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Cats

It’s Scaaaaaary In There!

People are saying some good things about Skull Cat and the Curious Castle, the debut graphic novel by Norman Shurtliff. “Even though the castle is an eerie place, full of dark secrets, Scully the cat is excited to start his new job and prove himself to be a great gardener. But wait a minute… what happened to all his co-workers? Were they devoured by bloodthirsty vampires? Spooked by a love-struck ghost? Pranked by a comic-reading goblin? Enchanted by a sleepy sorcerer? Will Scully have to become the hero and uncover the truth behind Le Dark Chateau? He never signed up for this!!” You can see what happens to him now, full-color, in trade paperback from Top Shelf Productions.

image c. 2024 Top Shelf Productions

Cats, Reptiles — and You!

Here we have a series for young folks that’s a comic, an activity book — and a game! The series is called Kittens & Dragons, and the first book is called The Choukra, written by Jarvin and illustrated by Ju. “In Kittens and Dragons young readers will assist Mo, the King’s youngest kitten as he hunts for a dragon named Choukra and proves his bravery! Sneak through the woods, into dark caves, past the King’s guard while solving puzzles as you go in search of adventure and the Choukra along with Mo!” Available now from Van Ryder Games.

image c. 2024 Van Ryder Games

But He Won’t Do THAT

And so we came across another graphic novel series for young folks, with the interesting title of Weenie, featuring Frank & Beans. The first book is called Mad About Meatloaf, written by Maureen Fergus and illustrated by Alexandra Bye. “Weenie loves his human, Bob. He loves his guinea pig friend, Beans, and his cat friend, Frank. He loves naps, adventures and sharing. In fact, Weenie loves pretty much everything (except the mail carrier). But the thing Weenie loves and desires more than anything else in the world is meatloaf. And he’ll do anything to get it. Join Weenie, Frank, and Beans on a laugh-out-loud meatloaf adventure, complete with a trench coat disguise, a wild meatloaf trap, and even a hungry wolf.” All that and more from Penguin Random House.

image c. 2024 Penguin Random House

Ac-tion! We Need Some Ac-tion!

Another one that slipped beneath our radar — but fortunately it’s still available! It’s the Tuff Stuff one-shot comic, created by Kevin Delgado. “Tuff Stuff is a washed out cretin who spends his days scouring the beach boardwalk for loose drugs. When a string of disasters causes his normal haunts to be destroyed he sets out on a quest for retribution. His goal: To Save Spring Break! For fans of cheesy 80’s/90’s B-Action Movies… and cats.” Ask the folks at Source Point.

image c. 2024 Source Point Press

Does He Write Scripts?

Look, sometimes we just can’t explain something — so we simply have to give it to you as we found it. Things like Timothy Dinoman Saves The Cat, written and illustrated by Steve Thueson. “To learn what these suspected supervillains want with outer-space tech, the world’s nicest iguanodon will visit a mountain fortress, a giant blimp, and a diner with excellent pancakes. On the way, he’ll even meet a really cute cat. Grab your rocket boots and your fake mustache — it’s time to crack the case with Timothy!” Find out what’s it’s all about from Lerner.

image c. 2023 Lerner Books

This Would Be… Bad…?

And now for something altogether different… Night of the Living Cat, a new black & white manga created by Hawkman and Mecha-Roots. “A virus spreads across the world, transforming all humankind into wild, slavering, furry beasts: Cats, to be precise. Those few survivors who remain human take refuge in the dark corners of the earth as they fight back against the feline horde. Kunagi, a man with no memory of his past yet a deep knowledge of cats, struggles to hold on with only his wits and a will to survive. Yet the virus transmits merely through cuddles, and Kunagi finds kitties so hard to resist! Is his willpower strong enough to withstand this hair-raising cat-tastrophe?” Find out from Seven Seas.

image c. 2023 Seven Seas Entertainment

Four Legs Good

We came across a brand-new comic from Boom! Studios called Animal Pound. It goes like this: “When animals grow tired of being caged, killed, and sold off-it’s only a matter of time before they’ve had enough… When an uprising puts a pound in control of the animals, they quickly find themselves as comrades, united against everything that walks on two legs. But with this newfound power comes a sudden challenge: how best to lay the groundwork for this new democracy as they write their first constitution!” Written by Tom King (Love Everlasting) and illustrated by award-winning artist Peter Gross (The Books of Magic), Animal Pound comes to comic shops later this week.

image c. 2023 Boom! Studios

Cat-Spiracy

We missed out on The Evil Secret Society of Cats — but maybe we found out just in time! It’s a full-color manga series written and illustrated by Pandania. “They may seem cute and cuddly, but these kitties are up to no good! Under the direction of the purple-caped Feline Commander, the Evil Secret Society of Cats schemes against humanity in a series of humorous stories as adorable as they are diabolical. After all, the complex nature of cats is part of their charm.” Several volumes are available now from Seven Seas.

image c. 2023 Seven Seas

Lofty Goals

Another creative person we came across at Midwest FurFest: Foxfeather R. Zenkova is a multi-talented artist and crafter from the American Midwest. “I have an enduring love of all things feathered, furred, and scaled. I feel a particularly strong connection to birds of all kinds (especially vultures, corvids, and owls). As a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and conservation educator, animals are a huge part of my life; I hope to help share this connection, respect, and awe through my artwork. My art business, Foxloft Studios, fully supports my volunteer work helping creatures in need.” At their web site you can see their art prints, shirts, dolls, and even animal-themed jewelry they create to that effort.

image c. 2023 by Foxfeather R. Zenkova