EVEN MORE ON G-FEST XXIX

 

After a much-longer-than-expect gap due to my working on my garage sales, here’s the conclusion of my G-Fest XXIX report. Yes, I know the lettering on my badge sucks. Next year, I’ll print out my name and tape it to the badge.

First up on Sunday was what turned out to be the most disappointing G-Fest presentation I have ever attended. Because “When Dinosaurs Ruled the Comics” turned out to be the most ill-informed discussion of its subject matter. I got my first clue when they showed a slide of Gold Key’s Turok Son of Stone and credited the creation of this title to...Joe Kubert. I almost jumped out of my seat and screamed at them, but my son Eddie made me relax.

It quickly became clear that the only dinosaur comics going to be discussed were comics from the 1990s and later. “The War That Time Forgot” was never mentioned. No 1960s dinosaur-themed covers from publishers like DC Comics and ACG were shown. The panelists didn’t do even a modicum of research on their subject. Indeed, when they showed one of Kubert’s later-day Tor mini-series, it was clear they had no clue Joe had been doing Tor stories since the 1950s.

I freely admit the panel did showcase some excellent comics during the presentation, but much of their focus was on the goriest dino comics they could find. I thought about taking notes on some of the other titles, but decided I would do my research on such dinosaur comics elsewhere. Chalk that up to a complete lack of confidence in the panelists.

Later in the day, I put forth the idea of doing a “When Dinosaurs Really Ruled the Comics” presentation for G-Fest 2025. I think that will happen. I think it’ll be a lot of fun.

                                                                                          

From there, Eddie and I went to the autograph area where we bought copies of Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again from translator Jeffrey Angles. I plan to start reading my G-Fest comics and books within the next few days.

I also hit the “Kaiju Island” vendors area where I purchased a cool Godzilla hat and an even cooler Godzilla t-shirt. I’ll try to take some photos of being wearing them soon.

While Eddie went “off campus” for more Italian beef sandwiches, I grabbed a “Minya Burger” from the G-Fest fast food set-up. It was okay, not good enough for the price. I wil find better options for the next G-Fest.

The last G-Fest presentation I attended was the always entertaining “Kaiju Konfessions,” hosted by the irrepressible Stan Hyde. It was a warm and wonderful way to end our G-Fest weekend. Joining in for original parody songs and tunes from classic monster movies. Save the Earth!

For dinner, Eddie and I went to a Giordano’s just a short distance from our hotel. I’m not a fan of deep dish pizza, so I ordered and loved a “tavern-style” thin crust pizza. Eddie had another Italian beef sandwich. It was a fine meal.

We relaxed in our hotel room afterwards, planning an early start to our drive back to Medina. It was uneventful. Which is an excellent thing for a drive home.

During G-Fest and during the drives to and from the convention,  Ed had to deal with a great many work phone calls and situations. It was a proud papa thing as I saw just how good my son is at his job.  He dismissed my praise as “just doing his job,” but I was impressed by how he could keep track of multiple situations without missing a beat. Sorry, kid, your Dad is proud of you.

Some final thoughts:

I’m eager to start reading the several books and graphic novels I purchased at G-Fest. First up: Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama as translated by Jeffrey Angles.

                                                                                 

Besides my “When Dinosaurs Really Ruled the Comics” presentation, I am seriously considering doing a second presentation, this one on Gorgo, Konga and Reptilicus/Reptisaurus. The original movies. The sleazy novelizations. The classic Charlton comic. These distant cousins of Godzilla deserve some love, too.

Much better planning on my part is a must for next year’s G-Fest. I need to make sure I get a hotel room that works for me, go “off-campus” for my meals and, most importantly, plan in advance to get together with friends. There were too many friends I didn’t get to see this year. That’s my main regret from the weekend.

My next convention will be the 2024 NEO ComicCon, Sunday, August 4, from 10 am to 4 pm at the North Olmsted Soccer Sportsplex, 31515 Lorain Road in North Olmsted, Ohio. I’ll be set up at the front of Field 2 next to Angel Medina and Darryl Banks. There will be lots of other great guests and vendors there, so I urge you to come to the event. Visit the NEO Comicon website for more information.

Thanks for stopping by the old bloggy thing today. I will be back soon with more stuff.

© 2024 Tony Isabella

MORE ON G-FEST XXIX

 

 

Saturday is always the busiest day at G-Fest. There were a couple of presentations I wanted to see. I also wanted to get into Kaiju Island, the G-Fest equivalent of an artists alley. The Island was in a small room on the sub-level of the hotel and, as such, always had a daunting line of fans wanting to get in. The line was already long when the convention opened for the day, but I was able to get in on a slightly later attempt.

My first stop was the table of Matt Frank, one of my favorite kaiju artists. Much to my surprise, he was cosplaying Emperor Antonio of Seatopia from Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973). We didn’t chat for long as he always had a lot of fans waiting to see him, but it was still good to catch up briefly.

I did a bit of shopping elsewhere on the island, picking up a few graphic novels because they looked like they were fun. From Invader Comics, I purchased Animals #1 by Keith Foster and Ed Condon...and Three Protectors by Foster and multiple artists.  I have a pretty decent stack of kaiju comics to read in the coming weeks, including a bunch of Godzilla comics from IDW.

The next table over was Bustillo Publishing where I purchased the digest-sized Dynamic Guardian and Friends by Rodney Rodis and Randy Meyer. I shocked the heck out of Rodney just by being the legendary Tony Isabella. He said I made his day. I spent fifteen minutes or so answering his questions before moving on to the first of the two interviews I wanted to see.

                                                                                 

Jeffrey Angles is a professor of Japanese literature at Western Michigan University. He’s won numerous prizes for his translating Japanese literature into English, including the recent collection of Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again, a book that has moved to the top of my kaiju reading pile. He has also completed a translation of The Luminous Fairies and Mothra. He was interviewed for G-Fest by Joyce Boss and Kevin Derendorf. It was a fascinating panel and one of the highlights of my weekend.

Eddie left the hotel in search of more Italian beef sandwiches. I grabbed a small pizza from the food court set up just across from the main convention floor. It was good, though not quite worth the $14 I paid for it. As I mentioned yesterday, guests and visitors of the Hyatt Regency O’Hare will find nary a bargain from the hotel. Indeed, I was expecting to find an oxygen tax when I got my final bill for the weekend. I hope that comment doesn’t give the hotel any ideas for next year.

                                                                                   

Allan Henry is an actor, stuntman and motion capture performer. The boisterous, charming and just plain sweetheart of a human being is best known for his roles as Kong in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and the title character in Cocaine Bear. Indeed, he bounded on to the stage as if we were the coked-up grizzly. However, he resumed his human demeanor before he turned on interviews Jessica Tseang and Martin Arlt. Honestly, this was one of the best interviews I’ve seen at G-Fest. Henry’s dedication to and love for his work leaps out at you. He puts in the work and continues to put in the work.

                                                                                      

Comics fan and Facebook friend Brian Iglehart wasn’t planning to be at G-Fest this year. But he invited Eddie and me to dinner with him Saturday. We ate at the wonderful A Thousand Tales Mediterranean restaurant in nearby Mt. Prospect. He even insisted on picking up the check. I had a delicious salmon served with baby vegetables, lemon and roasted potatoes.

Over our meals, we talked about comics and garage sales and other subjects. I gave him tips for running garage sales with the first being that, if you’re serious about reducing your collection, you need to be honest about whether or not you are ever going to have the time to reread items. All of which reminds me that, in answer to many requests, I need to commence writing “The Art of the Garage Sale” bloggy things I’ve been contemplating.

One of my regrets about this year’s G-Fest was that I didn’t plan things as well as I could and should have. There were dear friends I never connected with over the weekend. It’s something I will do better for next year’s gathering.

By the way, I’m usually open to getting together with online fans and friends during and after conventions. I’m not one for “Bar Con” because I’ve seen too much disgusting behavior from comics creators who are either drunk or naturally churlish. But I’m open to meeting folks, even if it’s just to hang out in the hotel lobby for a bit. Giving the Hyatt Regency O’Hare a rare compliment, they do offer a lot of comfortable seating areas.

Saturday night was a quiet one for me. Eddie went out to a tavern or two to pick up some stuff to take home. I read, watched TV and called it an early night. After all, we still had one more day of G-Fest. Which I’ll tell you about in my next bloggy thing.

See you then.

© 2024 Tony Isabella

G-FEST XXIX (July 12-14, 2024)

G-FEST XXIX was the vacation I was looking forward to and which I needed even more badly than I realized. This event is said to be “the largest regular gathering of Godzilla and Japanese monster fans in the world.” It was held at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare hotel in Rosemont, Illinois from July 12 through the 14th.

Getting a late start, my son Eddie and left the relatively peaceful city of Medina, Ohio, for the always raucous Chicago. Our six-hour drive was uneventful save for our GPS directing us to an alternate route that kept us off the Dan Ryan Expressway, shaved ten minutes off the drive and saved us a few bucks in tolls, of which Illinois has an abundant amount. Even if we hadn’t saved time and money, it was a blessing to not be on the Dan Ryan. If there’s a road, I can truly say I hate, that road is the Dan Ryan.

Another blessing was that some dear friends of ours were able and willing to pick up our convention badges. Pick-up ended at 5:30 pm Thursday - too early in my opinion - and we didn’t reach the hotel until close to 7 pm. I connected with those and other friends later that evening, enjoying some great conversation.

Digression. The Hyatt Regency O’Hare is my least favorite aspect of G-Fest. It disappoints on virtually every metric, save that, from what I was told, the hotel staff works well with the event. I’ll spare you my grievances here. I’ll be writing a letter to Hyatt in the next day or so and will likely share that missive with you in a near-future bloggy thing. I’m waiting on the arrival of my e-mail  bill which - I shake my head - hasn’t arrived yet. I’ll be calling the hotel to inquire about that. End of digression.

Thursday’s dinner was at the hotel’s Red Bar & Lounge. The drinks and food were fine, but pricy. For the same amount of money, if you are willing to leave the hotel, you can find much better and more varied options.

Friday’s breakfast was a buffet at the hotel’s O’H American Grill. This was by giving a poor restaurant one final chance and it failed miserably. So-so food. Scant variety. High price. Just a mile away, you will find a Denny’s with excellent food, reasonable prices and Carolina, one of the nicest waitresses I’ve met. She is a treasure who truly loves seeing the G-Fest attendees year in and year out.She even recognized us from a previous visit. We ate there Saturday and Sunday.

                                                                           

I wanted to attend several panels and presentations during G-Fest, so that was my priority. First up on Friday morning was “Jaws vs. Japan: Kaiju Sharksploitation,” presented by the very knowledgeable
Kevin Derendorf. He opened my eyes to the immense influence Steven Spielberg’s Jaws has on Japanese kaiju and shark films, as well as introducing the audience to a variety of shark films. I thought it was one of the best panels I’d seen at G-Fest.

Eddie loves Chicago’s Italian beef sandwiches. The hotel food being what it was, we drove to a nearby Portillo’s. I don’t eat a lot of red meat these days, but I had a craving for Fettuccine Alfredo and ordered that with garlic bread. Though I ordered a small portion, what I got was enough to feed two or three people. If our room at the Hyatt had a microwave and a decent refrigerator, I could have eaten the leftovers for at least two more meals.

                                                                                      

The next panel I wanted to see was Female Leads of Toho Films with Jessica Tseang. She and the other two panelists covered quite a bit of ground, offering some keen insights into the characters and the actresses who played them. Of course, I have to go outside Toho for my favorite female lead and female kaiju. The former would be Mara Corday, who played a rancher (The Black Scorpion), an assistant to a scientist (Tarantula) and a top scientist in her own right (The Giant Claw). My favorite female kaiju? No contest. It’s Gorgo’s mom all the way.

Kaiju World (aka the dealers room) was next. Every G-Fest, it takes my breath away to see the tens of thousands of Godzilla and other figures being sold. It took all my will power not to buy the large  Gorgo figure ($200) there. If I see it again somewhere, I might not be so strong.

From the same vendor, I did purchase Soul War, a graphic novel with a giant monster, 1940s Nazis and a menace from deep space. The book is written by Mac McClintok and Patrick McEvoy with art by the latter. I hope to read it soon.

Outside the main G-Fest area, the hotel had set up a food service offering burgers, pizza, tacos and such. Needing a snack, I bought a small pizza. It was good, but, like everything else at the Hyatt, too expensive. If the hotel thought it could get away with it, it would charge you for wear and tear on the floors you walk to go to the convention and your room.

The last presentation I attended on Friday as the kids edition of G-Pardy. It’s a Kaiju version of Jeopardy and usually entertaining. This time out, it took a long time to cull the prospective players, all twelve or under, to the three actual players. The match itself dragged because the traditional Jeopardy rules weren’t followed and because the kids didn’t seem to understand how Jeopardy is played. It was still enjoyable, but it could have been more enjoyable with better preparation of the players and a much stricter adherence to  the actual rules of the game.

Friday night saw me hanging in my hotel room, reading things like Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong, The Punisher: The Bullet That Follows, a volume of the manga A Man and His Cat and short articles in Paperback Fanatic. Thursday and Friday were catching up with me and I needed an evening of quiet time.

                                                                            

I also watched Kaiju TV, which was running on two different hotel channels. This is a fun feature of G-Fest with a mix of dubbed and subtitled and virgin Japanese movies and episodes of TV shows. We saw Gamera, different Ultraman series and more.

I found the spacewomen of Gamera: Super Monster fascinating. This 1980 film is comprised mostly of clips from previous Gamera movies, but there’s considerable new footage of three lovely women fighting an evil counterpart to protect Earth from monsters unleashed by the woman’s alien masters. If I ever write a Gamera comic book series, you can bet the ladies will appear in it.

That’s all for now, but I’ll be back soon with more coverage of my G-Fest XXIX experience. See you then.

© 2024 Tony Isabella

 

THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY IN JUNE

 

 

June and July made me wonder if American democracy is coming to an end. You know what I’m talking about. I’m not ready to write about this at length, but I will soon.

In the meantime, I’m looking forward to something that always puts smiles on my face. G-FEST XXIX, said to be “the largest regular gathering of Godzilla and Japanese monster fans in the world” is returning to the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, IL, from July 12–14. My son Eddie and I will be among the thousands of attendees there attending panels, hanging out with the good friends we have made there over the years, looking at great art and other displays, seeing movies, shopping the vendors room and, in the case of Eddie, eating his weight in Italian beef sandwiches. Of course, I will be eating more modestly as I am determined to get in the best shape of my life, the better to face and defeat the fascism of Trump and his maniacal followers.

I strongly urge you to check out G-Fest online, knowing you’ll have a wonderful time if you attend. If you want to meet up with me and have me sign Isabella stuff, drop me an e-mail and I’ll do my best to make that happen.

Here are the things that made me happy in June...

June 1: The sex, also known as the Trump hush money verdicts, was amazing. Afterward, all I wanted to do was cuddle. But we still have work to do to stop this most criminal, racist and treasonous president in our history from being elected. And his little GOP dogs, too.

June 2: The Vineyard by Brian Hawkins, Sami Kivela, Jason Wordie and Taylor Esposito. Published by Aftershock, this is a seriously scary story about very bad people and those who enable them. I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t become a movie.

                                                  

                                

June 3: PRIDE IN THE CLE (Cleveland) was one of the most beautiful, life-affirming experiences of my lifetime. Thousands of good people showing love and support for the LGBTQ+ community. I plan to attend next year. Love wins!

June 4: The Normals by Adam Glass and Dennis Calero. Everything you know about your family and life is a lie and for reasons that are incredible. Glass has been popping up in my “things” often of late and deservedly so.

                                                                             

                                                          

June 5: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Laura Berlanti as the mysterious Juror 11 (Melania Trump)in Monday’s hilarious sketch. Next I would like to see her as a stern warden at whatever prison the Cheetos Criminal gets sent to.  

June 6: Wheel of Fortune. Vanna White’s words of appreciation for the departing Pat Sajak had her in tears. I wasn’t far behind her. They were and shall always be remembered as one of the best teams ever to appear on television.

June 7: Wheel of Fortune. Pat Sajak’s farewell comments. He was one of the best and perhaps best game show hosts in television history. Quick with a joke or a comforting word. He’s irreplaceable, but I do hope for the best.

                                                                            

June 8: IDW’s Godzilla Valentine’s Day Special by Zoe Tunnell and Sebastian Piriz is one of the most enjoyable Godzilla comics of all time. It’s a fun romance and a thoughtful look at the relationship between kaiju and the world. I love it!

June 9: Treated myself to an at home double feature night watching Hit Man and Madame Web on Netflix. Sometimes I don’t need to watch great movies, just entertaining ones that take me away from a world of madness for a few hours.

June 10: I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together: A Memoir by Maurice Vellekoop. His life is examined as we watch him navigate emotional issues that threaten to overcome him and which are relatable to gay and straight readers alike. Masterful.

June 11: Gundala. This 2019 Indonesian superhero film based on the comic-book character created by Harya Suraminata fifty years ago is choppy but also fascinating. It’s apparently the first in a series of movies and I’ll be on board for them.

                                                                       

                                                                   
June 12: This is Screwed Up, but I was Reincarnated as a Girl in Another World by Keyaki Uchiuchi and Ashi tells of an old scientist reborn as an orphan in a world of swords and sorcery. It’s great fun. I’m two volumes in and looking forward to more.

June 13: Captain America by J. Michael Straczynski Vol. 1: Stand. In a story that spans decades echoing the past and the present, we discover Steve Rogers was a hero before the sickly young man became an icon. I love this beautiful fitting retcon.

                                                                          

June 14: I received a text message from a garage sale customer who was delighted by the Godzilla Ramen Bowl (with chopsticks) that was in the mystery box he bought. When my customers are happy, I share in their joy.

June 15: The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha is a engrossing, poignant and often shocking tale of a young 16th-century Korean woman who is more than she appears. It’s a story of generational trauma and easily one of the best graphic novels I’ve read this year.

June 16: As of today, Saintly Wife Barb and I have been married for forty years. Now you know why she deserves the “saintly.”  I love her as much today as I did then. I am so lucky to have shared this long and happy life with her.
 

                                                                           

June 17: Last Thursday, OutSupport Medina held its annual Pride on the Square event. A beautiful gathering of great people who showed love and support for their fellows whether LGBTQ+ or straight. This is what America should look like.

June 18: Saturday’s garage sale was all the more special because a fan who came from Detroit picked up our mutual pal Tom Orzechowski. I don’t see Tom, my first hire as a Marvel editor, nearly enough. The conversations were great fun.

June 19: Dark Spaces: Good Deeds by Che Grayson, Kelsey Ramsay and Rondo Patterson is a scary tale of disgrace, redemption and violent justice with a twist I did not see coming. I’ll continue to follow this anthology series presented by Scott Snyder.

June 20: Death Drop Drag Assassin by David Hazan and Alex Moore is a “supernatural queer noir” series about a hitman turned drag queen trying to protect the community from a killer. I’m enjoying the mix of suspense and soap opera.

June 21: Fantastic Four by Ryan North Vol. 1: Whatever Happened to the Fantastic Four brought me back to the first family of heroes I loved as a youth. What else can I say, except that “The Night of Doom” might be my favorite Reed and Sue story ever.

                                                                            

June 22: The Big Bakeover on the CW. Award-winning British baker Nancy Birtwhistle has come to the U.S. to help struggling bakeries. It’s like Bar Rescue but nice and leaves me feeling good at the end of each episode. She’s wonderful.

June 23: Dark Horse published Drawing Lines: An Anthology of Women Cartoonists in 2020. The best and most unforgettable story in the book is “True Tales from the Shampoo Bowl” by Gail Simone with art by Rebecca Woods and lettering by Lois Buhalis.

June 24: The Equalizer. I just watched “Blind Justice,” which aired March 3. My friend Marvin Jones is awesome as a blind military vet surviving on his own and trying to mend his relationship with his daughter.

June 25: Grim Volume 1 by Stephanie Phillips with artist Flaviano and colorist Rico Renzi. Jessica Harlow is unlike any other reaper. She doesn’t know how she died and her search for that imperils Hell and Earth. I’m hooked.
 

                                                                                       

June 26: Eddie Isabella, born this date in 1988. I’m a Godzilla dad and he’s my Minya. He’s been a great companion to conventions and movies and screenings...and I’m incredibly proud of the fine man he has become. Vote for Eddie!

June 27: World’s Finest Teen Titans by Mark Waid with Emanuela Lupacchino and Mike Norton. I’m thinking Waid’s WF titles exist in their own private universe, which is fine by me. They’re fun with recognizable heroes and satisfying stories and art.
 

                                                                            

June 28: Becoming Who We Are: Real Stories About Growing Up Trans by writer/editor Sammy Lisel and artist/editor Hazel Newlevant and others. A suitable for young adults anthology that delivers on its title. Well-written, beautifully drawn, life-affirming.

June 29: Harlan Ellison’s Watching. Rereading his movie columns in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, I’m reminded of the poetry of his prose...and how often I still need to research his sometimes obscure but always apt analogues.

June 30: Harbingers of the coming apocalypse. There are more cheesy and just plain terrible giant creatures and shark movies streaming than I can watch. Between this and Trump, mankind has definitely earned its approaching demise.

And now...Tony’s Best of the Bloggy Thing Month. Three categories. Three winners.

BEST COMIC OF THE MONTH: Godzilla Valentine’s Day Special

BEST MOVIE/TV SHOW OF THE MONTH: Hit Man

BEST PERSON OF THE MONTH: Barb Isabella and Eddie Isabella (tie)

One more thing. My only Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales in July will be Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27, from 9 am to noon at 840 Damon Drive, Medina, OH 44256. I’ve already started adding great new items to the sales and will continue to do so right up to the moment I open the garage doors to my customers.

In the meantime, you can always check out my eBay store for amazing auctions. There will be a new batch of great stuff posted this weekend. Good shopping!

I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2024 Tony Isabella