THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY IN AUGUST

 

America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free".

The above words come from The American President (1995). They’re part of the stirring impromptu speech President Andrew Barlett (Micheal Douglas) gives near the end of the movie. And they’re so damned true.

America isn’t easy. You gotta want it. Not the Trump version, but the decent, hopeful and intelligent version. Looking back at August, I see an endless tsunami of Trump violating the law and the Constitution on a daily basis and the Republican members of Congress violating their own oaths of office by not standing up to this would-be dictator. I see necessary science and services being gutted to feel the cavernous maws of billionaires and the insanity of zealots. I see increasing savagery from the Gestapo-like ICE and, especially, from the law officers and National Guardsman and military people who are violating their oaths by carrying out illegal orders. And the lies. So many stupid lies. Lies so easily proven false. Hundreds every day and those who support Trump accepting them all as truth. It’s maddening.

Hitting alarmingly close to home are the fresh expressions of anti-trans hate in the wake of the Minneapolis school shooting, whose murderous maker is characterized as transgender without any nuance whatsoever. Yes, he apparently considered himself to be trans for a time. Then he didn’t. Then he de-transitioned. And now there are those calling for trans people to be rounded up and put it camps. To be stripped of their health care. To be forced to de-transition. To be outright executed because they’re trans. This is the country I wake up to every morning.

For those who care about facts, the Gun Violence Archive breaks down mass shooters since 2018. Four of them are transgender. One hundred seven are non-transgender females. Four thousand twelve of them are non-transgender males. The vast majority of all the shooters are CIS white people. The math doesn’t justify the anti-trans hate. But that kind of hate has always been the key to Republican policies.

I've known Bob Rumson for years, and I've been operating under the assumption that the reason Bob devotes so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that he simply didn't get it. Well, I was wrong. Bob's problem isn't that he doesn't get it. Bob's problem is that he can't sell it! We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it.

August was rough. I got through it with the love and support of my online friends and my real life friends. It also helped that there were so many things that made me happy last month. With sincere apologies, for my lengthy opening remarks, here are the things that brought me joy in August…

                                                                     

 

August 1: Atlas Comics Library No. 4: War Comics Vol. 1. It’s a collection of the first eight issues of 1950s Marvel’s first war title. I was truly moved by “Corporal Stanford, Hero of Anzio,” an incredible story told in a tight four pages.

August 2: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver aired a segment on gang databases and how their arbitrary nature and inaccuracy have serious consequences. If I were writing Black Lightning, I would be all over this story.

August 3: NEO Comicon was amazing! Old friends, new friends, all happy I’m happy as Jenny. I now have an artist I’ve long wanted to work with for my trans super hero comic book and discussed other projects with other artists. More to come. 

                                                                   

 

August 4: The Golden Treasury of Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics by Craig Yoe (2010) is a big beautiful collection of great kids comics by some of our greatest comics creators. It’s well worth tracking down. Hours of fun.

August 5: My Journey to Her by Yuna Hirasawa. An informative and very detailed real-life manga on the author’s gender-affirming surgery in Thailand and subsequent changing her gender markers in Japan. I learned a lot from it.

August 6: Godzilla #1 by Tim Seeley and Nikola Cizmesija with an exclusive Carol and John’s Comic Shop cover. Exciting start to a new series which pits Godzilla and other kaiju against a team of “super-heroes.” I’m on board.

August 7: The Mailman by Andrew Welsh-Huggins is the first in a new series about Mercury Carter, a freelance “mailman” whose gig is delivering odd packages and who lives with the aftermath of a brain injury. He’s an interesting hero. More please.

August 8: My ENJOYNIGHT pajamas. My work attire has been pajamas and t-shirts. I’m embarrassed by how ratty these would get. I love my new “uniforms.” Comfortable cotton, short sleeves, Capri pants. Not a power suit, but I love them a lot.

                                                         

                    

August 9: The Atlas Comics Library No. 5: Police Action. From the early 1950s, it collects the full run of a crime comic that emphasized cops bringing criminals to often violent justice. I remain a big fan of these library editions.

August 1O: Woodworking by Emily St. James. Two trans women. One is a divorced high school teacher yet to emerge from the closet, the other an out student. They and other characters ring true in this gripping first novel. Highly recommended. 

                                                                           

 

August 11: My talented friend Jeff Polier created a very cool Black Lightning shadowbox and sent it to me. I’m impressed by the focus making something like this takes. The piece now has a home in my office.

August 12: Universal Monsters: Frankenstein by Michael Walsh and Toni Marie Griffin. Published by Image Comics, this is a classic and yet fresh take on the classic. Its characters live in the shadows with madness and death all around them.

                                                                       

 

August 13: The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This is the FF movie I’ve been yearning for. The heroes were wonderfully written and acted. The story felt authentic. I loved this movie as much as I loved the new Superman movie.

August 14: Sherrod Brown. No Ohio politician ever fought harder and more successfully for Ohioans than our former senator. He is expected to declare for an open Senate seat soon. He is far and away the best choice for the office.

August 15: Daredevil: Born Again. I got a kick out of Yusef Kahn (Ms. Marvel’s dad) in the series. The chemistry between him and Matt Murdock showed genuine friendship and respect between them. I hope we see more of Yusef and his daughter.

August 16: Flame Con is happening this weekend in New York. It’s the world’s largest queer comics convention. To those who hoped to see me there, I’m going to do my best to join you next year. It’s clearly somewhere I need to be..

August 17: Writer Steve Orlando was the reason I read Avengers Assemble: The Serpent Scenario. Simply put, I enjoy his work and he didn’t disappoint. The Avengers Emergency Response Squad is a genius take on the Avengers. More please.

                                                                       

 

August 18: Sunday’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver delivered a powerful report on the Make America Healthy Again “movement” promoted by that menace Robert Kennedy Jr and equally deranged zealots. Comedy helps me cope with the madness.

August 19: Creature Clinic by Gavin Aung Than is one of the best kids graphic novels I’ve read in years. A young doctor cares for fantastic patients while keeping a big secret from the demanding head of the clinic: her mother. Highly recommended. 

                                                                       

 

August 20: Nagata Kabi uses manga to tell true tales of her and troubles, most self-inflicted. Her latest is My Pancreas Broke But My Life Got Better. Brilliant but difficult to read because her truth is so raw and exposed. She’s a genius.

August 21: Kitty Pryde is a great character, but it seems every writer wants to layer her with new personalities and traumas. I do like Eve L. Ewing’s take on her in Exceptional X-Men, but I dread the next person to write Kitty.

August 22: Savage Dragon #252 by Erik Larsen just surfaced in my Vast Accumulation of Stuff. From 2020, it’s a hilarious salute to classic comic strips like Peanuts, Rex Morgan, Thimble Theater, and Calvin and Hobbes. Very clever stuff.

August 23: The Naked Gun. Saintly Wife Barb and I saw this in an otherwise deserted theater. Many laughs, some misses, but, all in all, a worthy successor to the original. Liam Nesson and Pamela Anderson were wonderful. More please.

                                                                   

 

August 24: Jimmy Olsen’s Supercyclopedia by Gabe Soria and Sandy Jarrel. A super-powerful book is central as the sinister Toy Boy creates an army of super-villains. Multiverse-spanning fun and action as Superman’s pal fights the good fight.

August 25: The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #9. I’m a big fan of DC animated titles like this series. From late 2024, Matthew Cody and Dario Brizuela delivered a cool story making great use of Kite-Man. Had me smiling from start to finish.

August 26: DC’s Batman Smells Robin Laid an Egg holiday special had me from the title. The stand-out stories are Deadman by Marv Wolfman and Dr. Mid-Nite by James Reid, but there’s not a bad tale in the issue. Worth seeking out.

August 27: The Glick Center. I returned to MetroHealth’s main campus for a colonoscopy, It was good, even given what it was. I was properly gendered. I joked with nurses. I don’t remember the actual procedure, which I consider a win.

August 28: Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor by Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch, Kevin Nowlan and David Baron is a big bold thriller that speaks to who Superman is and why he inspires the world. One of the best Superman tales of all time.

August 29: Godzilla #1-6 by Kazuhisa Iwata (1988). Dark Horse did a great job bringing this manga adaptation of Gojira 1984 to the U.S. It conveys the drama and horror of the Japanese version of the movie. I would love to see it collected.

                                                                 

 

August 30: The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix). A wonderful movie with an outstanding cast playing great characters. The mysteries are intriguing and filled with twists. I dearly hope there’s a sequel in the near future.

August 31: Branza’s Bake Haus & Market in Brunswick. I took Barb there for lunch and it was amazing. She had a cabbage roll and a big pretzel. I had the Rachel, a Reuben with turkey. Great food and an amazing market. Highly recommended. 

                                                                   

 

BEST COMIC BOOK/GRAPHIC NOVEL/MANGA: My Journey to Her by Yuna Hirasawa

BEST BOOK: Woodworking by Emily St. James

BEST MOVIE OR TV SHOW: The Fantastic Four: First Steps

BEST PERSON: John Oliver

BEST OTHER THING: The Glick Center

My Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sales are winding down for the year. Just two more weekends to go. The second-to-last one will be Friday and Saturday, September 12 and 13, 9 am to noon at 840 Damon Drive in Medina, Ohio. The final one is September 26 and 27. I’m adding new items to the sales every day and I am also planning some very cool surprises for you. With day-to-day living becoming more expensive and the possibility my health care costs will increase, these garage sales (and my eBay store) are important to me. I hope to see you at them.

I’ll be announcing some convention appearances over the next few weeks. In the meantime, I’ll be back soon with more bloggy thing fun for you.

© 2025 Tony Isabella

HELLO, WIKIPEDIA. IT'S ME, JENNY.

 

Within a few days of my coming out as trans, someone had changed my Wikipedia page to JENNY BLAKE ISABELLA. It was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Mostly, I was astonished it had been changed so quickly.

However, of late, I’ve become less than enchanted with the page still displaying a photo of my former self. Since Wikipedia doesn’t allow the subject of a page to make changes to it, I was trying to figure out how to get it changed.

My friend Nat Gertler, the publisher of so many cool and quirky books of historical comics, tells me he can fix this for me. He wrote:

Post the image as a blog entry or page with the following text:

Image by Jenny Blake Isabella hereby released under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, readable at

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

He added:

Then send me the blog entry address and I’ll carry the ball from there. (Please realize that once you do this, anyone will be able to use this image for just about anything. But that can be a good thing, because people can quickly get this updated image of you more easily than past images.)

I had a long comics career as Tony Isabella. I don’t consider it a dead name. I wrote a lot of good stuff as Tony. I helped a lot of people as Tony. But Jenny is who I am.

It’s not an easy transition, but I’m committed to it. I know it will come with loss and nigh-terror. But it also comes with more joy than I could have imagined.

I’m only writing as Jenny Blake. I have no problem with my older work being credited to Tony Isabella. But Jenny is who I am. I’ll even be attending comics conventions and other events as my authentic self, starting with November’s Akron Comicon.

I look forward to meeting old friends and new...and introducing them to Jenny. I hope you’re one of them.

NEO COMICON 2025

 

NEO Comiccon was held on Sunday, August 3, from 10 am to 4 pm at the North Olmsted Soccer Sportsplex. Those of you who have read my previous accounts of this annual event know the venue is all artificial turf. It’s easier on the feet and legs than any other convention I attend.

NEO covers two huge playing spaces. Plenty of room for creators and vendors. While I was not presenting as my true self per se, the sign on my table identified me as JENNY BLAKE (FORMERLY TONY ISABELLA). With rare exception, every one called me “Jenny” and, in doing so, made me feel seen and welcome. I especially have to give a shout-out to Don Simpson, my friend oF many decades. When he saw me, he came up to me and said “I don’t believe we’ve ever met. My name is Donald.”

My table was next to Don’s, so we did a lot talking about this and that. On the other side of my space was Dan Berger (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and his wife Jessica. They are amazing and we bonded quickly. 

                                                                     

 

Other creators included Marc Sumerak who has written all manner of cool books, making his first convention appearance in years. He has a new book out: Scooby Doo! and the Attack of the Scooby Snacks (An Official Cookbook): From Scooby Snacks and Pickled Vampire Wings to Fried Moombeams and More. Just writing that long title makes me hungry.

Jason Moore is another amazing creator, penciling and inking a library’s worth of great books and comic books. I also chatted with old friends Dan Gorman, Rick Lorenzo, Ted Sikora, and the legendary Gary Dunn.

Besides being the main artist for American Splendor (Harvey Pekar’s groundbreaking series), Gary has drawn a number of non-fiction graphic novels on a variety of Cleveland and other historical subjects. He was also the main artist on my long-running comics panel The Outbursts of Everett True, featuring a belligerent turn-of-the-century comics character I repurposed as a modern-day comics fan. I wrote well over a hundred of these for Comics Buyer’s Guide, Movie Collectors World and other mags. Gary drew or inked most of them. A Facebook friend said I should write a new Everett in which he weighed in on my transition. So I did...and Gary will be drawing it. I don’t know when and where it will appear at this time. But it’s coming!

                                                                      

Steve Benjamin, a friend of over four decades and a member of my wedding party, assisted me at my table. He even brought a photo of when my Saintly Wife Barb and I attended his sister’s bat mitzvah. She’s as gorgeous as ever.

I sold and signed many copies of DC Pride 2025, which presented my first comic-book story as Jenny Blake. I signed a variety of Isabella-written items while selling DC and Marvel archives and omnibus editions at bargain prices.

The convention’s returning charity partner this year was Super-Heroes for Kids in Ohio. To quote the website:

“Super-Heroes for Kids in Ohio endeavors to spread goodwill through simple acts of kindness, recognizes individuals who have battled through adversity, and encourage the involvement of the community to make a positive difference in the lives of others. The group makes costumed visits to children’s hospitals, special needs centers, and various charitable events whenever and wherever they are needed.”

The group occasionally enlists celebrity cosplayers, so it’s not impossible that Jenny Blake might make an appearance with them in the future. What to wear, what to wear.

The high point of the convention for me was the ready welcoming of my authentic self. Jenny was embraced by old friends and made new ones as well.

In the category of more great news to come, I now have an artist for my new trans super-hero series, someone I’ve wanted to work with for a long time. He’ll also run a Kickstarter so we can get the first issue out to you next year.

To sum up, NEO Comicon was fun and fulfilling. I smile whenever I think about the event. You can bet I’ll be back in 2026.

© 2025 Tony Isabella

THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY IN JULY

 

Comic-Con International 2025 is in the books. I couldn’t attend in person, but, thanks to my friend Andy Mangels, I appeared on the annual “Out in Comics” panel via a video message we taped a few days earlier. I wanted to represent as my authentic self and share the joy and terror of being trans in this twisted version of our nation created by Trump and his equally vile lackeys. The feedback on my wee message was heartwarming.

Being trans is a personal journey with fits and starts. It does not follow a road map. Since the journey is all about change, it should not surprise anyone that it includes changes. An example would be that, as late as the publication of my story in DC Pride 2025, I thought I’d write under both Jenny Blake and my old name of Tony Isabella. Some folks, friend and foe alike, said I had a split personality and trolled me. Honestly, in my real life, I wanted to ease my transition for those around me and, in my writing life, I didn’t want to disrespect the work I did as Tony. That part of my journey has come to end.

Going forward, I will be writing as Jenny Blake exclusively. That’s who I am and I like her a lot. I’m fine with my previous work continuing to be credited to Tony Isabella. I worked very hard to create good and meaningful entertainment for my readers. I will never dishonor that work. But Jenny Blake Isabella is who I am. No matter how I appear at any given time, I’m still Jenny. I think being Jenny has made me a better person.

Right now, when conventions invite me to their events, I give them the choice of who they want for a guest: Tony Isabella or Jenny Blake. No matter which they pick, I am still Jenny. I’m always Jenny. But I understand we live in times where something as innocuous as a trans woman drinking a beer can result in very stupid people losing their shit. 

That choice won’t be offered once I am living full time as Jenny Blake. I do have a date planned for that, but am not revealing it in advance. Because my journey will have fits and starts, and I can’t predict when they will occur. 

Being openly trans is terrifying. But it is also wondrous and it brings me happiness. Here are some other things that brought me joy in July:

July 1: Marvel United A Pride Special #1. Marvel heroes unite against fear and hate mongering. “My Buddy” by Anthony Oliveira and Pablo Collar is the standout story, featuring Arnie Roth. A memorable tribute to an early gay character.

July 2: Sham Spotlight #5: Antsy & Sucko. Writer Tim Fuller is some kind of mad genius. He transforms old comics into hilarious and often rude craziness. Not every joke lands, but there are so many on each page. I’m a fan.

                                                                 

 

July 3: Godzilla Vs. Fantastic Four by Ryan North, John Romita Jr and Scott Hanna. I’ve read five of Marvel’s six new Godzilla one-shots and this is the best. Great use of the Marvel Universe in this kaiju spectacular!

July 4: John Cena. I love the guy! He’s been great fun in every movie or TV show I’ve seen him in. I saw Heads of State earlier this week. It was exciting, heartfelt and hilarious. I’d love to appear in a project with him. Twins 2026?

July 5: Women in Blue (Apple). In 1971, Mexico launches a female police force to distract the public from a serial killer. The ladies face horrible disrespect and toxic masculinity, but don’t back down. Gripping television.

July 6: Lay Lines by Carol Lay. I’m obsessed with “Murderberg Profiles.” These multi-paneled strips deliver darkly humorous character profiles of some truly shady individuals. Every strip is a delicious short story unto itself. 

July 7: Godzilla vs. Thor #1 by Jason Arron and Aaron Kuder is a chilling apocalyptic clash between the King of the Monsters and All-Father Thor of Asgard. The power unleashed makes for a scary classic that is simply unforgettable.

July 8: Donald Duck: Magic and Mayhem is cover-billed as the 90^th Anniversary Adventure. Written by Alberto Savini (story) and Joe Torcivia (dialogue), it’s a multi-chapter serial with our hero finding a genie. Very funny and satisfying.

                                                               

 

July 9: Revival. Based on the excellent comics by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton, this Syfy series about the recent dead coming back to life in a rural Wisconsin town is well worth watching. Great characters and plenty of surprises.

July 10: Gorgo Legacy by Mac McClintok and Patrick McEvoy takes place before Gorgo’s 1961 film debut. It’s cold-war intrigue and kaiju, an entertaining crossover with their ongoing Soul Wars series. Available from Titanic Creations.

July 11: Stuntman by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Once you get past the theft of Robin’s origin, this short-lived 1940s super-hero is a charming action farce. There should have been a movie back then. I’ll have more to say about this soon.  

                                                                         

 

July 12: Kevin’s New Power. Dan Parent’s homage to a cover that fascinated me in 1958. The original was from Superman #125. This one is a variant of Veronica #201, the introduction of Kevin Keller. It gives me gooey nostalgic feels.

July 13: Superman ala James Gunn. I saw it with my son Eddie and I absolutely loved it. It’s now my favorite Superman movie with, I think, the most relatable Superman of all. I’ll have much more to say about it.

July 14: Metamorpho in Superman. The Element Man was and is one of my favorite heroes. My teen self was over the moon seeing him portrayed so well in this new film. I hope he’ll be a mainstay in future DC movies.

July 15: The Justice Gang. I loved every member of the team, even Guy Gardner who I’ve loathed from the moment he appeared in the Justice League reboot and ever since. I would love to write any of them in the comic books.

July 16: Hawkgirl is a mystery in Superman. How she got here (if she’s still an alien) and how she fits in was not explored. But I like the character and that the actress who plays her is from Cleveland. I hope we see more of her.

July 17: Lex Luthor in the new movie. The scariest Lex of all. So obsessed he’s studied Superman’s fighting style and reduced it to coded attacks. When he could’ve been inventing a new and improved Nutrafol. That’s where the money is.

                                                                         

 

July 18: Sham Spotlight #6: Narc Shadows has undercover vampire Narnabus Shadows in yet another hilarious re-dialoging by Tim Fuller. I’m envious of his ability to do in long-form what I do in Last Kiss. Maybe I should try this sometime. 

                                                                       

 

July 19: Superboy #78. Realizing how much “Claire Kent Alias Super-Sister” moved me as a kid, I bought a nice copy on eBay. I would love to write a story in which her transition was real and permanent. What would Claire’s life have been like? 

                                                                     

 

July 20: Chirps by Lawrence Lieber is not just a thriller about its extraordinary title hero. It is a character-driven salute to hope and humanity. It’s the best novel I’ve read this year. I’m so pleased for my friend Larry.

July 21: Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #1 by Patrick Horvath starts a six-issue sequel to the horror hit as a woman searches for her missing brother. I’m reading it on Kindle because I can’t wait for the trade. 7-21-25.

July 22: The Hungry Bear Restaurant in nearby Litchfield, Ohio. Barb and I went there for lunch and were impressed. It’ a great rural eatery with terrific food, friendly service and remarkably low prices. We’ll be going there again.

July 23: Deadpool Team-Up #895 by Christopher Long and Dalibor Talajic. Published in 2010, how did this slip under my radar? It has triggered me. Now I desperately want to write a new It! The Living Colossus limited series.  

                                                                             

 

July 24: DC Finest: Science Fiction: The Gorilla World. I’m very fond of this new trade paperback series. This particular volume, with its 600 pages of gorilla stories, truly tickles me. I love having all these crazy tales in one book.

July 25: DC Finest: Metamorpho the Element Man. Great blazes! The entire original run of one of my favorite Silver Age heroes in one book that also includes his guest appearances in Justice League and Brave and the Bold. So much fun!

July 26: Jimmy Kimmel Live With Fortune Feimster as host. Her guests were her Fubar co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger and her mom Ginny. So much authentic positive energy between them. These are the real Americans, not the MAGA cultists.

July 27: 40 Years of Scream: The Archival Collection. It has the first 15 issues of the British horror comics weekly. I’m happily reading it and wishing someday I get a crack at writing a weekly serial.

July 28: Zillow Gone Wild (HGTV). Host Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) visits wacky homes up for sale and shares their equally wacky histories. I wouldn’t want to live in them, but renting them for a few days would be great fun.  

                                                                         

 

July 29: I wrote a new Everett True cartoon for the first time in decades. I was amazed how easy it was for me to get back into that turn-of-the-century character. Look for the finished toon in the hopefully near future.

July 30: Life After People (History Channel). The images are AI generated, but I find some odd comfort in learning squirrel monkeys will be the new lords of Manhattan. They may already be the lords of Trump Tower. 

July 31: Jardiance: Movie Night in the Park. I’m a fan of fun commercials and those for this medication frequently delight me. This 75-second one has an amusing dance number with engaging characters and little jokes scattered throughout.

BEST COMIC BOOK/GRAPHIC NOVEL: Godzilla Vs. Fantastic Four

BEST BOOK: Chirps by Lawrence Lieber

BEST MOVIE OR TV SHOW: Superman

BEST PERSON: Jenny Blake

BEST OTHER THING: Hungry Bear Restaurant in Litchfield, Ohio

I have two weekends of garage sales for you this month. They are Friday and Saturday, August 8-9 and 22-23, from 9 am to noon, at 840 Damon Drive in Medina, Ohio. As usual, I’ll be promoting them on Facebook, BlueSky, X, Craig’s List, Next Door and other venues. New items are added every day.

If you’re a convention promoter or comic shop owner who would like to book me for an appearance, you can e-mail and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. I don’t charge an appearance fee, but I would need hotel and travel expenses, a decent amount of booth/table space that lets me to get in and out of the space easily. For now, you can choose to have me appear as Jenny or Tony, but that will change when I go full time. I am available to do pre-event publicity and at least one panel per day of the event. I look forward to hearing from you.

Be brave, be kind, be yourself.

© 2025 Tony Isabella

JIM SHOOTER

 

My bloggy thing readership doesn’t overlap all that much with my Facebook friends. From time to time, especially when I do a long post on Facebook, I’ll also run it here. The following post was written a day after I learned of Jim Shooter’s death.

"He was a complicated man" was posted by many people when they expressed their condolences on the passing of a true comics legend. That "comics legend" thing gets used far more often than it should, but, in this case, it's accurate.

Yes, I had my issues with the man. I wasn't alone in that. But I have long since said my piece, addressed falsehoods and am content to have done that. If Shooter did not always do right by some people, he did right by others. It's the balance of a life lived large.

It was in July of 1963 when, at the age of 11, I read Fantastic Four Annual #1 and realized two things. Making comic books was an actual job. I wanted that job. When, a few years later, a 13-year-old Jim Shooter started writing stories for DC Comics, I was jealous. But I also felt empowered. He was no older than me. I could do it too, Which I did. He inspired me.

In later years, when I would run into Jim at comics conventions, it was always cordial. We had pleasant conversations. But the one that sticks in my mind happened at a convention - and don't ask me which one - when we found ourselves sitting at a dinner table together. I don't remember much of the conversations, but I do remember the best part of it.

We talked about the late George Roussos, a man we both loved and admired. I talked about how, when I started at Marvel, I sort of shared an office with George. Sort of because George had arranged towering file cabinets all around his desk, creating a George-cave. And, from time to time, I would hear George summon me to the cave. Sometimes for work reasons. Sometimes because he wanted to share some knowledge with me.

Jim smiled at my story. Because, when Marvel was arranging new offices or something, George wasn't comfortable working in a large bullpen. Jim basically found him a large closet, a new George-cave as it were. So, for a moment, we just sat around talking about and missing our friend George.

People will certainly be doing the same with Jim. They will share memories of him, some bad, but, hopefully, mostly good. I think he deserves that.

My condolences to his family, his friends and his fans. I regret he and I will have no more conversations...and also that we never got the chance to star in that big-budget Mutt and Jeff movie I used to make jokes about.

© 2025 Tony Isabella

 

 

THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPY IN JUNE

 

June was Pride Month. It brought so many wonderful moments into my life that I will be devoting an entire blog to all the events I attended and the truly awesome people I met at them. I’ll also be writing about the DC Pride 2025 anthology and the reaction to my story therein.

I experienced one more happy thing on the last day of June. As my Facebook followers know, the Hickory Ridge movie theater in nearby Brunswick, Ohio, is one of the select theaters across the country that screens movies from the Asylum. These films run one week, one showing per day, and the Asylum pays the theater to run them. As near as I can ascertain, this is so the filmmakers can say their films had a theatrical release. Which likely helps their overseas sales. If there’s more to it, please feel free to enlighten me.

This time around the movie was Jurassic Reborn, ninety minutes of CGI velociraptors on a secluded island shredding the humans who dared bring them back and an assortment of security guards and villains. Daniel Baldwin is the main villain and he chews the scenery like he was a thespian raptor. If you like off-brand movies like this, and you know I do, it’s fun.

Normally, when I see an Asylum picture at the Hickory Ridge, I’m the only one in the theater. This time there were several other people, a couple of whom thought they were going to see Jurassic World Rebirth. That’s why the Asylum refers to films like this one as “mockbusters.” Anyway, for a change, it was kinda nice to not be sitting alone in the theater.

Like theater #1, which we all went to because our tickets were printed with the wrong information. Or like theater #2, where because of equipment problems, we all had to move to theater #8. Where working out the problems meant the movie started about 40 minutes late. We were offered free drinks and popcorn.

I was sitting in a row with a comics fan and his son. We’d never met and he was pleased to know a long-time comics writer lived in the area and held regular comic books and pop culture garage sales. He’s going to try to attend the next sales.

Not a bad way to end the month. Watch a fun cheesy monster movie and meet some new people. I’ll take it.

Here are some of the other things that brought me joy in June.

                                                             

 

June 1: HGTV’s Ugliest House in America has started a new season and I’m both fascinated and horrified as host Retta takes us to a house that is wall-to-wall moldy carpets, including the walls themselves and the ceilings. Oh my stars and garters!

June 2: Anyone Comics (a fine store in Brooklyn, New York) has delivered my ordered copies of DC Pride 2025. I’ll have them for sale at my next garage sales. Just ten bucks each and, if buy from me, I’ll sign them for free.

June 3: Kosher Mafia by David Hazan and Sami Kivela made my list last October. I’ve now read the entire historical fiction series about gangsters and Nazis in Cleveland of 1936. Hazan and Kivela absolutely nail the landing. Highly recommended.

June 4: Public Domain Volume One: Past Mistakes by Chip Zdarsky. The creator of The Domain, super-hero star of comics and movies, gets little recognition or reward for his genius. But that might be changing. An outstanding series!

                                                                           

 

June 5: Pride on the Square. In my home town Medina, hundreds of LGBTQ+ folks and our allies came together to celebrate and show support for our community. It was a great event, made all the better because my wife and son joined me for it.

June 6: I’m happily catching up with Randy Reynaldo’s delightful Rob Hanes Adventures series. Issue #22 has a story that spans seven decades with hidden Nazi gold, paramilitary villains, an old enemy and a lost love. Spectacular fun.

June 7: Pride in the CLE (Cleveland). Over 25,000 good people, members of the LGBTQ+ community and our allies, came together in a lovely life-affirming day. As Jenny and Tony, I was recognized by comics fans wanting me to sign DC Pride 2025.

                                                                           

 

June 8: John Force, Magic Agent ran three issues and a pair of bonus tales, but I loved the low-key 1960s series about a secret agent with a magical talisman. If I had extra cash after buying DC and Marvel titles, ACG was my go-to publisher.

June 9: Barry Pearl. I had a great phone conversation, catching up with my long-time pal and noted comics historian. We talked about comics, our lives, and mutual friends. We’re hoping to do a better job of staying connected.

June 10: Bullet Train Explosion (Netflix). A 2025 Japanese movie filled with deadly bombs, political intrigue, edge-of-your seat suspense, shocking surprises and an amazing group of interesting actors and characters. I love this movie!

June 11: Pat Sajak was in excellent form for his final hosting of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. It’s probably not in the cards, but I’d love to see him continue in that role. He remains a still vital elder game show icon.

June 12: All those who give emotional support to their trans children, fellows, friends and partners and to trans people they don’t know personally. We are a community under siege and it’s a hard way to live. Thank you.

                                                                         

 

June 13: The Amateur. Rami Malik is outstanding as a CIA decoder whose wife is killed by terrorists. He uncovers CIA involvement with the killers and goes after them. I love films where the bad guys meet their just fates. An outstanding movie.

June 14: Catching up with Alex Krislov, my dear friend of many decades. I took him to two of my favorite places in Medina: The House of Hunan and Black Cat Books. I learned being photographed next to a skeleton is not a slimming effect.

June 15: Louis Isabella. My dad and I didn’t always see eye to eye, but he was more supportive of my writing than any member of my birth family. The pick of his parents’ litter, he once said I was the pick of his. He inspires me to this day.

                                                                           

 

June 16: Godzilla Monopoly. For Father’s Day, Barb and our kids agreed to play this, which I’ve owned unopened for five years. We had such a good time I’m keeping it so we can play it again. Highly recommended. The Big G brings the fun.

June 17: Murderburg by Carol Lay. It’s a delightfully dark humor collection of comics stories about a sinister small town off the coast of Maine with a semi-retired mobster for a mayor and oh so many deadly corners. I love it!

                                                                           

 

June 18: Fubar (Netflix). I binge-watched the action comedy spy series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. A cast of fun characters with crazy situations, lots of twists and turns and satisfying resolutions. Two seasons of solid entertainment.

June 19: The monthly lunch of friends who were part of the late Dave Massaro’s movie club. I’ve known these guys forever. They were fine with my transitioning. That’s not the case with some people in my life, so I’m very grateful.

June 20: Fortune Feimster. The actress/comedian was delightful as Roo on the Netflix series Fubar. She was utterly relatable as a talented CIA agent and an acerbic lesbian. She had some of the funniest lines in the series to date.

June 21: Secrets of the Bunny Ranch (A&E). A documentary series about the world's most famous brothel and the HBO series that popularized it. It’s especially unsettling for me because a dear friend worked there for a time. Recommended.

June 22: Time Travelers (Berkley, Michigan) hosted my first ever signing as Jenny Blake. This store has everything a fan could want, including a super staff. I was warmly received by all and hope to return soon.

                                                                         

 

June 23: I was a special guest at the Berkley Pride Block Party, across the street from Time Travelers. I gave a short talk about my journey and how the LGBTQ community goes forward. I also gave the countdown for the party’s color toss.

June 24: Marvel’s Ironheart is streaming on Disney+. A version of Rampage, a villain I created for the Champions in the 1970s, appears in the series. It’s always a thrill to see my name in the special thanks credits.

June 25: The Skechers Women's Hands Free Slip-Ins Sneakers have become my go-to footwear. They go with almost everything and are so comfortable. I wore them all day during my visit to Berkley, Michigan and have ordered a second pair.  

                                                                             

 

June 26: We celebrated son Eddie’s 37^th birthday at Fat Head’s Brewery in Middleburg Heights. Joining us were daughter Kelly, dear friend Jess and Uncle Terry. Nice place, great company, too much food. It was worth the food coma. .

June 27: John Lutz. He’s hilarious as the “Leave Him Alone” guy on Late Night with Seth Meyers. He’s also a writer for the show. As someone considering trying my hand at stand-up comedy, I love seeing writers perform.

June 28: The Day the Earth Blew Up. While it isn’t an animation classic, it is ninety minutes of good, occasionally heartwarming fun. I’m glad to see Porky and Daffy get a star vehicle and hope we get more films like this.

                                                                     

 

June 29: Dept. Q (Netflix). I’ve watched one episode of this UK show about a new police department dealing with unsolved cases. It has a terrific cast of rough around the edges characters and plenty of thrilling twists. I’m hooked.

June 30: Behemoth by Grant Sputore, Ryan Engle and Jay Martin. Swallowed alive by a monster, a group of people fight to escape. It’s a different kaiju thriller with scary moments galore and a satisfying conclusion.

BEST COMIC BOOK/GRAPHIC NOVEL: Public Domain Volume One: Past Mistakes

BEST MOVIE OR TV SHOW: Fubar

BEST PERSON: Louis Isabella. I miss you, Dad.

BEST OTHER THING: Time Travelers in Berkley, Michigan

July continues my 2025 Vast Accumulation of Stuff comic books and pop culture garage sales. You can find much more information on my various social media, but, for now, here’s the schedule for June:

FRIDAY, JULY 11

SATURDAY, JULY 12

FRIDAY, JULY 18

SATURDAY, JULY 19

FRIDAY, JULY 25

SATURDAY, JULY 26

The garage sales are held from 9 am to noon at 840 Damon Drive in Medina, Ohio. We accept Cash and PayPal. 

Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back with more bloggy things in the near future.

© 2025 Tony Isabella