The artist known as Sekhmet has brought together a wealth of furry and fantasy artists to create the new Pin-Up Portfolio, a 56-page softcover coffee-table book of full-color art newly available for order this month. Featuring artists as diverse as Balaa, Dark Natasha, Diana Harlan Stein, Heather Bruton, Michele Light, Kacey Miyagami, Caribou, and many many more, this collection features over 40 full-color illustrations of furry ladies, sexily dressed or tastefully topless… plus 8 pages of sketches and work-in-progress illustrations, as well as information about the artists. Take note that this rare gathering of furry art talent is available only for a short time, and can only be ordered on the Internet. Visit http://pinupportfolio.com/ to find out more about ordering your own copy.
Books and Trade Paperbacks
New Comic Title from Blotch!
I think I’ll let Blotch themselves explain this one…
“Across Thin Ice is the first book of the Nordguard Trilogy. In short: It is a fully painted, color graphic novel, with each book coming in around 90 pages. Sofawolf Press will be publishing it and we’re looking at a release date of summer 2010.
The story is set in the north-eastern arctic in the year of 1903 and follows the trail of Pi and her team of sled-dogs. The northland is an untamed and cruel country, ruled by the winter and populated by scattered tribes and half starved strays. But now, at the turn of the 20th century, it is civilization’s last frontier and must be won. In this time of dauntless enterprise, exploration and intrepid spirits, thousands travel north to seek their own manifest destiny in the land of the midnight sun. The Nodguard is an elite company of dogs formed for search, rescue and exploration in the arctic regions of the White Land. Charged with cutting trails, carrying mail and recovering lost travelers, their dangerous job is never done. When a distress call comes over the wire in the late autumn, Pi and the team are called into swift action. With tensions between the three great nations rising in the northland, the team quickly finds themselves in deeper trouble than usual. Traveling in the company of an arrogant military officer and a green field surgeon, pursued by relentless hunters and pushed into the grip of a much larger conspiracy, their survival rides on very thin ice.
Arctic adventure, collies, huskies, Smith & Wessons, snow, caribou, tigers, wolverines, mines, glaciers, walrus, lumberjacks, sleds, canned fish, dynamite, barometers, bears and boars–what more is there! Well, a lot, but you’ll have to check out the Nordguard Website for more: www.nordguard.com.
But wait, want Free Stuff? Well, my friend, don’t fret. The folks at Sofawolf will be giving away, 100% free, no purchase necessary 18×24 posters of the Nordguard promo picture, here! When, you say? At their Sofawolf Dealer’s Island at AnthroCon this July! It’ll be first come, first serve while supplies last, so don’t miss out!”
You heard them! Check out the previews this summer, and look for the first book in 2010. And of course, keep your eyes on Sofawolf Press (www.sofawolf.com) for lots more cool anthropomorphic publications.
Very Short Notice!
We just received word about a special event for animation fans taking place next week:
“Walt Stanchfield’s Drawn to Life
20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes
Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 7:00 p.m.
Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium
Woodbury University
7500 Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA
Join Don Hahn [producer of The Lion King and many other animated films — ye ed-otter] and a panel of distinguished guests for a discussion of Walt Stanchfield’s Drawn to Life series.
Drawn to Life is a two volume collection of the legendary lectures from long-time Disney animator Walt Stanchfield. Edited by Don Hahn, all of Walt Stanchfield’s handout notes and lectures have been assembled into a two volume collection titled Drawn to Life – 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes. Walt was an animator, trainer, mentor and coach for decades at Disney and helped breathe life into the new golden age of animation with his teachings. He influenced such talented artists as Tim Burton, Brad Bird, John Musker, Glen Keane, Andreas Deja, and John Lasseter.
Following the panel discussion, Don Hahn will sign copies of Drawn to Life. A limited number of copies of this two volume collection will be available for purchase at the event.
Reservations are not required for this program. Admission is free. Parking is free and available on the Woodbury University campus.”
Meanwhile the books, Drawn to Live Volumes 1 and 2, are available in trade paperback from Focal Press.
Re-Live the Turtles’ Early Days
Archie Comics has reprinted the first three full-color issues of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures (written and drawn by Michael Dooney) in a new trade paperback. This is the comic based on the first TMNT animated TV series from the 1980’s — we know, we know, it’s hard to keep track of which is what in the Ninja Turtle universe! Just remember that this is the series where Master Splinter is Hamato Yoshi, mutated, rather than being Yoshi’s vengeful pet rat.
The Best of Wallace and Gromit — Book!
Titan publishing has collected 176 pages of full-color Wallace and Gromit comic strips together in The Best of Wallace and Gromit trade paperback (by Dan Abnett, Simon Furman, Jimmy Hansen, and others). Nick Park’s beloved and award-winning claymation duo are back in new comic strip adventures, along with their friend Shaun the Sheep and their fierce enemy, Feathers McGraw the criminal penguin!
Pre-order the book “Nuclear Hoodie”
Lis “Lizardbeth” Boriss has been writing and illustrating the multi-species on-line comic strip Broken Plot Device since 2008. Now she’s looking to produce the first on-paper collection — but she needs help to do that. From her BPD web site:
“It’s been almost a year since BPD started. Many of you have been here since the early beginning, some of you are recent converts. Well, the time has come to collect the past year in a SUPER AWESOME HOLD-IN-YOUR HAND tree corpse form! The title is Nuclear Hoodie, and it’s all of the comics from the past year PLUS a bunch of brand new never-posted-before illustrations and extras. Right now, the plan is to debut the book at Anthrocon. But I can’t do that without YOUR help!!”
Visit her web site at www.brokenplotdevice.com to see the latest comic and find out more about how to pre-order the new book… and help to get it printed!
New from Boom!
Boom! Studios has quite a roster of full-color comic book mini-series coming along that should be of interest to furry fans of many stripes. Disney/Pixar’s Cars (by Alan J. Porter and Albert Carreres) takes us back to the origins of superstar (supercar?) Lightning McQueen. The Muppet Show (by Roger Langridge) takes us behind the scenes as Fozzie, Ms. Piggy, Gonzo, and the rest try to lift Kermit the Frog out of a deep blue funk — in the most surreal ways imaginable. And Farscape: Strange Detractors (by series creator Rockne S. O’Bannon, with Keith DeCandido and Will Sliney) brings us new adventures (and new dangers) for the crew of the living ship known and Moya. While you’re at it, look for the Farscape Volume 1 hardcover collection, which brings together the first four issues of the Farscape comic by O’Bannon, DeCandido, and Tommy Patterson. All of them should be on the shelves now.
Seaweed
Ben Balistreri is an Annie Award nominated character designer and storyboard artist who has worked extensively for Disney, Universal, Nickelodeon, Laika, and Cartoon Network. Now, he’s branched out on his own into comics with the premier of Seaweed, a large-sized full-color hardcover graphic novel series that Ben wrote and illustrated. Take warning: Funny animals or not, is decidedly NOT for kids. The first installment of the series is A Cure for Mildew. Seaweed, a pelican with a VERY well-stocked bill, is the captain of the Salty Sugar. He and his fishy first mate, Poisson, find themselves pressed into the service of Mildew, a dying bat who believes his only hope of survival rests in an ancient book rumored to have been written by the Devil himself! Seaweed #1 is published by Salty Sugar Comics, and includes a large gallery of sketches and development art. Visit www.saltysugar.com to find out more.
The Gwaii Collection
The first set of issues of The Gwaii by Sean O’Reilly and Pedro Del Gado have been released in a new full-color hardcover collection by Arcana Studio. Tanu is a young sasquatch lost in the great Canadian wilderness when his mother is captured by Fearsome Creatures. To get her back, he’ll have to use all his skills as he faces frightening mythological beings.
