This year’s annual one-shot for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic takes a different tack, so to speak: One for the superhero fans! “Check out the original Power Ponies in action! When the Mane-iac assembles an all-star team of villains, the Power Ponies may be outmatched! It will take a familiar face from Equestria to even the odds! Get ready for super powered adventure like you’ve never seen it!” Or so they say over at Previews. Brought to you by writer Ted Anderson and artist Ben Bates, My Little Pony Annual 2014 comes blasting your way in full color this month from IDW!! (Sorry, we had to…)
The Return of Inspector LeBrock
Steampunk and furry fans may both rejoice as writer/artist Brian Talbot brings us the latest edition of his anthropomorphic alternate history series in Grandville Noel, coming this November in hardcover from Dark Horse Press. “With his trusty adjunct, Detective Sergeant Ratzi, away for Christmas, there’s no holiday for Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard as he embarks on an investigation into the disappearance of his housekeeper’s niece, Bunty Spall. The trail leads to a growing religious cult, where a charismatic unicorn messiah and his con men cronies, already responsible for mass murder in the United States, are about to lead a crusade for the ethnic cleansing of the French Empire’s doughfaces – the derogatory nickname for humans used by the majority, animal-headed population. Teaming up with Chance Lucas, a gun-slinging operative of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, and reigniting his steamy love affair with the voluptuous Parisian badger prostitute Billie, LeBrock clashes with both cult fanatics and doughface terrorists, uncovering in the process a centuries-old religious conspiracy that threatens to plunge the world into bloody civil war.” Find out more about this full-color series at Brian Talbot’s blog page.
Behind the Bricks
If you’re a fan of Lego System’s surprise furry hit The Legend of Chima, there are a couple of new resources out you might want to find. With LEGO Legends of Chima: The Secret History you can “Dive into the world of Chima and follow the epic story of the LEGO® Legends of Chima minifigures as they feud over the energy source CHI in LEGO® Legends of Chima: The Secret History. Relive the adventure while learning tons of information about your favorite LEGO Legends of Chima tribes, locations, and minifigures including Laval, Eris, Razar and the infamous Cragger. Learn battle plans and attack strategies, the difference between the five main tribes, and much more in this exciting new LEGO book. LEGO® Legends of Chima: The Secret History presents the world of Chima like never before!” according to Brickipedia (gotta love that). Then there’s the Chima Character Encyclopedia, which is pretty much self-explanatory — and currently available at Barnes & Noble. Both of them are published by DK Books.
The Most Famous Furry in the World?
It’s quite possible that Mickey Mouse could well be that — though, of course, Bugs Bunny could also be considered a serious contender. Still, The Mouse has been around the longest, and author Garry Apgar decided to take a look what possibly accounts for Mickey’s world-wide appeal in a new hardcover book. “Since his modest debut in 1928, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse has evolved into arguably the world’s most recognized and beloved fictional figure. Mickey Mouse: Emblem of the American Spirit is the illustrated biography of a unique cartoon character, his life and times, and his impact and influence around the world in art and literature. Part art history and part cultural study, Apgar’s Mickey Mouse narrates how the character was initially developed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, how his irrepressible spirit grew to huge popularity during the Depression, and how he became a politically charged cultural icon of international reach.” You can order the book at Midtown Comics. It’s coming later this month from Simon & Schuster.
Italian Foxes Saving the Planet
Italy appears to be the latest country vying to jump into the international animation pool — and it’s doing so with animated animals. According to an article in Variety, Ambi Pictures (currently producing a live-action film with Al Pacino called The Humbling) have announced their first animated feature, Arctic Justice Thunder Squad, directed by Matthew Lyon and animated in his native Canada. “The tale turns on a sinister walrus who plots to accelerate global warming and melt the Arctic Circle. A rag-tag group of inexperienced heroes, led by a fox, must come together to foil his nefarious plan and save the Arctic.” The producers, Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi, are currently in America looking to secure funding and distribution for the film. So far, no word on a possible completion date for it.
Mom and Dad are Rats
Canadian artist and writer Eric Orchard makes quite a big splash with his first graphic novel, Maddy Kettle: The Adventures of the Thimblewitch. This is from Previews: “Maddy is an eleven year old girl with a pet toad named Ralph. And they’re on a rather big adventure right now, as her parents are currently kangaroo rats – having been put under a spell. On their way to find the Thimblewitch to sort everything out, they battle Spider Goblins and befriend two endearing Cloud Mappers, Harry the bear and Silvio the raccoon, who help them get where they’re going. We won’t tell you what happens next, but we can assure you that it’s a beautiful and magical ride.” Top Shelf Productions will release this full-color all-ages fantasy in trade paperback this October.
One Dimension-Hopping Felinsect
Perfect Square and the makers of Bravest Warriors have teamed up to bring us two new hardcover books aimed at young readers — though grown-up fans of that Internet phenomenon are certain to find some surreal and interesting stuff as well. The star of it all? Catbug, “everyone’s favorite dimension-hopping adventurer”. In The Search for Catbug, we find that “Catbug ate some weird new cubes of food that caused him to lose what little control he already had over his jump abilities! Now he’s careening through dimensions, unable to stop! Help the Bravest Warriors travel the galaxy and find Catbug. Just don’t eat any of those cube snacks or you might end up lost too!” Simon & Schuster have a web site for it too. Meanwhile in Catbug’s Treasure Book “…we see the world from his perspective. A kind of scrapbook, the pages are filled with memories and souvenirs of his adventures with the Bravest Warriors, along with his playtime imaginings. There are also allusions to past episodes (Danny’s eyebrows taped to a page, for example), and hints at secrets not yet revealed.” We found this one over at Booksamillion.
The Girl and Her Wolf Ride Again
If you haven’t already, you might want to make yourself familiar with Fairy Quest by Paul Jenkins (story) and Humberto Ramos (art). After selling out of their original trade paperback, Fairy Quest: Outlaws, Jenkins and Ramos ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to continue the story. And now Boom! Studios have picked up that continuation as a new full-color series, Fairy Quest: Outcasts. In the magical land of Fablewood, all the myths and legends of old must live their lives by the dictates of their Story — else the evil Think Police will wipe their minds clean. Now, Red Riding Hood and Wolf have broken the law — by becoming good friends. The first issue of Outcasts will hit the shelves this October. Check it out at Previews.
Just What Every 4th Grader Needs
Comic strip creator Dana Simpson (best known for the Ursa Major Award-winning Ozy & Millie) has a new on-line black & white comic, Heavenly Nostrils. (It’s up and running on Go Comics.) One day a little girl named Phoebe is out skipping stones on a pond — and she accidentally bonks a unicorn on the nose. By freeing that unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, from her reflection-induced staring spell Phoebe is granted one wish… and she wishes for herself and Marigold to be best friends. From there, things get complicated. Well now Andrews McMeel Publishing have released the first paperback collection of Heavenly Nostrils strips, appropriately enough entitled Phoebe and Her Unicorn. Check it out at Barnes & Noble.