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This Cat Cooks!

Not long ago we came across the announcement for an upcoming video game called Beastro — which if nothing else, wins some kind of pun award! But more than that, it’s an anthropomorphic game with a very unusual angle on the common fantasy tropes: “In Beastro, play as Panko, a young, talented chef, helping to run the local eatery. When Panko’s teacher goes missing, a mysterious visitor arrives with warnings of the dangers beyond the wall. It’s up to Panko to step up and take over the restaurant, farm and forage for ingredients and tend to  patrons. But that’s not all, Panko also finds himself serving the Caretakers, brave adventurers, sent to save the world. In this adventure, preserving peace starts in the kitchen! Through cooking minigames Panko will chop, sizzle and flip his way to success.” Look for it from Timberline Studios, on Steam in 2026.

image c. 2025 Timberline Studios

A Little Birdie Told Us

Recently we came across the Haru series of graphic novels, written and illustrated by Joe Latham. First up is Spring: “In The Valley, best friends Haru (a small bird) and Yama (a talkative boar) both dream of leaving as they’re bullied at school, frustrated at home, and struggling to figure out who they are. One day, a powerful artifact connects itself to Yama, and they discover that they’ll have to journey to The Beacon in search of answers.” More issues have followed — and all of them are available now from Simon & Schuster.

image c. 2025 Simon & Schuster

The Best Friend You Need

Word is getting around about Good Boy, a new and unique supernatural horror that premiered last March at SXSW. Here’s the description: “Following the death of a family member, Todd (Shane Jensen) relocates with his dog Indy to an old rural farmhouse once owned by his grandfather (Larry Fessenden). Although the house is rumored to be haunted, Todd ignores the warnings. However, Indy begins to see disturbing supernatural presences throughout the home — entities invisible to humans but all too real to him. Unable to communicate his fears to Todd, Indy must confront and understand the malevolent forces threatening his owner. As the supernatural activity escalates, the dog’s loyalty is put to the ultimate test in a desperate attempt to protect his human companion.” Director Ben Leonberg used his own real-life dog Indy in the starring role, and much of the film is shot as from Indy’s perspective. Having received rave reviews at SXSW, the film is slowly making its way around to art theaters. Be on the lookout!

image c. 2025 Independent Film Company

Hair-Raising Adventures

Yep, there are still new My Little Pony items turning up, especially for fans of the G5 series. Here’s one we missed, but it’s still out there for you to find — it’s the My Little Pony: Mane Event one-shot comic from IDW. “First, Pipp dragonsitting Sparky becomes a hairy situation when she mixes up her mane products and Sparky grows some luscious locks. Then, Zipp and Hitch split hairs about the best morning mane-care routines. Finally, Izzy is having a hair-raisingly bad mane day and decides a wash day is just what the curls need.” Available still from IDW, with a variety of covers from some of your favorite Pony artists.

image c. 2025 IDW Comics

Yesterday the Lizards, Today the Monkeys…

The late Dr. Osamu Tezuka is still well-known around the world as the creator of Kimba the White Lion — and so much anime and manga besides. Now the folks at Ablaze have brought us a rare Tezuka manga for the first time in English. It’s called Tomorrow The Birds. “Originally published between 1971 and 1975, this collection of short stories depicts an Earth in which birds become the planet’s dominate species. It started with several minor but unusual attacks by birds against humans, more a nuisance than anything. However, as birds capable of harnessing fire began to appear, using it to set fire to people’s homes, things began to escalate. Eventually, a highly intelligent leader of the birds emerges to begin negotiations with humankind on behalf of his people… What force jump-started the birds’ wild jump in evolution? And what will be the fate of humans in this new world order?” Find out! (And be nice to Polly, Kimba!)

image c. 2025 Ablaze

Friends That Flap

The folks at Dynamite Comics have been busy again, still injecting new life into classic TV cartoons. And it’s time we caught up! Here’s their description of Justice Ducks, which started up last year: “Flying saucers descend from the skies, to (maybe) wreak (possible) havoc upon the (mostly) innocent citizens of St. Canard! All that’s stopping these aggressive alien agitators is Stegmutt, Gizmoduck, Neptunia, Morgana, and (most important, in his opinion) Darkwing Duck! Written by the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning Roger Langridge and illustrated by celebrated Darkwing Duck artist Carlo Lauro, this latest chapter in the ongoing saga of St. Canard’s web-footed wonders is surely destined for greatness – just like DD himself!” Every good superhero needs a team, right? Issues are available on line and at your local comic book store.

image c. 2025 Dynamite Comics

MMMMitchell…

We like how Scout Comics describes this: “It’s chunky Roger Rabbit with a bad temper meets Indiana Jones, set in a Sam Raimi’s looking cityscape.” What is it? Mitch, a new full-color series created by Maxim Simic.Mitch mixes comedy, science fiction and urban fantasy, with character Mitch as the anthropomorphic lead, juxtaposed to the seemingly realistic world of the late 90s… It’s a story about one furry guy on a quest to find his true origins, unintentionally stumbling into adventure, mystery, and a secret ongoing extraterrestrial conflict over Earth and its unsuspecting occupants.” And, it’s out there on the shelves.

image c. 2025 Scout Comics

An Interesting Quartet Returns

In 2019 The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy garnered numerous awards and nominations as an illustrated book — and it did so again in 2022 when it was made into a 2D animated short film. Now the author is bringing us a sequel — with the rather long title of Always Remember: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, The Horse, and The Storm. “Charlie Mackesy’s four unlikely friends are wandering through the wilds again. They’re not sure what they are looking for. They do know that life can be difficult, but that they love each other, and cake is often the answer. When the dark clouds come, can the boy remember what he needs to get through the storm?” This new hardcover is due in October.

image c. 2025 Penguin Publishing Group

FurSuit for Hire, FurSuit for Life

[And now a special guest column by none other than the Ask Papabear guy himself, Grubbs Grizzly.] Mom’s Cat is an intense, yet quiet, short film by Hungarian writer/director Annabella Schnabel, who produced it for her diploma project at the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest. It has already garnered several awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at the 29th Chicago Underground Film Festival, First Prize at the 19th Pannonfíling Film Festival, Best Short Film at the 8th Nefiltravane Kino Film Festival, and Best Young Director at the 13th Short to the Point International Film Festival. I had the opportunity to watch this 18-minute film, and I can say the plaudits are deserved. What impressed me most about this film is how Schnabel packs so much emotion into just a few minutes and with minimal dialog. Every word uttered, every movement the actors make bears weight. Without giving anything away, the story is basically this: 30-something Felix (Attila Fritz) lives in squalid conditions with his mother, who barely tolerates her son and clearly despises him for not being “normal.” One day, Felix gets exciting news that a company wants to hire him to be a kind of mascot-for-hire, which means he can get paid and wear his fursuit! Felix is immensely proud of his fursuit, which he made himself. So, off he goes to his new job, where he meets coworkers who seem shy but admire his fursuit, which is a kind of winged cat. What follows are some ups and downs in his job that adeptly capture the sensitivities of the kind and sweet Felix, who only wants to be happy, and a mother and society that despise him for being abnormal. The conclusion is tragic, sad, disturbing, and oddly sweet. If I could encapsulate all the worst experiences and angst I have encountered in my 13 years as a furry advice columnist into one character, Felix would be that character. Similarly, every scene, every word of dialog, every gesture, and every movement of the well-directed camera compresses a world of misunderstood love like a telegraphed message in which each dot and short dash has a significance. A rose, a hesitant touch, a half-eaten chicken foot, and many other images add to the painting like dots on a pointillist painter’s masterpiece. When Felix explains to his coworkers why his fursuit has wings and why there are stripe marks on the head, for example, Schnabel reveals in a few seconds how a fursuit can contain deep personal meaning for its wearer. It is just one of many poignant scenes here. To be clear, Mom’s Cat is not about the average furry experience, but it is about a side of the fandom that is very true indeed and to which many furries will relate. I would give it two thumbs up, but I’m a bear and don’t have thumbs, so I will give it a big Awoo! instead.

You can read an interview with Schnabel by going here and hitting Translate. There is a link to the movie at the bottom. It’s $5 to watch. [Thank you, Grubbs!]

image c. 2025 by Annabella Schnabel