavy with the plot background and the science explanations. We don’t get as much insight into the lead character as I’d have liked. The art was good.

ACCESSIBILITY: Mostly accessible, though the heaviness I mentioned above demands concentration and maybe Cliff Notes.

SALESMANSHIP: Good. It has a house ad for the Interceptor collected edition, followed by one for Reactor, which seems to continue the story from Interceptor. More coverage of other Vault Comics titles is lacking.

SCORE: Six out of the points.
                                                                                    


Next up is Valiant: Bloodshot FCBD Special [Valiant]. Bloodshot is my favorite of the company’s characters, narrowly edging out Faith. This issue has a 12-page prologue to a new Bloodshot series by Tim Seeley with artist Tomas Giorello, an interview with Seeley, an 8-page prelude to Fallen World by Dan Abnett with artist Juan Jose Ryp, an interview with Abnett and an interview with Fred Van Lente on the forthcoming Psi-Lords series.

QUALITY: The Bloodshot story is terrific. The interviews are very informative. The Fallen World prelude is well-done, but, I’m not a huge fan of future versions of comics characters.

ACCESSIBILITY: I had no difficulties following these two stories. Valiant writing has always been very welcoming to new readers and these tales are no exception.

SALESMANSHIP: Good. There is no much story/interview content that there isn’t a lot of room for house ads. But there are some, one of them for what appears to be a Valiant Universe app.

SCORE: Nine out of ten. 
                                                                             

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Striker Force [Graphic India] turns the world-famous soccer player into a super-hero. The issue presents his 21-page origin story and several pages of concept art.

QUALITY: Despite the contrivance of Ronaldo’s super-powers deriving from his skill at kicking a ball-like power-sapping device, I was mightily entertained by this story. It was well-written with lively art and, most of all, it was big fun. I’ll be looking for it in the Previews catalog.

ACCESSIBILITY: I got right into the characters. Everything I needed  to know was in the writing and art. Well done.

SALESMANSHIP: The back cover had a photo of Ronaldo and his comics counterpart with a quote about why this project appeals to him. It may not be an ad per se, but it’s effective.

SCORE: Ten out of ten points.

                                                                                 

Wolfie Monster and the Big Bad Pizza Battle by writer/artist Joey Ellis [Scholastic] features a 28-page excerpt from a graphic novel aimed at younger readers.

QUALITY: It’s a clever character and concept, but the execution is shaky. The plot meanders, the writing is so-so and the art, well, I found it uninteresting.

ACCESSIBILITY: If the story was more solid, the characters and the situations would have more clear and inviting.

SALESMANSHIP: Decent. The inside front and back covers have ads for other Scholastic graphic novels. The back cover has an ad for the Wolfie Monster graphic novel.

SCORE: Four out of ten points.

                                                                                  

CBLDF Presents Defend Comics [Comic Book Legal Defense Fund] is an anthology featuring excerpts from five graphic novels: Pilu of the Woods by Mai K. Nguyen; Apocalypse Taco by Nathan Hale; Nobody’s Fool by Bill Griffith; A Fire Story by Brian Fies; and bags (or a Story Thereof) by Patrick McHale and Gavin Fullerton.

QUALITY: Mixed. A Fire Story is the best of the books excerpted in this anthology. Pilu is interesting and well-crafted. Apocalypse Taco is so-so. Nobody’s Fool is a graphic memoir I’ll read soon. Bags is intriguing, but I’m on the fence as to whether or not it’s any good.

ACCESSIBILITY: Also mixed. Apocalypse Taco is undecipherable. Bags is a little rough. The others are easy to get into.

SALESMANSHIP: So-so. There’s barely any information on the CBLDF, which I would think would have been the point of the Fund doing a Free Comic Book Day issue. It’s also not clear if these excerpts are excerpts - I assume they are - and nothing to indicate where an interested reader can find the rest of the stories.

SCORE: Four out of ten points.

More Free Comic Book Day reviews to come. I’ll return tomorrow with the lowdown on my next convention appearance. See you then.

© 2019 Tony Isabella

Friday, August 9, 2019

THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY IN JULY

July saw me attending G-Fest XXVI in Chicago with my son, followed swiftly by my attending the San Diego Comic-Con with Saintly Wife Barb, my daughter Kelly, my goddaughter Vanessa and Lauren, Kelly’s housemate. So, as months ago, as long as I didn’t think about the blight on our society that is Donald Trump and the Republicans, I have to say July was a pretty good month. It was exhausting, but a pretty good month nonetheless.

Here are things that made me happy in June.

July 1: The Great Alligator (1979). This Italian monster movie is 90 minutes of cheesy mania. Lousy dubbing. A stiff giant alligator prop whose victims seem to push their way into its jaws. Released under so many different names it’s as if it were a fugitive on the run from the law. Gloriously terrible.

July 2: Vinyl Conflict: The World of Godzilla Toys. This catalog of the Mark Livolsi collection is a 300-page beautiful hardcover book from the Peekaboo Gallery. The collection goes on the auction block in August. It is magnificent.

July 3: Marvel Comics #1001. An annual-size comic featuring single-page stories by a multitude of creators. I wrote one for Kid Colt, Outlaw and it’s drawn by Tom Mandrake! Look for this special issue later this year.

July 4: Sharing food and watching fireworks last night with family and neighbors. Some of the latter will be leaving us soon, but we cherish the memories we’ve made with them.

July 5: Dell’s Adventures in Paradise [Four-Color #1301; February-April, 1962] with its absolutely wild story of a crazed professor determined to kill a shark god. It’s a keeper!
                                                                           

July 6: Charlton Neo Media’s classic cover gallery books, such as Nurses, Monsters and Hotrodders. The vintage covers are shot from Charlton’s original printing stats. Informative and just plain fun for comics history buffs.

July 7: Black Lightning Season Three commences shooting on Tuesday,  July 9. Black Lightning Season Two will be available on Blu-ray and DVD sometime in August.

July 8: Bob Ingersoll’s The Law Is a Ass Volume One: All Rise, the first in a series of books reprinting the classic “comics and the law” column from Comics Buyer’s Guide.
 
July 9: Fantastic Four #10 ties in to whatever the heck “War of the Realms” is, but writer Dan Slott with artists Paco Medina and Kevin Libranda pulled off a done-in-one story that made Yancy Street come to life in wondrous fashion. Well done.
                                                                             

July 10: Black Lightning was the answer to a $2000 Double Jeopardy clue on last night’s program. How cool is that?

July 11: Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6 has another memorable story in “Spider-Bite” by Tom Taylor with artist Juann Cabal. I’m a big fan of down-to-earth super-hero stories and wish the industry would do more of them.

July 12: G-Fest XXVI was an amazing experience. My “Cheesy Monsters Raid Again!” presentation was a hit. Seeing old friends. Making new friends. The inspirational humanity, talent and warmth of the great Akira Takarada. I’ll be bak next year.

July 13: Taking Saturday off from G-Fest. Ed and I went to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game. I love the fans and the stadium. Even in the unbearable heat. We watched the last three innings at one of the nearby bars.

July 14: Dinner with Alan and Pauline Weiss at a terrific Chicago restaurant with a street festival going on outside. Best non-dinner moment: watching a young woman write FUCK I.C.E. on the sidewalk. She knows who the bad guys are.

July 15: Martin Arlt was named to the G-Fest Hall of Fame for his many years of mind-boggling service in creating and scheduling the convention’s panel programming.

July 16: The rush of rushing around getting ready for the San Diego Comic-Con. My battle plan includes sleeping during our very early flights there.
                                                                                  

July 17: San Diego Comic-Con. Making a young woman’s day by trading her my Supergirl bag for her Teen Titans Go! bag. It took some more trading to get a couple of Black Lightning bags.

July 18: San Diego Comic-Con. Great panels on Thursday. A spotlight on the deservedly legendary Maggie Thompson with Mark Evanier and Leonard Maltin in the am. The Mark (Evanier), Sergio (Aragones) and Stan (Sakai) Show with three of my favorite creators/people.

July 19: Comic-Con. Thursday night dinner at Lou & Mickey’s with my Saintly Wife Barb, Mark Evanier and Ken Plume. Excellent food in a nice restaurant in the Gaslamp Gaslight District.

July 20: Comic-Con. Thursday night. The Comic-Con 50th Anniversary reception at the Marriott Marquis Marina Ballroom. So many dear old friends celebrating an incredible landmark for this most wondrous of comics events!
                                                                                 

July 21: Comic-Con. Friday morning. That 70s Panel with host Mark Evanier, Mike Friedrich, Arvell Jones, Lee Marrs, Trina Robbins and Louise and Walt Simonson. What a great way to catch up with so many comics greats!

July 22: Comic-Con. Friday. Mike Friedrich and I had a wonderful chat after our panel. Mike’s post-writing life took him to amazing places. He’s happy with his new path as a minister and I’m just as happy for him. Good guys deserve happy endings.

July 23: Comic-Con. Love for Black Lightning. It was all over the convention from the fans to the pros to convention center workers to a shuttle bus driver. If only DC Comics understood what it has in this iconic character and his creator.

July 24: Comic-Con. My first visits to Mattel’s booth to confirm my pre-order of the Strange Lives of Batman action figures set were awful. Long, already capped lines. To its credit, Mattel recognized the problem and set up a separate table for pre-orders. It took me less than five minutes. Of course, now it feels like an eternity waiting for the set to arrive.
                                                                                

July 25: Comic-Con. The WB/Comic-Con 2019 Cocktail Media Mixer on Friday night at the Float Rooftop Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel. The carnival theme included a customized bag, carnival games, wonderful food and drinks and the pleasure of introducing Saintly Wife Barb to Black Lightning cast members and others.

July 26: Comic-Con. I got to enjoy the convention with my Saintly Wife Barb, daughter Kelly, her roommate Lauren and my goddaughter Vanessa. I am so blessed to have these women in my life.

July 27: Comic-Con. Saturday. Mark Evanier’s Quick Draw Panel with Disney legend Floyd Norman, international legend Sergio Aragones and the inspirational Scott Shaw! This is always one of Comic-Con’  best panels.

July 28: Comic-Con. Chatting with Larry Ganem in the DC Hospitality Suite. He’s a good guy and the closest thing I have to any kind of relationship with DC. Whether my association (or the lack thereof) with DC changes or not, I’m glad for his friendship. The Suite was pretty cool, too.

July 29: Comic-Con. Sharing meals and spending time with too many old friends to name, but I’ll try: Maggie Thompson, Anthony Tollin, Elliot Maggin, Ken Penders, Larry Houston, Arne Starr, Stan Sakai, Scott Shaw, Sergio Aragones, Barbara Kesel, Marv Wolfman, Arvell Jones, Peter Kuper and more. If this was all Comic-Con held for me, it would still be a wondrous event.

July 30: Comic-Con. Ending my Comic-Con weekend by taking Saintly Wife Barb, daughter Kelly and Kelly’s roommate Lauren to dinner at Buster’s Beach on the lovely boardwalk behind out hotel. A perfect cap to our Comic-Con.

July 31: Comic-Con. The countless, well, at least more of them than I can count, volunteers, staff members and organizers who made the convention better for everyone. I thank all of you from the bottom of my comics heart.

I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2019 Tony Isabella

Thursday, August 8, 2019

G-FEST XXVI Part Four: Last Dance for Ghidorah

What has gone before:

My son Eddie and I played hooky from G-Fest on Saturday, July 13, but attended the final day of the convention on Sunday.

Today’s G-Fest finale is less convention report and more personal  reflection. I had fun at G-Fest, but not as much fun as I could’ve had. I need to rethink the way I do this and other conventions so that I can enjoy them more and they take less out of me.

I was sick on the final day of G-Fest. It was a culmination of not always good choices I made. I fell behind on preparing my material for my “Cheesy Monsters Raid Again” presentation, not finishing my notes until Thursday morning, hours before we left for the event. I stressed over the presentation. I wasn’t as careful with my diet as I should have been; I need to eat less and more healthy. As much as I enjoyed going to Wrigley Field, it was a bad choice to do so in ninety-plus degree weather.

I was so sick Sunday morning that I skipped breakfast and stayed in my hotel room. I don’t think I emerged until noon. Between feeling poorly, which wasn’t helped by my anxiety that, in just a few more days, I’d be flying to the San Diego Comic-Con, and of what I had to do before I left, I realized (after check-out time) that Eddie and I should drive back to Medina on Sunday and not stay the night. As Eddie has a full schedule waiting for him at his job, he was on board with this plan.
                                                                                  
                                                                              

I didn’t spent as much time with friends as I could have at G-Fest. I did hang out a bit with Martin and Pam Arlt, Jennifer Otto-Lahr and her sons Conner and Jake, and some others. I barely said “hi” to JD Lees, the founder of G-Fest and G-Fan magazine. Likewise for Sue Matzke, who runs the kid-friendly Minya’s Place; Dave Nunes, the king of the dealers room and charity auction; and Tim Bean, whose work with the Japanese guests is indispensable. I did get to chat a bit with Dr. Eric J. Stoner, who sent me some funny screen caps from Reptilicus, and Alan Berckenhoff, who was assisting in the autograph sessions and who introduced me to his niece Maddison. She had no idea who I was, but kindly seemed impressed that Uncle Alan thought I was a big deal.
                                                                              
                                                                                 
                                                                                

I barely attended any panels. Looking back over the schedule, I’m feeling sad about that. I have to plan my G-Fest days better.

I didn’t spent a great deal of time in the various exhibit rooms, though a highlight was visiting the Peekaboo Gallery’s showing of items from one of the finest Godzilla collections ever amassed in this country. This is the auction house (and publisher) who did the Vinyl Conflict: The World of Godzilla Toys hardcover I have praised recently.
                                                                                   

The art and model exhibit rooms were sensational, but I didn’t get to them until Sunday. By then, many models had been taken down by their creators. I was pleased to see my friend Jennifer Otto-Lahr won first place for her amazing Godzilla painting. I knew she was a terrific mom and cosplayer; I never realized she was also a great artist. Well done, my friend.

I didn’t attend any of the film festival showings. I did attempt to see The Great Buddha Arrival on Sunday, but I couldn’t handle the temperature in the viewing room. As I’ve mentioned in the earlier chapters of this G-Fest report, the hotel air conditioning system, outside of the individual hotel rooms and a few other convention rooms, wasn’t up to the challenge of the scorching temperatures on the outside.

Before any one accuses me of a “Poor Tony” column, let me repeat I made not good choices. When I return to G-Fest next year, I hope to make better choices.

I’ve already started work on next year’s “Kong Kin vs. Cheesezilla” presentation. I’ll be covering King Kong and Godzilla knock-offs in my usual humorously snarky style. I’ve already targeted some films I’ll start watching in a month or so. I also invite you to email me your suggestions. I hope to have my presentation finished a couple months before G-Fest.

Besides attending more panels, I think I’d like to be on a few more panels. I’m intimidated by the wealth of knowledge G-Fest panelists possess, but there may be some topics on which I might be able to hold my own. For example, I’m weary of those who claim the monsters are the only reason to watch these movies. The best Godzilla movies (and other kaiju films) are those that combine great monsters with great human stories. I’d love to be on a panel discussing all those great human stories.

I definitely want to spend more time with friends, more time with the exhibits, more time with the movies. I also want to be able to hit the dealers room with more serious cash than I have brought to the convention in the past. Just don’t tell Sainted Wife Barb about this plan.

Paramount will be to eat properly and regularly. I’ll try to curb stress by planning my activities better and maybe even grab a nap here and there. It works for me at home, so maybe it’ll work for me at conventions as well.

When Eddie and I checked out of the hotel, the Crowne Plaza did me a solid. I had expected to have to pay for Sunday night. Instead, they only charged me a late departure fee of fifty bucks. One more reason I love that hotel.

We said some goodbyes and attended a little of Stan Hyde’s popular “Kaiju Konfessions” karaoke presentation. Then we hit the road and drove back to Medina. We arrived around midnight.

G-Fest is one of my most favorite of all conventions. I’ll be back whenever I can, even if I’m also attending Comic-Con. I can sleep on the plane.

******************************
There’s a lot going on in my life right now, which is amazing since I’m not writing actual comic books at the moment. I will have more information on various events and projects soon. Keep watching the bloggy thing for news, views and reviews.

I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2019 Tony Isabella

Monday, August 5, 2019

LAST GARAGE SALE OF 2019

I'm going to do one more garage sale this summer and I hope to make it as spectacular as possible with more mystery boxes than my previous sales and lowered prices on a great many items.

But, before I decide on the date, I'd like some feedback from those of you who come to my garage sale.

My two possible weekends are August 23-24 and August 30-31. The later date would allow me to make more mystery boxes and add more items to the sales. Which would you prefer?

My under consideration plan is to run these garage sales from 9 am to 5 pm. Which is twice as long as my normal hours. Would those hours make it more likely you could come to the sales.

I'm thinking of adding a third day to the sale. If I do the earlier date, it would have to be the Sunday. If I do the later date, the third date could be Thursday or Sunday. Which is better for you?

I'll be posting this on Facebook and elsewhere. If you respond to it on this bloggy thing, be aware I have to approve your response before it appears. Which I'll do as swiftly as possible.

You can also e-mail me.

Thanks.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

G-FEST XXVI Part Three: No One Has Ever Said That to Me Before

What has gone before:

My son Eddie and I are attending G-Fest.

Saturday was going to be our “playing hooky” day of the convention. Traditionally, that’s the day with the biggest attendance and the greatest difficulty in getting to the panels and into the dealers room and other areas. Additionally, because the temperatures were in the 90s for most of the convention, it could get unpleasant in many parts of the hotel. The individual hotel rooms were fine. I’m sure many of us staying there had cranked up the air conditioning. However, between the constant opening of outside doors, the number of people attending the con and the tight confines of some exhibit and movie rooms, it got steamy.

Eddie had gone online to buy tickets for an afternoon baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. We had gone to Wrigley Field on our previous visit to G-Fest and had a great time at that legendary ballpark. Unfortunately, neither of us took into account those ninety-degree temperatures.

I went to the Chicago Fire Oven for the breakfast buffet. Unlike my previous meals at the hotel restaurant, I was less than enthused by the quality of the food. Maybe it was the restaurant, maybe it was the head getting to me.

Back up in the hotel room, while Eddie went to some G-Fest stuff, I did a little bit of writing and watched the last half of Godzilla Battle Royale on the in-house TV channel. According to information I found online, this somewhat bizarre movie was a “professional fan-film” made with suitmation and other effects. It was directed and produced by Billy Dubose."

The acting was enthusiastic. The cast included Robert Scott Field, who was so excellent in 1991's Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, and, in a small but pivotal role, Akira Takarada.

The movie manages to feature dozens of monsters, some lifted from actual movies and some original creatures. The action is very fast-paced, almost dizzying in places. The film totally won me over when Queen Ghidorah entered the fray. The movie is apparently available online, so I plan to watch the whole thing as soon as I get a bit of free time.
                                                                             
The drive to Wrigley Field was longer than expected but uneventful. As we had done on our previous visit, Eddie and I parked in one of the neighboring pop-up parking lots. These are residential spots, mostly driveways, made available by local businesses and residents. We paid $45 for a spot close to Wrigley Field and our later dinner with some friends of mine. We were assured we could stay there as long as we liked and that was, indeed, the case.
                                                                              

Wrigley bills itself as “the Friendly Confines” because it’s not a large stadium. Yet, on this visit, as on our previous visits, the fans couldn’t be nicer. You could strike up conversations with just about anyone. I was complimented on my “awesome mustache, dude” and talked with another fellow about how nice would be to have air-conditioned restaurants in Wrigley that weren’t exclusive to well-heeled club members.

At one point while Ed and I were inadvertently sitting in the wrong seats, we were next to a group of Spanish-speaking fans. Noticing Eddie’s Cleveland Indians hat, we talked with one of them about our hometown and other baseball cities. I told the young man I enjoyed hearing him speak Spanish with his friends. He was astonished:

“No one has ever said that to me before!”

He was used to people getting angry because he was speaking another language near them. I told him that was nonsense, that this mix of culture and language was America, was what our country was really about. Eddie chimed in with the observation that many of the Cubs and Pirates players were from Spanish-speaking countries.

Baseball is America’s game because it’s inclusive. The players and the fans can come from anywhere, brought together by their love of the sport. Our racist president might seek political gain with his fanning the flames of hate, but real Americans know it’s he who is the aberration. I have no doubt history will bear that out.

The next time some bigoted lout tells someone to go back to where they came from, remind them we all came from someplace else. Maybe also direct them to the Hell they so richly deserve.

If you think that above statement was heated, you should have been at Wrigley that afternoon. There was no relief from the heat. There was even a fight in the bleachers. Since the Cubs were blowing away the Pirates, Eddie and I decided to leave those friendly confines and head for one of the neighborhood (and air-conditioned) bars to watch the final innings there.
                                                                              

Following the game, he went back to our car long enough to change our sweat-soaked Wrigley Field shirts and head over to Grassroots Grill and dinner with Alan and Pauline Weiss, who live in Chicago not far from Wrigley.

Alan is an old friend from back in the days when I lived in NYC and worked in the Marvel offices. He has long been one of my favorite comics artists, though I don’t believe we ever had the pleasure of working together. These days, he mostly does commercial art but is still interested in doing comics.

Pauline had a multi-faceted career in comics, working for a number of companies as an editor and manager and more. These days, she’s an IT executive for a major company.

Outside the restaurant was a street festival. As Alan would later tell us, pretty much once winter is gone, the residents of Chicago switch to summer garb and start holding such festivals. On our way to the restaurant, Eddie and I saw a young woman write “FUCK ICE” on the street. Resist, my people, resist!
                                                                            

The Grassroots Grill is located at 3747 N Southport Ave. The place is nice and made for conversation. The menu has all sorts of tasty drinks and foods. Alan, Pauline and Eddie and I had a great dinner talking about our old comics buddies, the state of the industry and so much more. Obviously, Eddie didn’t know many of the people that we talked about, but, every now and then, he enjoys hearing about his dad’s checkered past.

Alan and Pauline live in the neighborhood, so they were heading in the same direction as our car. After we parted, Eddie and I made the decision to drive to the wondrous Pickwick Theater to catch the evening’s showing of Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965) starring Nick Adams, Akira Takarada and the stunningly beautiful Kumi Mizuno. It was time to reconnect with G-Fest.

Here’s the Internet Movie Database summary of the film:

Aliens from Planet X request the use of Godzilla and Rodan to fight off King Ghidorah, but have a better use for the three monsters.

The Pickwick is a classic movie theater. It’s big with the kind of old-fashion decor that used to make going to the movies an event in itself. The seats were some of the most comfortable theater seats I’ve ever experienced. I take pride in only dozing off for a couple minutes during the movie. Some of my fellow G-fans probably spent more time snoozing than they did watching the movie.

Monster Zero is a pretty cool film. Even with the dubbing, there’s a clear connection between Adams and Takarada. The latter sometimes calls the former “my greatest enemy and my greatest friend.” I wish Adams had lived to make more movies with Takarada.
                                                                              

The connection between Adams and Mizumo is steamy. His love makes her realize what life should be and why some things are worth dying for. Their romantic pairing is among my favorites of all Godzilla movies. I come to these films for the monsters, but those monsters are always better when there’s a good human story being told next to the action and mayhem.

When we got back to our hotel, Eddie and I learned that our friendMartin Arlt, who puts together G-Fest’s monstrously terrific panel programming was named to the G-Fan Hall of Fame. It’s an honor that he certainly and richly deserved. Congratulations, Martin!

I was exhausted after our Saturday of baseball, too much sun, good friends and a fun movie. If we watched any of the hotel’s in-house kaiju channel, I don’t remember it. I slept the sleep of the just. Or, at least, the sleep of the “got nothing left.”

I’ll be back soon with the final chapter of this G-Fest convention report. See you then.

© 2019 Tony Isabella