TONY'S ONLINE TIPS for Wednesday, February 27, 2008
IT'S A TIE!
For the past three weeks, Tony Polls voters have been casting ballots to elect the next President of the United States in the comics-oriented universe inside my twisted brain. We started with four parties - Marvel, DC Comics, Comic Strips, All Others - and narrowed the field to a half-dozen or less candidates from each party. Then we choose the candidate for each part. Then the four candidates ran against each other.
The results were surprising:
Barbara Gordon (DC Comics).....33.10%
Joseph "Robbie" Robertson (Marvel).....33.10%
Clark Savage Jr. (All Others).....19.72%
Pogo Possum (Comic Strips).....14.08%
Who could have imagined the election would come down to this choice between a white woman and a black man?
Pogo Possum had a commanding lead in his party from the start, bolstered by the efforts of lobbyist Mark Evanier. However, with so many of his supporters living in swamps, traditionally a money-strapped constituency, Pogo's campaign quickly ran out of the funds necessary to campaign effectively against opponents who didn't go around bottomless.
Doc Savage had the best-funded campaign, though reports of his money coming from foreign sources emerged just as damaging reports of his alleged illegal detention and torture of criminals fell off the radar. Along with some of the reporters who were covering that particular story.
Barbara Gordon was the most media-savvy candidate in the race and was the darling of online voters. However, Joe Robertson made use of his own media experience. Combined with the sense that this relatively "average joe" had both the common sense and compassion to lead us from the darkness created by the illegal, ill-considered military adventures of Dan DiDio and Joe Quesada.
Where do we go from here?
Next week, we will hold a run-off election between Gordon and Robertson. That gives all of you a little under a week to present your endorsements of these candidates on the official Tony Isabella message board...
I'll run your best e-mails in Friday's and Monday's columns. The run-off election will begin on Tuesday, March 4, and continue until March 11.
In the meantime, two new questions have been posted, the first inspired by my tour of duty as a judge for the third annual Glyph Comics Awards, which honor the best in black comics and creators:
It's comics awards season. How likely are you to buy/read a comic because it was nominated for an award?
At present, I'm the lone "very likely" vote for this question. Since my enjoyment of comics has never been limited to one genre of the form, I appreciate being made aware of notable works that I may not have come across in my own reading.
The second is of a more personal nature:
Yours truly is either exploring his options or unemployed. Which of these potential projects of mine [comics, non-fiction, prose fiction] would you be most interested in reading?
If you were wondering, I've already done considerable work on some of the choices. I've plotted a story featuring my adventure heroine of the 1940s and 1950s. I've written an 8-page script for my avenging heroine and it's fully drawn, awaiting only lettering. My collection of columns and cartoons (and other surprises) already has a publisher. My one-shot horror story is plotted. Frequent collaborator Bob Ingersoll and I have written a 32-page script for the street-level super-hero, though I will need to tweak the script a bit. Most of the others are in earlier stages of their creation, but, with one exception, a choice I threw onto the list at the last moment, the conceptual work for them is well underway.
I confess I'm disappointed that no one wants to read my manga projects. I've been itching to see if I can work in that form and produce something better than most of the manga being reprinted in this country. Low voter support or not, I don't think I'll let go of that goal anytime soon.
Still, as much as possible, I will be guided by how you vote on this question. To cast your ballot, go to:
A nasty spill in my driveway - old man can't walk - makes it tough for me to spend much time at the keyboard at the moment. So today's TOT is a bit shorter than I'd planned. But I thank you for spending a part of your day with me and, God and Tylenol willing, I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
I review The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks #1: Secret Identity Crisis, Secret Identity Crisis: Comic Books and the Unmasking of Cold War America and The Walking Dead Volume 2: Miles Behind Us.
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
Please send material you would like me to review to:
Anything Goes Trivia
