The world and my country are becoming more unhinged by the minute. While I fully intend to address that insanity in future editions of the bloggy, I can’t do so right now lest I curl into a fetal ball of despair and rage.
So I instead turn to that which gives me hope and joy in a world of madness. Every day, to combat the encroaching darkness, I shine a light on something good and positive.
Here are the things that made me happy in April...
April 1: Though his broken ankle kept my great friend Mark Evanier from WonderCon, I spent a few hours the night before the event with him and Brinke Stevens at his place. It was a fun evening and much arcane knowledge was shared.
April 2: Godzilla X Kong The New Empire. It’s a great movie, much better than Legendary’s previous film. Great monster action and the critters exhibit real personality. Equally terrific human stories, which I think made for great kaiju movies.
April 3: WonderCon 2024. From the moment we arrived at WonderCon, we were treated with much kindness and respect by the showrunners, the crew, the volunteers, the creators and the fans. It was one of my best conventions ever.
April 4: WonderCon 2024. Jhonny Javier and Reese Goldman came by my table. Jhonny had come from Argentina a week prior. I was delighted to welcome him and be part of his first US convention experience. So many great WonderCon memories.
April 5: WonderCon. I receive great joy from “The Ripple Effect,” people whose lives I affected. Pam Noles credits my Cosmic Comics store for her love of comics. Today, she’s a L.A. stage manager who works for Comicon. Wonderful to see you again, Pam.
April 6: WonderCon. Hosted by Victor Dandridge and sponsored by the Comic Arts Conference, my spotlight panel was amazing and a big hit with those in attendance. I love getting opportunities to educate and entertain.
April 7: WonderCon 2024. Joshua Reed was the letterer of my Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands series and did a wonderful job with my scripts. I got to meet him at the convention and sign his copy of
the trade. I hope I can work with him again.
April 8: WonderCon. Asked about Black Lightning, Cold Dead Hands, I was pleased to extol the editorial contributions of Jim Chadwick and Harvey Richards...and to hear other creators speak as highly of them. Wish we had done more together.
April 9: WonderCon 2024. I could post these happy things all month long and I wouldn’t begin to cover all the amazing folks I met and all the amazing times my family and I had. I’ll try to write a full convention report soon.
April 10: Post-WonderCon 2024. Our best and favorite meal of this trip was at 18 Folds, an Asian fusion restaurant in Anaheim. That meal was built around the incredible steamer party platter. It was $64 but enough deliciousness for the four of us.
April 11: Godzilla: Awakening by Max Borenstein and Greg Borenstein with art by Eric Battle, Yvel Guichet and Alan Quah. Reprinted in Legends of the Monsterverse, it’s an exciting introduction to the Godzilla and Kong comics from Legendary.
April 12: Silver Age Classics: Konga Volume One. From PS Artbooks, this reprints issues #1-5 of the Charlton series adapted from the 1961 movie. Even the stories not drawn by Ditko are entertaining. More to come.
April 13: Caitlin Clark was hilarious and inspirational on Saturday Night Live. She held her own on Weekend Update while giving shout outs to other players and the women who paved the way for both her success and the success of women’s basketball.
April 14: Gaytheist: Coming Out of My Orthodox Childhood by Lonnie Mann and Ryan Gatts is a compelling graphic novel about a young gay man (Mann) escaping from his birth religion. The more any religion controls its followers, the less I like it.
April 15: A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll. It’s a unsettling ghost story about a second wife who is surrounded by dark questions about her husband’s first wife. It’s downright chilling in places and would make a great scary movie.
April 16: I Have No Shelf Control. This shirt speaks to me. It was a gift from a dear friend who knows me all too well.
April 17: Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa. A 2024 finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Comics, this teen romantic comedy captivated me from the start. High school drama, new friends, old friends. Just a treasure.
April 18: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Finally watched it on Max. An excruciatingly bad performance by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta didn’t stop me from enjoying this film. So many great Arthur and Orm moments.
April 19: CSI Vegas. The “Atomic City” episode was the best of the season to date. Creepy murders. Moving scenes for the regular cast. John Ross Bowie as a quirky survivalist. A conclusion I didn’t see coming. Excellent television!
April 20: From Fantagraphics, The Atlas Comics Library No. 2: Venus Vol. 2 has arrived. Since I consider this title one of the most fun and fascinating of Atlas comics, I’m delighted to see the rest of it collected in such a great package.
April 21. The Legends of the Monsterverse boxed set from Legendary Comics. Having finished reading, I recommend it even more highly. Some of the stories are great, all are entertaining. And the bonus content is incredible!
April 22: The Daily Show. I was absolutely thrilled and surprised by the return of the wonderful Jessica Williams. The comedic timing between her and host Jon Stewart was flawless. I hope we see more of her on the show that invented news.
April 23: My Black Lightning Glowing Logo Power Bank was a cast and crew gift from the TV series. When funds permit, I’ve been looking for such gifts on eBay. I want my BL Archives as cool as possible for whatever institution gets it after my death.
April 24: The newest Daily Show correspondents. Troy Iwata, Grace Kuhlenschmidt and Josh Johnson have been growing into their roles and doing a great job. Kuhlenschmidt is my favorite, but they are all terrific.
April 25: “What Remains of America,” a chilling story of a future by my old Marvel Bullpen buddy Scott Edelman, headlines Pulphouse Fiction Magazine #25. It’s a tale that holds great meaning for me as I see the insane world around me.
April 26: Not Dead Yet’s season finale was one of the show’s best episodes and laid fertile ground for a third season. Nell’s secret (she can talk to ghosts) is now known by a most unlikely character
and Lexi has bought the newspaper. More please.
April 27: Alma by John Holland and Hernan Gonzalez. The Chosen One is a 72-year-old grandmom with bad knees. That’s the irresistible premise of this series, coming soon to a Kickstarter near you. I’m going to support it and hope you will, too.
April 28: My Black Lightning archives grows with the cool addition of this rare cast and crew Holloway black nylon jacket from the TV series. It’s a medium, so I won’t be wearing it, but it’s still a nice artifact from a great run.
April 29: Yet another addition to my Black Lightning archives. It’s a Black Lightning Season 1 cast/crew trucker cap. I can actually wear this one because it’s large enough to fit my head, even when people tell me I’m a legend.
April 30: I have Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sale fever. My garage is full of boxes I’ll be going through to fill my inaugural sale with cool items. Opening weekend is May 17-18 and that’s just the start of an amazing summer.
And now...Tony’s Best of the Bloggy Thing Month. Three categories. Three winners.
BEST COMIC OF THE MONTH: Gaytheist: Coming Out of My Orthodox Childhood by Lonnie Mann and Ryan Gatts
BEST MOVIE/TV SHOW OF THE MONTH: Godzilla X Kong The New Empire
BEST PERSON OF THE MONTH: Mark Evanier
The start of my Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales is Friday and Saturday, May 17 and 18, 840 Damon Drive in Medina, Ohio. The sales run from 9 am to noon each day. However, if there’s customers still shopping at noon, I won’t push them out the door.
If these hours don’t work for people, I am amenable to opening the garage doors most Friday and Saturday afternoons and evenings, and all day Sunday. Just contact me and we’ll set up a time that works for both of us.
That’s all for today. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.
© 2024 Tony Isabella
