November was another wild ride in The Adventures of Tony Isabella. It started with the wonderful Akron Comicon. It continued with all manner of household projects, including emptying the final storage unit of the Fortress of Storage. At one point, we had three units. Now we have none. This will save us just under a hundred bucks per month. Three cheers and a tiger for us.
November ended with the American release of Godzilla Minus One, now my second favorite Godzilla movie of them all. The Japanese Gojira is still first, but that’s a combination of recognizing the movie that started it all and my sentimental love for it.
Here are the things that made me happy in November...
November 1: My mom is 97 years old as of Halloween. She enjoys life at Emerald Village in North Olmsted, hanging with her many friends and roaming the halls with her walker. She is often given mail to deliver to other residents. Happy birthday, Mom!
November 2: Go Find Daddy. The latest Ed Runyon mystery by Steve Goble finds the investigator trying to find a cop-hater believed to be a cop-killer to tell him his daughter is dying. Very emotional and intense, it’s the best in the series to date.
November 3: Quiz Lady. Streaming on Hulu and starring Sandra Oh and Awkwafina, this woman-driven comedy is hilarious and heartwarming. Terrific supporting performances from Will Farrell, Holland Taylor and Tony Hale. It’s a good time and recommended.
November 4: Akron Comicon 2023. It was another great weekend with terrific fans, guests and vendors. The highlight was dinner with my dear friends Laurie Jacobson and Jon Provost, who I haven’t seen in way too many years. Love you guys!
November 5: Akron Comicon 2023. I wore my “Trans Rights are Human Rights” shirt Saturday, receiving literally dozens of compliments and thanks. It’s important to stand up for and with a community so cruelly and unfairly targeted by the GOP.
November 6: Akron Comicon. From Scream, actresses Nancy Anne Kidder and Leonora Scelfo were my delightful next-door neighbors. The fans loved them and so did I. I’d like to see their mean girl characters return in Scream 7!
November 7: Funko’s 80th anniversary Spider-Man Pop! I love getting figures of the original looks of my favorite comic-book characters. Though I plan to reduce my Funko collection, I’m still buying such figures when I see them.
November 8: Trans lives matter. The shirts for my next convention appearance have arrived. I urge my fellow comics professionals to stand with and support people so cruelly and unfairly targeted by the GOP. Do not say nothing.
November 9: My “No Hunting” sign is ready to go when Medina’s law allowing bow hunters to come into neighborhoods and slaughter deer takes effect. I wonder how many holiday reindeer displays they will skewer in their zeal.
November 10: All-American Comics #16. I love facsimile editions of old comics. They’re a window to our past. But I’d gladly pay $9.99 if they were the same dimensions as the originals. Much better for a true feel for the material.
November 11: Loki Season Two was terrific throughout and ended in a most satisfying manner. But now I want a third season showcasing Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) coming into her own as a Loki. I can see a place for her in The Avengers.
November 12: Punchline and the Vaude-Villains. Ted Sikora and the rest of the Apama-Verse are clearly having a blast focusing on the wondrous foes our hero and the city of Cleveland are facing. As a reader, I’m having a great time reading these comics.
November 13: Funny Things: A Comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schulz by Luca Debus and Francesco Matteuzzi. We are living in an age of great cartoonist biographies, as witness this one, told in comic strips with a Schulz-ian vibe.
November 14: Wheel of Fortune. On the November 14 episode, the 92-year-old Liz amazed Pat Sajak and everyone else with her incredible puzzle-solving abilities. Her and her son won over $65,000. It was an inspiring competition.
November 15: Saintly Wife Barb, our neighbor Sue and our jack-of-all-trades handyman Brad got all of my boxes out of the garage and into our basement. Part one of our massive basement/garage/living room project. More to come.
November 16: Tony’s Vast Accumulation of Stuff Basement Project is pretty much finished. With help from my friend Rob, all the boxes are out of the garage and living room. Watch for a VAOS update in the near future.
November 17: Public-domain heroes. Dozens of comics creators have been putting their own spin on Golden Age characters. Their results are decided mixed, but fun. I might want to do something like this in the future if I knew the artist would be paid.
November 18: Hoverboy the Republican Super-Hero by Ty Templeton and Steve Molnar. This odd comic from 2008 has a funny premise and an amusing faux-history. It’s not great, but it does have its moments. Perfect for fans who like weird comics.
November 19: The Marvels. I loved this movie. A trio of incredible women in the leads. Unexpected humor. Sincere feelings. Nick Fury being Nick Fury. All tied up with one of the best credits scenes. I’m still on board. Make mine Marvel!
November 20: Zatanna and the Ripper Volume One by Sarah Dealy and Syre. From Webtoon, we get this intriguing story of a time-tossed Zatanna, just turned 21, trying to catch the infamous murderer and find her way back home. Recommended.
November 21: Published in 2017, Classic Monsters as Sharks by Todd Loren and others is incredibly silly and all the more fun for that.Sharkula, the Frankenshark Monster, Sharkzilla and more! Look for this insane masterpiece at Indy Planet.
November 22: Strong Girl Nam-soon. I’ve watched the first episode of this Korean series about a supernaturally strong young woman on Netflix and loved it. It’s a great mix of comedy, crime-fighting, drama and super-heroics. Recommended.
November 23: The Daily Show. John Leguizamo’s brilliant takedown of Univision for airing a shameful softball interview with Donald J. Trump aka Public Enemy Number One. The actor also wrote a terrific op-ed piece on this for the Los Angeles Times.
November 24: Dolly Parton (and not for the first time). She is an amazing force for good in the world and one of our greatest singers and songwriters. At 77, she was breathtaking in her Dallas Cowboys cheerleader uniform. Good golly, Miss Dolly!
November 25: Ghosts UK. I binge-watched the first four episodes and enjoyed them. I think the US version is better, but there were some brilliant things in the original. Especially the caveman. But some of the ghosts are really nasty.
November 26: Spy Superb by Matt Kindt and Sharlene Kindt. The world’s greatest spy is actually just a useful idiot. This graphic novel has action, espionage, humor and a high body count. It needs to be a movie. Highly recommended.
November 27: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. I watched the first two episodes of the Apple TV+ series and was mightily impressed. It has an intriguing story, excellent acting and movie-quality production values. This will be a keeper on home video.
November 28: Marvel Super Stories. Fifteen short stories by an all-star line of cartoonists, the anthology is edited by John Jennings, who also contributes a Daredevil story. Aimed at younger readers, the book is suitable for all ages. More please.
November 29: Floor Peijnenburg. Absolutely rocking her real estate business and more, the Netherlands-based beauty is my favorite of the HGTV real estate agents. She’s fun and sassy, often addressing the audience directly.
November 30: Godzilla Minus One is my second favorite Godzilla film of all time. It has the best human stories of any Godzilla movie, the Cold War political content makes it that much more real and the Godzilla scenes are amazing and intense.
December looks to be as busy as November. Maybe more so. I had the best time at GalaxyCon Columbus on December 1-3. I have some cool tasks on my “to do” list, among them getting the bloggy back up to speed. I can’t promise daily columns, but I think I can do better than I’ve done in recent months.
Here’s wishing the happiest of holidays to all my bloggy friends.Thanks for visiting and thanks for your patience as I worked my way through various situations.
© 2023 Tony Isabella
