My next public appearance will be at FANTASTICON on March 12-13 at the Seagate Convention Centre in Toledo, Ohio. It’s been a number of years since I’ve been a guest at one of Joe Nieporte’s shows and I’m looking forward to it.
Looking over the comics guests list, I see many old friends: Mike Barr, Mike Grell, Bill Messner-Loebs, Scott Rosema, Dirk Manning, Jason Moore, Joe Corroney, Jim Beard and more. On Saturday at 3:15 pm, I’ll be doing a panel with two of those friends. Here are some details on that:
Legends of Comic Book Creators
This Q&A panel is a must for writers and artists looking to get into the art world and the business of creating comic books. Hear how comic book legends Tony Isabella (creator of Black Lightning and Misty Knight), Mike Barr (Suicide Squad, Justice League, Batman), and Mike Grell (Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Superboy) got in the business and worked on some of the greatest titles in comic books.
Fantasticon’s celebrity guest list includes actress Marta Kristen of Lost in Space; special effects make-up artist Daniel Phillips; and voice and stage actor Carey Means. The events schedule features Nerd Trivia, Musical Chairs for Geeks, Voice Acting 101, a cosplay contest for kids, Special Effects make-up demonstration by Daniel Phillips and an adult cosplay contest.
The Seagate Convention Centre is located at 401 Jefferson Avenue in Toledo. The show hours are 11 am to 6 pm on Saturday, March 12, and 11am to 5pm on Sunday, March 13. You can find information on ticket prices and ordering tickets in advance at the show website. Those prices seem very reasonable to me, especially given that the vendor space and artists alley for the convention are both completely sold out. There will be a lot of cool stuff to see and buy at the show.
I’ll be spending most of Fantasticon at my guest table. Besides my sunny disposition that lights up the largest of rooms, you can also find me by looking for my display banner.
I’m currently putting together what I’ll be selling at the event. I should have two or three boxes of vintage comic books written by me. The boxes will also include a nice run of 1970s Batman issues and other titles. There’s a good chance there will also be some of my Hawkman file copies from when I wrote the Winged Wonder back in the 1980s. These are from a Hawkman #1-27 run that I purchased for research purposes when I was asked to write the character by DC's Dick Giordano. They will come with certification that these issues are my file copies.
I’ll also be selling the exclusive-to-me reprint of the very first appearance of Misty Knight. When my creation appeared on the Luke Cage TV series, Marvel reprinted that issue as part of the Marvel’s Greatest Creators series. The company also offered me the chance to have a special edition that only I would be selling. It’s limited to 1500 copies and features a cover exclusive to this edition. I’ve been selling these signed and numbered comics for $10 each and was planning to raise that price. However, after seeing how happy fans were to buy this item at Pensacon last month, Saintly Wife Barb has asked me to keep that ridiculously low price a while longer. I’ll have somewhere between twenty and fifty issues available for this convention.
Depending on how ambitious I get, I may also bring Black Lightning Funko figures to Fantasticon, as well as San Diego Comic-Con tote bags featuring Black Lightning and other characters. These bags are big enough to hold a small child, not that I would ever suggest you use them for that purpose.
My signature policy. If you buy an Isabella item directly from me, I will sign it for free. If you bring an Isabella item that you’ve purchased elsewhere, I charge $10 per signature. As with everything else at my table, these are CASH ONLY transactions.
If you’re a publisher, editor or artist that wants to work with me, I’m happy to meet with you during the weekend. I’ll be pulling into the convention center on Friday to set up for Fantastic and leaving after the show on Sunday. You can e-mail me to set up a meeting in advance or catch me at the convention.
If you’re a comics shop or show promoter that would like me at one of your events, feel free to approach me at the show. I also speak at colleges, schools, libraries and other venues on a variety of comics-related subjects. If you represent any of these, feel free to see me at Fantasticon. Currently, I’m representing myself, but that could change in the future.
I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and make new friends at Fantasticon. I hope to see you there.
© 2022 Tony Isabella
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