September sucked. That’s the most succinct way I can describe one of the worst months I’ve had since I started writing these monthly affirmations that, even in the worst of times, there is a whole lot of happy to be had.
September had me on the ropes from day one. I’m not going to give you a blow-by-blow game summary, save to say I experienced world-class depressions and disappointments. I even lacked the positive energy to post something that made me happy every day, which is the whole point of that exercise. I threw in the towel and that is why, this time around, I will not be listing a full complement of things that made me happy in September.
I’m pleased to report that, while I have certainly faced emotional and physical challenges in October, I’m in a much better place than I was. That said, here is my truncated list of the stuff that brought me joy in September...
September 1: Nice to start a month off with the great fun that is Elvira Meets Vincent Price #1 by writer David Avallone and artist Juan Samu. It’s exciting and hilarious.
September 2: The Tenacious Unicorn Ranch. As seen on the September 1, 2021 episode of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, it’s a queer and transgender community and working ranch in Custer County, Colorado. I want to visit.
September 3: The Complete Chi’s Sweet Home Part 1 by Konami Kanata. I’m in love with this cat-centric manga. It’s adorable and funny. I wish I could read it to my cat Simba during the two hours a day when she’s not napping.
September 4: Super-Hero Day at my mother’s senior assisted living facility. The residents were asked to salute their favorite heroes. My mom had a copy of Black Lightning attached to her walker. She knows how to represent.
September 5: My Facebook friends come through for me. When I asked for Black Lightning music videos, they sent me links to same...and Renee Grant Patrick created three new videos. Now all I need is a Black Lightning “Shut Up and Dance” video.
September 6: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Great story and performances. Incredible action sequences and so much powerful human emotion. Can’t wait to see more of these characters. No one does super-hero movies better than Marvel.
September 7: More Chinese monster movies with English subtitles are showing up on YouTube. I have recently enjoyed Big Octopus, King of Snake and Crazy Tsunami. I think dubbed versions would be a hit on the Syfy channel or various streaming services.
September 8: Cash Jordan. This real estate guy’s YouTube videos on New York City apartments have been fun. The only downside is that, sometimes, they make me think about moving back there. Which would be a truly horrible mistake.
September 9: Only Murders in the Building. One episode in and I’m hooked. Kudos to Steve Martin, Martin Short and the amazing Selena Gomez. Saintly Wife Barb will be binge-watching this.
September 10: The Complete Kirby War & Romance Omnibus. I’m a few hundred pages into this terrific collection. Marvel does books like this right and I look forward to what the company will be bringing us in the months and years to come.
September 11: Trots and Bonnie by Shary Flenniken. I was and remain a big fan of this cartoonist and am enjoying the collection of the title strip. Some of the cartoons make me uncomfortable now - age will do that - but it’s still an amazing volume.
September 12: Q Force on Netflix. Gay superspy. His scrappy LGBTQ squad. Fighting for all of us. I’ve watched one episode and will be watching more. Is this part of the gay agenda?
September 13: Stormwatch Comics of West Berlin, New Jersey, sent me a huge stack of Free Comic Book Day issues. I’ll start reading and writing about them next month.
September 14: Miskatonic by Mark Sable and Giorgio Pontrelli. It’s a honestly chilling graphic novel of an FBI agent and a detective investigating bombings in a world of Lovecraftian horror. With an ending that downright haunts me.
September 15: Captain Carter is the newest addition to my expanding Funko Pop! collection. As I’ve said, I love the character and the look. Give her an ongoing comic-book series with Chris Claremont as its writer.
September 16: Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise and Oscar O. Jupiter is my feel-good book of the month. It’s a heartwarming story of friendship, love and struggle with a final scene that brought a happy year to my eye.
September 17: Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart with Manuel Preitano is a deliciously meaty introduction to a terrific character and her world. DC’s graphic novels for young adults are more entertaining and thoughtful than its monthly fare.
September 18: My comics industry career is full of ups and too many downs. But, when I order a couple of pizzas and the person taking the call tells me he’s a big fan of mine, I have to admit there are times when it’s cool to be me.
This is where I ran out of energy, though I wrote two more entries that I never posted on Facebook or Twitter.
September 22: With guests Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for 9-21-21 was a brilliant, insightful, darkly hilarious examination of the criminal actions of the former president at the end of his administration.
September 23: Singer/songwriter Jason Isbell was terrific on the 9-23-21 episode of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He was funny and thoughtful. Great entertainer. Great man.
October is shaping up to be a better and more productive month for me. I’ve been approached to do an on-camera interview for a comics-related documentary. My last Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sale
of 2021 will be held on October 15-16, and is already promising to be a great way to close out the season. I’ll be part of the Bard’s Tower author contingent for Fanboy Expo Knoxville on October 28-30. All that and more!
Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.
© 2021 Tony Isabella
I'm glad you're feeling better. We're always here to listen.
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