We’ve talked around here before about Reed Gunther, the weird and wacky wild west comic book independently published by brothers Shane Houghton and Chris Houghton. Now, the comic book returns, this time in full-color and published by Image. Why should furry fans care about a cowboy comic? Perhaps because wildman Reed Gunther’s noble steed is a full-grown grizzly bear named Sterling. The bear doesn’t speak — but he has his own ways of commenting on the action all around him. Which is a lot, as Reed has a habit of meeting (and often battling) all kinds of strange and deadly critters throughout the badlands. In their first adventure from Image (coming this June), Reed and Sterling face off against a giant, cow-eating snake!
Comic Book News
Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths
Ya gotta love Kaiju fans sometimes. The come up with things like: Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths. (“Kaiju”, if you didn’t know, is Japanese for “giant monster”.) This new five-issue full-color comic book miniseries comes to us this June from IDW. It’s written by John Layman (Chew) and illustrated by Alberto Ponticelli (Unknown Soldier). Here’s the story: Tokyo detective Makoto Sato is on a never-ending quest to bring down the Takahashi crime syndicate. Soon, his efforts win him a one-way ticket to a tropical paradise… known as Monster Island! Before long Sato is battling for his life against behemoths and bad guys… and to survive, he must enlist the aid of some “bizarre friends”. We’ll find out what that means this summer.
Flashpoint Furries
Yet another mega-series from another big-name comic book publisher. This time it’s DC Comics’ Flashpoint. Several of your favorite superheroes find themselves zapped (in a flash, of course!) to another universe where things have not worked out the same at all as in the “normal” DC universe. Leading the battle to get these stranded heroes home is that super speedster The Flash. Several continuing titles are taking on the Flashpoint story-line, and there are also several one-shot titles involved — some of them of note to furry fans. First off in Grodd of War, Gorilla Grodd seems to have made good on his ambition to take over the world… or at least a good portion of it, as he now rules Africa! Then, there’s the mysterious, very British, very insectoid adventures of The Canterbury Cricket (“His Power is his Curse!”). All of this starts going down this June — and all in full color, of course.
image c. 2011 DC Comics
Kids Do Comics
Now this is something different: A comic book written by a 6-year-old boy, professionally published. That boy would be young Malachai Nicolle, and the comic would be Axe Cop, currently available from Dark Horse Press — illustrated, no less, by Malachai’s 30-year-0ld brother Ethan Nicolle. Axe Cop has been a hit on line since its premier in January of 2010, and now Dark Horse is releasing it as a three-issue full-color miniseries. Fur fans should note: Several interesting anthro characters make their way in and out of the story, including Axe Cop’s reptilian partner, Dinosaur Soldier.
The Man-Bat Collectible
This coming May, DC Comics and Eaglemoss Publications will be offering a brand new collectible figure of the other winged haunter of Gotham City nights, Dr. Kirk Langstrom — or, as he is known in his transformed state, the Man-Bat. What’s more, when you purchase this new figurine you also get a 20-page full-color mini-comic collection featuring some of Man-Bat’s best-known appearances in Batman and other DC titles.
image c. DC Comics
The Fat Cat is Back
Well this sort of came out of nowhere… A brand new CGI show featuring Jim Davis’ inescapable cat Garfield was made in France in 2008. Then, in 2009, episodes of The Garfield Show began airing in North America on Cartoon Network, with all-around voice actor Frank Welker voicing Garfield in place of the late Lorenzo Music. One of the main writers and voice directors for the series is Mark Evanier, who was also lead writer for the original 2D series Garfield and Friends in the 1980’s. Now it seems that Papercutz (home of the Geronimo Stilton series) is creating a series of hardcover full-color comic collections based on The Garfield Show. The collections are titled Garfield & Co., and they come to stores this May.
Oh My!
Hermes Press have announced they are now the new publishers of Mike Bullock and Michael Metcalf’s well-known (and well-loved) comic book series Lions, Tigers, and Bears. The long-awaited full-color Volume 3 graphic novel is available now in softcover. This is from their press release: “Mike Bullock’s internationally acclaimed, best selling title has a new home with Hermes Press! The long awaited Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Volume 3 arrives in stores March, 2011. ‘Lions, Tigers, and Bears is a remarkable title, with memorable characters, an enchanting concept, and beautiful artwork,’ observed Hermes Press’ Publisher, Dan Herman. ‘We’re really excited about releasing all new adventures of Joey, Courtney, Ares, Venus, Pallo and Minerva as a graphic novel.'” For those who haven’t found it yet, Lions, Tigers, and Bears is the story of a group of kids who discover that their stuffed animal toys have the ability to come to life — as rather large animals — to protect the children in their care from an invasion of other-worldly demons.
When Karl Barks did Barney Bear
Some rare and seldom-seen comic book work by Uncle Scrooge creator and artist Carl Barks is coming our way this June, thanks to IDW Publishing. It’s a new hardcover collection called Barks’ Bear Book. Here’s the publisher’s description from Amazon: “Carl Barks tops the list of greatest comic book artists of many devoted fans around the world. He has often been called ‘The Good Duck Artist’ by avid readers of all ages of his Disney Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics. Those Duck stories have been reprinted and loved again and again by millions. But, while the Duck oeuvre is easily obtainable, only a few elite fans have gotten rare glimpses of yet another fabulous, alternate universe that Barks created around the classic animation characters Barney Bear and Benny Burro. Hidden in rare, Golden Age comics only Scrooge McDuck could afford are wonderful, full-color fantasy and fun stories as only Barks can write and draw ’em! Collected for the first time in a deluxe, hardcover, full-color tome are all of these masterpieces, meticulously restored. The Barks’ Bear Book is edited and designed by Eisner-Award-winning comics historian Craig Yoe, with a fascinating introduction and special cover is by Barks-devotee Jeff Smith, the best-selling graphic novelist of the Bone comics series.”
image c. 2011 IDW Publishing
Guardian of the Keystone Quadrant
Rocket Raccoon has been a busy little mammal. He became known as one of the deadliest weapons experts in the galaxy in Marvel Comics’ Annihilation series, after saving the universe as one of the Guardians of the Galaxy. But before all that, he was the sworn guardian of the Keystone Quadrant in the original Rocket Raccoon mini-series — written by Bill Mantlo, with art by Marvel greats Keith Giffen, Mike Mignola, and Sal Buscema. Now Marvel has collected all four issues as well as the original appearance of Rocket Raccoon in the page of Incredible Hulk #271 (along with the follow-up from Marvel Previews #7) in one hardcover book. It’s 144 pages of full color, coming your way this August.
