Whenever I plugged my Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales, I’d
get e-mails, messages and posts from my bloggy thing readers and my
Facebook friends wishing they didn’t live too far away to travel to
my sales. After my final garage sale of the summer, my immediate
thought was...how can I cheer up those poor souls who couldn’t make
it to my garage sales?
I’m lying. My immediate thought was...I have to move all of these
books back to the Fortress of Storage until next year’s sales. How
can I make that job easier? But, after that, swear to Godzilla, I
thought of you poor guys and gals because that’s the kind of swell
guy I am.
Here’s the deal...
I’ve started putting together garage sale mystery boxes which will
be available for $25 each including shipping and handling. Each of
these boxes will contain the following:
About 100 comic books, including at least 5 suitable-for-all-ages
comic books.
1-2 trade paperbacks
1-2 hardcovers
1-2 paperbacks
1-2 magazines/fanzines
1-2 VHS tapes
Each box will contain one item written and signed by me.
Even at my ridiculously low garage sale prices, the mystery boxes
will contain at least $28 worth of stuff and usually more. If you
go by the original costs of the items, you’re looking at well over
$200 worth of stuff. That’s a darn good deal.
The mystery boxes will be sold on a first come first served basis,
one to a customer, while supplies last. The offer is only good for
buyers in the continental United States.
To order a box, you must e-mail me. No comments to this blog. No
comments or private messages on Facebook. You have to e-mail me
as I feel that’s how I can best manage the first come first served part
of this sale.
You can pay by check, money order or PayPal. Your payment method
doesn’t affect your place in the line. When I receive your e-mail,
you’re on the list. Then you have to pay me within 10 days of my
confirming your e-mail. If I fail to receive your payment after 10
days, you will be removed from the list.
Some things you should know before you order:
No special requests or substitutions. Customizing boxes will slow
me down and I’m already certain that I’ll be behind on shipping out
boxes within hours of this blog posting.
You’re not going to find Golden Age comic boxes in these boxes. Or
Silver Age comics. Or Bronze Age comics. Let’s be realistic here.
I’m not selling expensive back issues at garage sale prices or, in
this case, less than garage sale prices.
What you will find in these boxes is a variety of comic books from
a variety of genres and publishers. You probably won’t have even
heard of some of the comic books until you hold them in your hands.
I’ve accumulated way too much stuff over the years. Consider this
an adventure in your own accumulation of stuff.
Expect delays. I can’t devote more than an hour or two every day
to putting these boxes together. I may run out of the boxes I am
using and there will be delays until I can get more of them. The
boxes will be shipped via media mail and that can take over a week
to reach you. Used boxes, media mail, no outside workers...that’s
how I’m keeping the cost of the boxes at $25.
If you live in the area of Medina, Ohio or are passing through the
area, you can possibly pick up your mystery box at my home and save
$10 off the cost of your box. But you must make arrangements to do
this after I let you know that your box is ready.
If you do come to my home, you will also have an opportunity to buy
as many empty comics and magazine boxes as you wish at the insanely
low price of $2 each. These are used and sometimes really lightly
used boxes. If I was smarter, I would have been selling them all
summer long. D-oh!
I know some of you expressed an interest in buying more than one of
my mystery boxes. As it is, I don’t expect to put together enough
of them to be able to meet the demand. If I’ve miscalculated, I’ll
start allowing multiple purchases.
The mystery boxes and the empty boxes will be available as long as
supplies last...or until my Sainted Wife Barb insists we be able to
park both of our vehicles in the garage.
If you have questions not covered by the above, ask them. I’ll do
my best to respond promptly.
The mystery box sale is now open.
******************************
My Vast Accumulation of Stuff online sales will resume on Monday,
October 15, with what I hope will be a long list of terrific stuff
at very reasonable prices. Watch for it.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
© 2012 Tony Isabella
Monday, October 8, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
A DOUBLE DATE WITH HEDY
every bit as popular as Millie the Model. In addition to her own
title and a few spin-off titles, she starred in Miss America Volume
7 #44 [March 1952].
The cover of this issue was penciled and signed by Al Hartley...and
that’s the only credit information I have on the issue. Inside this
36-page comic book were three short Patsy stories, one short Hedy
Wolfe story, a text story and a couple house ads.
In recent weeks, when I didn’t know anything about the contents of
one of these comics from my birth month, I've been making up strange
stuff. That would be pointless in the case of Patsy Walker. After
reintroducing her into the Marvel Universe as an abused wife in the
short-lived Beast series in the 1970s, Marvel writers have turned her
into a super-hero, made her a member of the Avengers and Defenders,
married her off to the Son of Satan, have her commit suicide and
become a gladiator in Hell, bring her back from Hell and back to life,
have her willingly register with the government during that Civil War
storyline and who knows what else. I know when I’m outmatched.
More vintage comic-book covers to come.
******************************
Random notes on a quiet weekend...
I’ll be a featured guest at The Akron Comicon on Saturday, November
10 in the University of Akron Student Union Ballroom. I’ll have a
table where I’ll sign books and comics I’ve written, answer polite
questions, accept review copies and chat with artists who might want
to work with me while selling copies of 1000 Comic Books You Must
Read and perhaps some other stuff.
The convention has a great guest list for a one-day event. I hope
to see a lot of my bloggy thing readers there.
******************************
My incentive checks from Marvel used to be under the account name
of Marvel Entertainment with a little Spider-Man figure as part of
the logo. Now the checks are from Marvel Worldwide and that makes
me sad. Mostly because I’ll miss that momentary look of surprise
when a new teller saw the old checks.
I assume the tellers weren’t allowed to comment on the checks I was
depositing, but Spider-Man often brought smiles to their faces and,
you know me, I love to spread sunshine wherever I go. One teller
Google-d me after seeing one of these checks, something I learned
when I ran into her at a grocery store. I think she was far more
impressed that Tom Batiuk (Funky Winkerbean) lived in our town and
that I knew him.
Alas, Spidey is gone from my incentive checks. I’m not complaining
because the important thing is that Marvel pays me when it reprints
my stories and never makes me chase it for that money. I wish all
publishers dealt with me as honestly.
******************************
POLITICAL COMMENT WARNING
Watching Thursday’s post-debate edition of The Daily Show with Jon
Stewart was painful. Stewart was fair and balanced in a manner Fox
News has never been...and he did so without sacrificing the humor.
He correctly pointed out President Obama’s poor performance and the
many lies told by Governor Romney during the debate. In the case
of the latter, fact checkers have claimed over two dozen such lies
during the debate. Given the standard dishonesty of the candidate,
that didn’t surprise me. What did bother me was that Obama allowed
Romney to get away with accusing the President of stating “your own
facts” without Obama pointing out the Republican’s egregious lies
and distortions.
Bill O’Reilly was Stewart’s guest and the Fox News star managed to
temper much of his usual arrogance and keep the outright lies to a
minimum. But, as it usually does when Fox News folks do this, it
sickened me that O’Reilly couldn’t even respect the office of the
President enough to call President Obama by the proper term, which
is, of course, President Obama. Calling him “Mr. Obama” was a sign
of O’Reilly’s utter disrespect for our president and shouldn’t be
allowed to pass without comment.
It’s inevitable that I’ll be making political comments in my blog,
especially when I do these “random notes” entries. But, whenever
possible - that is, whenever I remember - I’ll try to preface them
with a warning.
POLITICAL COMMENT OVER
******************************
I get over a dozen requests to publicize Kickstarter projects each
and every month. My answer is...no. It’s not an absolute no, but
it’s pretty darn close.
Just as I don’t run press releases in this blog, I won’t direct my
readers to projects I haven’t seen. I have and will make the rare
exception for really close personal friends. I will occasionally
allow someone to promote their Kickstarter project on my Facebook
page. But I have so many things I want to write about that I don’t
easily sacrifice my space and time to promote someone else’s not-
yet-in-existence work.
In the same way, I get several requests each and every month from
people who want my help on one thing or another. Sometimes they
want me to look over something they are working on and advise them
on how they might improve it. Sometimes they want me to comment on
some subject they are writing about. Sometimes they want me to do
some free writing for them. Once again, in almost every instance,
my answer is...no.
I’ve done a lot of favors for a lot of people over my four decades
in comics. I think I’ve pretty much paid my dues in those years.
I’m concentrating on my own projects and don’t think anyone should
begrudge me that.
This year, I’ve gotten involved in exactly one mentor-type thing.
Because the creator’s idea tickled my fancy and because it didn’t
requite a great deal of my time. Indeed, it was kind of fun to be
exercising my old editorial skills. But that was a rare situation
of someone catching me on exactly the right day.
I still answer an awful lot of interview questions. I’ve answered
so many questions for Back Issue writers alone that the credits of
that magazine should end with “and also starring Tony Isabella.”
When magazine writers have questions about my work, I do my best to
respond in an honest and timely fashion. But I’m not interested in
talking to reporters about comics events of which I’m not a part.
If I want to comment on comics movies or story arcs or things like
that, I’ll do so in my own venues.
By the way, that “also starring” line is a joke. Like when I said
that if I were elected president I would declare DC Nation to be a
terrorist state. Though I totally might.
I still sign comics and other things I’ve written for fans who send
them to me with return packaging included. That doesn’t take a lot
of time and I’m happy to accommodate such requests.
Don’t be offended if I ignore requests or, as is more likely, send
you a short note declining the request. My days are already full.
All that said, it doesn’t hurt to send me a short request. As long
as you understand my answer will most likely be...no.
On the other hand, my “40 Years and a Mule” offer from October 2 is
still in effect and I think that’s a fairly generous and very cool
thing I’m doing. Also, come tomorrow, I’ll be giving bloggy thing
readers a chance to share in the wacky fun of my Vast Accumulation
of Stuff garage sales.
Maybe I’m a dick sometimes, but not all the time.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
© 2012 Tony Isabella
Saturday, October 6, 2012
THE BLONDE BOMBSHELL
to December 1973. The first issue was drawn by Ruth Atkinson and
some sources say she created the character while others say Millie
was a co-creation of Atkinson and editor/writer Stan Lee. I don’t
give credence to the Wikipedia-reported claim of Alden Getz that he
created the character while working at Timely since I could find no
credits for him at either the Grand Comics Database or Who’s Who of
American Comic Books 1928-1999.
Millie the Model #33 [March 1952] hit the newsstands in the month
of my birth, which, as we all know by now, was December 1951. Of
all the birth month comics I’ve posted in this blog, this issue is
among the ones I would most like to own. For ten years, Millie’s
adventures and misadventures were created by Lee and Dan DeCarlo.
Lee’s writing was honestly amusing and no one drew more animated or
beautiful babes than DeCarlo. If Marvel ever put together a book
collecting some of their Millie stories, I’d order it so fast that
my credit card would smoke.
The contents of this issue are typical for the era. Short Millie
stories of four or five pages. Short stories of supporting players
like Chili and Daisy. A smattering of single-page gag strips and a
fashion page. One of those text stories I wouldn’t read if I owned
this comic. All of the comics by Lee and DeCarlo. Now that’s one
heck of a comic book.
Keep watching this bloggy thing for more vintage comic-book covers.
Because I dig them, Daddy-o!
******************************
POLITICS ALERT
Early voting has started in Ohio and I’ll be going to the election
board offices to cast my ballot next week. The Republicans in my
state have tried to limit early voting and to disenfranchise voters
not likely to vote for their candidates, but, thanks to a recent
judicial ruling, there will be no bumps on my personal road to the
ballot box.
I vote early to avoid an elderly Republican poll worker who always
tries to pick up a fight with me on Election Day. He’s a nasty old
man who makes loud comments about how this or that person shouldn’t
be allowed to vote. Everyone knows he does this, but Medina being
a Republican town, no one does anything about him. I’m not going
to chance that this is the year he manages to push the right button
and find my hands around his wrinkled throat. My vote is much too
important to trade for that satisfaction.
Whiny Republicans will, as they always do, take issue with what I
write here. I have never seen such sensitive souls. It’s almost
as if they haven’t spent the past decades trying to turn “liberal”
into a curse word, as if they haven’t engaged in voter suppression
on a nationwide scale, as if they hadn’t obstructed every effort to
improve the economy, as if they haven’t proven themselves time and
time again to be the party of bigotry and racism, as if they don’t
seek to make the already obscenely wealthy and powerful even more
so at the expense of the rest of us. Poor babies.
You can probably guess how I’m voting.
Earlier this year, I thought I would write a series of blogs that
discussed important political and social issues and how I saw them.
But, let’s face it, most of us have already made up our minds how
we’re going to vote. I can preach to the choir and make myself a
target for the Republican Tea Party crazies...or I can write about
comics and related subjects. I suspect both sides of the political
divide would prefer I do the latter.
Oh, there may be the occasional political comment and/or wisecrack
here. It’s hard to resist the low-hanging fruit of a local paper’s
“Civility Index” which takes points away from anyone who accurately
points out that a candidate is lying. Apparently, facts must now
be considered bad manners. How gauche of me.
Going forward after I cast my ballot, I’ll try to resist adding to
the political noise. I certainly hope President Obama wins big in
November and that Democrats do well in general because I sincerely
believe they are better for our country than the Republicans, but,
beyond making a few more small donations, I don’t figure on doing
much of a political nature. Maybe a lawn sign or three. Since I
have a big lawn, I can space them out so they don’t become too much
of an eyesore.
When I get live calls from Republicans, I’ll continue to give them
two terse commands, the nicer being that they never call me again.
They don’t obey those commands, but saying them out loud makes me
feel better as I contemplate the enormous amount of money they are
spending on these live calls and the constant robocalls. If only
that money were used for good...
After the election, I may write the occasional blog about what you
might see from a Tony Isabella presidency. Just because I prefer
Obama and the Democrats to Romney and the Republicans doesn’t mean
I’m wholly satisfied with my party of choice. Not even close. I
just recognize which of the two parties is more likely to help and
not hurt my country.
Spoiler alert for an Isabella presidency: I would probably declare
DC Nation to be a terrorist state.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
© 2012 Tony Isabella
Friday, October 5, 2012
FOLLOW THAT MAN AGAINST CRIME
this first issue was dated and apparently hit the newsstands in my
birth month of December 1951. That’s the extent of my knowledge on
the comic book. However...
From Wikipedia and Thrilling Detective, I learned that Man Against
Crime (also known as Follow That Man) was on both radio and TV. It
was one of the first TV shows about private eyes. It was created
by Lawrence Klee and starred Ralph Bellamy for most of its TV and
radio runs. Robert Preston subbed for him on the radio show while
also playing Barnett’s brother Pat in both venues.
The show ran on CBS and NBC/DuMont from October 7, 1949 to August
26, 1956. It was broadcast live until 1952. The series was one of
the few ever to have been simulcast on more than one network: the
program aired on both NBC and DuMont during the 1953-54 television
season. When NBC brought back the series in 1956, the title role
was played by Frank Lovejoy.
Thrilling Detective says the series may have “slipped into the grey
area of public domain.” There are no official DVDs of the series,
but there are “budget-priced, hit-and-run collections of assorted
episodes of occasionally dubious technical quality”
Anyone out there want to tell me something about the Mike Barnett
comic books? I’m ready to be educated.
******************************
My local Medina Ohio library and the 100-plus libraries with which
it’s connected remain a great source of reading material, comics
and otherwise. I request items online, generally after I’ve read
about them somewhere, and, when they arrive at my local library, I
am informed by computer and phone call that the items are available
for pickup. Service like that is why I always vote in favor of any
levy the library puts on the ballot.
Mangaman [Houghton Mifflin; $19.95] is a graphic novel written by
Barry Lyga and illustrated by Colleen Doran. Handsome young manga
hero Ryoko Kiyama is thrown into our world through a deadly rift in
reality and brings with him all the characteristics of his manga
existence. His body can contort like a manga character. His speed
lines take physical form and drop to the floor after they emerge.
He is an “extrascientific” phenomenon being studied by a government
scientist working to close the rift. While the research goes on
and despite his manga appearance, he attends a normal high school,
or, more accurately, a high school that was normal before he became
a student there.
This is a smart graphic novel, especially for those readers who are
familiar with manga. Lyga and Doran have clearly put a great deal
of thought into how manga effects would be perceived in our world.
But it’s more than a clever gimmick. It’s a romance between Ryoko
and the young woman who questions her life in our world and a tale
which doesn’t shy away from the serious consequences of actions and
emotions. I thought it was a swell book and recommend it to manga
aficionados and neophytes alike.
ISBN 978-0-547-42315-9
******************************
I recently reviewed Swamp Thing Vs the Zombie Pets by John Sazaklis
and Art Baltazar [Picture Window Books; $4.95] for Comics Buyer’s
Guide. It’s one of a series of “DC Super-Pets” children’s books
featuring animal heroes like Ace the Bat-Hound, Streaky the Super-
Cat and others. I enjoyed it.
Since then, I’ve been getting the other “DC Super-Pets” books via
my library. There seems to be about two dozen of them and, since
my kids are grown and I don’t have any grandkids yet, buying them
seemed like an unnecessary expense. But, even though the writing
is occasionally clumsy and the plotting a bit off, I do get a kick
out of these books. Baltazar’s art is a big factor - it’s bouncy
and fun - but the insanity of this concept makes the books equally
entertaining for adults and, I presume, kids.
Royal Rodent Rescue was the first DC Super-Pets book I got from the
library. It pits Streak against Rozz, Catwoman’s evil Siamese cat.
I got a fair amount of chuckles from this 56-page book. Which was
all I needed from the few minutes it took to read it. You should
check some of these books out, especially if you have young kids or
grandkids.
Swamp Thing Vs the Zombie Pets
ISBN 978-1-4048-7667-5
Royal Rodent Rescue
ISBN 978-1-4048-6622-5
******************************
I didn’t plan it this way, but I seem to be borrowing a lot of Dark
Horse trades from the library. On the pile of books waiting to go
back are B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs by Mike Mignola and Guy Davis,
Concrete: The Human Dilemma by Paul Chadwick and Ghost Omnibus
1 by Eric Luke and several artists.
The Hellboy/B.P.R.D. books are solid adventure horror fiction with
good characters and an occasional poignancy. I’m enjoying them and
expect to continue requesting them.
Concrete is one of the finest comic books of the modern era. This
volume, which I think is the last collected book, is a very scary
yet thoughtful examination of overpopulation, the varied viewpoints
on the problem and the sometimes horrific solutions to the crisis.
Yet these issue-oriented stories also focus on the series regulars
in a manner that kept me on the edge of my seat. The whole series
has been wondrous, but this is the best and strongest collection of
Concrete tales.
Ghost? It’s very well-written and drawn, but I’m not sure how many
more Ghost stories I want to read. This first volume is over 300
pages of men abusing women, women abusing men and precious little
to recommend either sex have anything to do with the other in the
future. It’s depressing fare with a lead character that seems to
dislike herself. I don’t demand a feel-good vibe to the comics I
read and I don’t demand super-heroes be pure of heart and I surely
don’t shy away from comics starring villains. Even so, I’m less than
eager to read the second Ghost Omnibus, though I have requested
it from the library. I’ll get back to you on this one.
Comics fans on a budget - and aren’t we all? - would do well to
see what’s available from their local libraries or library system.
It’s a good way to read great comics at no cost.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
© 2012 Tony Isabella
Thursday, October 4, 2012
WIZARD WORLD OHIO COMIC CON
I attended Wizard World Ohio Comic Con last weekend and had a fun
time. A week ago, I wasn’t certain I would be well enough to make
the trip to Columbus for the event. I had to take it easy over the
weekend, but I’m glad I went.
The elephant in the room is that this isn’t Mid-Ohio-Con, the show
created by Roger Price decades ago and my personal favorite among
all the shows I’ve attended. That show was a family-type show in
that the promoter and the staff all grew up with the show. We were
family in a real sense of the word and that atmosphere was carried
over to the convention itself.
Mid-Ohio-Con ala Price seemed to attract guests who, for the most
part, checked their egos at the door and who delighted in hanging
out with the fans. The fans were on their best behavior and made
those guests feel safe and welcome. The exhibitors were a pretty
good bunch as well. Yes, there were exceptions, but so few I could
count them on my fingers and end up with a free hand.
Comics and conventions have all hit bumps in the road in the past
decade or so. Mid-Ohio-Con was no exception. Several years back,
Roger retired and sold the show to James Henry, who, to his credit,
tried to maintain the family feel of the show. Two years ago, the
show was sold to Wizard World.
This year’s convention was the first without the involvement of any
prior owners. Although I used to create and manage the programming
for Roger, I haven’t been involved on that level since he sold the
show. In other words, I have no horse in this race.
Ohio Comic Con is not Mid-Ohio-Con, but, as much as my “taking it
easy” allowed, I had a good time there. I got to spend time with
my children, my friends and my fans. I chatted with other guests.
I signed over a hundred autographs on Friday, Saturday and the hour
I was at the show on Sunday. I felt I was treated with respect by
the Wizard World organization and staff. From my viewpoint, there
was no downside to the event, other than it not being Mid-Ohio-Com
and I never expected it would be.
Fans, exhibitors and some of the other guests could very well have
a different perspective on Ohio Comic Con. I didn’t pay to get in
and neither did my kids. I had a complimentary table in Artists
Alley. I did have to pay for my hotel room, but I considered that
expense to be the vacation I never took this year.
Most of the fans I saw were having a great time, though the costume
player I dubbed “Green Bean Loki” looked pretty sad whenever I saw
him following obediently behind a Thor cosplayer. Next time, guy,
look in the mirror first, downplay your package, and, when all else
fails, smile.
Here’s my position on cosplay: go for it. This is a fantasy world
for cosplayers and they don’t need to worry about their body shape
on my account. If their costumes aren’t obscene, if they are not
falling out of them too much, it’s all good. I love seeing them.
I love seeing them smile.
While I never heard a contrary word about ticket prices at the con,
one courageously pseudonymous poster to my message board complained
about them. I did some quick checking and found a three-day ticket
to Wizard World cost about the same as a decent single-game ticket
for the Cleveland Indians, Browns, or Cavaliers. For around the
same price as three days of convention fun, you could watch lousy
baseball, lousy football or moderately entertaining basketball. A
couple hours of “entertainment” for your money, Considered in that
manner, the Ohio Comic-Con ticket prices didn’t seem outrageous to
me. Your mileage may vary.
Although I enjoy and respect the work of great actors like Patrick
Stewart, Eliza Dushku and others, I wouldn’t shell out large bucks
to get their autographs, a photo with them or preferred seating at
their panels. But, you know, there’s nothing wrong with the fans
who are grateful for those opportunities even if they do come with
a price tag. I don’t think every aspect of every convention needs
to be about me or for me. It’s a big fan world out there.
About the only guest I did object to was whatever dumb wrestler was
at the show with his eardrum-shattering entrance music. Wrestling
is dumb. Wrestlers are dumb. Wrestling fans are dumb. I’ll never
understand the fascination with these pseudo-athletes and I never
will. I don’t have to get it. I’m fine with Wizard World having
such guests. But, really, cool it with the loud entrance music or
I might have to break a chair over someone’s head.
A friend of my son’s came to the con on Saturday. It was his first
convention and was thrilled to be there. He bought a sketch from
an online cartoonist whose work he liked and got a kick out of the
cosplayers. To him, Wizard World Ohio Comic Con was spending a day
in fan heaven. How can I knock a convention that gets that kind of
reaction from someone?
Wizard World Ohio Comic Con isn’t Mid-Ohio-Con. Judge it on what
it is and not what it isn’t.
The only thing I bought at the show was a Black Lightning t-shirt,
hereafter referred to as “Exhibit A,” so I only talked with a few
exhibitors, mostly old friends of mine from my own retailing days.
Those I spoke with were having good shows and, just from strolling
the hall, I know there were a lot of great bargains for the fans.
I certainly hope the exhibitors all did well.
Digression. After the show, I learned there had been at least two
major thefts of high-priced comic books from exhibitors. That’s a
shame and I think this kind of crime needs to be addressed by both
the exhibitors and the convention.
My off-the-cuff advice would be to exhibit high-priced books in a
manner that prevents a grab-and-dash and to staff your booth with
an eye towards theft-prevention. The expense of an extra employee
is less than that of a thousand-dollar comic book.
An artist was also robbed of his cash bag, which also contained his
wallet and credit cards. Artists are generally a trusting lot, so
they are vulnerable to theft. My advice is to keep your wallet and
credit cards separate from your show cash, to have someone keep an
eye on your table when you leave it for any reason and to always be
aware of your surroundings. Get a good look at anyone hanging out
near your table. If that person is a thief, he’s attempting to get
a good look at you and your setup. End digression.
Ohio Comic Con was fun for me. The Columbus Convention Center is
a clean and wonderful facility that makes New York’s Javitz Center
look like the glorified slum it is. The people who work there are
competent and friendly. Yeah, the cement floors in the convention
hall were hard on my legs and feet, but that’s my problem and one
I should be able to alleviate with new footwear.
I stayed in the Hyatt Regency and it’s one of my favorite hotels.
The rooms were renovated a couple years back and they are among the
nicest I’ve stayed in. The hotel’s “Big Bar on 2" is a very nice
bar. The hotel is connected to the convention center and to a fine
food court. If you’re wondering, I breakfast at Chicken ‘n’ Eggs
and lunch at Siam Express. Both are run by Thais and both serve a
good meal at a reasonable price.
If I have a minor complaint about Ohio Comic-Con, it’s that there
was no private party for guests and staff. I always enjoyed those
and could count on catching old friends and meeting new ones there.
But, again, that’s my problem.
Just about any problem with Ohio Comic Con can be solved with just
a little more forethought and initiative on my part. If the event
doesn’t provide a party, then it’s on me to arrange dinners/drinks
with my friends. I’m long past believing a convention must be all
things to all people.
I didn’t go to Wizard World Comic Con expecting it to be Mid-Ohio-
Con and, as much as my shaky health allowed, I had a good time at
the event. I expect to be in better health next year and have an
even better time. Sure, there’s room for improvement, but there’s
room for improvement in everything.
If you have suggestions, send them to the Wizard World organizers.
They are running a business and they want their customers to enjoy
the products and services they’re selling. No successful business
is so rigid in its policies that it doesn’t listen to and consider
polite suggestions from those customers.
My thanks to the Wizard World fans and staff for helping me have a
nice weekend. I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
© 2012 Tony Isabella
time. A week ago, I wasn’t certain I would be well enough to make
the trip to Columbus for the event. I had to take it easy over the
weekend, but I’m glad I went.
The elephant in the room is that this isn’t Mid-Ohio-Con, the show
created by Roger Price decades ago and my personal favorite among
all the shows I’ve attended. That show was a family-type show in
that the promoter and the staff all grew up with the show. We were
family in a real sense of the word and that atmosphere was carried
over to the convention itself.
Mid-Ohio-Con ala Price seemed to attract guests who, for the most
part, checked their egos at the door and who delighted in hanging
out with the fans. The fans were on their best behavior and made
those guests feel safe and welcome. The exhibitors were a pretty
good bunch as well. Yes, there were exceptions, but so few I could
count them on my fingers and end up with a free hand.
Comics and conventions have all hit bumps in the road in the past
decade or so. Mid-Ohio-Con was no exception. Several years back,
Roger retired and sold the show to James Henry, who, to his credit,
tried to maintain the family feel of the show. Two years ago, the
show was sold to Wizard World.
This year’s convention was the first without the involvement of any
prior owners. Although I used to create and manage the programming
for Roger, I haven’t been involved on that level since he sold the
show. In other words, I have no horse in this race.
Ohio Comic Con is not Mid-Ohio-Con, but, as much as my “taking it
easy” allowed, I had a good time there. I got to spend time with
my children, my friends and my fans. I chatted with other guests.
I signed over a hundred autographs on Friday, Saturday and the hour
I was at the show on Sunday. I felt I was treated with respect by
the Wizard World organization and staff. From my viewpoint, there
was no downside to the event, other than it not being Mid-Ohio-Com
and I never expected it would be.
Fans, exhibitors and some of the other guests could very well have
a different perspective on Ohio Comic Con. I didn’t pay to get in
and neither did my kids. I had a complimentary table in Artists
Alley. I did have to pay for my hotel room, but I considered that
expense to be the vacation I never took this year.
Most of the fans I saw were having a great time, though the costume
player I dubbed “Green Bean Loki” looked pretty sad whenever I saw
him following obediently behind a Thor cosplayer. Next time, guy,
look in the mirror first, downplay your package, and, when all else
fails, smile.
Here’s my position on cosplay: go for it. This is a fantasy world
for cosplayers and they don’t need to worry about their body shape
on my account. If their costumes aren’t obscene, if they are not
falling out of them too much, it’s all good. I love seeing them.
I love seeing them smile.
While I never heard a contrary word about ticket prices at the con,
one courageously pseudonymous poster to my message board complained
about them. I did some quick checking and found a three-day ticket
to Wizard World cost about the same as a decent single-game ticket
for the Cleveland Indians, Browns, or Cavaliers. For around the
same price as three days of convention fun, you could watch lousy
baseball, lousy football or moderately entertaining basketball. A
couple hours of “entertainment” for your money, Considered in that
manner, the Ohio Comic-Con ticket prices didn’t seem outrageous to
me. Your mileage may vary.
Although I enjoy and respect the work of great actors like Patrick
Stewart, Eliza Dushku and others, I wouldn’t shell out large bucks
to get their autographs, a photo with them or preferred seating at
their panels. But, you know, there’s nothing wrong with the fans
who are grateful for those opportunities even if they do come with
a price tag. I don’t think every aspect of every convention needs
to be about me or for me. It’s a big fan world out there.
About the only guest I did object to was whatever dumb wrestler was
at the show with his eardrum-shattering entrance music. Wrestling
is dumb. Wrestlers are dumb. Wrestling fans are dumb. I’ll never
understand the fascination with these pseudo-athletes and I never
will. I don’t have to get it. I’m fine with Wizard World having
such guests. But, really, cool it with the loud entrance music or
I might have to break a chair over someone’s head.
A friend of my son’s came to the con on Saturday. It was his first
convention and was thrilled to be there. He bought a sketch from
an online cartoonist whose work he liked and got a kick out of the
cosplayers. To him, Wizard World Ohio Comic Con was spending a day
in fan heaven. How can I knock a convention that gets that kind of
reaction from someone?
Wizard World Ohio Comic Con isn’t Mid-Ohio-Con. Judge it on what
it is and not what it isn’t.
The only thing I bought at the show was a Black Lightning t-shirt,
hereafter referred to as “Exhibit A,” so I only talked with a few
exhibitors, mostly old friends of mine from my own retailing days.
Those I spoke with were having good shows and, just from strolling
the hall, I know there were a lot of great bargains for the fans.
I certainly hope the exhibitors all did well.
Digression. After the show, I learned there had been at least two
major thefts of high-priced comic books from exhibitors. That’s a
shame and I think this kind of crime needs to be addressed by both
the exhibitors and the convention.
My off-the-cuff advice would be to exhibit high-priced books in a
manner that prevents a grab-and-dash and to staff your booth with
an eye towards theft-prevention. The expense of an extra employee
is less than that of a thousand-dollar comic book.
An artist was also robbed of his cash bag, which also contained his
wallet and credit cards. Artists are generally a trusting lot, so
they are vulnerable to theft. My advice is to keep your wallet and
credit cards separate from your show cash, to have someone keep an
eye on your table when you leave it for any reason and to always be
aware of your surroundings. Get a good look at anyone hanging out
near your table. If that person is a thief, he’s attempting to get
a good look at you and your setup. End digression.
Ohio Comic Con was fun for me. The Columbus Convention Center is
a clean and wonderful facility that makes New York’s Javitz Center
look like the glorified slum it is. The people who work there are
competent and friendly. Yeah, the cement floors in the convention
hall were hard on my legs and feet, but that’s my problem and one
I should be able to alleviate with new footwear.
I stayed in the Hyatt Regency and it’s one of my favorite hotels.
The rooms were renovated a couple years back and they are among the
nicest I’ve stayed in. The hotel’s “Big Bar on 2" is a very nice
bar. The hotel is connected to the convention center and to a fine
food court. If you’re wondering, I breakfast at Chicken ‘n’ Eggs
and lunch at Siam Express. Both are run by Thais and both serve a
good meal at a reasonable price.
If I have a minor complaint about Ohio Comic-Con, it’s that there
was no private party for guests and staff. I always enjoyed those
and could count on catching old friends and meeting new ones there.
But, again, that’s my problem.
Just about any problem with Ohio Comic Con can be solved with just
a little more forethought and initiative on my part. If the event
doesn’t provide a party, then it’s on me to arrange dinners/drinks
with my friends. I’m long past believing a convention must be all
things to all people.
I didn’t go to Wizard World Comic Con expecting it to be Mid-Ohio-
Con and, as much as my shaky health allowed, I had a good time at
the event. I expect to be in better health next year and have an
even better time. Sure, there’s room for improvement, but there’s
room for improvement in everything.
If you have suggestions, send them to the Wizard World organizers.
They are running a business and they want their customers to enjoy
the products and services they’re selling. No successful business
is so rigid in its policies that it doesn’t listen to and consider
polite suggestions from those customers.
My thanks to the Wizard World fans and staff for helping me have a
nice weekend. I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
© 2012 Tony Isabella
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
RAWHIDE WEDNESDAYS 23
The Rawhide Kid - the one created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, then
continued by Larry Lieber - is my favorite western character. So,
inspired by Essential Rawhide Kid Volume 1, which reprinted all the
Lee/Kirby issues and then some, I’ve been writing about the Rawhide
Kid most every Wednesday. When I ran out of the issues reprinted
in the book, I tracked down some owlhoots, brought them in and used
the reward money to buy the next ten issues of the title. Because
that’s what the Kid would have done.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The Rawhide Kid had faced a living totem pole and a bank robber who
could fly, but none of his adventures were anywhere near as strange
as “The Ape Strikes!” in The Rawhide Kid #39 [April 1964]. It’s a
wacky classic of the Silver Age of Comics.
The weirdness starts with the Jack Kirby/Chic Stone cover of that
issue. Both the Rawhide Kid and the ape holding him look as tall
if not taller than the top floor of the saloon on whose roof they
are shown. Next door, an amazed man looks out a window and this
man also looks too big for his room. The bystanders on the street
below don’t look quite right either. The cover certainly caught my
attention, but the more I study it, the more I wonder what the heck
Kirby was thinking.
“The Ape Strikes” (18 pages) is written by Stan Lee and illustrated
by Dick Ayers. The action starts on the title page as the gorilla
prepares to leap at Rawhide from the roof of a building. Shocked
by the sight, the Kid is disarmed and taken prisoner.
The gorilla carries Rawhide to the laboratory of Doctor Karlbad and
straps our young hero to an operating table. The mad scientist is
working to increase the intelligence of his trained ape and plans
to transplant the Kid’s brain into the gorilla’s body. Honest to
Godzilla, I am not making this up.
Virginia, the doctor’s daughter, objects to her father’s kidnapping
of the Rawhide Kid, but doesn’t know he plans to experiment on our
hero. He tells her Rawhide won’t be harmed. She leaves, but tells
him she’ll be back tomorrow with the sheriff.
Karlbad has to leave to get a serum for the operation which gives
Rawhide a chance to escape. By the time the Kid returns with the
sheriff and Virginia, the mad scientist and his ape are gone. The
sheriff won’t believe what Virginia and the Kid have told him until
he sees the gorilla himself, so Rawhide decides to track down the
creature and its master himself.
“But, before long, the amazed sheriff gets his wish! For, suddenly,
one day...without warning...a giant menace attacks the town...The
very sight of him is so frightening that people flee in panic–-all
thought of standing their ground, of firing their weapons at him,
driven from their minds by fear!”
The “mighty anthropoid” tears through the town without hurting any
of the citizens as if it only wanted to “prove its strength.” The
sheriff, now a believer, forms a posse to go after the ape.
The gorilla is holding a rifle when the sheriff and his posse find
it. When they draw their own weapons, the ape shoots the guns out
of their hands. When the Rawhide Kid sees the posse, the men are
in full terrified retreat.
Digression. There is no mention of the Rawhide Kid being a wanted
fugitive in this story. This must be one of those places where he
isn’t wanted, which was a convenient artifice when a writer didn’t
want to slow down a story with the usual dance between the hero and
the law. End digression.
The Kid goes after the ape alone. He’s ambushed and again disarmed
by the beast. He’s helpless as the gorilla points his rifle at our
hero. In a thought bubble, the Kid calls his horse Nightwind. The
noble telepathic steed attacks the gorilla from behind, sending the
rifle to fly free. The ape takes to the trees and disappears from
sight. Rawhide and his horse share a tender moment.
Rawhide trails the beast, coming across a distraught man whose son
was taken by the gorilla. When the men spot the ape, the Kid goes
on the attack. The child escapes and the gorilla attacks the Kid.
The child’s father wings the gorilla and the wounded ape retreats.
The father thanks the Kid for risking his life for a stranger, but
the Kid says it’s his fight, too. Rawhide thinks:
“I won’t bother tellin’ him how I worried that the ape might be
bringin’ his son to the doctor, to use in his experiment!”
The Kid follows the ape, hoping the creature will lead him to Doc
Karlbad. It’s a treacherous pursuit with Rawhide almost falling to
his death when the ape upends a log-bridge and hurls a boulder at
him. The gorilla leads him to a cave and that’s when bullets start
flying and things get weirder.
UNSEEN DOCTOR: Hah! You didn’t know I had a Winchester
hidden in my cave, did you?!!
KID (thought): Whew! That was too close for comfort! I wonder
what the gorilla is doing all this time?? Well, reckon I’ll find out
soon enough!
KID (thought): I sure hate to do this, mostly on account of his
daughter–-but I’ve got to use my guns! The Doc’s gone berserk!!
He’s too dangerous for me to take any more chances with!
KID: This is it, Doc! If you won’t give up, there’s no other way!
UNSEEN DOCTOR: No–-no! Stop shooting! I–-I can’t out-shoot
you! I don’t want to die! I surrender!
But it’s the ape who comes from the cave with his arms raised high
in surrender and meekly rides back to town in a wagon the Kid has
conjured from nowhere. Rawhide ponders:
“The gorilla himself tossed away a Winchester!! Could it be–-?! Can
Doc have already completed his experiment–-using himself as the one
whose intelligence the gorilla would take???
“That could explain why the gorilla was so smart–-why he seems to
act like a human! But he won’t speak–-and unless he does speak, how
can I ever know for sure??”
To his credit, the Kid also realizes Karlbad might have just had a
secret exit from the cave and that the ape is just as well-trained
as a circus bear. He keeps his other theory from Virginia, telling
her to exhibit the gorilla to make enough money to support herself
and leaving her with the hope that her father will return someday.
Virginia hopes she’ll meet the Rawhide Kid again because there’s so
much she had to thank him for.
Sadly, the ambiguity of Karlbad’s fate is undone by a caption that
states he did have a secret exit and waits nearby for a chance to
free his gorilla and strike again. The caption promises that when
the mad scientist does this, it will be a tale for a future issue.
However, this story is the last we will ever see of the doc, his
ape and his daughter.
The non-series story this time is “The Frightened Man” (5 pages) by
Stan and artist Jack Keller, better known for drawing Kid Colt for
Marvel and a passel of hot rod comics for Charlton. This one is a
pretty good little yarn.
Gunfighter Durango boasts about his two dozen gun fight victories.
He says speed isn’t as important as making your enemy fear you and
then decides to prove that by having a shootout with “a ranny who’s
frightened enough!”
Durango spots a nervous man trying to leave the saloon and lassos
him. He trumps up a reason to challenge the man who, despite his
seeming fear, still outdraws the gunfighter and shoots Durango in
the arm. The gunfighter will never be able to use his shooting arm
again. The frightened man speaks: “You made one mistake,
Durango! You never asked me why I was frightened!”
The man continues: “After I quit the Texas Rangers a few months
ago, I took a vow never to kill another man, no matter what! I was
just frightened I might miss your arm and kill you!”
Maybe because of its weirdness, The Rawhide Kid #39 has always been
one of my favorite issues. Ayers does a great job with the Rawhide
Kid story, giving personality to Karlbad’s gorilla. Keller’s clean
lines work well in the back-up story. Stan’s writing is dramatic
without overdoing it. Fun stuff.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
© 2012 Tony Isabella
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
40 YEARS AND A MULE
then, including a short comics story for The Monster Times, October
31, 1972 was my first day as a Marvel Comics staffer and the start
of a comics career that will hit the forty-year mark at the end of
this month.
I was hired by Roy Thomas to assist Stan Lee and Sol Brodsky on the
new British weeklies that had launched earlier that month. I don’t
recall why I started on a Tuesday rather than a Monday, but I sort
of recall that Roy was going to be out of the office on Monday and
needed/wanted to be there for my first day. So it was on Tuesday,
Halloween, that I walked into the Marvel offices. As I went up to
the receptionist, she said, “Nice costume, kid” and gave me a fun-
size Snickers bar.
Kidding. What I did was walk up to her, tell who I was, and find
out Roy wasn’t there yet. So I took a seat in the reception room
and waited. For what seemed like a very long time. At one point,
Don McGregor, who was already on staff, came out to say “hi” to me.
He knew me from my fanzine writing.
I’m inexplicably foggy on what happened next, doubtless due to the
combination of anxiety and excitement I felt. It’s possible Don
took me into the offices and introduced me to Sol Brodsky. I have
a vague memory of sitting at the drawing board that would serve as
my desk waiting for Roy while Sol accomplished numerous things and
occasionally asked me a question about my background and skills.
I would learn a lot from Sol and, of course, Roy.
Roy arrived. We talked about my duties and did whatever paperwork
we had to do to get me paid. I would be paid freelance for a few
weeks to see if I worked out in the job.
The first thing I did was write a letters page for The Mighty World
of Marvel. We only had a few letters and they weren’t very useful.
So I rewrote some of them and maybe wrote a few new ones and wrote
responses to them. Roy looked over the letters page, had me do a
bit of rewriting and gave it to Sol to be typeset. After that, I
proofread the stories to be reprinted in the next issue we would be
sending to England. Thankfully, I had a passing knowledge of British
spelling with its mania for adding “u” to words that were perfectly
fine without the letter.
I met Stan Lee that day and managed not to embarrass myself. Stan
told me I would also be assisting him with Monster Madness, which
consisted of big photos from monster movies with humorous dialogue
written by Stan and a smattering of prose articles commissioned and
sometimes written by me.
I met many other people that day, but I couldn’t tell you all their
names if my life depended on it. They most likely included Frank
Giacoia, Mike Esposito, John Verpooten, George Roussos and others.
All were very friendly to the new kid.
The only unsettling moment during that first week came when someone
came up behind me and smacked me on the back of the head in a less-
than-friendly manner. It was Jim Steranko, who was peeved with me
for some months-old impropriety. He growled at me and told me that
he was going to get me fired...and apparently tried to do just that
without success.
To this day, I regret that impropriety. My admiration for Steranko
and his work is considerable. We’ve talked once or twice over the
past couple decades and I think we’re good. But, man, did I really
not need that encounter during that first week at Marvel and while
trying to adjust to life in New York City.
Four decades later and here we are. I’m living in Medina, Ohio and
doing very little comic-book writing. But I’m happily married with
two great kids and content with my life.
I have said that the history of the comics industry is the history
of creators and freelancers being screwed by comics publishers and
editors. Yet, despite that, I celebrate my forty years as a comics
professional. I’ve created some memorable characters, written some
good and even great stories, worked with amazing people, earned an
okay living and entertained a great many readers. Most folks don’t
achieve even part of their youthful dreams. I have.
When I realized I was fast approaching my 40th anniversary in the
comics field, I started thinking about what I could do to celebrate
that anniversary. The answer came from another aspect of my comics
career, that of comics reviewer.
For some time, I have been the lead reviewer for and a contributing
editor of Comics Buyer’s Guide. I’ve reviewed more comics and more
variety of comics than any other reviewer in that magazines. I’ve
also reviewed thousands of comics in my online columns and, now, in
this bloggy thing of mine.
During the boom period of comics, it was not unusual for me to get
300-500 review comics in a single month. Though that has dropped
off considerably, I still receive a few dozen review items every
month. I try to read and review as many of them as I can.
Many creators have thanked me for my reviews of their work and I’m
happy to have helped spread the word about their excellent comics.
Other creators, far far fewer in number, have complained bitterly
when their work has received negative reviews. That comes with the
territory. I have always felt it necessary to write about the good
and the bad. Doing so allows my readers to establish a baseline of
my views and that allows them to gauge my likes and dislikes against
their own and informs their buying decisions.
So, with thanks for your patience as I made my long-winded journey
to this announcement, here’s what I’m doing:
This month, I’ll read and review or otherwise write about the first
40 comics or graphic novels sent to me at:
Tony Isabella
840 Damon Drive
Medina, OH 44256
I can’t guarantee a favorable review, but I can guarantee that I’ll
read and review or write about each of those 40 comics or graphic
novels. One stipulation: you must send me a printed copy of these
comics or graphic novels. No PDFs, no links to online versions of
these works, no discs.
I can read and review comics and graphic novels from advance copies
of these works, but they have to be complete and you have to print
them off and send them to me.
But, wait, there’s more.
This offer is open to comics creators, freelancers, publishers and
readers. One per individual. With the sole restriction being that
I won’t read and review/write about any Black Lightning comic book
that wasn’t written by me.
But, wait, there’s even more.
If you are sending me these comics and graphic novels from within
the United States, I will send you ten randomly-selected comic books
from my garage sale stock and at least one of those ten comics will
be written and signed by me. Ten comics for the one you send me.
Which strikes me as a pretty good deal.
There are only 40 slots open in this offer. Obviously, the sooner
you send me a comic book or graphic novel, the better your chance
of getting in on this celebration. When I’ve received 40 items, I
will make another announcement that the offer is over.
Had I the means, I would throw a 40th anniversary party for all my
readers and comics collaborators. Since I can’t do that, I thought
this was a decent option. I hope you agree.
Thanks to all my readers and everyone else who’s been in my corner
over these past four decades. I appreciate your support and hope
to keep entertaining and informing you for many more years to come.
I’ll be back on Wednesday with more stuff.
© 2012 Tony Isabella
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)