Tony Isabella went around the bend
It's a sad day when a veteran writer/editor/columnist I once thought at least posessed a modicum of decency and self-respect now decided to join the transsexuality cult and now wants everybody to call him "Jenny". From Fandom Pulse:
I read some of his columns that he wrote for 2 or 3 pop culture news sources a quarter century ago, and while there were some things regarding the comics industry he talked about at the time that were perceptive, his increasingly left-wing positions like obsession with LGBT ideology and hostility to Republicans were very glaring a number of times, to the point where I was discouraged from continuing to read much of what he had to say. I remember he may have once said he'd characterized Jeff Pierce/Black Lightning as a Northern Baptist Protestant, but based on where Isabella's going now, he clearly no longer upholds that position, and his attacks on July are indicative of where Isabella's going when it comes to race relations too. And despite what he's doing now, I wouldn't be shocked if he gave Islam a pass on objections to LGBT practice that he wouldn't give Judeo-Christianity and even Buddhism/Hinduism. Come to think of it, he's probably okay with Chinese communists objecting too. A shame that somebody who, in his early career, showed talent and promise, would throw away everyone's ability to fully appreciate what he's written in the past, though with the way he acts now, it actually makes it easier to separate art from artist, because he very likely doesn't care much about his original works anymore. From what I've noticed about his past conduct though, it does suggest he had considerable disagreements with comics editors, quite possibly because his politics at the time were too forced, and other things that some editors back then at least had the audacity to object to putting to use in their comics. But more recently, when Dan DiDio was still running DC, Isabella wrote a Black Lightning story in 2017 that resorted to politically correct positions like attacking the police as though they're all literally evil. And that was certainly bringing down even his own creations to an embarrassing moment.
One of the most distressing things about Isabella's publicity stunt is wondering if any more creators like him will take the same route, in a desperate ploy to remain relevant? All it would do is embarrass their legacies, and say quite a bit about what they really think of the audience that supports their works. Fandom Pulse also notes:
And then, I also noticed he brought up the following overrated novelist in one of his commentaries:
Predictably, even Superhero Hype went along with this pronoun propaganda stunt virtually unquestioned, and what they tell is that:
Since the subject of Gaiman was alluded to again, I also found the following op-ed at the Irish Examiner, asking whether we should dispose of works by authors accused of abominations, including the writings of Gaiman and Alice Munro, though she seems to be reluctant to fully acknowledge the situation does look grave:
Anyway, back to Isabella, what he's doing is a terrible disfavor to himself, his writing legacy, and particularly to family and friends. It's a shame he's so obsessed with hating conservatives and anybody else he believes committed an Orwellian Thoughtcrime, that he just has to drag the whole world down with him, and now, for all we know, some people could be discouraged from reading his earlier works. Which is a shame, obviously, but that's what happens when creators take bizarre steps that alienated their audiences. At least it's apparent he no longer cares at this point about his past writings, so again, mainly because he doesn't own them, people can part the art from the artist more easily. But to read his writings, it's best to just stick with whatever he penned up to the late 90s, as much of what came after in the mainstream is not worth the price of admission.
Tony Isabella had a career in Marvel and DC Comics in the 1970s, creating Tigra and Black Lightning, with a run on Ghost Rider. Now, he’s gone a step further and decided to push mental illness for attention by declaring he’s transgender at the age of seventy-three.He's undoubtably done some of this for what Andy Warhol called 15 minutes of fame, and certainly got the attention of the LGBT crowd. And it's a real shame, because now, anybody and everybody who ever thought Black Lightning, Black Goliath and Misty Knight had significance as notable Black superheroes for DC and Marvel, is going to have to separate art from artist. I myself own 3 paperbacks reprinting Black Lightning from the late 70s-mid 90s, and may have a Daredevil Epic Collection archive containing a handful of issues he wrote there, and I'll have difficulty getting around this embarrassing news, certainly for a while. Isabella must've performed this stunt as a bizarre revenge for the election of Donald Trump, and it's very sad. Why does he think taking up a belief system similar to/worse than self-hating Jews is going to please anybody but the most self-despising? Doesn't he understand it's also demeaning to women, and a form of blackface?
Of note in his 1970s work was a Ghost Rider arc where he intended on ensuring the character was Christian, but Marvel editorial squashed the idea and removed the Christ-like figure from the book.
He stated in an interview in 2007, “Getting prior approval from editor Roy Thomas, as I would from later editors Len Wein and Marv Wolfman, I introduced "The Friend" into the series. He looked sort of like a hippie Jesus Christ and that's exactly who He was, though I never actually called Him that.... It allowed me to address a disparity that had long bothered me about the Marvel Universe. Though we had no end of Hell(s) and Satan surrogates in our comics, we had nothing of Heaven.... [After two years] I'd written a story wherein, couched in mildly subtle terms, Blaze accepted Jesus as his savior and freed himself from Satan's power forever. Had I remained on Ghost Rider, which was my intent at the time, the title's religious elements would have faded into the background. Blaze would be a Christian, but he'd express this in the way he led his life. ... Unfortunately, an assistant editor took offense at my story. The issue was ready to go to the printer when he pulled it back and ripped it to pieces. He had some of the art redrawn and a lot of the copy rewritten to change the ending of a story two years in the making. "The Friend" was revealed to be, not Jesus, but a demon in disguise. To this day, I consider what he did to my story one of the three most arrogant and wrongheaded actions I've ever seen from an editor.”
Sadly, in his older years, Isabella turned away from Christ, attacking anti-woke movements on behalf of his new leftist extremist religion. In 2018, he started attacking the anti-woke movement known as ComicsGate, saying on Twitter, “To the #Comicsgater who said it was bad business for me to alienate my base, you should know my base has NEVER been racist, bigoted, misogynist, white supremacist, GOP-loving zombies. You must be confusing me with some other writer. And, also, I blocked you. Bye, Felicia.”
He got stranger in 2023 when he decided to attack creator Eric July, advocating violence at San Diego Comic-Con, saying, “Come on, CGC and Comic-Con! You can do better than empowering an unsavory (to put it mildly) person like this. Jack Kirby would have punched him out.”
I read some of his columns that he wrote for 2 or 3 pop culture news sources a quarter century ago, and while there were some things regarding the comics industry he talked about at the time that were perceptive, his increasingly left-wing positions like obsession with LGBT ideology and hostility to Republicans were very glaring a number of times, to the point where I was discouraged from continuing to read much of what he had to say. I remember he may have once said he'd characterized Jeff Pierce/Black Lightning as a Northern Baptist Protestant, but based on where Isabella's going now, he clearly no longer upholds that position, and his attacks on July are indicative of where Isabella's going when it comes to race relations too. And despite what he's doing now, I wouldn't be shocked if he gave Islam a pass on objections to LGBT practice that he wouldn't give Judeo-Christianity and even Buddhism/Hinduism. Come to think of it, he's probably okay with Chinese communists objecting too. A shame that somebody who, in his early career, showed talent and promise, would throw away everyone's ability to fully appreciate what he's written in the past, though with the way he acts now, it actually makes it easier to separate art from artist, because he very likely doesn't care much about his original works anymore. From what I've noticed about his past conduct though, it does suggest he had considerable disagreements with comics editors, quite possibly because his politics at the time were too forced, and other things that some editors back then at least had the audacity to object to putting to use in their comics. But more recently, when Dan DiDio was still running DC, Isabella wrote a Black Lightning story in 2017 that resorted to politically correct positions like attacking the police as though they're all literally evil. And that was certainly bringing down even his own creations to an embarrassing moment.
One of the most distressing things about Isabella's publicity stunt is wondering if any more creators like him will take the same route, in a desperate ploy to remain relevant? All it would do is embarrass their legacies, and say quite a bit about what they really think of the audience that supports their works. Fandom Pulse also notes:
Now, on X, Tony Isabella seems to have lost his mind after the recent election of Donald Trump as president. Unable to procure enough attention simply by attacking right-wing creators, he seems to want to go for more virtue points, declaring himself transgender. He posted, “This is real. I'll have more to say soon. In the meantime, I ask you respect my privacy and especially that of my wife and our children. Thank you.”Yes, that's the worst part of this whole affair. He's embarrassing his family, which is worse than tainting his legacy. As for Gaiman, interesting that Isabella once associated with men like him in past years, as he noted on his blog in the past:
It's very sad that he would do this to a wife and children in his later years to try to gain social acceptance among leftists. Moreover, it’s ridiculous to make a public declaration like this and demand privacy—very similar to how Neil Gaiman demanded privacy upon his very public sexual allegations.
When I think about my influences, I wonder who is influencing the current comics writers and the comics writers of the future. I’m not coming up with a lot of names. Mark Waid and Kurt Busiek are among the few current comics writers who have mastered the various arts mentioned above. I can see learning things from Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Harvey Pekar.All of them leftists, sadly. More recently, Isabella may have turned against Gaiman, but the problem with this post is the contrast between the length of his commentaries. When he rants about Trump:
TRUMP. The Constitution is crystal clear on this matter. Donald J. Trump cannot be President of the United States. Yet he will be sworn in. The Republicans in Congress will not honor their oaths of office. They are driven in turns by fear, greed, lust for power and an unreasoning hatred of the “evil” minorities who exist only in their deranged minds. The Supreme Court justices, even those not appointed by Trump, will not uphold their oaths of office. Even the Democrats, who should and do know this clear truth, will not oppose his inauguration. So the worst man in our nation’s current history – bully, con man, coward, crook, liar, racist, rapist, insurrectionist, traitor – will again become the President of what we all hoped was the greatest nation on earth.But when he addresses Gaiman, he merely says:
With Trump will come a noxious collection of clearly unqualified appointees, avaricious billionaires and arguably insane zealots. They will gut the various agencies they are supposed to guide for the benefit of the American people. They will visit hardship and soul-deep misery on innocent people. They will make every day less safe for all of us and for the world.
If you voted for Trump and any other Republicans, you are in my eyes, as vile as they are. Maybe you were too lazy to do even the most basic homework exercising an informed vote requires. Maybe you thought they hated the same people you hate. Maybe you foolishly think their cruel and self-centered policies won’t hurt you just as much as they will the decent people who voted against Trump and his fellows. Maybe you’re criminally stupid. Or maybe, like Trump and his ilk, you are actually evil. Whatever you are, I will always wish ill for you. I will always wish your happiness and hopes crumble into the foul-smelling dust of your souls. As much as I cherish redemption stories, and have written more than a few of those, I fear you are beyond redemption. You are damned by your own actions.
NEIL GAIMAN. You utter piece of shit.Notice that, while he devoted at least 3 paragraphs to making nasty comments about anybody who so much as dared to dream of voting for Trump, Isabella only wrote one brief, non-committal statement about Gaiman that doesn't say enough of anything. And if he can't prove Trump's as physically evil as Gaiman was, then why say so much about Trump but so little about Gaiman? Some could wonder if what really annoys Isabella is that Gaiman didn't have enough morale as a leftist to avoid committing the offenses he's accused of. Seriously, if Tony wanted to, I'm sure he could've figured out what was wrong with Gaiman years ago. What Isabella said about Trump supporters is also very horrific and makes for very bad PR. If a lot of 9-11 survivors voted for Trump, as did a lot of Blacks and women under 30 or outside colleges, does Tony also see them as beneath himself?
And then, I also noticed he brought up the following overrated novelist in one of his commentaries:
October 10: I am Gandhi, newest book in the “Ordinary People Change the World” series by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos.As I once noted almost a decade ago, Gandhi was a bad lot himself, possibly more than Gaiman turned out to be. So it's head-shaking how Isabella can ignore this as much as Meltzer's repellent script for Identity Crisis, which even some leftists have been re-evaluating over the years. Isabella also wrote:
3. Over the years I have praised the Black Lightning writing of Brad Meltzer, Dwayne McDuffie, Grant Morrison, Adam Beechen and Sholly Fisch in various Justice League and other titles.Considering what Meltzer did to several other characters in Identity Crisis, mainly women, it's not doing any good to gloss that over and just excuse Meltzer after what he, along with Dan DiDio, led to as much as Joe Quesada did over at Marvel. Even Morrison's not a good choice. It's hugely disappointing Tony obscured all that. Does he really think it's okay for a writer whose resume includes a nasty comic that was accused of misogyny to write any comic that Isabella helped produce? Simply sad. And then, he even wrote the following bizarrity in 2016:
Sunday morning. I woke to the unspeakable. Again. As the day went on, the horror and the tragedy grew. I didn’t know what to say. I knew I had to say something. This is what I posted to Facebook and on Twitter:It sounds like he's excusing that the perpetrator of the crime in Orlando, Omar Mateen, was a Muslim. For somebody who only seems to care about homophobia/transphobia, Isabella sure does have a most peculiar approach to the subject to seemingly take both sides. So, as noted prior, it looks like despite what he claims, Isabella has nothing against Islamic homophobia, and gives them a free pass on it. The chances are very high we'll never see him write about subjects like this terrible incident in NYC either, and if not, it'll contradict his alleged support for Blacks too.
We are all gay. We are all Muslim. Don't let hate define our nation or ourselves.
I’ve been around the Internet long enough to avoid the comments on the domestic terrorist attack that left 50 innocent people dead at the Pride nightclub in Orlando and more than 50 others wounded and, in too many cases, fighting for their lives. I know how bigoted and vile the comments from the anonymous cowards can be. Empowered by right-wing politicians and pundits, sanctified in their tiny minds by so-called Christian speakers and, overwhelmed by the fear that has been implanted in their souls, holding nothing more dear than the profits of the sacred gun lobby.
Predictably, even Superhero Hype went along with this pronoun propaganda stunt virtually unquestioned, and what they tell is that:
Beyond her current work at Last Kiss Comics, Isabella is also working on an independent series centered around a trans teen superhero. Describing them as “a contemporary Peter Parker,” Isabella thinks the series will hold broad appeal for queer and straight teenagers. However, Isabella is still shopping the series around to publishers, searching for a “fair and mutually beneficial agreement.”In a time when many are now rejecting this kind of wokeism, there's no telling how many people will care about something that's long become an insufferable cliche. And he wants heterosexual teens to embrace this? He's way behind the times, and what he's doing is offensive to boys and girls alike, no matter their lifestyles. If he's still trying to find a publisher, that suggests he's not having much luck, because there's only so many items like his at this point that aren't selling, as this propaganda and ideology have only alienated so many people, to say nothing of hugely disappointed them. Some of the comments include:
Why do people need to shout their sexual preferences to the world?? This is completely asinine and shouldn’t happen. Aside from pointing out someone else’s sexuality, this is a totally pointless article. I saw the title and not even going to bother reading it. No one needs to know about yours or anyone else’s sex life.And:
But ... you clicked on it and commented, which rewards their effort. You sent the message, "Keep doing exactly this. We WILL click on it and engage with it."And it's very sad. One more said:
But, yes -- it is totally asinine.
As one commentator famously put it -- it's like getting a face tattoo, and then complaining that someone is gazing at your tattoo disapprovingly.
When someone makes a point to publicly announce X, they are putting it on the table for public scrutiny.
But, the exercise has been normalized because it's an opportunity to shout people down as bigots and -ist/-ophobes if they don't join the chorus of praise and affirmation of the thing being announced.
Except, now it's just trite and boring and pathetic, and if I was Tony Isabella, I would be embarrassed at having to resort to this kind of a stunt to get attention and feel relevant. If he wants to put on a dress and call himself "Loretta" or whatever, I don't know why he thinks we're supposed to care ... except that this has become the expected public ritual now.
In other news: nobody freaking cares.No indeed. It's been old news for years, and has not bettered this world at all. At its worst, it's offensive to women, not to mention victims of sexual abuse. On which note, if Isabella wanted to, he could've developed stories about Armenian, Kenyan and Uruguayan culture, even the Hindu, Sikh and Jain religions, and instead, he resorts to one of the most ultra-cheap, pathetic cliches of the modern world, LGBT ideology.
Since the subject of Gaiman was alluded to again, I also found the following op-ed at the Irish Examiner, asking whether we should dispose of works by authors accused of abominations, including the writings of Gaiman and Alice Munro, though she seems to be reluctant to fully acknowledge the situation does look grave:
Terry Prone wrote an interesting article on Monday about the problems arising from the veneration of public figures. She suggested that it can lead to us applying different standards of etiquette or morality or turning a blind eye to questionable behaviour.Those two being Gaiman and Munro, of course. And she notes that, when it come to the former:
It made me consider the problem in the context of revered writers. Putting writers on a pedestal can result in unhealthy power imbalances between writers and their readers — two prominent writers who have been in the news spring to mind.
Apparently, many of his fans were women, which is unsurprising given the gender gap in fiction reading with more women reading short stories and novels than men.The accusations, if anything, may not have been proven so far in a court of law. But in the court of public opinion, when the victim number reaches critical mass, as it has so far with 9 or more women speaking out, that's why it's hard to deny something terrible happened, and there's no going back for those two. Their careers are over, and I hope the columnist isn't downplaying the severity of what's been told so far. Perhaps the mistake made was to trust in somebody who worked as an activist, claiming he's a "male feminist", and using that as a ways to deceive women into relations that turned out awful.
In an era of mob justice on the web, we have become too casual about proof. The allegations against Gaiman and Palmer are unproven and, therefore, remain in the realm of accusation. Gaiman has released a statement saying that all his past sexual relationships were consensual and that he is “still learning.” Yet, whatever the outcome of the court cases, it seems likely that Gaiman’s legacy will be permanently tarnished. [...]
I was mid-way through one of Nobel laureate Munro’s collections for the umpteenth time when the allegations surrounding her broke, and I immediately set her book aside. It returned to me how I had previously preached that you had to separate the art from the artist. If you didn’t get that, you were a rube. Ah, yes, the certainty of youth. I still, broadly speaking, believe that, but I wasn’t alone in being taken aback. Since the story broke, there are plenty of photos online of Munro’s books being jettisoned in recycling bins. [...]
Munro’s stories reveal much about the human heart. Troublingly, one of her short stories, Vandals, depicts a woman who knew her partner was a paedophile who had sexually abused a neighbour’s children but refused to act. Some see this as an admission of failure by Munro, but an alternative view is that Munro failed to protect her daughter and cynically mined the experience for her work, profiting from it.
Should the allegations about Gaiman and Palmer be proven, and I’m not saying they will, an obvious link between Palmer and Munro would be how some women act to harm other women in the service of their male partner's toxic desires.
Anyway, back to Isabella, what he's doing is a terrible disfavor to himself, his writing legacy, and particularly to family and friends. It's a shame he's so obsessed with hating conservatives and anybody else he believes committed an Orwellian Thoughtcrime, that he just has to drag the whole world down with him, and now, for all we know, some people could be discouraged from reading his earlier works. Which is a shame, obviously, but that's what happens when creators take bizarre steps that alienated their audiences. At least it's apparent he no longer cares at this point about his past writings, so again, mainly because he doesn't own them, people can part the art from the artist more easily. But to read his writings, it's best to just stick with whatever he penned up to the late 90s, as much of what came after in the mainstream is not worth the price of admission.
Labels: dc comics, golden calf of LGBT, history, islam and jihad, marvel comics, misogyny and racism, moonbat writers, politics, violence
