COMING SOON

I have several bloggy things completed or close to completion...and awaiting final proofreading and posting. I'm also hoping to get a "donate via PayPal" link up so that you can financially support what I'm doing here. In the meantime, know you can always donate to this blog via PayPal by using my e-mail address. If you donate, let me know if you want to be recognized for your donation in a future bloggy thing. Thank you.

KONGA TNT

 

I’ve read several reviews of Brett Kelly’s 2020 movie Konga TNT and every one has been brutal. My theory is that these reviewers are all humorless snobs. True, this movie looks like it was made on a budget of $700 and a case of beer, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying myself during its 73-minute running time. Before I share my reactions, here’s the usual IMDb summary:

After becoming injected with a formula derived from an alien ship, a lab gorilla escapes from his containment and befriends two young boys. The alien formula causes the gorilla to grow to gargantuan size and rampage throughout the city and the boys must find a way to save their simian friend before the army takes him down.

SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD

Konga TNT started out as a short meant to occupy Chance and Grayson Kelly, the director’s young sons, during the Covid-19 pandemic. They’re adorable and at least as good as the adult actors in the movie. I especially like the scene where one of them has dressed up like a hot dog to lure Konga to safety. Cute kids making comedy fun? If you don’t get a kick out of that, then you’re the monster.

Konga is “played” by an stuffed toy, some sort of puppet, a man in a gorilla suit that looks like the gorilla suit from Trading Places and perhaps a smidgen of CGI. Honestly, I wasn’t paying that close attention to the mechanics. I was too impressed by the audacity of Kelly and the cast, and how much I was enjoying this silly little movie.

I really got into the “silly” elements of this movie. A conniving Indiana Jones knockoff and his comely assistant. A tribe of women warriors in the Amazon jungles. A mad scientist and a mad general, both played by the same actor. That actor, John Migliore, also wore the gorilla suit. Jennie Russo as the “Fay Wray-type blonde” whose “stunt double” was a Barbie doll. A whole lot of stock footage. Off-color jokes. Characters and events of import kept off screen during “key” scenes. I flat-out reveled in this movie’s courageous acceptance of its low budget.

A highlight for me was the very brief scene of Janet Hetherington,  my dear friend of many decades, playing “Scared Woman” and running away from an off-screen Konga. She could play scared convincingly because she’s worked in the comics industry.

[NOTE TO SELF: Write a horror/monster movie set in the comic-book industry. Think of all the horrible comics people I could parody in such a script.]

Konga TNT isn’t a great movie. It’s probably not even a good movie. But it’s definitely a fun movie and what the heck’s wrong with that as we navigate the second year of a pandemic?

SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER                

Konga TNT was written by Trevor Payer, who also played the “Major Bummier” character. The opening credits state the film was “loosely inspired by the public domain Konga books by Charlton Comics.” That is an exaggeration, but not completely so. Charlton comics writer Joe Gill could get pretty silly with his Konga scripts and artists Steve Ditko and others weren’t adverse to taking that plunge with him. The results were always hilarious.

So count me as recommending Konga TNT to those of you with a good sense of the absurd. Life is too damn serious in 2021. You know what kind of ride this is. Just enjoy it.

© 2021 Tony Isabella

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2020 Part Six

 

 

Welcome to yet another installment of my 2020's Free Comic Book Day reviews. My pals at Stormwatch Comics in West Berlin, New Jersey send me these FCBD comics so I can read and write about them in the bloggy thing. Only twice have I actually reached my goal of reading and writing about all the FCBD comics available in a given year. Maybe this time I’ll three-peat that achievement. I think I can do it, but it’ll take me until sometime in mid-2021 to complete this particular mission.

When I read and review FCBD comics, I look at three areas.

QUALITY: Is the material worthwhile?

ACCESSIBILITY: Is the material presented in such a way that someone coming to it for the first time can follow it?

SALESMANSHIP: After reading the FCBD offering, would someone want and be able to buy more of the same?

I score FCBD offerings on a scale of zero to ten. Each category is worth three points with the tenth point coming from my interest in seeing more of what’s ever in the book.

First up today is Marge’s Little Lulu by John Stanley from Drawn & Quarterly. The delightful Miss Moppet is a classic comics character and Stanley did her justice in story after story. This comic book has thirty pages of Lulu stories. I’ll have some further comments about Lulu in a bit.

QUALITY: Excellent. Some of the best and funniest kids comics ever created.

ACCESSIBILITY: Excellent. Even if the stories are from times past, I think most readers will quickly understand the characters and the dynamics of their interactions.

SALESMANSHIP: Excellent. Four pages of house ads for other Drawn & Quarterly publications and those ads give a good sense of what the books are about.

SCORE: Ten points out of a possible ten points.

COMMENTARY: I love Lulu, but I don’t know if today’s young readers can relate to her. I’d like to think there’s a timeless quality to the ongoing battle between the boys and girls, and that the various fantasy elements still work. I’m not certain. Which makes me wonder about a couple of things, creative challenges if you would.

Can Lulu be updated with new stories for today’s young readers and can this be done without losing the essence of the character?

Is there a modern comics character starring in her own series that is a 2021 equivalent of Lulu?

I’d really like to hear from my readers on these questions. Please make use of the comments section and please be patient as I have to approve every comment before it appears. That keeps out the trolls and the scammers.

                                                                         

 

The Loud House [Papercutz] features 26 pages of comics stories from various graphic albums.  The Loud House is an animated television series that airs on Nickelodeon. Lincoln Loud is the middle child and only boy in a family of eleven children. The series debuted in May, 2016, and has been greenlit for a sixth season. A spin-off series titled The Casagrandes premiered on October 14, 2019, with those characters also appearing in this free comic book.

QUALITY: Pretty good. The short stories are funny, though the large cast of characters sometimes gets in the way of those stories. The art reflects the animated series and is appropriately...animated.

ACCESSIBILITY: Decent. Editor Jim Salicrup provides a concise guide to the Loud kids on the inside front cover, though it doesn’t help much with the comic’s other characters. Then again, someone buying these graphic albums because they love the show probably wouldn’t have that problem.

SALESMANSHIP: Good. There’s a full-page house ad for the Loud House books and a second full-page ad for other Papercutz books.

SCORE: Nine points out of a possible nine points.

                                                                             

Lumberjanes: Farewell to Summer [Boom! Box] presents seven stories of comicdom’s favorite campers. It’s a prelude to the series finale that will begin in issue #77.

QUALITY: Despite seven different creators/creative teams, the tales were all enjoyable. No side-splitting humor, but moving stories of a wondrous summer coming to an end. I need to read Lumberjacks from start to finish.

ACCESSIBILITY: It was somewhat difficult for this occasional reader to remember the various characters. A “roster” page with pictures and a few words of description would have made for a more inclusive experience.

SALESMANSHIP: So-so. There are two house ads for other titles, but nothing for Lumberjanes itself.

SCORE: Six points out of a possible ten points.

                                                                              

Manhwa: Contemporary Korean Comics [Drawn & Quarterly] presents a quartet of excerpts from graphic novels, a short editorial by Tracy Hurren and an informative article on translating Korean comics to English by Janet Hong.

QUALITY: I had an emotional reaction to each of the excerpts, but found the storytelling, writing and art much less compelling than the situations could have garnered.

ACCESSIBILITY: Poor. There’s not enough “what has gone before” to give the reader a clear understanding of what they’re reading. The publisher should’ve included short synopsis for each excerpt.

SALESMANSHIP: Good. There’s a house ad that lists all of the Korean  comics translated by D&Q, but it’s visually dull. There are a pair of house ads promoting other D&Q titles.

SCORE: Five points out of a possible ten points.

                                                                                 

Mean Girls Senior Year [Insight Comics] features a 21-page excerpt from a graphic novel sequel to the popular 2004 movie. It’s written by Arianna Irwin and illustrated by Alba Cardona

QUALITY: So-so at best. The characters needed more definition and background. Scenes ended and shifted abruptly. For some reason, all of the characters have the same nose.

ACCESSIBILITY: Since I’ve seen the source material movie, I had no clue what was going on. There was a bit of “what has gone before” exposition later on in the excerpt, but, by the time I reached it,
I’d lost interest in this comic.

SALESMANSHIP: Excellent. There are several house ads for a number of Insight titles with copy that gives readers at least some clue as to the nature of the titles.

SCORE: Five points out of a possible ten points.

That’s all for now. Keep watching the bloggy thing for more of my Free Comic Book Day reviews.

© 2021 Tony Isabella

DAREDEVIL: KNOW FEAR AND OTHER COMICS REVIEWS

 

I’m trying to read more Marvel Comics and DC Comics of late, trying to get a feel for what those leading publishers are doing. For the most part, I’m eschewing single issues in favor of trade paperback editions and other collections. I’m also skipping over entire runs of some of the titles I’m reading because of my steadfast belief that editors and writers should make comic books accessible for new or returning readers and that enjoying a comic-book series shouldn’t have to mean reading every issue that preceded whatever collection you have in your hands. Take from that what you will.

First up this time around is Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky Vol. 1: Know Fear {$15.99] with artist Marco Checchetto, colorist Sunny Gho and letterer Clayton Cowles. It reprints the first five issues of this Zdarsky run.

A barely visible paragraph on the credits page informs the reader that “Matt’s life almost came to an end after a traumatic collision left him clinging to life. Now, after weeks of intense physical therapy, he has returned to Hell’s Kitchen...”

This is a pretty grim take on Daredevil and Matt Murdock. He’s not ready to go back out on the streets in his heroic identity, but he is too arrogant/driven/stubborn to realize that. Early on, he picks up a woman in a bar, which seemed off-brand to me. He’s hurting bad and, on one of his nighttime patrols, he miscalculates and kills a criminal. Hubris has led to homicide.

SIDEBAR: Is this really the first time Daredevil has killed? When he was leader of the Hand or going down other equally dark paths, did he never kill? Curious me wants to know.

In the aftermath of the killing, his hero buddies try to convince him he shouldn’t beat himself up over a mistake because sometimes friends say dumb things. The Punisher thinks Daredevil has finally come over to the Frank Castle way of fighting crime and is pretty disappointed when he learns that’s not the case. Adding to the mix are cops who look the other way because Daredevil has always been on their side and a hand-nosed detective from Chicago who sees the hero as just another killer, albeit more dangerous because of DD’s skills and reputation of being one of the good guys.

I found this first collection intriguing, even though I know where it will eventually end up because my not reading Daredevil doesn’t mean others aren’t reading the title, writing about it and naming key events in the headlines of their articles and reviews about it. I accept this as one of the things in the comics industry I can do nothing about. I have requested the second volume in this run from my local library system.

This isn’t my favorite take on Daredevil, but it’s well-written and well-drawn. I’m not sure I agree with the notion that it’s suitable for readers 13 and up, but today’s 13 isn’t yesteryear’s 13. I’ll leave it to the parents of those kids to decide.

ISBN 978-1-302-91498-1

                                                                                    

Dr. Strange Surgeon Supreme Vol. 1: Under the Knife by Mark Waid and Kev Walker [Marvel; $17.99] is a whole lot of fun. Somewhere in a story I didn’t read, Stephan Strange’s hands were healed and he is back to being the world’s greatest surgeon. Which is a very cool concept, especially since it likewise brings back a somewhat milder form of the doctor’s arrogance. As character flaws go, it’s a good one. We might root for a hero like this, but we also get that weird thrill when his hubris causes him problems.

Strange is juggling his medical career and his mystic hero career, which often causes anxiety among the hospital staff he works with. Adding to the fun...Anthony Druid is the new head of the hospital. As Doctor Druid, Anthony had been a hero and a villain. He seems to be on the side of the angels, but you know what the scorpion says about himself.

If I have any complaint about this collection and the six issues it reprints, it’s that the mystical stuff got more “screen time” than the medical stuff. I was fascinated by the medical stuff because it was something we never saw much of from Doctor Strange.

I do have one other complaint. There were only six issues of Doctor Strange Surgeon Supreme before it was shut down during the opening months of the pandemic. There has not been any news of its return. That’s a shame because the six issues were wonderfully written and drawn. I hope Waid and Walker get to pick up where they left off.

ISBN 978-1-302-92105-7

                                                                                       

Very slowly catching up on comics borrowed, gifted and purchased, I read The Orville: Launch Day #1-2 [Dark Horse; $3.99 per issue] by writer David A. Goodman, artist David Cabeza and colorist Michael Atiyeh. My only previous exposure to The Orville has been the first season of the TV series created by Seth MacFarlane. I enjoyed that season, but somehow never got around to watching the second season. I plan to correct that this spring.

The Orville is basically Star Trek with a bit more comedy. I don’t think that’s a bad thing because good Star Trek, even when it’s not actually Star Trek, is a good thing. Alas, the comic book is more serious than the Orville TV series.

Goodman is the Executive Producer of The Orville and has worked on Futurama and Star Trek: Enterprise. His sci-fi credentials are on point as he delivers an adventure in which the good guys (Orville) must investigate a mysterious device in the middle of a conflict between a not-so-friendly alien race and a more primitive society that seeks to remove itself from all outside contact. The tension is entertaining and the conclusion is satisfying.

My only quibble with this two-issue series is that I could’ve used a cast of characters list to identify the TV series characters. In the dawn of history when I started writing comics, ancient prophets like Stan Lee and Roy Thomas used to hand down the wisdom that each and every comic book is some reader’s first exposure to a series. They would teach us to (as smoothly as our skills allowed) write captions and dialogue that named the characters and explained their roles in the series. Alas, that skill seems to be less cherished in these modern times. Alas, indeed.

That’s all for today. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2021 Tony Isabella

MUSTACHE DYSPHORIA

 

The above is how I normally look, at least on a good day. I won’t be showing you a picture of how I look today because, in a moment of insanity, I made myself hideous beyond belief.

I shaved off what one of my online friends has called my “iconic” mustache. I have had that mustache since sometime in the 1970s. I may or may not have shaved it off once in the 1980s, but, befuddled as I clearly am, I don’t recall doing that.

This was not remotely a good decision. My son shouted in horror on realizing what I had done, albeit after he’d been at our house for two hours without noticing it. My daughter requested I wear a mask until it grows back. She's not wrong.

My saintly wife dealt me the most serious mental blow when she said I now looked like a relative who did time in a federal prison on a felony conviction. That gave me a very literal nightmare of being arrested by the FBI. Who thought I was him. It also dashed my last  remaining hope that I had been kidnapped from a wealthy family as an infant and would someday inherit enough money to buy DC Comics.

I would like to keep cracking jokes about this, but, unfortunately, my sudden impulse to de-mustache is indicative of what are sadly larger mental health problems. We’re talking the depression that’s plagued me my entire life, as well as a self-esteem that ping-pongs from low to high and right back again. When you add the frustration of dealing with the pandemic and my under-employment in the comics industry I love and top it off with the sheer madness of those on the political right...I’m a right mess, I am.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m working my way through these problems and expect to come out in a better place. In the meantime, I’ve got to monitor myself constantly so that I don’t make other bad decisions that might have greater consequences than having to put a bag over my head when I’m around people. I need to watch what I eat. I need to exercise more. I need to be more careful with my money. I need to be more patient with all those fucking idiots who vex me and my country on a...okay, I’ll dial it back now.

People, even dearest friends, have asked me to post a photo of my terrifying countenance. This is something I will not do. Think of the children.

Until that day when I can again show my face, it’s nice to have a friend like Jo Duffy, who compared my stache to those worn by Walt Simonson and Archie Goodwin. It’s likely the only time my name will be in the same sentence with such true comics legends, but I’m not proud. I’ll take it.

I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2021 Tony Isabella

COMICS COMICS COMICS

Most of the comics I read these days are from publishers who aren’t DC or Marvel Comics or are manga. I’m not reading much from DC or Marvel because I find it difficult to follow their universe-busting storylines and because their writers and editors don’t seem to be very concerned about making their comics accessible to readers who have neither the time or energy to juggle the constant barrage of  “epics” they publish. The concept of character core values seems to have been dismissed along with the notions of beginnings, middles and ends.

I’m going to try to read more Marvel and DC comics in the future. That’s a recognition of my nostalgia for their characters and their prominence in the current marketplace. In the meantime, let’s see what other comics I’ve read recently.

Last October, I named Be Gay, Do Comics [IDW Publishing; $24.99} as one of the things that made me happy. I described it as “a fun and informative softcover collection presenting dozens of comics about LGBTQIA+ experiences.”

Compiled by The Nib and edited by Matt Bors, the 256-page softcover volume provides a forum for many voices across the spectrum. There are plenty of one-page comics and others of varying lengths. As I recall - it’s been a while since I read the book - the longest runs 15 pages. Among my favorites: “The Life of Gad Beck: Gay. Jewish. Nazi Fighter” by Levi Hastings and Dorian Alexander; “I Came Out Late in Life and That’s Okay” by Alison Wilgus; “Queer Uprisings Before Stonewall” by Hazel Newlevant; “When You’re Invisible in Pop Culture” by Bianca Xunise and Sage Coffey”; “The Wondefully Queer World of Moomin” by Mady G” and “Jussie Smollett Doesn’t Negate the Reality of Hate Crimes” by Mariah-Rose Marie”.

I read Be Gay, Do Comics over two weeks, a few stories at a time, which is what I recommend, the better to appreciate the individual comics. The Library Journal found the book suitable for readers in eighth grade and up. I agree.

ISBN 978-1-68405-777-1
                                                                           

Let’s put this in terms very familiar to super-hero fans. Cheshire Crossing by Andy Weir with artist Sarah Andersen [Ten Speed Press; $14.99] teams up Dorothy Gale, Alice Liddell and Wendy Darling in an adventure that has them fighting for their lives against Captain Hook and the Wicked Witch.  

Following their well-know-to-fantasy-fans trips to Oz, Wonderland and Never Never Land, the three young ladies are considered, well,  not quite right by their families. Sent to Cheshire Crossing, the titular boarding school, they meet each other and find themselves in a environment where their otherworldly travels are recognized. This doesn’t diminish their aversion to authority.

Before long, the girls are bouncing across their mystical worlds, getting into dire danger at the hands of familiar villains, and, somewhat begrudgingly learning to work together. It’s a fun story and pretty much self-contained, save for a closing scene that keeps the door open for future adventures.

Good writing and art. Great characters. I’m definitely up for more Cheshire Crossing adventures.

ISBN 978-0-399-58207-3

                                                                             

The afore-mentioned Sarah Andersen is the writer and artist of the delightful Fangs [Andrews McMeel Publishing; $14.99], the New York Times bestselling graphic novel story of love between a vampire and a werewolf. “Darkly charming and heartwarming” is how I’d describe this 5.2" x 7.9" hardcover.

Three-hundred-year-old vampire Elsie meets the considerably younger werewolf Jimmy. After deciding she’d rather date him than eat him, Elsie finds herself in a relationship. It’s really sweet how they accommodate one another as they share horror movies, fine dining, romantic strolls and the like. Their story unfolds in a series of one-page scenes. The humor of their lives isn’t so much dark as not bright. I like these two characters a lot and hope that we haven’t seen the last of them.

If I were writing this before Christmas, I would suggest this book could be a pretty great stocking stuffer for your mildly macabre paramours. As it is, I’m thinking I might buy a few of them now and save them for Christmas 2021. Highly recommended.

ISBN 978-1-5248-6067-7

                                                                              

After reading the “Wayneocchio” story from Batman Tales: Once Upon a Crime by Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen [DC Comics; $9.99] in a Free Comic Book Day issue, I requested the trade paperback from my local library system. That story is one of the four fairy tales-inspired stories in this anthology.

“Wayneocchio” is my favorite story in the book, but the other three were fun as well. “The Princess and the Pea” features the Joker and several of Batman’s female foes. “Alfred in Wonderland” stars our favorite comics butler. Mr. Freeze and his wife Nora are the stars of “The Snow Queen.” While I wouldn’t want an ongoing “fairy-tale” series, an occasional special would be welcome.

ISBN 978-1-4012-8340-7

                                                                                   

The other half of the afore-mentioned Free Comic Book Day offering was Batman: Overdrive by Shea Fontana with art by Marcelo DiChiara [DC Comics; $9.99]. This is what I wrote about the 12-page excerpt from that freebie issue:

Young Bruce Wayne is on the verge of getting his driver’s license and restoring his father’s prized 1966 Crusader. The kid is also investigating the murder of his parents, sure the official report of their deaths is wrong. He goes to a junkyard for parts, meets a new friend and gets his first glimpse of the future Catwoman. It’s a well-told excerpt with only one element with which I must raise objection. The movie Bruce attends with his parents on that tragic night is...Captain Carrot? No, that’s just wrong.

Due to my dissatisfaction with whatever the heck current DC Comics continuity is supposed to be, I cherish all the different takes on the company’s classic heroes. I dread the moment when some genius decides to bring them all into continuity, but, for now, it’s fun to see these classic heroes presented in stories that don’t rely on a dozen other titles to be understood but less enjoyed.

Overdrive has solid writing and art. It’s a believable look at an alternate universe Bruce Wayne and it’s entertaining. That’s all I need from most comic books. The suggested reading level is grades 2-4, but it’s suitable for older readers as well.

ISBN 978-1-4012-8356-8

Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.
 
© 2021 Tony Isabella

THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY IN FEBRUARY

We’re sixty-six days into 2021. I wish I could say it feels like a brand new year, but we’re still dealing with so much of the trash left behind by Trump and the Republican Party. We’re also dealing with the additional garbage they are tossing into our government, media, social media and streets. I can’t even begin to understand how someone can consider themselves a decent human being and still support those vile people. Perhaps the real viruses plaguing us are the diseases of bigotry, greed and ignorance.

There’s a pattern to these monthly “happy” columns of mine. I talk about what’s making angry, anxious, depressed and frustrated. But, perhaps it’s my learning so many of values from the core values of the greatest comics characters back when they were actually great comics characters and not the twisted versions of themselves produced by folks who don’t understand heroism and that the super-hero genre is, by its very nature, supposed to lean towards optimism.

I long for that day when I can start one of these monthly “happy” columns by telling you how my country and my industry and my world are being their best selves. Until that day, I hold on to my hopes for the future. Until that day, on every day, I seek something that makes me happy.

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

February 1: God Country by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw. Fantasy is a hard sell with me, but this tale of an old man, his family and an alarmingly powerful sword touched my feels. A done-in-one graphic novel that I recommend most highly.
                                                                                 

February 2: I’m being name-dropped Pab Sungenis’ New Adventures of Queen Victoria comic strip. I have no idea where this storyline is going, but I am...quite amused.

February 3: I appear ever so briefly in the official trailer for Marvel’s Behind the Mask, a documentary debuting exclusively on Disney+ on Friday, February 12. I was flown to NYC a few years back to be interviewed for the feature.

                                                                                  

February 4: Cowgirls Vs. Pterodactyls. Currently streaming for free on Amazon Prime, this low-budget movie is 73 minutes of good goofy fun. Feisty heroines, stop-motion pterodactyls and narration by the legendary Martine Beswick.

February 5: Casa Isabella Renovation. We’ve started clearing out my son’s old bedroom. Needs painting, carpet removal and new floors. It will become my new and more efficient home office.

February 6: All-Father Tony has decreed that my son Eddie is worthy to wield the power of...the Marvel Thor Mjolnir Meat Tenderizer! I imagine his future grilling will be the stuff of legend!

February 7: Saintly Wife Barb signed me up for a Covid-19 vaccine shot at Discount Drug Mart in Medina. Now the wait begins.

February 8: The Black Scorpion. I watched it again on Svengoolie. Budget woes aside, it’s a fun feature starring Mara Corday. Yes, I have a crush on her. Yes, I’d love to do an expanded graphic novel adaptation of this movie.

                                                                              

February 9: Black Lightning’s back. No spoilers, but the fourth and final season premiere made Saintly Wife Barb and I gasp. Can’t wait to see where this leads.

February 10: Rumiko Takahashi’s Maison Ikkoku Volume 2. Rereading one of my favorite manga series, I’m struck by how much individual chapters rank with our best sitcoms. If there’s an anime or, better yet, live-action version, I need to watch them.

February 11: Getting a fan message from a 13-year kid from Dublin, Ireland. So nice to know my dedication to my craft has impacted a young man across an ocean. I hope I get to meet him and his father someday.

                                                                               

February 12: Raspberry creme Kit Kat miniatures. Early Valentine’s gift from Saintly Wife Barb. Do not read anything sinister into her giving a bag of candy to her (type 2) diabetic husband. Just think about the deliciousness.

February 13: Switching gears thanks to a link from Bob Ingersoll’s daughter, I’ve an actual appointment for my first Covid-19 vaccine shot at the local Rite Aid pharmacy. Next Wednesday starts my road to someday attending conventions again.

                                                                               

February 14: Marvel’s Behind the Mask (Disney+). A fine documentary that covers a lot of ground in its slightly over an hour running time. My thanks to the filmmakers for including me. It was a true
privilege to be a part of it.

February 15: Marvel’s Behind the Mask. I enjoyed seeing the foreign translation credits for the actors who did my voice in their own languages. It’d be cool to connect with them in the future.

                                                                                  

                                                                       

February 16: Clarice. Rebecca Breeds was great in the first episode of this series, which picks up the story of FBI Agent Starling a year after Silence of the Lambs. Looking forward to more.

February 17: I got my first Moderna vaccine shot at our Rite-Aid in Medina. Quick process. Sore arm. Nasty side effects showing up late in the day. Still a lot better than getting the Covid-19 virus or, y’know, dying from it.

February 18: Houston’s Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, sheltering and feeding people without power and head at his furniture store. He’s even providing entertainment for the kids.

                                                                                  

February 19: “Yardi Gras” in New Orleans. Since the pandemic made holding the usual street parade and celebrations unwise, folks took to decorating their homes in the style of those wonderful floats. Creativity and determination rule the day.

                                                                                 

February 20: The Phantom is the newest addition to my ever-growing Social Justice League of the World. For adding one of my favorite comics character to its line, I thank Funko Pop!

                                                                            

February 21: Cool Beans Café. Medina’s annual Ice Festival is going on this weekend and this popular eatery has one of the greatest ice sculptures in the history of the festival.

February 22: This Twitter wisdom from Heather Antos: “Men need to stop seeing therapy as emasculating, or else the people closest to them are going to bear the brunt of their trauma.” I responded: “A thousand times this. Even indirectly.”

February 23: Sgt. Clean Car Wash in Medina. This veteran-owned and operated business isn’t the least expensive car wash in the city, but they do great work quickly. Tina Fe (my Hyundai Santa Fe SUV) has never looked better.

                                                                                      

February 24: Mike Richards, executive producer of Jeopardy and its current guest host. He’s doing a great job. As much as Saintly Wife Barb and I are Team Ken Jennings, we’d have a tough time choosing between these two hosts for the permanent spot.

February 25: On The Daily Show for February 23, Roy Wood Jr did a fascinating segment on groundbreaking Black journalists. I’ve got to learn more about these writers.

February 26: Fly Me to the Moon by Kenjiro Hata. Boy meets girl. Boy gets hit by truck. Girl saves boy, then shows up at his home with a marriage contract. Three volumes in, I’m totally loving this funny and heartwarming manga series.

                                                                                 

February 27: Flash Facts. Edited by Mayim Bialik, PhD, this spiffy book offers ten tales of science and technology in comics form and narrated by DC Comics characters. Fun and informative for all ages.

February 28: Rediscovering an old favorite in David Hine’s District X. The early 2000s series was a police procedural with Bishop and a non-mutant detective investigating crimes in a NYC neighborhood with a high mutant population. Great stuff that should be adapted for television.

That’s all for today. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2021 Tony Isabella