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Sofawolf Press

The Cat Will Be A Knight

Caterwall is a fantasy comic series created, written, and illustrated by Spain Fischer. It’s had a convoluted creation and release history, on line and on paper, but now Sofawolf Press is offering the first of three planned full-color graphic novels. It’s called Caterwall: The Isle of Manx and it’s available in both hard and soft-cover editions starting this July. The story? Pax is a young cat in the peaceable Kingdom of Katia. He’s determined to become a noble, heroic knight like his famous father — but his antics and attitude mostly get him in trouble, and eventually get him banished. But he and his rag-tag band of friends are still determined to help the nearby dog kingdom in their war against the wolves of the north. Find out more over at the Sofawolf Press web site.

image c. 2015 Sofawolf Press

image c. 2015 Sofawolf Press

New Kevin Frane Novel Soon

Kevin Frane, author of The Seventh Chakra (nominated for an Ursa Major Award in 2011) returns this January with a new novel called Summerhill. Fur Planet will release it in both hardcover and softcover, starting at Further Confusion in San Jose. “Summerhill is a dog with a problem: he isn’t exactly sure who he is. Living alone in a desolate world as its only inhabitant, he has no memories of his previous life—only the tantalizing clue that the answers he seeks may lie with a mysterious woman named Katherine, the hostess on a cruise ship that sails between dimensions. But Katherine has problems of her own, and if Summerhill wants her help in unlocking the secrets of his past, he’ll have to help Katherine deal with hers. Together, the two will travel to different worlds, different times, and different universes in a journey where each new stop has both fantastic discoveries and deadly threats in wait, and where the rules of reality can change as easily as weather.” Check out Fur Planet’s Live Journal to pre-order a copy.

image c. 2012 Sofawolf Press

Prydwen Premiers

Lynn Hogan is an author and artist from the Seattle, Washington area. She’s worked for Marvel Comics and Bella Sara, among others. Prydwen is a fantasy-adventure comic she has been putting up on line for some time. Now Sofawolf Press have released Prydwen: Gods and Monsters, the first graphic novel compilation of the on-line comic. This full-color work is available in softcover and hardcover editions. “Orphaned at a young age and raised in a Sui monastery, Prydwen settles into a peaceful life tending the gardens, never knowing who she is or where she came from. When disturbing dreams give way to waking up in patches of ash where flowers used to be, she flees the safety of the church grounds with her friend Auric, looking for answers. Her path takes her deep into the sacred gardens of the Wanderkind God, where she is destined to release his imprisoned Elynd and learn more about her past.” Sofawolf has a preview on their web site, and a video preview up on YouTube as well.

image c. 2012 Lynn Hogan

Nordguard: The Card Game

The art collective (or pair at least) known as Blotch have a new item connected with their successful comic book/graphic novel series Nordguard. Now it’s the Nordguard Card Game, coming this summer from Sofawolf Press. The game itself was developed by Tempe O’Kun and Nic Wald, and play-testing was directed over the last year by Jeremia Heupel of ThinkTank Games. And the game itself? “You and your friends play as an anthropomorphized sled dog rescue team, overcoming cannibalistic strays and a landscape as capricious as it is lethal. Only your wits and your gear stand between you and certain disaster. Quick-reference instructions provide the rules in minutes, while a scalable difficulty curve provides a challenge for everyone from pups to even the most veteran sled dogs. A randomized map ensures no two missions will ever be the same. Based on the award-winning graphic novel Nordguard: Across Thin Ice, this slim set comes packed with over 120 illustrations by the artists Tess Garman & Teagan Gavet [aka Blotch]. Custom-etched dice and a stamped metal play token fit neatly with the cards in a rugged belt pouch, emblazoned with the Nordguard logo, so you can have the game ready at hand no matter where your adventures take you.” Keep up with the latest on the game at the official web site, www.nordguard.com/about/cardgame.

image c. 2012 Tess Garman & Teagan Gavet

Bunnies and Bats Out West

Sixes Wild is a new anthropomorphic adventure series written by Tempe O’Kun. Sofawolf Press describes it as “a straight western cross-dressing romance”. Probably because the lead characters in this wild west adventure include a male fruit bat (who’s the sheriff of the town of White Rock, Arizona) and a rabbit — who besides being a lady who dresses the part of a male gunslinger, also happens to be the sheriff’s love interest.  Yes, things do get complicated. The first novel of the series, Sixes Wild: Manifest Destiny, was published by Sofawolf Press with illustrations by the artist ShinigamiGirl. Now the second story arc in the series — Sixes Wild: The Bluff — is being serialized on the SoFurry site in comic book format.  It’s illustrated by the artist known as Sidian. [Note: The comic does contain adult-oriented material, so some folks might find their access restricted.]

 

image c. 2011 by ShinigamiGirl

 

Across Thin Ice is Done

Across Thin Ice is the name of the newest full-color graphic novel created by the artist collective known as Blotch. It’s also the first volume in a three-volume series known as Nordguard. As  Blotch explain on the Nordgaurd web site, the story is an action-adventure following a band of sled-dogs and their daily survival and struggles in the arctic of an anthropomorphic alternate Earth. Thin Ice will be released this summer by Sofawolf Press, first at AnthroCon in Pittsburgh and then at San Diego Comic Con in… well, where else? The reason we’re telling you this now is: While the regular edition of Across Thin Ice will be released in softcover, there is a limited run of hardcover copies that will also be released — and pre-orders are being taken now at the Sofawolf Press web site.

 

image c. 2011 by Blotch

Ursa Major Awards for 2008 Announced!

[From www.ursamajorawards.org:]

The winners of the eighth annual Ursa Major Awards (formally the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature & Arts Awards), for the Best in anthropomorphic/”funny animal” literature and art first published during the calendar year 2008, were announced at a presentation ceremony on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at All Fur Fun in Spokane, Washington.

The Ursa Major Awards are Anthropomorphic (a.k.a. Furry) Fandom’s equivalents of s-f fandom’s Hugo Awards, mystery fandom’s Anthony Awards, horror fandom’s Bram Stoker Awards, and so forth.  The Ursa Majors are administered and presented by the Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association (ALAA), an organization dedicated to promoting anthropomorphic literature and arts both within and outside of the fandom.  Nominations and voting for the awards are open to the public.  The physical award consists of an illustrated trophy certificate or plaque, designed by the artist Heather Bruton.

Eligibility in ten categories is for works featuring intelligent &/or talking animals first published during the calendar year 2008.  This can include new compilations of older works, such as a new collection of previously-published separate works.  The winners are chosen by popular vote among those participating in Anthropomorphic Fandom who, first, submitted their nominations for the winners, and then voted upon a final ballot consisting of the five finalists (those receiving the most nominations) in each category. The voting for the awards was open to all furry fandom via the Internet; and took place between March 14th and April 19th; and received votes from countries as diverse as Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the USA.

The Winners in each category:

Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture: Bolt, from Walt Disney Pictures

Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work or Series: There She Is, from SamBakZa

Best Anthropomorphic Novel: Waterways, by Kyell Gold

Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction: In Between, by Kyell Gold (from Out of Position)

Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work: Dog’s Days of Summer, by Blotch

Best Anthropomorphic Graphic Story: Heathen City, by Alex Vance and others

Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip: Fur-Piled, by Leo Magna and A. Husky

Best Anthropomorphic Magazine: Heat

Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration: Suhl, by Blotch (Cover of the Eurofurence 14 souvenir book)

Best Anthropomorphic Game: Spore, by Maxis and Electronic Arts

[For a complete list of winners and nominees, as well as how you can nominate and vote for your favorite furry stuff for 2009, visit www.ursamajorawards.org]