Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella | |
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Goethe Award 1972 Inkpot Award 2013 | |
http://tonyisabella.blogspot.com |
Tony Isabella (born December 22, 1951)
Biography
Early life and influences
Tony Isabella was born in
As a teenager, Isabella had many letters published in
Marvel Comics
Isabella's work in comics fandom attracted the attention of Marvel editor
As a writer, Isabella scripted
Controversy
During his mid-1970s run on Ghost Rider, Isabella wrote a two-year story arc in which Johnny Blaze occasionally encountered an unnamed character referred to as "the Friend" who helped Blaze stay protected from Satan, who had granted Blaze supernatural power and created the Ghost Rider. Isabella said in 2007,
Getting prior approval from editor
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.[11]
Isabella later said the assistant editor referenced was Jim Shooter.[12][13] In 2020, Shooter said he had been concerned that this "basically established the Marvel universe is a Christian universe" and could alienate some portion of the readership by suggesting "that all other religions are false." He said after consulting with editor Marv Wolfman, he made the changes.[14]
DC Comics
For DC Comics, Isabella worked as a writer and story editor[5] but is mainly known for his creation of Black Lightning,[15] writing both the character's short-lived 1970s and 1990s series.[16] After reaching an agreement with DC,[17] Isabella returned to the character in 2017 with the publication of the Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands limited series.[18][19]
Isabella and artist Richard Howell produced the Shadow War of Hawkman mini-series in 1985, involving the characters of Hawkman and Hawkwoman.[20] An ongoing series was launched the following year.[21]
Justice Machine
In 1987, Isabella began writing the
In 1990, Isabella returned to the characters and wrote the series for
"Tony's Tips"
Isabella wrote the Comics Buyer's Guide column "Tony's Tips" for over a decade. The last column was June 22, 2010.[23] Starting in 2013, he continued "Tony's Tips" online at Tales of Wonder.[24][25] He also regularly writes about comics and his work on his personal blog.[26]
Books
Isabella is the co-author with his fellow Comics Buyer's Guide columnist Bob Ingersoll of the short story "If Wishes Were Horses..." which was published in The Ultimate Super-Villains: New Stories Featuring Marvel's Deadliest Villains (1996),[27] and the novels Captain America: Liberty's Torch (1998)[28] and Star Trek: The Case Of The Colonist's Corpse (2003).[29] In 2009, his non-fiction book 1000 Comics You Must Read was published by Krause Publications.[30]
Other work
During the 1980s, Isabella operated Cosmic Comics, a comic book shop in the Colonial Arcade in Downtown Cleveland.[31]
He has also worked on translating foreign-language Disney comics and revising the wording for the U.S. market.
Personal life
Isabella's wife is named Barbara; they have two children, son Eddie (born c. 1989) and daughter Kelly (born c. 1992).[2]
Awards
- 1972 Goethe Award for "Favorite Fan Writer"[32]
- 2013 Inkpot Award[33]
Bibliography
Atlas/Seaboard Comics
- Grim Ghost #3 (1975)
- Tales of Evil #3 (1975)
Atlas Comics (Ardden Entertainment)
- Grim Ghost vol. 2 #1–6 (with Stephen Susco) (2010–2011)
Caliber Comics
- Negative Burn #46 (1997)
Comico
- Justice Machine #1–6, 8–11 (1987)
Dark Horse
- Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor Quarterly #1 (with Harlan Ellison) (1996)
DC Comics
- Black Lightning #1–10 (1977–1978)
- Black Lightning vol. 2 #1–8 (1995)
- Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #1–6 (2018)
- DC Comics Presents #95 (1986)
- DCU Holiday Bash #2 (Black Lightning) (1998)
- Hawkman vol. 2 #1–9, Special #1 (1986–1987)
- Heroes Against Hunger #1 (1986)
- Mystery in Space #111 (1980)
- Secret Origins vol. 2 #26 (Black Lightning) (1988)
- Shadow War of Hawkman #1–4 (1985)
- Star Trek #22–23, 29, 31 (1986)
- Star Trek: All of Me #1 (with Bob Ingersoll) (2000)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation Special #1 (with Bob Ingersoll) (1993)
- Tarzan Family #66 (1976)
- Teen Titans Spotlight #16 (Thunder and Lightning), #17 (Magenta) (1987)
- Welcome Back, Kotter #3 (1977)
- World's Finest Comics #244 (Green Arrow) (1977)
Image Comics
- Geeksville #3 (2000)
Innovation Publishing
- Justice Machine vol. 3 #5–7 (1990–1991)
- Sentry Special #1 (with Bob Ingersoll) (1991)
Marvel Comics
- The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #24 (1990)
- Astonishing Tales #21–24 (It! The Living Colossus) (1973–1974)
- The Avengers #145–146 (1976)
- Black Goliath#1 (1976)
- Captain America #168, 189–191 (1973–1975)
- Chamber of Chills #5 (1973)
- Champions #1–3, 5–7 (1975–1976)
- Creatures on the Loose #25, 32 (1973–1974)
- Daredevil #119–123 (1975)
- Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#10, Special #1 (1974–1975)
- Doc Savage #7–8 (1973–1974)
- Dracula Lives#6, 9, 13 (1974–1975)
- Fantastic Four #153 (1974)
- Ghost Rider #7–9, 11–15, 17–19 (1974–1976)
- Giant-Size Creatures #1 (1974)
- Giant-Size Defenders #1 (1974)
- Giant-Size Dracula #5 (1975)
- Haunt of Horror #4 (1974)
- Hero for Hire #15 (1973)
- Legion of Monsters #1 (1975)
- Marvel Chillers #3, 5–6 (Tigra) (1976)
- Iron Fist) (1975)
- Marvel Tales #242, 250 (Rocket Racer backup stories) (1990–1991)
- Marvel Team-Up #145 (1984)
- Marvels Comics: Daredevil #1 (2000)
- Monsters Unleashed #3–5, 10 (1973–1975)
- Moon Knight #34–35 (1983–1984)
- Power Man #20, 22–25 (1974–1975)
- Power Man and Iron Fist #110 (1984)
- The Spectacular Spider-Man #35, Annual #10 (1979, 1990)
- Super-Villain Team-Up #1–2 (1975)
- Supernatural Thrillers #8–13 (1974–1975)
- Tales of the Zombie #2–3, 5, 9 (1973–1975)
- Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction #1–4 (1975)
- Vampire Tales #4 (1974)
- War Is Hell #9–10 (1974)
- Web of Spider-Man #74–76, Annual #6–7 (1990–1991)
- What If...? #24 (Spider-Man) (1980)
Topps Comics
- Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga #0 (1993)
- Satan's Six#1–4 (1993)
Warren Publishing
- Vampirella #26 (ghostwriter for Len Wein) (1973)
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | Black Lightning | Judge Isabella | Episode: "The Book of War: Chapter Three: Liberation" |
References
- ^ Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide. Iola, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Arndt, Richard J. (February 8, 2006). "Marvel's Black & White Horror Magazines Checklist". Enjolrasworld.com. "A 2005 Interview With Tony Isabella", first item after the end of the checklist itself. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
- Fantagraphics Books.
- ^ Wymann, Adrian (May 13, 2009). "The Mighty World of Bronze Age British Marvel 1972–1974: Setting Up Marvel UK". Panelology!. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
- ^ a b Tony Isabella (editor) at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Mithra, Kuljit (May 1997). "Interview With Tony Isabella". ManWithoutFear.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
- ^ Tony Isabella at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Hughes, William (September 2, 2015). "Luke Cage casts its Misty Knight, too, while it's at it". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0756641238.
Created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Don Heck, the Champions consisted of Angel, Iceman, Hercules, the Black Widow, and Ghost Rider.
- ^ Walker, Karen (July 2013). "'We'll Keep on Fighting 'Til the End': The Story of the Champions". Back Issue! (65). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 17–23.
- ^ Isabella, Tony. "The Ghost Rider movie opens on February 16". Comics Buyer's Guide #1628 (May 2007) via Tony's Online Tips (April 11, 2007). Archived from the original on April 26, 2007. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
- ^ Isabella, Tony. "It's Everett True Tuesday here at TOT Central!". Tony's Online Tips (June 15, 2010). Archived from the original on December 6, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
My anger over Shooter rewriting the last issue of my two-year Ghost Rider run, a story that had been approved every step of the way by three previous editors-in-chief, has been documented on several occasions.
- ISBN 978-0061992100.
He [Jim Shooter] told Tony Isabella to rewrite the climax to a two-year Ghost Rider story line, in which the hero was saved by Jesus Christ, on the grounds that it would be seen as religious propaganda.
- ^ Shooter, Jim, in Off The Record with Jim Shooter (YouTube). Roger Priebe. Apr 20, 2020. Event occurs at 01:50. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved May 26, 2020. Alt URL
- ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
Writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor von Eeden provided the creative juice for Black Lightning.
- ^ Manning, Matthew K. "1990s" in Dolan, p. 269: "Writer Tony Isabella returned to his prized character, Black Lightning, in an ongoing series with artist Eddy Newell."
- ^ Cave, Rob (March 27, 2017). "DC, Tony Isabella Reach Agreement on Black Lightning". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
- ^ Cohen, Jason (August 19, 2017). "Black Lightning Creator Returns for Cold Dead Hands Mini". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
- ^ Isabella, Tony (August 30, 2017). "Black Lightning Beat #1". Tony Isabella's Bloggy Thing. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
- ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 215: "May [1985] saw the return of the Winged Wonder in a four-issue miniseries entitled The Shadow War of Hawkman by writer Tony Isabella and penciller Richard Howell."
- ^ Zawisza, Doug (July 2017). "Hawkman in the Bronze Age". Back Issue! (97). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 15–20.
- ^ Martin, Brian (February 2017). "The Twisted History Mystery or...Welcome to the Machine". Back Issue! (94). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 28–31.
- ^ Isabella, Tony (June 22, 2010). "Tony's Online Tips". WorldFamousComics.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
Tony's Online Tips has reached the end of its decade-plus run. I announced this last week in various venues, but I didn't want to leave without saying a more proper farewell and, in that farewell, try to explain this decision without sending any one into a panic.
- ^ Isabella, Tony (2013-04-04). "Tony Isabella's Bloggy Thing: HERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT TONY". Tony Isabella's Bloggy Thing. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
- ^ "Search Results for "Tony's Tips" – Tales of Wonder Blog". blog.talesofwonder.com. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
- ^ "Tony Isabella's Bloggy Thing". tonyisabella.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
- ISBN 978-1572971134.
- ISBN 978-0425166192.
- ISBN 978-0743464970.
- ^ "1000 Comic Books You Must Read | Krause Books". www.krausebooks.com. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
- ^ Coville, Jamie (2000). "An Interview With Tony Isabella". Coville's Clubhouse. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012.
Cosmic Comics was easily the most successful comics shop in the Cleveland area for nine of the eleven years I owned it.
- ^ The Comic Reader #90 (October 1972).
- San Diego Comic-Con International. 2013. Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2015.
External links
- Tony Isabella at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Tony Isabella at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
- Tony Isabella at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
- Tony's Online Tips at World Famous Comics
- Tony Isabella's Bloggy Thing (Personal Blog)