The scientific term for the harsh weather we’ve been experience in Medina, Ohio, and, especially, in my garage and office, is “hot as balls.” The air conditioning system that cools the top floor of our Tardis-like home went kaput a couple weeks ago. I would reveal how much the replacement AC system will cost, but I pass out whenever I think...
I’m back. Outside of the price...
Gosh darn it! The new AC system won’t be installed for another week or two. During this “hot as balls” weather front, the temperature in my office routinely reaches the upper 80s. Even with an overhead fan and a tall floor fan, I can only work an hour or so at a time before I have to cool down. Fortunately, the AC system that services the main floor of our house is working just fine.
Along with a spate of new lawn maintenance equipment that needed to be stored in our garage, the heat also slowed preparation for this summer’s long-awaited Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales. I’m weeks behind where I wanted to be with those sales.
The good news...the lawn stuff has been stowed and the garage sale displays and tables have been arranged. I can start going through the sales items from last year and then begin adding all manner of wondrous books, comics and stuff for this year’s sales. As with my previous garage sales, this will be an ongoing process. I will add new items to the sales virtually every day until the garage sales conclude in late September.
What can you expect in this year’s VAOS sales? I’ll be talking more about that as we draw closer to my Friday, June 25, and Saturday, June 26 opening dates. The sale hours will vary from time to time, and private scheduled visits can be arranged for other times after June 25, but the plan is to hold these sales every weekend when I’m not appearing at a convention.
One thing I do know is quite a bit of stuff from last year’s sales will be reduced in price to a mere quarter. My posters and prints will be 50% of their original prices because I’m discontinuing them as I prepare to create brand new prints for my Golden Anniversary Tour that launches in February 2022. I’ll even be reducing prices on select Black Lightning trades. And those of you who have come to my garage sales in the past know my prices on just about everything I offer are already ridiculously low. Bring lots of cash. You are going to need it.
Let’s move on to my convention appearances. I recently posted this clarification on my Facebook page:
When I am asked if I'm attending a convention, I've been answering honestly by saying I wasn't invited. I never meant that as a slight to any convention. So, from here on, I'll just say I'd love to attend the convention you're asking me about. It doesn't mean it will work out for me to attend, but my not being invited should never be taken as a slam on any convention.
Those of you who know the hundreds and thousands of details that are involved in putting on a convention know there are just as many factors that determine the event's guest list. I worked with my dear friend Roger Price on the blessed Mid-Ohio-Con for two decades or so. I know all the balls Roger had to juggle to make those events as excellent as they were.
Recognize all the hard work that goes into putting on a convention. Sure, if you know the promoters and would like to see me at one of their shows, let them know. If they contact me, I'll work with them to make it possible for me to appear at their event.
Having had a absolute blast at last month’s terrific Pensacon 2021, I am currently scheduled to appear at three conventions this year. Two are in August and one is in November. I’ll have more details on these events in a near-future bloggy thing.
I am not looking to add any 2021 conventions to my schedule until October. I’m devoting my summer to my garage sales and to writing the graphic novel I’ll be financing via Kickstarter. Alas, because of the difficulties of crowd-funding a 96-page graphic novel, I’ll be running campaigns for each of the four standard-size comic books it will take to tell what I believe to be an exceptional story. My goal is to challenge your perceptions of some super-hero tropes and my own writing in that genre. Look for further announcements on my Kickstarter campaign later this year.
February 2022 will see the launch of my Golden Anniversary Tour, a celebration of my half-century in the comics industry. Technically, my actual golden anniversary is Halloween, 2022, but I’m starting the tour early so that it can launch at Pensacon 2022 and conclude at Pensacon 2023.
Inbetween those two sure-to-be-incredible conventions, I hope to do eleven other events. Three of those appearances are already booked. I’d like to space these conventions out so that I’m only doing one a month from March 2022 through January 2023, but I’m not going to rule out mixing it up to achieve my overall goal.
There are some world-class comics conventions I’d love to attend. I don’t want to put them on the spot by naming them. Obviously, I’d like to do some of the biggest events as well as well as smaller regional shows on what will likely be my last major convention push. I still intend to do conventions, but I doubt I’ll do as many as I’m attempting to do for this tour.
If you’re a convention promoter, e-mail me to learn what I need to be able to attend your event. If you’re a fan who would love to see me at conventions you attend, politely request to the promoters of those events that you would like them to bring me to your neck of the woods. I’ll do my best to work with them.
That’s all for now. If you have any questions you’d like to ask me, or subjects you’d like me to write about, please e-mail me at your convenience. You can also comment on this blog. Any comments must be approved before they appear, but I do try to get to them ASAP. Just be patient.
Thanks for stopping by today. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.
© 2021 Tony Isabella
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