Before we get to my happy list, I’ll talk briefly about a trio of things that loom large in my life.
My son Ed was elected Medina’s Council at Large at the start of the month. Even allowing for my being his proud father, he was clearly the best candidate running. I’m talking all the races. He studied the concerns of the citizens and, as a professional engineer for many years now, put forth solid proposals to answer those concerns. At 37, I think he’s the youngest office-holder, which also sets well with me. In this state and country, we have enough senior citizen politicians. We need young folks and fresh ideas. Eddie brings both to the table.
The 2025 Akron Comicon was my first mainstream convention where I presented as Jenny Blake. It was a wondrous experience for me. Nearly 100% acceptance from promoters, guests, vendors and fans. There were only three open naysayers. There was the shady comics store owner walking by my table to call me “Tony” and a couple which I’ll kindly refer to as minor-league guests.
The distaff member of the couple told people that I shouldn’t even be invited to conventions because a trans woman like me was likely to shoot the place up. Talk about not merely drinking the right-wing fruit punch, but bathing in it.
However, the absolute worse thing in November was Trump and his hand-picked goons, in addition to their countless civil and human rights violations, committing clear war crimes. I believe we must recognize Trump and his vile supporters are bloodthirsty killers who revel in murder. I pray justice visits all of them sooner rather than later.
Let’s escape from that darkness and list the things that brought me joy last month...
November 1: Black Lightning: The Standard by Brandon Thomas and Fico Ossio collects the five-issue series of which I wrote “This is authentic Black Lightning, honoring the creator’s basic vision while going into new, exciting and respectful territory.” I liked it a lot.
November 2: Black Cat Books in Medina. Tatum’s Top Five appears on their web page every month. Rarely do I not find at least one book on her list that catches my eye. This month it’s Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark Waddell.
November 3: DC Finest Superman Family: The Giant Turtle Man. I’m enjoying these 1960s tales of Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. But editor Mort Weisinger was cruel to these characters and, often they were cruel to each other. I’d recommended therapy for all of them.
November 4: My son Ed is the winner in the election for Medina City Council-at-Large. I’m so proud of him and all the folks who worked their asses off to help him get elected, especially the tireless Saintly Wife Barb. Medina chose wisely.
November 5: DC’s Jonah Hex: All-Star Western Omnibus offers a thousand pages of terrific Hex stories by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray plus other features. I’ll try to be strong and read just one story a day.
November 6: Brandon Thomas. If I can’t write Black Lightning, he would be my choice. His “This is Why” from DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve #1 is the only time a DC writer made me believe Jeff Pierce joining President Luthor’s cabinet wasn’t insanely out of character for my creation.
November 7: Akron ComiCon. Walking into the venue to set up for the convention and seeing the new Jenny Blake Isabella banner the promoters made for me was an emotional moment for me. I felt seen and accepted and supported.
November 8: Akron ComiCon. I introduced Jenny to old friends who only knew me as Tony. I met new friends. There was much hugging from people who said they’d never seen me happier and many vows to have my back if I was harassed. A darn good day.
November 9: Svengoolie: The Valley of Gwangi (1969). This one is an all-time favorite of mine. It has cowboys versus dinosaurs, the scary Tia Zorine, the even more scary Gwangi, a redemption story for James Franciscus and special effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen.
November 10: The Turducken Holiday Feast. One of the best things about seeing George Broderick, Jr. is getting his new comics. This one introduces “The Fowl Foe of Foul Felons.” Hilarious fun for readers of all ages. I love it a lot!
November 11: DC Finest: War: The Big Five Arrive. I have five of these trades to read. This latest reprints 1957 issues of the DC war titles plus Blackhawk. I will be sure to wear my steel pot when I get around to enjoying them.
November 12: The Simpsons. “Bart & Frink”, an episode about the unlikely friendship between Bart and Professor Frink, shows, even in its thirty-seventh season, the series can still deliver humor, character growth and heart.
November 13: Late Night with Seth Meyers. I’m a fan of “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell” in which writers Amber Ruffin (black) and Jenny Hager (lesbian) tell jokes Seth, as a straight white male, can’t tell. It’s always hilarious.
November 14: Sully’s Irish Pub. Medina has many fine restaurants and this traditional Irish pub is one of the best. The décor is charming. Their drink menu is extensive. They serve great Irish-American pub grub. Always a wonderful experience.
November 15: Detectives These Days are Crazy! Vol. 1 by Igarashi Masakuni. The title sold me on this quirky manga about a once-great detective and the brilliant high school girl who wants to be his assistant. Fun stuff.
November 16: Hey, Mary! By Andrew Wheeler and Rye Hickman. Mark is a devout Catholic trying to navigate his awakening as a gay teen within his non-supportive church. It’s intense and moving, but also hopeful. Suitable for teens.
November 17: Hogan’s Alley #24. Another great issue with amazing articles. Bob Hope’s comics career. Tijuana Bibles. Cartoon restaurants. The first black super-hero. The Barbie comic strips that never were and much more.
November 18: Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark Waddell. The title protagonist is not entirely loathsome as he strives to rise up the corporate ladder of Dark Enterprises. This novel is quite a page-turner. Thanks to Tatum of Black Cat Books for recommending it.
November 19: Adventures into the Unknown #163 (March 1966). “The Curious Case of Kayo Casey” by Richard E. Hughes and Chic Stone. The ghostly super-hero Nemesis. His still-living girlfriend. The devil fixing boxing matches. I’m having a ball rediscovering ACG comics from the 1960s.
November 20: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve was published in 2022, but is new to me. It has eight tales of academic adventures with some excellent stories of Black Lightning, the Suicide Squad, and Green Arrow and Speedy. This one is worth hitting the back-issue bins for.
November 21: Roofman. Channing Tatum is brilliant as an escaped convict who spends months living unseen in a toy store. Based on a true story, this film has great performances, emotional scenes and more. It is not a feel-good movie, but it is one well worth watching.
November 22: Vampire Cleanup Department (Amazon; 2017). A young man immune to vampires bites joins a secret task force. He spares the life of a lovely vampire and brings out her humanity, Good characters, comedy and emotion. Worth a look.
November 23: Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe #1-5 by Gerry Duggan and Javier Garron. This series ranks among the most epic Godzilla tales and Marvel free-for-alls ever. The action is big and the characterization is spot-on. A perfect holiday gift for fans of both legendary franchises.
November 24: The Christmas Movie Cookbook by Julia Rutland shows readers recipes from beloved films like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Lethal Weapon. The recaps are fun and the recipes are fairly easy to make. A great pre-holiday gift.
November 25: Man on the Inside (Netflix). The second season was even better than the first. Beautiful writing. Wonderful moments and performances from the incredible cast. Satisfying stories for every character. It’s what quality TV looks like.
November 26: Godzilla Minus One. Written by director Takashi Yamazaki and translated by Evan Ward, the novelization of the movie does a solid job with the characters and situations seen in the already classic movie. A perfect gift for the Godzilla fans in your life.
November 27: Zootopia. Imagine my surprise when, after viewing this terrific film on Disney+, I realized it’s about transition. People becoming their authentic selves. Maybe the makers didn’t intend that, but it spoke to me. Highly recommended.
November 28: Blue Beetle #51 [August 1965] by Joe Gill, Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallrico. “Mentor the Magnificent” stands out from the usual goofy stories of this era with a tragic villain driven by low self-esteem. It’s sort of moving.
November 29: Adventures into the Unknown #51-58 (January-August 1954]. With 3-D comics enjoying a brief boom, ACG artist Harry Lazaurs launched "TrueVision" a process including black borders and zipatone to create a 3-D effect without glasses. It made for an interesting look.
November 30: When a reader responds to one of these things that make me happy recommendations by telling me they loved it or they’ll check it out because I recommended it. I take that trust very seriously and with considerable gratitude.
Here are the “best of show” winners.
BEST COMIC BOOK: Black Lightning: The Standard
BEST BOOK: The Christmas Movie Cookbook
BEST MOVIE OR TV SHOW: Zootopia
BEST PERSON: Ed Isabella
BEST OTHER THING: Sully’s Irish Pub
Christmas is next on my schedule of activities. I’m in the midst of my holiday shopping. I’ll be having lunch or dinner with dear friends. It’s a long shot, but I am hoping Santa puts some gifts for Jenny under our tree. Shortly after I came out as trans, one of my creative friend made me a snow woman ornament with the name Jenny on it. It’s been on my desk ever since and I’ll put it on our tree when we start decorating.
I don’t have any convention or other appearances until February. I have two such appearances and will talk about them when we get closer to them. In the meantime, promoters who’d like to invite me to their shows should e-mail me and to work out the details. At a minimum, I do require hotel and travel expenses.
My Vast Accumulation of Stuff comics and pop culture will resume in the spring. These sales support the expenses that are coming in my transition.
I remain interested in paying writing gigs. If you’d like to work with me, e=mail me.
Happy Holidays to all my friends and readers. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.
© 2025 Tony Isabella
