BATMAN THE SILVER AGE OMNIBUS: PART EIGHT

 

Here’s the next chapter in my series of bloggy things about the stories reprinted in Batman: The Silver Age Omnibus Volume One. That hardcover chronicle collects Batman #101-116 and Detective Comics #233-257, ranging from the mid-1956 through the mid-1958.

First up is Detective Comics #252 [February 1958}. Cover artist Sheldon Moldoff drew one of his typically goofy monsters for “The Creature from the Green Lagoon!” As a kid, I loved those critters and I still get a kick out of them today. The story was written by Dave Wood with art by Moldoff and inker Charles Paris. The synopsis:

A film producer friend of Batman's on Skull Island sends for the Dynamic Duo and shows them a set he has built for a movie in production...a wall to keep out a creature that is wrecking his production equipment and preventing the movie from being completed for some unknown reason.

Young as I was when I first read this, I figured out the monster wasn’t real. After all, we were introduced to characters who had “suspect” written all over them. Even so, Batman’s battles with the beast were exciting and the resolution was satisfying.

                                                                           

Batman #114 [March 1958] has a Moldoff cover featuring a gorilla in a Batman costume. Back in the day, DC Comics knew apes on the cover meant a boost in sales. The issue has the usual three short adventures.

“The Secret of Mechanical City” is written by Batman co-creator Bill Finger with art by Dick Sprang and inker Paris. There’s no honor among thieves as one crook steals a secret formula from his criminal scientist boss. The crook flees to an exhibit city run by giant robots, something Sprang excelled at drawing. Finger’s script has exciting action scenes and a smart deduction from our hero.

“The Mirage Maker” is by an unknown writer with art by Moldoff and Paris. The title villain creates illusions to baffle Batman and the police until Bats eventually figures out how to beat the illusions. The villain’s garb is weird; he’s dressed like some sort of Arabian ruler or wizard.

“The Bat-Ape” is also by an unknown writer with art by Moldoff and Paris. The synopsis:

An animal trainer at a circus is arrested for robbing the box office since an ape provided a distraction. However, Batman seeks to prove the man’s innocence, using the ape as a cowled assistant.

It’s a goofy story, but entertaining. How has DC Comics resisted launching a Bat-Ape title? Mogo seems much more stable than the present-day Batman. 

                                                             

 

Detective Comics #253 [March 1958] introduces a trio of costumed criminals who have made a few rare appearances over the decades. Moldoff drew the cover for “The Fox, The Shark and The Vulture.” The writer is Wood. The art is Moldoff and Paris.

The Terrible Trio have already shown themselves to be dangerous masterful thieves. Batman and Robin are nearly killed when first they clash with these villains who strike on land, on sea and in the air. I took a liking to them when I read this story as a kid and was disappointed they didn’t appear again. If I were ever to write “my” Batman, the one who isn’t a jerk, I’d probably use them.

                                                                                 

We find the usual Moldoff cover and three stories in Batman #115 [April 1958], “The Million Dollar Clues” is written by Finger, penciled by Moldoff and inked by Stan Kaye. The synopsis:

Batman is given a clue to the whereabouts of stolen gems from a dying criminal, who warns the Caped Crusader that some of his henchmen are also seeking the loot. What he doesn’t tell Batman is that the gems are booby-trapped.

While the clues aren’t particularly difficult, they lead to some wild action scenes. Including a giant typewriter. If I had crazy wealth, I would buy a big house and property large enough to fit lots of giant objects. I always got a kick out of them.

Fun fact. After Finger passed, I wrote an issue of Ghost Rider that was a tribute to him. It featured a cast of characters with problems forced to work together, something Finger and the other Batman did often, and a giant motorcycle.

“Batman For Hire” is by an unknown writer, Moldoff and Paris. On the pretense of needing money for Robin’s college education and his own retirement, Bats opens up a private detective agency. It’s a convoluted but quite amusing scheme by our hero to solve a cold case.

The issue wraps with “Batman in a Bottle’ by Finger, Moldoff and Paris. It’s another of those (disliked by me) Professor Nichols time travel tales. Sent to investigate the origins of various giant objects from an ancient civilization, Batman and Robin find themselves battling a race of giants. Not even giant objects saved this story for my younger self.

                                                                    

Detective Comics #254 [April 1958} had a cool Moldoff cover for “One Ounce of Doom” featuring Ace the Bat-Hound, a favorite of mine. This story was by an unknown writer with art by Moldoff and Paris. The Grand Comics Database synopsis:

A hobo unwittingly steals a high explosive from the laboratory of a scientist.

This was an exciting chase adventure with lots of twists. Ace is a big help to the Caped Crusaders. Reading the story today makes me recall the role of the hobo in comics and other media of the era. In some, they were treated as criminal vermin. In others, as honorable knights of the road who had fallen on tough times. Today, they’re called homeless or un-housed people often reviled for their poverty. I would love to see some super-heroes address this societal issue.

I would also love the learn the identity/identities of those who wrote these stories. Credit where credit is due.

That’s it for today. Look for the finale of my writing about the first Batman: The Silver Age Omnibus coming soon.

© 2024 Tony Isabella

THE LAST GARAGE SALES OF 2024?

 

My final Vast Accumulation of Stuff Comic Books and Pop Culture garage sales will be this Friday and Saturday, September 27-28, from 9 am to noon at 840 Damon Drive, Medina, Ohio. As I write this, I estimate I’m more than 90% ready to go for these sales. I expect to wrap up my preparation and restocking on Wednesday, then take Thursday off to do some personal things and relax. I’ll be bright-eyed and cheerful come Friday morning.

Here’s what you can expect at these garage sales…

I’ve filled one table with amazing Godzilla and Godzilla-related figures and other cool stuff. I don’t often part with any of my Godzilla treasures, so, as if you’re also a devotee of the Great Scale One, you won’t want to miss this. 

                                                                            

As usual, I have hundreds, nay, thousands of vintage comic books at low prices, hardbacks, trade paperbacks, oversized hardcover and trade paperbacks, and pop culture trading card sets. There is also one table of cool books and magazines priced at a dollar each. Big bargains there.

                                                                         

I’m reducing the prices on Funko figures and Barbie dolls. Funko figures originally priced over $5 will be reduced to $5. Funko figures priced at $5 will be reduced to $3. All of the remaining Barbie collectibles with be just $5 each.

I’ll have several of our popular mystery boxes, mostly priced at $10 a pop. There’s one adult mystery box and one $20 super-sized box. The limit is one per customer on Friday, but Saturday will have no such limit.

As always, you can bring your Isabella items to the garage sales and get them signed for free. I charge $10 at my conventions, so this is a deal. I’ll also be happy to answer questions about my 50-year-plus career in the comics industry, and comic books and pop culture in general. It’s like a mini-convention in a garage. Fans have come from as far as Texas to attend.

If you can’t make it to the garage sales during the stated hours, you aren’t entirely out of luck. I will be keeping my display tables up from September 30 through October 4. If you want to make an appointment to shop the remaining items, you need to e-mail me. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible so we can work out a date and time. Each appointment will be limited to an hour or so. I’ll be working on some new projects, so these private appointments have to be kept short.

I want to thank all the great fans and friends who have come to my garage sales this summer. I also want to thank those of you who have visited my eBay store. The income from these sales make it possible for me to create new work for you.

I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2024 Tony Isabella

BATMAN THE SILVER AGE OMNIBUS: PART SEVEN

 

Here’s the next chapter in my series of bloggy things about the stories reprinted in Batman: The Silver Age Omnibus Volume One. That hardcover chronicle collects Batman #101-116 and Detective Comics #233-257, ranging from the mid-1956 through the mid-1958.

First up is Detective Comics #248 [October 1957] with one of my favorite stories as a young Batman fanatic. Sheldon Moldoff drew the cover for “Around the World in 8 Days” by Batman co-creator Bill Finger, Dick Sprang and Charles Paris. The synopsis from the Grand Comics Database:

Bandits break into a hospital and steal an experimental new drug....the only one that will save a patient, and Batman & Robin only have a week to discover its location and get it back so that the man can be injected with it. To make matters worse, the loot from the crime has been broken up between "fences" all over the world!

I was six years old when I first read this story. I’m not sure I had ever been out of Cleveland at the time. Likely not since my father worked ridiculous hours carrying the family bakery on his back. He was the pick of my grandparents’ litter.

Some of the locations were given but a single panel apiece, but the world-wide quest was thrilling nonetheless. I’d love to redo this adventure with more pages and set in modern times. I miss tho days when saving a single person’s life was as important to Batman as saving Gotham City or the world.

                                                                           

Detective Comics #249 [October 1957] has a cover by Moldoff for Finger’s “The Crime of Bruce Wayne!” Interior art for the tale is by Moldoff and Paris: The synopsis:

Bruce Wayne decides to go along with a scheme in which he would confess to being a wanted criminal known as the Collector in order to get vital information from a cellmate about where the crook stashed $50,000...but the plan goes horribly wrong and Wayne gets sent to death row!

This story is new to me, which is surprising since I had a crush on Batwoman and would have bought the issue if I’d seen it. That may be a good thing since I didn’t know Bob Ingersoll back then. Because of my pal’s many “The Law is a Ass” columns, I now know the legal stuff in this story is hooey. 

                                                                   

 

Batman #112 [December 1957] has a cover by Moldoff and the usual three stories. First up is “The Signalman of Crime” by Finger, Moldoff and Paris. Small-time crook Phil Cobb can’t get hired by any Gotham gangs, so he makes the completely logical decision to adopt a colorful identity and leave clues to his planned crimes for Batman. Because that always works. Spoiler: it doesn’t. But the Signalman is a fun goofy addition to the ranks of very silly villains challenging the Dynamic Duo.

“Batman’s Roman Holiday” is by Edmond Hamilton with Sprang and Paris. It’s another logic-free story in which Professor Nicholas – how I hated that character then and now – sends Bruce and Dick to the past to have an adventure as Batman and Robin. I never understood the pseudo-science behind the stories. I was usually very accepting of such nonsense, but this was just a bridge too far for me. If I wrote a Professor Nicholas story, it would reveal that things were not what they seemed and that he had his own evil agenda.

Finger redeems the issue with “Am I Really Batman?”. Moldoff and Paris are the artists. Professor Milo strikes again. Milo wasn’t as garish as Batman’s usual recurring foes, but he always made things personal. This time out, Bruce wakes up in a mental ward, not realizing Milo attacked him with an amnesia gag that dulls the will to live.

                                                                     

We wrap up Batman’s 1957-dated issues with Detective Comics #250 [December 1957]. Moldoff’s cover features “Batman’s Super Enemy” by an unknown writer with art by Moldoff and Paris.

The synopsis: A wanted criminal finds a ship full of weapons from outer space.

John Stanner is on the run after Batman and Robin break up his gang, He’s lucky enough to be the first human to encounter a spaceship full of advanced inventions, which he immediately uses to commit crimes and free his henchmen. The ending to his reign of terror is logical but telegraphed from the start. There were a number of stories by unknown writers in the 1950s. I continue to hope they are identified eventually.

                                                                           

Detective Comics #251 [January, 1958] kicks off the 1958-dated issues with “The Alien Batman.” The cover is by Moldoff. The story is by an unknown writer, Moldoff and Paris.

Is Batman actually an alien from another world? Spoiler alert. He’s not. But a clever criminal is making the people of Gotham fear the Caped Crusader. Which is a boon to the local rackets. Until Batman exposes the scheme.

This is a weak one. Much of the story consists of various folks remembering Batman’s past perils and wondering if he was able to survive them by using otherworldly powers. The revelation behind a blood test that supposedly proves Batman is an alien is maybe the weakest plot element in the story.

The comics-reading kids of the late 1950s seemed to love strange Batman transformations. I liked some of the tales a great deal. But the hoaxes always disappointed me.

                                                                      

Batman #113 [February 1958] has a cover by Moldoff with “Batman – The Superman of Planet X.” But, before we get to that story, we have two others to check out.

“The Menace of False Face” is by an unknown writer. Moldoff and Paris are the artists. The title villain disguises himself as a variety of famous people to commit crimes. He’s not really much of a match for our heroes. The GCD synopsis claims Batman didn’t recover False Face’s loot, but I didn’t get that from the end of the story. I assume the authorities eventually recovered it and returned into its rightful owners. Minus generous contributions to the Policemen Benevolence Society, of course.

“Batman Meets Fatman” is by Finger, Moldoff and Paris. A clown who does a Batman parody is a big hit with audiences, including Batman. Our heroes give the clown a ride in their surprisingly roomy Batmobile. They get a tip about the whereabouts of missing loot. Bad luck puts Batman and Robin in a tight spot, but they are rescued by the clever clown. It’s a charming little story of a type we don’t see anymore.

“Batman – The Superman of Planet X” is by Ed Herron, Sprang and Paris. The synopsis: Batman is transported to the planet Zur-En-Arrh and helps the Batman of that world battle invaders from yet another planet. On Zur-En-Arrh, our hero has powers like his pal Superman. The story is inventive with great art.

I sort of recall that Zur-En-Arrh plays a major part in recent Batman stories, but I would have to read those stories to say for sure. Which I have no real interest in doing. Reading a sane Batman in Mark Waid’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest is far more enjoyable.

That’s all for another chapter in our ongoing look at the Silver Age Batman. I’ll return to this era in the near-future.

© 2024 Tony Isabella

FLAMING RIVER CON 2024

 

FLAMING RIVER CON 2024 is a special nerd and pop culture event, celebrating LGBTQIA+ geek culture and featuring queer vendors, art, comics, books, zines, podcasts, panels and workshops. It’s at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, 1 Monticello Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio 44118. This will be my third year attending as a guest. I’m thrilled beyond words to be returning to one of my favorite conventions of them all.

I’ll be appearing on the Social Justice and Comics panel, 10:30 am to 11:15 am. I’ll also be at the VIP Party, 3:30 pm to 4:15 pm where I’ll be happy to answer questions, sign any Isabella comics you have (for free) and talk comics in general.

The vendors room will have 40 tables filled with cool stuff from all over the community. Last year, I bought a bunch of books and comics. There will also be several non-profits exhibiting at the event and sharing solid information about rights and available services. At this time in our troubled history, we need to know all we can to protect ourselves and those we love.

Other panels and programming will include “First Steps to Self-Sufficiency,” “Cartoons 4 Change,” Sci-Fi Queer Erotica,” “Queerness Mental Health and Pop Culture Representation,” “Intersections and Sci-Fi,” “To Boldly Go: One Small Step for Trans Woman in STEM,” “Finding Your People” and more. There will be cosplay and a writing workshop for kids, an intro to table top gaming, gaming and Pokemon Parties.

The Flaming River Con is a family-friendly event. Entry is free, but a $5 donation at the door is suggested. Take it from me, my friends, it’ll be about the best $5 you have ever spent.

© 2024 Tony Isabella

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS TONY ISABELLA?

 

When not practicing scaring small children for Halloween (see above photo), I spend most of my time at my home in Medina, Ohio. Where I write stuff and work on my eBay and garage sales. I’m currently in the middle of a very busy September.

Once I hit October, my plans include writing and then sending out pitches for comic-book series, graphic novels, novels, short stories, TV series and movies. The way this will work is, when a pitch or script is ready to go, I’ll make announcements here and on my social medium. I won’t be going into detail on my pitches, but there will be enough information to hopefully entice s smart publisher or producer to ask for more.

Though my final Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales will be Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28, I’ll bring some stuff to conventions I’ll be attending through the end of the year.

My eBay store, which is run by my dear friend Rob Petersen, is a year-round venture. I’ll continue going through my VAOS throughout the fall, winter and spring to add great new items to the store.

In addition to my writing and that other stuff, I’m available to appear at conventions and movies, TV shows and what have you. I enjoyed my brief role in that episode of Black Lightning and in a small local production. I would like to do more, enough so I can become a full member of SAG/AFTRA. I can play male, female and inhuman roles.

Here’s a schedule of where you can see me the rest of 2024. I’ve got gigs lined up for 2025, but I’ll share those with you later in the year.

Saturday, September 21: I’ll be a guest at The Flaming River Con in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. This is a wonderful LGBTQ+ event for fans of comics, science fiction and more. I’ll be doing a panel in the morning and a meet-and-greet in the afternoon. I’ll also be at one of the after parties.

Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28. I’m already restocking for this sale and adding some amazing items. There’ll be a table of cool Godzilla stuff and much more.

Saturday, November 2: I will be a guest at the Lawrence County Collectors Convention in New Castle, Pennsylvania.

Saturday and Sunday, November 9 and 10: I’ll be returning to one of my favorite events, the Akron Comicon.

Friday thru Sunday, December 6-8: I’ll also be a returning guest at GalaxyCon Columbus. I had a blast there last year and expect to do the same this year.

As we get closer to each of these events, I’ll write about them here and elsewhere. But I wanted to give you as much advance notice as I could.

I’ll be back soon with more bloggy stuff!

© 2024 Tony Isabella

BATMAN: THE SILVER AGE CLASSICS PART SIX

 

It’s been almost five months since I last wrote about the fun stories reprinted in Batman: The Silver Age Omnibus Volume One. It’s a massive tome that collects Batman #101-116 and Detective Comics #233-257, spanning mid-1956 through mid-1958. In an effort to cover more vintage comics faster, I’m going lighter on the story summaries. Let us begin with a new masked hero who has joined the Dynamic Duo and seems to be running the show.

Detective Comics #245 [July 1957] features Edmond Hamilton’s “The Dynamic Trio,” drawn by Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris. Moldoff also drew the cover as well. The Grand Comics Database aka the GCD summarizes the story:

Batman declares he needs help to crack a smuggling ring and brings in a new hero called Mysteryman. {Reporter/photographer] Vicki Vale spends the whole story trying to figure out who Mysteryman is.

This is the Batman I loved as a kid. He fights against crime without being driven by rage. He’s respectful of allies. He does the right thing. I like to think there is a still a readership out there who would love this Batman as much as I do.

 

Mysteries abound in Batman #109 [August 1957]. Behind the cover by Moldoff and Paris, we have three short Batman stories. The writers of the first two are unknown.

In “Three Crimes Against Batman,” drawn by Moldoff and Paris, a crook steals fairly worthless Batman-related objects as part of a plot to unmask our hero. It’s a too convoluted plot, both the crook’s plan and the story itself, that relies on the crook and the hero thinking alike. An inferior story.

“Follow the Batman” is another convoluted plot. A gang of crooks impersonate Batman to steal radium. A headmaster and students of a school for amateur detectives stumbles onto the plot and seeks to track the criminals. It’s slightly better than the first tale. Moldoff and Paris are the artists.

“The 1001 Inventions of Batman” is the gem of the issue. Written by Hamilton and drawn by Dick Sprang and Paris, it delighted me as a kid. A criminal scientist duplicates one of Batman’s crime-fighting devices and uses it to his own larcenous ends. The good guys know he’s duplicated a device, but don’t know which one. In figuring this out, our heroes recall several inventions. Young Tony would have loved to have had them all. I have no memory of the other stories in this issue, but this one has stayed with me since I first read it over six decades ago.

                                                                              

Detective Comics #246 [August 1957] presented ‘Murder at Mystery Castle” by Bill Finger with art by Moldoff and Paris. The cover was by Moldoff. The synopsis: The murder of John Barham in his own castle that he had disassembled in Europe and rebuilt in America draws the Caped Crusaders into a murder mystery that nearly costs them their lives.

As is to be expected from a tale by Batman’s co-creator, this is a classic. Barham’s castle with its ancient and still working weapons is fascinating. Each suspect has a possible motive. The clue to how Barham was killed is a good one as is Batman’s logic in figuring out the killer’s identity. It’s a mystery that plays fair with the readers.

                                                                           

Batman #110 [September 1957] was a pause in the run of covers by Moldoff. It was one of two covers this month drawn by Curt Swan and inked by Stan Kaye. Inside were the usual three short Batman stories.

“Crime of the Month Club” was written by Dave Wood with art by Sprang and Paris. Criminals committing heists of various kinds are using plans clearly devised by a mastermind. The opening splash reveals that mastermind is the Joker, selling crimes to the members of his crime-of-the-month club, but the story itself treats his identity as a mystery. Batman figures out the pattern to the crimes and foils the Joker who, for some reason, decides to carry out a crime in person. Not a particularly strong story.

“The Secret of Batman’s Butler” is by Finger, Moldoff and Kaye. It retells how Alfred came to work for Bruce Wayne, differing from his first appearance in several ways. In the story, Alfred thinks he’s accidentally exposed Batman’s secret identity to a criminal and decides to quit. Things are not what they appeared to Alfred, but the revelation of the truth makes perfect sense and is heartwarming.

“The Phantom Batman” is by Hamilton, Sprang and Paris. An explosion in an experimental electronics laboratory makes Batman a literal phantom who can neither be touched or touch anything. He has to overcome this ability/disability to bring a criminal gang to justice.

                                                                         

Detective Comics #247 [September 1957] with “The Man Who Ended Batman’s Career” has the second Swan/Kaye cover. The story is by Finger, Moldoff and Paris. It’s a favorite of mine.

Professor Milo, who will show up in a few more tales throughout the decade has a plan to destroy Batman. Using his psychological knowledge, the mad scientist installs an extreme fear of bats in our hero. Batman adopts the alternate identity of Starman, but his bat phobia continues to cripple his crime-fighting. I loved this story as a kid and still love it. There’s a reason Finger is my favorite Batman writer.

Moldoff is back on cover duty for Batman #111 [October 1957), which features two stories by Finger and one by Hamilton. All are penciled by Moldoff with inks by Paris on the first two and Kaye on the third.

In “The Gotham City Safari,” Batman and Robin become members of the Safari Club for their work hunting down the most dangerous game: criminals! The setting is a large estate which has been divided into parcels resembling and stocked with animals from Africa, India and Mexico. The non-violent hunt turns deadly when a member is murdered.

From writer Finger, young Tony learned “a sharp, violent blow on the tip of a rhino’s horn will knock him out temporarily.” I never got the chance to test this out back then or later.

“The Other Bruce Wayne” is also by Finger. Our hero was named for a cousin who is a great detective. The cousin is appalled by Bruce’s social butterfly lifestyle and vows to train him to be a detective. Hilarity ensues.

Hamilton’s “The Armored Batman” is the cover story. Threatened by the mysterious Blair Graeme, Batman and Robin don medieval armor to protect themselves. All Gotham is baffled, but there is a method to this madness.

That’s all for today. Watch for another look at Silver Age Batman in the near-future.

© 2024 Tony Isabella

THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY IN AUGUST

 

My penultimate Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales of the year were big fun and very profitable. Fans came from literally all over the country with one of my Facebook friends coming from Texas on his way to visit his family in Michigan. There were familiar faces and new ones. Including one fan who had last seen me thirty years ago at a Mid-Ohio-Con where Bob Ingersoll and I had signed his copy of Captain America: Liberty’s Torch. He said we had treated him with great kindness and made him feel like a part of the family. Ripples, my friends, ripples. You never know when a simple act of kindness will remain with someone all their lives and, hopefully, inspire them to treat others in kind.

Sales-wise, I reached 113% of my goal for the weekend. That money will go towards a much-needed renovation of my bathroom and save Saintly Wife Barb from the horror of my using hers. This is how you stay married for forty years.

My final VAOS garage sales of 2024 will be Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28, 9 am to noon at 840 Damon Drive, Medina, Ohio. I’ve already started restocking for that event.

Moving on, here are things that brought me joy in August.

August 1: Monster Bash #53. I came for the amazing cover feature on one of my favorite movies of all time, but I’m staying because the entire magazine is fun. I also enjoyed the recollections from the readers and the “My Favorite Things” parody.

August 2: Batman: Caped Crusader. Batman is back on Amazon Prime! I love the animation style. I love the new take on the Penguin. I love the sense of retro dread in every shot. The writing and acting are excellent. Highly recommended.

August 3: The Complete Web of Horror. This book reprints the short-lived but pivotal magazine of the 1960s and adds stories originally created for subsequent issues. Wrightson. Kaluta. Reese. Brunner. It’s a solid contender for an Eisner Award. 

                                                                     

 

August 4: Vivien Chien’s Peking Duck and Cover is her new “Noodle Shop Mystery.” Once again, Lana Lee finds herself in the middle of a murder at Cleveland’s Asia Village. Why hasn’t Hollywood turned these great books into a TV series?

August 5: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Netflix). Pip is looking into the murder of a girl five years earlier. The girl’s boyfriend confessed and committed suicide. Pip doesn’t think that’s the real story. One episode in and I’m hooked.

August 6: Tracker. It was fun seeing Jensen Ackles playing Justin Hartley’s brother. I’m glad he’ll be back next season to continue the Shaw family drama. It’s one of the few ongoing TV subplots that has been able to hold my interest.

August 7: Sarge Steel. I’ve been thinking of this 1960s character of late, triggered by the absolute vile way DC Comics portrays him in its brutal fare. He deserves much better. For now, I’ll have to be content with a collection of his original tales.

August 8: Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Outlaw by Tom King, Daniel Sampere and Tomeu Morey. Despite its vile characterization of Sarge Steel, this is an intense and well-written book with breathtaking art by Sampere and Morey.

                                                                       

August 9: Mega Crocodile 2. I was looking for some goofy fun and, yowza, did this cheesy Chinese monster movie do the job! Possibly the most manic crocodiles I’ve seen, victims flung all over, a good human story. You can see it on YouTube.

August 10: Mad Scientist #31. When you’re as disorganized as I am, you sometimes find hidden unread gems like this 2016 issue. A fine issue, especially editor/publisher Martin Arlt’s amazing article on The Thing from Another World.

August 11: Action Comics #1067 features Jefferson Pierce before he became Black Lightning. Written by Gail Simone and drawn by Eddy Barrows, it’s authentic Black Lightning. Something we need to see more of in DC comic books.

August 12: Bad Monkey. Vince Vaughn is a suspended police detective who gets drawn into a case involving a severed arm and many levels of corruption. This terrific new Apple+ TV is based on the novel by Carl Hiaasen. I’m enjoying the heck out of it.

August 13: Washington’s Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben by Josh Trujillo and Levi Hastings. The Baron shaped U.S. military training. Members of the LGBTQ+ community have been contributing to our nation from the start.

August 14: Done-in-one stories. I recently read two terrific ones: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #12 and Doctor Strange #18, both by Mark Waid. These are welcome relief from the overblown story arcs and crossover events we see too many of.

                                                                              

August 15: Jackpot! starring Awkwafina and John Cena, and streaming on Amazon Prime, this is a goofy movie set in a near-future L.A. where if you kill a big lottery winner, you get their money. It’s big dumb fun and just what I needed.

August 16: Once again, manga exhibits its amazing range. My Brain is Different: Stories of ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders by Monzusu presents nine true tales that offer some basic information for readers. I recommend it to librarians.

August 17: Gender Studies: The Confessions of an Accidental Outlaw by Ajuan Mance is a neat little graphic album of autobiographical stories. Race, gender and geekiness mix in a work that is funny and insightful. I liked it a lot.

August 18: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. After reading the first three trades, I realized this is my favorite current DC Comics title. So I added it to my pull list at my friendly not-in-my-neighborhood comics shop.

August 19: Anyone Comics. Located at 831 Nostrand Avenue in my once-home of Brooklyn, New York, Anyone has been my friendly not in my neighborhood comics shop for several months. They’re great and I hope to visit them in person some day. 8-19-24.

August 20: Valentine Bluffs Massacre by S.A. Check, James Kukoric and Andrea Arcari, this entertaining sequel to My Bloody Valentine movies is published by American Mythology Productions. Not the stuff of awards, but fun nonetheless.

August 21: My friend Mark Dooley has recently published a slew of comic books, including the moving The Actual, Semi-True Adventures of Mark and Dee Holiday Special. Different and worthwhile, his comics are worth checking out.

                                                                         

August 22: Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books. A book banner sets up a mini-library of “decent” books in her yard. A prankster puts the book covers on banned books. The ripples from this go far. Entertaining and suspenseful.

August 23: RizTech. Located at 215 S. Court Street on Medina’s City Square, this fine establishment recovered my data from when my old computer and set me up with a new computer. I recommend them highly.

August 24: Census by Marc Bernadin, Adam Freeman and Sebastian Priz. Liam Malone gets a job with the Census Bureau registering all manner of supernatural beings. It’s clever, dire and funny. I’m looking forward to the second volume.

August 25: “Legendary.” In its April 28 episode, The Equalizer took on anti-LGBTQ bigotry and conversion camps. Sadly, over two dozen states still allow these evil institutions.

                                                                       

August 26: Huda F Are You? By Huda Fahmy is the first of three semi-autobiographical graphic novels in which the author both celebrates and explores her American-Muslim identity. Hilarious, yet also serious in portraying anti-Muslim bigotry.

August 27: The Killer. Streaming on Peacock, this is director’s John Woo’s remake of his 1989 film. Nathalie Emmanuel plays hit woman Zee. I make no excuses for loving solid action movies with lethal ladies. I just do.

August 28: John Wick 4. Oh, my dear Keanu, your unkempt mass slaughtering never fails to entertain me, though I’m at a loss to figure out why. And Bill Skarsgard was wonderfully nasty as the villain. Will there really be a John Wick 5?

August 29: The Continental. This three-part series takes us back to the hotel-for-assassins (seen in John Wick) in the 1970s and the battle between a young Winston Scott and the thoroughly vile Mel Gibson. More high body count fun.

                                                                            

August 30: Only Murders in the Building is back with its fourth season murder mystery stretching from New York to Hollywood. Steve, Martin, Selena, I love you all madly. You’re must-watch TV for Saintly Wife Barb and me.

August 31: Animals #1 by Keith Foster and Ed Condon. I picked up this creepy “what the frack is happening with nature” comic book at G-Fest. It was suspenseful enough that I have ordered the next issue.

Here are my “Best of the Month” picks.

BEST COMIC BOOK OR GRAPHIC NOVEL: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest by Mark Waid and Dan Mora

BEST BOOK: Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books

BEST MOVIE OR TV SHOW: Only Murders in the Building

BEST PERSON(S): The staff at Anyone Comics.

BEST OTHER THING: Mega Crocodile 2

Keep watching this space for much more bloggy fun, including a list of my upcoming appearances. Love you all madly.

© 2024 Tony Isabella