TONY'S TIPS #114

This week in TONY'S TIPS at Tales of Wonder...Star Trek/Planet of the Apes, Knight Rider and Saved by the Bell!

INDY POP CON IS ALMOST HERE

Today (Wednesday) is my "Getting Ready for IndyPopCon Day." The convention is Friday, June 26 through Sunday, June 28, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. You can get further details by going to the event website.

I’m one of an army of terrific guests that includes Edward James Olmos of Battlestar Galactica and, more recently, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I hope I get the opportunity to tell him how much I enjoyed his layered performance on the latter. His character kept me guessing from his first scene to his last scene this season and that was due, in no small part, to his talent.

Also appearing at the convention: Tony Moore, Sam Jones, John De Lancie, Malcolm Goodwin, Sophie Henderson, Brooke A. Allen, Scott Shaw, Joe Corroney, Casper Van Dien, Jim Wynorski, Troy Brownfield, Lloyd Kaufman, Brizzy, Franchesco, Kevin Bachelder, and a bunch of fine people from my favorite film company, The Asylum. Okay, it’s tied with Disney/Marvel for my top spot, but I have a big heart and I can love both.

I’ll be appearing on two panels during the weekend:

Saturday, June 27
11:00 am
MOVIE BLOGGING: TALES FROM THE TRENCHES
with Kevin Bachelder and Greg Sorvig

Sunday, June 28
1:00 pm
COMIC CREATOR PANEL
with Brooke Allen, Tony Moore, Scott Shaw and the Amalgam Podcast Network

When I’m not on a panel or at a panel I’m not on or just wandering around the convention talking to cool people and looking at cool stuff - when you check out the website, you’ll see there are many cool panels, people and vendors - I’ll be set up at:

Booth Number 515

Please don’t be shy about stopping by my table. I’m always happy to sign Isabella-written stuff for both fans and retailers. I never charge for my signature. However, on the unlikely chance I have a long line and you have a whole bunch of comics for me to sign, I may have to sign just some of your items and ask you to go back to the end of the line for the rest. If you have less than a dozen items, I can sign them all without making that request of you. That sound fair to you?

I’m happy to answer questions at my table and on my panels. I’ll do my best to answer them all, though, on occasion, the answer might be “You’ll have to buy my new book.” Heh, heh, heh.

I love cosplayers, especially those appearing as characters I have created or have written. I’m delighted to pose for photos with you. All I ask is that you send me a scan of the photo with permission to use it in this bloggy thing or my Facebook page.

I'll have some stuff for sale at my booth. These will include:

 

The rare double-sided Superman that was created for Cleveland's International Superman Expo of 1988. My supply of these is limited, so I'll be selling them for $20 each.

 

I'll have a box of Isabella-written stuff, but I'm not sure what will be in that box or what the prices on the items will be. That's one of today's tasks.

I'll have a box of fairly recent comics priced at $1 each.

I'll have Archie digests for sale at $1 or $2 each. Digests originally priced under $5 will be a buck and digests originally priced over $5 will be two bucks.

There might be a miscellaneous box of other stuff, but that depends on how long it takes me to put together the other stuff..

Since 1000 Comic Books You Must Read is out of print until I get a chance to explain to the publisher that electronic versions aren’t even close to being the same as “in print” and that “out of print” means their rights to the book have expired, I won’t have copies of my award-deserving, best-selling book for sale. However...

If anyone has good condition copies of the book they are willing to part with, I’d be delighted to purchase them from you at $10 each. I would love to replenish my supply of the book so I can continue to sell it at conventions and my garage sales. If you have a large quantity of copies, email me before June 25 so I can be ready with payment for you.

I’m really looking forward to IndyPopCon. The show will be open to the doubtless eager public from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Friday, 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

I hope to see you there.

TONY'S TIPS #113

This week in http://blog.talesofwonder.com/tonys-tips-113/ at Tales of Wonder...Zombillenium, Roller Girl and Joe Frankenstein!

PSYCHIATRIC TALES

My local library system continues to supply be with great comics material. Most recently, I read Darryl Cunningham's Psychiatric Tales: Eleven Graphic Stories About Mental Illness [Bloomsbury USA; $17]. Published in 2011, the book is informative and moving. It was Cunningham's first book and here's what Amazon says about it:

 

Psychiatric Tales draws on Darryl Cunningham's time working in a psychiatric ward to give a reasoned and sympathetic look into the world of mental illness. In each chapter, Cunningham explores a different mental health problem, using evocative imagery to describe the experience of mental illness, both from the point of view of those beset by illness and their friends and relatives. As Cunningham reveals this human experience, he also shows how society's perceptions of and reactions to mental illness perpetuate needless stigma, for example, the myth that schizophrenic people are more likely to commit crimes than non-schizophrenic people. Psychiatric Tales is a groundbreaking graphic work; it deftly demythologizes and destigmatizes the disorders that 26.2 percent of American adults live with every day.

Concluding with a reflection on how mental illness has affected his own life, Darryl Cunningham's Psychiatric Tales is a moving, engaging examination of what is, at its root, the human condition.

Cunningham has been doing some terrific work with his non-fiction graphic novels. I've like all the ones I've read to date, but I particularly recommend this one to you.

ISBN 978-1-60819-278-6

 

 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

RECOMMENDED READING: ROSES IN DECEMBER

From Kent State University Press:

ROSES IN DECEMBER: A STORY OF LOVE AND ALZHEIMER'S by Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers [$34.95].

From the Amazon solicitation:

Since its debut in 1987, Crankshaft has engendered reader loyalty and affection with its wry wit, engaging storylines, and identifiable characters. Created by Tom Batiuk and drawn by Chuck Ayers, the strip offers plenty of humor but also tackles serious issues like adult literacy, school violence, and the challenges of aging.

Roses in December is a touching collection of two Crankshaft storylines of characters who find themselves dealing with the incurable condition of Alzheimer's disease. First, Ed Crankshaft's best friend Ralph is confronted with the trauma of his wife Helen's worsening Alzheimer's. He never knows if the love of his life will recognize him on those days that he visits her at Sunny Days Nursing Home. Ralph and Helen s love story unfolds with humor and heartbreak.

In the second story arc, Crankshaft s neighbor Lucy McKenzie also exhibits symptoms of Alzheimer's and eventually is moved to Sunny Days Nursing Home by her sister Lillian. The fourteen­ year struggles of Lucy, Helen, and their loved ones are elegantly told, preserving their dignity and reminding us that sometimes a sense of humor can be our greatest possession during life's trials.

Through the deceptively simple medium of the daily comic strip, Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers ad­dress the profound effects of Alzheimer's disease in a thoughtful and occasionally humorous way.

Roses in December includes a resource guide for caregivers, patients, and practitioners.

ISBN 978-1-60635-264-9

STILL ALL IN WITH THE CAVALIERS

The Cleveland Cavaliers sure gave us an exciting season. That they didn’t win the championship is sad. But when I think of the amazing determination and drive they showed throughout the playoffs and the finals, I stand in awe of this team.

LeBron James proved once again that he is the greatest basketball player on the court today. Matthew Dellavedova proved to be one of the scrappiest competitors I have even seen, only to be accused of being a dirty player by talking sports heads who should only have painful rectal sores for the rest of their lives. Other teammates stepped up their games in big ways during the playoffs and finals.

The Cavaliers were and are a magnificent team. Those commentators who said their two finals wins were flukes must be forgiven as it’s difficult to watch a fast-moving sport like basketball with one’s head up one’s ass.

The unexpected is forever the extra player on the court or field. I know injuries are part of sports. That the season-ending injury of Kevin Love was inflicted deliberately on him by a second-rater like Kelly Olynyk of the Celtics was deplorable.

Spare me your claims that it was an accident. Look at Olynyk’s face from multiple still photos. Watch the tapes - also from multiple angles - of him giving that pull on Love’s arm. Though Love has magnanimously said he is okay with Olynyk, I’d be lying if I said I don’t hope karma catches up with Olynyk in a big way.

The Golden State Warriors are a terrific team. They played hard and it is no dishonor to lose to them. That said, if the Warriors had played this series without two of their best players, I think the championship trophy would be in Cleveland right now.

Disappointed sports fans across the nation know well the sorrowful phrase “Wait until next year!” This time, I am more eager for next year than any time within recent memory.

Thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers for an exciting season. They may not be the national champions, but no other team beat them when it came to heart.

I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2015 Tony Isabella