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April, 2017:

One Woman’s Transformation

Jessica Chrysler is an artist who creates mostly fantasy works, with some occasional anthropomorphics. But when she goes anthro, she goes for it in a big way! First there was Cody the Coyote, a Native American folklore re-imagined as an illustrated book for children. It’s still available on-line. More recently she’s been writing and illustrating a science fiction novel called Monolithium. “After surviving torture for treason, Elara wakes to find herself transformed into a creature known as the enemy of the empire. While she must flee her home planet to stay alive, she soon discovers that Queen Varina had not only meant to take her life, but also her uncle’s throne and control of the realm.” That creature in question is the blue feathered reptile you see below. Jessica has been selling an illustrated teaser booklet for Monolithium at conventions, so look for her at one near you. And visit her web site to get updates on her progress.

image c. 2017 by Jessica Chrysler

All the Pretty Kitties

The artist known only as Dani Cat is a crafter who specializes in cloth animals and cloth hats. Both of which are often themed around cats! She makes the rounds at a lot of conventions in North America so you may well see her near you soon. The Dani Cat Designs Etsy Store is on hiatus at the moment, but her Deviant Art site has a lot of her recent designs on display, and there’s an article over at Craft Hackers that shows even more of her work.

image c. 2017 by Dani Cat Designs

Little Knights and Big Dragons

Ben Byrd has been a professional web designer and creative director for a long time. When he lost his then-current job a couple years ago, he made the decision to dive head-first into his artwork. And so he began displaying his colorful pictures of fantasy characters and comic book icons at art shows and fannish conventions all over. A quick look at his web site will show you just how prolific he has been. Now, he’s self-published his very first illustrated book for children, simply titled Dragons. Written by Tatiana Topyrik and illustrated by Mr. Byrd, it’s a rhyming bedtime story ostensibly for young kids, but older fantasy fans should enjoy it too. It’s available now on Amazon.

image c. 2017 by Ben Byrd

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Save the Sperels!

[Wow, we’re yelling a lot lately! It’s like that after a big convention like WonderCon…] Something else new we stumbled across: The Save The Sperels campaign, as created by Orion Spellman. What are Sperels? They are small, bluish, bat-like creatures with wild hair and leather wings on their backs. According to Sperel lore, they are an oppressed species — forced to labor in underground mines in a dreary land called Mulldrum. But having wings, the Sperels dream of escaping to the sky, free to fly! To that end, the Save The Sperels campaign has an official web site where you can assist the Sperels in their quest for freedom by purchasing plushies, t-shirts, art prints, and other goodies.

image c. 2017 savethesperels.org

Cute in Many Forms

Kanae Fukuda is a crafter from Tacoma, Washington who creates under the name Nyanzilla. Her works include “cute accessories and apparels” like hard enamel pins, plush toys, and even dresses. According to her, “I am an independent Artist branching out into having my own business with the help of people who enjoy my works and with the help of my partner Tibbers, a spoiled German Shepherd!” How does she get anything done? Well, somehow she does. Quite a bit in fact! Check out her Etsy shop to see more.

image c. 2017 by Kanae Fukuda

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Weasels In Space!

“When I was a kid, I had a pet weasel. I think that’s a rather unusual pet for a kid to have. But I was a rather unusual kid.” That’s the opening of Once Upon A Weasel, a new picture book for young readers. It’s written by Salvo Lavis and James Munn, with full-color illustrations by Dave Leonard. According to the creators it’s “…the story of a misfit boy who, in a spontaneous moment, buys a secret pet that sparks a series of fantasy adventures where the two travel through space and dream of living on the moon. Back on planet Earth, trouble arises when the boy’s pet escapes during a class field trip and turns an entire science museum upside down.” You can find out more (and order the book) at their web site, appropriately enough called World of the Weasel.

image c. 2017 World of the Weasel

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Hot and Dry and Truly Strange

Another one we missed last year, but caught up with this time: Lost Cactus is a full-color on-line comic strip written and illustrated by John Hopkins. Lost Cactus is also, it seems, a top-secret government facility hidden in the desert, where our leaders hide things they don’t want the general public to know about. Things like an irradiated, talking squirrel; a giant anthropomorphic bee; and a small-sized anthropomorphic dinosaur or two. Much silliness ensues when these and other denizens of the Lost Cactus facility interact with the human scientists and military there to run the show — supposedly. Many of the comic strips (and other goodies) have been collected in a new Lost Cactus book, Lost Cactus: The First Treasury. It’s available over at Amazon. You might find out more over at the Lost Cactus web site, but we can neither confirm nor deny that rumor…

image c. 2017 by John Hopkins

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Moon Bunnies and Cake

Not new so much, but we just came across it: The Moon Minis is a series of full-color books for children written and illustrated by Niall Westerfield. The story is based on the folklore (common to many cultures, especially in Asia) that the dark spots on the moon represent a rabbit making and baking moon cakes for the Moon Princess to allow her to live forever. Well here we find an entire community of little rabbits, The Moon Minis, and they have many comical adventures while they go about their baking duties. All of the books (and a collection of short comic strips) are available at the Moon Minis web site.

image c. 2017 by Niall Westerfield

Cat Fight — On A Planetary Scale!

Battlecats is a new fantasy-adventure comic book series written by Mark London and illustrated in vibrant full color by Andy King and Julian Gonzalez. According to the publisher, Mad Cave, “In a land where chaos is embraced and war is the ultimate desire, order must be enforced. Enter the Battlecats. The most seasoned warriors in the land, fearless, determined, devout, this elite group travels the realm of Valderia fulfilling the King’s mandates and displaying heroism worthy of the God they worship. The Battlecats are about to embark on their most perilous quest, all while unraveling the origins of a holy war.” Shades of He-Man and, yes, Thundercats — in a good way. There’s a trailer up on YouTube. As you can see there, Mad Cave not only have several issues of the comic out but also t-shirts, posters, and even a soundtrack CD are available now.

image c. 2017 Mad Cave

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