Jojo Gould is a Scottish writer who has only recently come across furry fandom — just in time for him to write a very furry series of books! The first of which happens to be available at Amazon as a Kindle download. “This is he introductory book in the New Bears for the 21st Century series. In a future where humans are no more, bears have evolved as the planet’s master species. The Bear in a Safari Hat is your first humorous pawstep into that new magical world. Starting off in an almost fairy tale style, the story then unfolds as the characters emerge (think somewhere between Winnie-the-Pooh and Planet of the Apes). The Bear in a Safari Hat is the first part in a series of volumes. This is a coming-of-age serial release for young-at-heart adults and intelligent youth alike.”
For Those Who Like Their Werewolves Evil…
Straight from the Press Release at Previews magalog: “George RR Martin returns to comics with his World Fantasy Award winning story, Skin Trade! With scripting by Martin’s long-time partner, Daniel Abraham, and art by horror legend Mike Wolfer, Skin Trade is set to be one of the must have comics this summer. Private investigator Randi Wade sees the ravaged remains of innocent victims that have been savagely murdered and skinned alive. As the mysterious secrets of the Blackstone Manor begin to be uncovered, she gets ever closer to the monstrous truth…werewolves are real!” Look for it monthly in full color from Avatar Press, starting this July.
Up Against The Spikey One!
Coming this August, Archie Comics presents the 2nd Volume of collected Sonic the Hedgehog stories, this time titled Best of Sonic the Hedgehog: Villains. ” This deluxe new installment to the smash-hit ‘Best of Sonic’ series celebrates twenty years of comics, specials and mini-series with the baddest baddies the Sonic comics have to offer! Heroes are only as good as their villains, and Sonic’s world hosts some of the most fearsome and loathsome characters you love to hate! Root for the bad guy (just this once) in this Best of Villains collection featuring DR. EGGMAN, IXIS NAUGUS, the BABYLON ROUGES and many more in a must-have for any Sonic fan! Plus all-new cover art from Ben Bates with acclaimed painter Dave Devries, and insights from the Sonic creative team!” You heard ’em. Check out this full-color hardcover collection at Amazon.
Adventures in Ugly
After their first appearance in 2001 at San Diego Comic Con and other conventions, the fuzzy little “Ugly Dolls” have become a pop toy phenomenon of their own. Now Viz Media have announced the very first Ugly Dolls series of full-color graphic novels for young readers, starting with Ugly Doll: Goin’ Places this July. From the official press release on Comic Book Resources: “VIZ Media’s Ugly Doll graphic novel series will transport readers to a diverse universe where ‘ugly’ just means unique and different, and celebrating who you are inside and out is the new beautiful. Join Wage™, Babo™, OX™, Ice-Bat™ and their Uglydoll pals as they express themselves through laughs, tears, love and adventure!”
A Furry Play Needs Funding
Hello again! Back from CaliFur in Southern California. And speaking of that…
We’ve mentioned before about Fursona Non Grata, the new furry-themed play written by Jeff Goode (creator of American Dragon: Jake Long and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues). In case you need a recap: A young woman has been raised by furry fans. One day, she brings home her fiancee’ to meet the family… As it turns out, Jeff and the Sky Pilot Theater Company staged a readers’ theater version of Fursona Non Grata at CaliFur this year — to laughter, thunderous applause, and a standing ovation. The producers of Fursona announced that for the actual on-stage production of the play (scheduled for next year) they are looking to have some actual high-quality fur-suits constructed… and that costs money. So, they have started up an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds. Check it out here to find out more about what they need. And keep your eyes on InFurNation to find out when the play will premier!
Prehistoric Pals with Pluck
Playing in theaters now (in front of several movies) is the trailer for Walking With Dinosaurs: The Movie, produced by BBC Earth (of course) and coming to theaters this December. Interestingly, the producers are taking a somewhat anthropomorphic angle for this 3D CGI film: It’s actually narrated by the dinosaurs themselves as they go about their daily lives. In this story, we meet a young frill-head dinosaur, who is something of a runt in his herd — but who will grow up to be a great leader who will guide them through a dangerous world. The film is directed by Barry Cook (Mulan, Arthur Christmas) and Neil Nightingale (Enchanted Kingdom). Check out the trailer at Animation Scoop.
A Boy and His Snake… or Vice Versa
Suddenly everyone is talking about Sanjay and Craig, a new animated TV series on Nickelodeon. It stars the voice of Chris Hardwick (comedian, bowler, and head honcho of The Nerdist Channel on YouTube) as Craig, the best friend of a young suburban boy named Sanjay. Craig, it turns out, just happens to be a talking snake. The Nerdist web site has more details, and you can check out the glowing review at Gerry Beck’s Animation Scoop, also. The series is up and running on Nickelodeon now.
A Little Sympathy for Trolls
Jay P. Fosgitt is a commercial and comic-book artist — among other projects he was the illustrator of Old McMonster’s Haunted Farm (written by Brent Erwin), which we made note of here previously. Now one of Jay’s latest projects (as writer and illustrator) is a full-color comic called Bodie Troll. “Jay’s creator-owned, all-ages comic set in the mythic village of Hagadorn and featuring a grumpy little troll named Bodie. While he aspires to be big and scary, he’s actually cute and cuddly, which confounds his attempts every time.” It’s available now from Red 5 Comics. Check out Jay’s web site to find out more about this and other projects, as well as his commission rates. Yes he does.
Save the Snakes! Save the World!
Serusis is the title of a new 5-issue full-color comic mini-series coming late in June from Big Dog Ink. “Planet Serusis is under the control of the Reliton army and its ruthless leader, Snogard. In an attempt to save their world, two Serusisans kidnap a group of humans in the hopes that they will be able to access the secrets of the creators of Serusis itself. Four humans versus the Reliton army? Good luck with that.” The Serusisans, by the way, resemble large snakes with terrific hairdo’s. The Relitons are big reptiles too, with four limbs and lots of attitude. This all-ages series is written by Tom Hutchison (Critter) and illustrated by Owen Gieni (Avengelyne). Things From Another World has more.