Superman’s Cleveland: Lineage and Legacy is a city-wide celebration of the heritage of Superman, the world’s first comic book superhero invented in 1938 in Glenville by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish high school students. In this month-long series of programs, scholars and comic book lovers will join interested Clevelanders in book discussions, comics-making workshops, live interviews with creators, and a rich lineup of programs exploring the lineage and legacy of Superman, Cleveland, and the comics medium.
Hosted by the Rust Belt Humanities Lab at Ursuline College in partnership with the Ohio Center for the Book at the Cleveland Public Library, Superman’s Cleveland gathers institutional partners from across Northeast Ohio.
This Saturday, October 28, I'll be giving a talk and workshop on the core values of Superman. It’ll be a discussion of who Superman has been and is. It's from 10:00am to noon at Rising Star Coffee Roastery, 3617 Walton Avenue in Cleveland.
I hope to engage with my students on how Superman has become more inclusive, starting way back in late 1940s with the launch of the Superboy series. We’ll discuss Supergirl, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, the Legion of Super-Heroes and even his bisexual son.
If you’re in the Cleveland area, please join us.
Friday, October 27, 2023
COME HANG WITH SUPERMAN AND TONY ISABELLA
Monday, October 16, 2023
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Friday, October 6, 2023
THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY IN SEPTEMBER
September saw the end of my 2023 Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales. They were very successful and I’m already making plans for next year’s garage sales to start earlier and be even better than this year’s.
Part of the reason for that is my family and I started clearing out our last storage unit. At one time, we had three storage units in what I called the Fortress of Storage. Now we are down to just one unit and it is now half-empty.
We brought somewhere in the neighbor of 75 boxes of comics, books and other VAOS items to our basement and garage. To make room for the ones in the garage, I’m in the process of making more space for them in our basement. It’s a time-consuming job, but it has needed to be done for years.
I can tell you there are some incredible things in the boxes to be processed for next year’s garage sales. A enormous run of Amazing Heroes. An equally impressive run of Uncle Scrooge and other Disney comics. Hundreds of Mack Bolan paperbacks. Many boxes of hardcovers and trade paperbacks, including what appears to be a complete run of Captain Easy hardcovers.
On a personal note, I found my file copies of Comics Buyer’s Guide. I won’t be selling those, but having them together means I can put together annotated collections of the Everett True cartoons I did with Gary Dumm and others. I likewise found my file copies of Movie Collectors World, which also featured Everett True cartoons. I did some Everett True cartoons for Amazing Heroes and Comics Journal, but I figure I have time to find those.
Some time later this year, after I’m done with conventions for the year, I want to hire somewhere local to run an online story for me. Probably on eBay. I’m exploring ways to keep this separate from my normal business. I’d love for my VAOS to generate income all year long and for several years to come.
But, hey, let’s get down to the reason you probably started reading today’s blog. Here’s the list of all the things that make me happy in the month of September...
September 1: Saintly Wife Barb and a neighborhood made a visit to the Fortress of Storage. They took a bunch of stuff and donated it to charities and brought me six cool collectible phones which I am adding to tomorrow’s garage sale.
[Sadly, none of the phones were sold, though I’m pretty confident they will sell next year. The R2D2 one is sweet.]
September 2: DC Power: A Celebration 2023. Specifically, the Black Lightning story by Lamont Magee and Crisscross. Though ignored by DC’s solicitations for the special, it’s a terrific and authentic tale of DC’s most iconic Black hero.
September 3: I’m excited my Marvel Bicentennial Calendar from 1976 will be reprinted as part of a collection later this year. I wrote and semi-designed the calendar and it got a favorable albeit brief review in Penthouse.
September 4: Black Demon Tales is a intriguing three-issue series. The tales are based on Mexican fishermen lore and Aztec mythology. More than scary shark stuff, the stories deal with family, class, and the environment. Worth checking out.
September 5: Apama by Ted Sikora, Milo Miller and Benito Gallego. I’ve been reading/rereading all the Apamaverse comics from start to finish. It’s a great ride with one of the most original and still nostalgic super-hero titles of modern times.
September 6: Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller, The Man Who Created Nancy by Bill Griffith is much more than a biography. It’s a mind-blowing examination of comic art and history that will astonish you frequently. You must read this book.
September 7: Pixies of the Sixties: You Really Got Me Now presents a world in which fairies live side-by-side with humans who hate and fear them. It’s an anthology series which deals with contemporary issues and it’s brilliant.
September 8: 5 Forgotten TV Shows. It’s a series of YouTube videos from GoodBadFlicks showcasing short-run series. Some of them I had never heard of, some I knew about, some I wish I could see. These videos make for a quick fun break.
September 9: Star Trek Strange New Worlds. The first episode of the series was so-so. “Children of the Comet,” the second episode won me over. It felt like the original series with needed renovations. I’ll keep watching.
September 10: The Madness by J. Michael Straczynski and artist ACO. A super-thief goes for one last job with disastrous results. This kicks off a tale of vengeance, political powers and super-powers. Highly recommended, but not for the squeamish.
September 11: Minor Threats by Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum and Scott Hepburn. A sidekick is murdered, breaking all the rules for heroes and villains alike. I’m a huge fan of compact super-hero universes. Great comics without ponderous continuity.
September 12: Jurassic Shark 3: Seavenge is a typically awful but kinda fun film from Mark Polonia. What earns it a place on my happy list is its ridiculously unexpected plot twist near the end of the movie. I literally laughed out loud.
September 13: The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women's Suffrage, and Jujitsu by Clément Xavier and Lisa Lugrin is a stunning reveal of history not taught. The parallels to modern right-wing brutality will leave you gasping with rage.
September 14: Gamera Rebirth. The first episode of the new animated series was entertaining. Spunky Japanese nerd heroes. Lots of cool action scenes with our giant turtle pal fighting Gyaos. Excellent animation. I’m in for the long haul.
September 15: Harley Quinn: “Killer’s Block”. Fun doesn’t get much bigger than the over-the-moon chaos and catastrophe of the season four finale. This series never fails to delight me and I can’t wait for season five.
September 16: Flaming River Con 2023. Bouncing back from pandemic absence, the LGBTQ+ gathering of comics, fantasy and sci-fi was big fun. Panels, vendors, non=profits, fans, a burlesque show after party. It was a blast! Count me in for 2024.
September 17: Flaming River Con 2023. The love and respect shown to me at this event damn near had me in tears. I was even introduced at the after party burlesque show as a “dignitary among us.” I love and respect this convention right back.
September 18: The Good Asian Deluxe Edition by Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi. Set in 1936, this Eisner-winning mystery includes great historical information about the era and its bigotry towards Chinese immigrants. Recommended.
September 19: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus Vol. 1: Scary Tales & Scarier Tentacles features just over 400 pages of freakishly fearsome fun. I can’t think of a better present for the Simpsons lover in your life.
September 20: Mr. Sardonicus. I saw this 1961 horror movie for the first time on Svengoolie. It’s an amazingly creepy and entertaining film, enhanced by the silly shenanigans of director and producer William Castle. Thanks, Sven!
September 21: Barbie. Margot Robie is perfect as the title heroine. This enjoyable and thought-proving film is more edgy and satiric than I expected. No wonder the broke right-wing assholes hate it. Highly recommended.
September 22: Bylines in Blood by Erica Schultz, Van Jensen, Aneka and Cardinal Rae. Gripping future noir as Satya, journalist turned private detective, investigates the murder of a friend in a city ruled by corrupt politicians. More please.
September 23: Iron Man is going to be part of Casa Isabella’s 2023 Christmas celebration. I picked up this Funko figure on sale at my local Target. Given how rich Tony Stark is, I’m hoping his holiday bag is filled with Omnibus editions.
September 24: Jennifer Walters will also be joining my family this Christmas, thanks to this very cute Funko figure. When she’s done right, she’s one of my three favorite Marvel heroines. I’m guessing you know who the other two are.
September 25: Having neighbors who go all out for Halloween, one of our most beloved and sacred holidays. Their decked-out lawn reminds me I have yet to come up with my costume. I’m leaning towards Drag Queen Batman from the classic story of the same name.
September 26: Why I Adopted my Husband by Yuta Yagi. Because Japan doesn’t have same-sex marriage, Kyota adopts Yuta to legalize their relationship. It’s an informative heartwarming look at their lives in a culture still evolving.
September 27: Omnibus editions. I like how packed with classic and nostalgic stories they are. I like the heft and the look of them. Especially the Golden and Silver Age ones. I’m willing to take them in barter for my convention appearance fees
September 28: Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama. The original “novels” for two of my all-time favorite movies have been collected by The University of Minnesota Press. That’s what I call higher education.
September 29: Meth Gator by Ethan Richards. It’s not an adaptation of the upcoming Asylum movie, but, come on, can we really ever have too many pharmaceutical-charged monsters? With the strike over, I’m already working on Viagra Velociraptors.
September 30: King of Spies by Mark Millar and Matteo Scalera. As a John Wick-style fantasy of a dying agent trying to make good for his past crimes, it’s entertaining. But a dynamite final act makes it much more than that.
[One of my local fans is a huge Millar fan and has convinced me to make reading and rereading Millar’s work a project for the coming year. If my library system has them, I’ll read them.]
My next convention appearance will be MONSTER BASH, October 13-15 at the Mariotte Pittsburgh North. Click on the link for everything you’ll need to about this wonderfully weird weekend.
I’ll be back soon with more stuff!
© 2023 Tony Isabella
Monday, October 2, 2023
Friday, September 22, 2023
Thursday, September 7, 2023
THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY IN AUGUST
August seems like it was an insane blur of garage sales and getting ready for garage sales and watching a lot of landscaping happening courtesy of Saintly Wife Barb and the terrific handyman we hired a while back. We think so highly of him that we also had him working on our son Eddie and our daughter Kelly’s houses. Amidst the chaos, I also found time to do some serious thinking about what projects I’ll be commencing after my final garage sales on Friday, September 8, and Saturday, September 9. I’m feeling energized.
In case the title of today’s bloggy thing has you wondering, here are the things that brought me joy in August...
August 1: Hero Tomorrow was offering a great deal on all Apama and Apama-related comics to date. I have them all, scattered through my Vast Accumulation of Stuff, but now I can read them in their proper chronological order. Score!
August 2: We love our new landscaping. The front of our house and other parts of the lawn and yard look amazing. It’s a cleaner look that has been complimented by our neighbors, our mailman and even Amazon delivery drivers. Saintly Wife Barb is thrilled.
August 3: Cocaine Crabs from Outer Space. Just because.
August 4: The Uncanny Contrast. Recommend by a friend, this Korean series is a supernatural super-hero soap opera crime drama. The heroes have been given power to banish demons, but not for personal advantage. The lines get a little shaky.
August 5: Batman Superman World’s Finest Vol. 1 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain. I neither know nor care what current DC continuity is, but I love what Waid laid down here, especially his treatment of the Doom Patrol.
August 6: The Shadow of the Cat. I watched this British thriller on Svengoolie. Solid writing and good acting as a cat seeks vengeance on those who murdered her beloved human. That the cat looked like my late Simba was oddly comforting.
August 7: I Am Wonder Woman by Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos. A particularly delightful entry to their “Stories Change the World” series. My only quibble is a timeline omitting the Kanigher, Andru and Esposito comics from the 1950s and 1960s.
August 8: InStock Trades. My go to dealer for graphic novels and my beloved omnibus editions. Their discounts are the best online and their packaging, which they recently upgraded even more, is second to none. Check them out. Tell them Tony sent you.
August 9: Bloom by Ted Sikora and Butch Mapa. I like origin stories concise, but reading the four-issue origin of this villainess was like watching a emotional, visually scary movie. I got chills. I want to see that movie.
August 10: Us by Sara Soler. This is a warm and welcoming graphic memoir love story of cartoonist Sara and her partner Diana with an emphasis on Diana’s gender transition. It’s an amazing book which I recommend without reservation to all.
August 11: Black Lightning appears in My First Book of Superpowers from 2021. Thanks to Mike Maloy for alerting me to this children’s book so I could get a copy for my archives.
August 12: My pal Svengoolie sent me an autographed copy of his new hilarious Svengoolie: Lost in Time comic book. I have an invite to visit him in the dungeon when next I get to Chicago. Which ain’t as scary as driving the Dan Ryan Expressway.
August 13: Sins of the Black Flamingo kicks off with a flamboyant thief pulling a caper and morphs into a mystic thriller. Kudos to Andrew Wheeler, Travis Moore, Tamra Bonvillain and Aditya Bidikar for a fine story with great characters. More please.
August 14: In the new season of Harley Quinn, Harley and Ivy strive to find a life-work balance. This is made all the more hilariously with Harley having joined the Bat-Family and Ivy running the Legion of Doom. Not for kids.
August 15: Saintly Wife Barb and I went to Medina’s Regal Cinemas to see the 10th anniversary edition of Sharknado. This new edition is all spruced up and the bonus content is terrific. A fun night at the movies with a classic goofy thriller.
August 16: The Best of Simon & Kirby’s Mainline Comics. Published by TwoMorrows, this amazing volume collects the entire run of the western hero title and choice stories from Foxhole, Police Trap and In Love. A must-have for any Simon/Kirby fan.
August 17: My Adventures with Superman is too multi-versal for my tastes because I love smaller stories, but it won me over with its portrayal of Monsieur Mallah and the Brain. I would love to write comics with this version of those characters.
August 18: Apple Crush by Lucy Knisley. The second in the creator’s Peapod Farm series has Jen navigating moving on to middle school. Suitable for all ages, it’s further proof Knisley’s work belongs in all libraries. She’s a literary treasure.
August 19: I made a trip to the Fortress of Storage with son Eddie. We excavated two dozen books of amazing items, including memorable Superman merchandise. The challenge will be pricing all this stuff and getting into the rest of 2023's garage sales.
August 20: Blue Beetle. What a wonderful departure from the usual DCU doom and gloom. It’s the Reyes family that makes this movie so down-to-earth special. I would love to write a Nana limited series. I love a feisty grandmother with guns!
August 21: In Uncaped by Mike Spring and Dennis Tirona, super-hero Lady Olympus sees a vision of her life with comics store worker and musician Lucas, who she’d never previously met. It delivers on the romance and the comedy. I enjoyed it.
August 22: My neighbor put up a beautiful shed in his back yard. It took one day. I’d look out my window every now and then and it’d be further along. At one point, I asked if he were Amish. Got a laugh. I love this kind of stuff.
August 23: Frank Frazetta’s Mothman #1 by Tim Hetrick and various artists. Intrigued by the notion of new comics stories inspired by Frazetta’s paintings, I gave this a try and enjoyed it. I’ll keep reading and try some other Opus titles.
August 24: Funko’s new Mary Jane Watson figure. I don’t know what the heck Marvel has done with this icon in their comic books, but MJ’s Romita-drawn surprise revelation back in the 1960s is one of the great moments in comic books.
August 25: Wow! In the first day of this weekend’s garage sales, I made 112% of my two-day goal and met some Facebook friends who came from Michigan and Texas and stopped by to chat while scoring cool stuff and free signatures. A very fun day.
August 26: Super Suspenstories #1 by William Satterwhite. A recent order brought me the origin of Columbia, the spirit of America. It is not the most polished comic book, but it’s got heart and purpose and I hope to see more of this character. 8-26-23.
August 27: The Talk by Darrin Bell. This brilliant autobiographical work is intense and fraught with lessons necessary for the survival of young Black men and for the education of others who still just don’t get it. Required reading.
August 28: The unsung hero of my VAOS garage sales. One of my best customers has been helping me with pricing. He puts boards in bags. He lifts heavy boxes when my knee hurts. He organizes stuff. The sales wouldn’t be so great without him.
August 29: Sandman Mystery Theatre Compendium One by Matt Wagner, Steve T. Seagle and Guy Davis. If you haven’t read these unsettling stories, you should. If you haven’t reread them in a while, they’re just as engaging the second time around.
August 30: My Vast Accumulation of Stuff excavations are resulting in my finding a great many random issues of terrific 1960s/1970s Marvel, DC and Dell comics. You’ll see them in my garage sale this weekend.
August 31: Punisher War Journal by Torunn Grønbekk and a trio of artists was interesting. Frank’s commanding the Hand in two tales. The third is a poignant look at his return home from overseas wars. Not a Punisher fan, but I enjoyed this volume.
With my garage sales coming to a close for the summer, I’m hoping to post more bloggy things. Thanks for stopping by today. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.
© 2023 Tony Isabella