It’s been an interesting and often unpleasant week. In grieving for a beloved and talented comics creator gone too soon, other creators launched #ComicsBrokeMe on Twitter. Not surprisingly, it’s trending on that platform.
I’ve been sharing comics industry horror stories online for decades - all it got me was churlish attacks by various click-bait websites - but even I was shocked by some of the things I learned this week. Ironically, some of the websites who came after me are now trying to position themselves as creator-friendly. I hope creators can see through this deception.
In other news...Trump was indicted again and started making up all kinds of shit. His followers, who never read the indictment or any of the laws Trump misrepresents, are up in arms. Some of them are literally calling for a civil war and the mass murder of thousands of Democrats.
Pat Robertson died and it was not too soon. He should have gone to Hell decades ago. The Unabomber committed suicide in his jail cell. Former Secretary of the Interior James Watt died and it took me a while to remember why I disliked him. He felt God would be ending the world soon, so we should develop every inch of the environment.Oilmen and other soulless corporations were more than happy to help him with his insane agenda. They didn’t succeed, but they did more than their share of damage.
One more thing. In support of Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Nazi-flag-waving Nazis protested Disney’s Pride celebrations from just outside the park. Actual. Flag-waving. Nazis. That should tell you everything you need to know about DeSantis, who is currently losing court case after court case.
Of course, as a noted ray of sunshine, I still found a great many books, people and more that brought me joy last month. Here are the things that made me happy in May...
May 1: Alvin Hall’s Driving The Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance. Enticing, informative reading for those of us eager to learn the history that never made it into our school history texts.
May 2: Super Bins Medina, a discount store, opened last week just minutes from my house. I haven’t been there yet, but Saintly Wife Barb scored this Funko Black Adam on Throne figure for six bucks! Destined for one of my garage sale mystery boxes.
May 3: Jeopardy. I always smile widely when a clue is about one of my favorite things. Comic books. Monster movies. Vintage cartoons. Comic strips. This one was used on Monday, May 1. If you don’t know the answer, you’re dead to me.
May 4: In The Power (Amazon), women all over the world develop the ability to generate electricity and so upend the male-female power balance. It’s scary as shit with nods to current injustices in our world. Highly recommended.
May 5: Jeopardy. Current champion Hannah Wilson is a powerhouse. I am in awe of her gamesmanship and knowledge. I’m rooting for her to get at least five wins!
May 6: The Power (Amazon). Thanks to a downright chilling portrayal by Gerrison Machado, the scariest character on this amazing series is radicalized son Matty Clearly-Lopez. His raw hatred mirrors that of MAGA Republicans. Terrifying.
May 7: Help! I’m being held prisoner by the Sinister Six! It’s my own fault. I couldn’t resist the incredible sales prices on these amazing Funko figures from Amazon. I wish I had Spider-Man in my contacts.
May 8: Guardians of the Galaxy 3 gave me everything I wanted from the movie and more. Great character moments. Edge-of-my-seat action sequences. A most satisfying ending. It’s a terrific movie and one of the best from the MCU.
May 9: The Post-Racial Negro Green Book by Jan Miles is a reverse Green Book, a state-by-state achieve of 21st Century racial bias. There is so much under-reported or not-reported Black history and we all need to learn more of it.
May 10: Simba. We took our beloved pet to Banfield Pet Hospital in Medina for some shots. She’s in terrific health and hasn’t gained any weight since her last visit three years ago. My nap buddy and office mate is in better shape than I am.
May 11: Dennis the Menace Napkins (circa early 1950s). A long-time friend sent me these “sip ‘n snack napkins. He knows I’m a huge fan of the early Dennis. I probably won’t use these collectibles, but I do have a sudden urge to wear bib overalls.
May 12: Hitoshi Ashinano’s Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is sort of like a shooting white noise in comics form. As the rising oceans slowly end our world, a lovely humanoid robot runs a tiny coffee shop in a seaside town. Gorgeous art and writing.
May 13: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: “Today, I Am a Woman” was an outstanding episode. MG’s bestie Casey plans her bat mitzvah with her two dads and their woman rabbi. Ron DeSantis should watch this over and over until his head explodes.
May 14: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: “Devil on Her Shoulder”. In this episode, MG shrinks DD down to human size and then some. With guest appearances by Bill Foster (Lawrence Fishburne) and Marvel monsters Droom and Torg the Abominable Snow-King.
May 15: A shout-out to Medina businesses that made my life easier: Huntington Bank, Target, The UPS Store, Walmart and JoJo’s Sports Bar and Grille where I had a delightful lunch with Bob Ingersoll, Roger Price and Thom Zahler.
May 16: VAOS (Vast Accumulation of Stuff) finds. Dozens of comics written by me, Black Lightning Toon Tumblers glasses and, best of all, my treasured copy of Fantastic Four Annual #1, the issue that made me want to write comic books.
May 17: Good neighbors. When a copper pipe in one of our bathrooms sprung a serious pinprick leak, our friend Dave helped us figure it out and shut off the water to our house. Our trusty plumbers will be here later today, but Dave was our hero of the night.
May 18: More VAOS (Vast Accumulation of Stuff) finds. Some Silver Age issues of Lois Lane. Nearly a hundred trade paperbacks. Dozens of manga volumes to be priced at a buck each. Copies of my scripts for Black Lightning comics. Much more to come.
May 19: Perfect World by Rle Aruga presents the romance between a young woman and a man in a wheelchair. Originally a one-shot, the moving manga was so popular with readers that it became an ongoing series. Beautifully written and drawn.
May 20: Something was missing from my Funko Pop! Sinister Six set and now it’s not. Plus I feel much safer sharing my digs with those classic villains now that beat them all is here to keep an eye on them. It’s just what he does.
May 21: Mister Mammoth by Matt Kindt and Jean-Denis Pendanx. The world’s greatest detective is a seven-foot-tall pacifist who sees patterns no one else can. This stand-alone graphic novel will keep you in suspense and wonderment.
May 22: I’m delighted to announce Matt Murdock has joined my legal team. I’ve heard good things about him and also crazy shit about him being a super-hero. But, come on, he’s blind! Say Rudy giuliani is a super-villain, that I could believe.
May 23: Disney Masters Vol. 12: Donald Duck: The Forgetful Hero. A delightful collection of stories drawn by Giorgio Cavazzano. When you need a break from heavier reading, the Disney Masters volumes from Fantagraphics will do the job.
May 24: Jeopardy Masters. The last sem-finals game was one of the greatest of all time. Medina’s Matt Amodio dominated. Mattea Roach won the final spot in the finals. The fellowship of these fantastic players was evident from start to finish.
May 25: Kong: An Original Screenplay by Edgar Wallace. Edited by Stephen Jones as part of his Masters of Horror series, here’s the script that launched King Kong and the fascinating history behind it. Highly recommended.
May 26: You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! by Kota Nozomi and Tesshin Azuma is a “hot mom rom com” about a woman who adopted her niece at a young age. Now 30, she’s pursued by one of her niece’s legal age friends. It’s funny, heartwarming and sexy.
May 27: Funko’s Santa Spider-Man will be on display at the Isabella house this Christmas. Besides making me happy, it gives me a chance to let you know there are lots of cool Funko figures at Amazon now and at discount prices. Worth checking out.
May 28: I knew they existed, but until I saw one on Lisa Whelchel’s Collector’s Call, I didn’t realize just how much I need a Godzilla pinball machine in my life. If only I had the seven or eight grand it would cost. It’s grail time!
May 29: Stan Lee has joined my Funko collection. He was the man who inspired me to make comic books. He was a great mentor and teacher and, even after I left Marvel, friend. I think of him constantly. I miss him always.
May 30: May the Wheel be with you! This week, Wheel of Fortune is holding its Star Wars Galactic Celebration with contestants wearing Star Wars gear and many Star Wars-themed puzzles. Fingers crossed we see Vanna White as bun-haired Princess Leia.
May 31: Telepaths by J. Michael Straczynski, Steve Epting and Brian Reber. As the writer who turned the Thangarian Absorbascon into a terrifying weapon, this graphic novel about a world where no secret is safe was right in my wheelhouse. More please.
Coming up in near-future bloggy things will be a one-off discussion of comics journalism and a multi-part series on my glorious trip to Singapore with Saintly Wife Barb.
In the meantime, my famous Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales kick off this weekend, Friday, June 16, and Saturday, June 17 from 9 am to1 pm both days. This Craig’s List notice should give you all the information you need.
I’ll be back soon with more stuff.
© 2023 Tony Isabella
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