What if Sherlock Holmes was reincarnated as a dog? Well, it’s an idea, anyway. Sherlock Bones is a new black & white manga series created by Yuma Ando and illustrated by Yuki Sato. The digest-sized trade paperback is available at Barnes & Noble. This is from the publisher, Kodansha International: “When Takeru adopts his new pet, he’s in for a surprise—the dog is none other than the reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective. What’s more, this “Sherdog” has decided that Takeru is the reincarnation of his long-time assistant, Dr. Watson. Takeru may think Sherdog (or he himself) is crazy, but with no one else able to communicate with Holmes, he’s roped into becoming the canine’s assistant all the same. Using his exceptional sleuthing skills, Holmes uncovers clues to solve the trickiest crimes.”
Furry Stuff from a Big Dog
Ursa Minor: It’s a new full-color comic series in the horror genre, starting this month from Big Dog Ink. “Nature’s supernatural balance is shattered when werewolves kill the President and vampires come to mankind’s aide. Now, one girl with a power she can barely control sets out to right what has gone horribly wrong the only way she knows how. Kill them all!” We think the cover illustration from the preview issue (shown below) makes it pretty clear exactly what this young lady’s power is! Ursa Minor is written by Tom Hutchison and illustrated by Ian Snyder. Big Dog’s web site has more information. Meanwhile, Big Dog is also bringing out issue #12 of The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West (also, interestingly, written by Tom Hutchison). This full-color series smooshes together L. Frank Baum’s creation with a spaghetti western — no we’re not kidding. This new issue begins a story arch looking at the back history of the deadly Flying Monkeys.
A Rat, a Pig, and a Lawyer Walk Into a Space Bar…
Pearls Before Swine is a full-color on-line comic strip written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis — who was formerly a lawyer in California. “At its heart, Pearls Before Swine is the comic strip tale of two friends: An arrogant Rat who thinks he knows it all and a slow-witted Pig who doesn’t know any better. Together, this pair offers caustic commentary on humanity’s quest for the unattainable. Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams says that Pearls is ‘one of the few comics that makes me laugh out loud.'” Well there you have it. There have been several paperback book collections of Pearls Before Swine comic strips; the latest one, Rat’s Wars, is coming from Andrews McMeel Publishing this October. Check it out over at Amazon. And check out the comic itself over at GoComics.
One Shots from the Ape
Two new full-color one-shot comic books from Ape Entertainment’s Kizoic line are set to hit stores later this month. Both of them are tied in to Kizoic’s successful Dreamworks Animation comics. And both of them have long titles! In Kung Fu Panda: Tale of Two Noodle Shops, “Business at Mr. Ping’s noodle shop has been booming since his adopted son Po became the legendary Dragon Warrior. But when a new noodle shop opens in the Valley Of Peace, touting nightly entertainment by the Dragon Wizard, can Po lure back his father’s clientele? Or has his act gone as stale as noodles left out overnight?” Find out in a story written by Troy Dye and illustrated by Massimo Asaro. Check it out at Things From Another World. And then, there’s The Penguins of Madagascar: Mortzilla vs. King Kowalski, written by Jackson Lanzing with art by Bob Renzas and Antonio Campo. Well, frankly, we don’t think we can tell you about it better than the cover does! Either way, find out more at Mile High Comics.
Another Animal Rock Band for Kids!
The British power-metal band known as Ascension have started up a side project: A cartoon band dedicated to making some rockin’ tunes for little listeners. Yes, in the tradition of Hevisaurus (look it up!) it’s time for Sharky Sharky, the undersea band! Their stated purpose: “”Kids don’t have much to listen to today, no real live bands to look up to. They have One Direction, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus…all artists who glorify love, fashion and popularity – all things kids shouldn’t have to worry about right now, especially when enjoying music!” You can check out Sharky Sharky’s first four songs on Sound Cloud, or on their Facebook page.
Calendars for 2014
Two popular and well-known anthropomorphic art calendars are completed again, and taking orders for 2014. The Rare Calendar is dedicated to anthropomorphic species that are less usually drawn. This year, the theme is “festivities”, which each of 13 artists drawing anthro characters celebrating various holidays from around the globe. Artists like: Ashalind, Bloodhound Omega, Heather Bruton, Centradragon, Alector Fencer, Firefeathers, Golden Druid, Katmomma, Nimrais, Donna Quinn, Rhyu, ShinigamiGirl, and Windfalcon. The Rare Calendar web site has more details and order information. Meanwhile the Werewolf Calendar (which speaks for itself!) includes lycanthropic art from the likes of Maria Anisimova, Balaa, Blotch, Dark Natasha, Sarah Finnigan, Goldenwolf, Katie Hofgard, Kyndir, Nambroth, Nimrais, Synnabar, Tachit, and Vantid. Check out their web site to order a copy, or to order last year’s calendar if you missed it.
That Crazy Dog Hits the Surf
Snoopy the dog is one of the most iconic anthropomorphic characters ever, but his notoriety seems to have been fading after the death of his creator. That’s something that the folks at AMP! Comics for Kids seem to be taking on directly: “Charles Schulz’s Peanuts is one of the most timeless and beloved comic strips ever. Now AMP! helps carry on that legacy with new collections of Peanuts classics focused around topics sure to resonate with middle-grade readers. Kicking off the series is Snoopy: Cowabunga! Together these books will introduce a new generation of kids to the lovable cast in time for the new animated Peanuts movie, which hits theaters fall 2014!” Oh really now? First we’ve heard of it too. Anyway, check out this first new collection at Mile High Comics. This full-color trade paperback collection comes out later this month.
Sword in his Hand, Swords in his Mouth
“When his village is enslaved and his wife kidnapped by the malevolent Mastodon Mathematician, a simple farmer must find his inner warrior! Granted the form of the Sabertooth Swordsman by the Cloud God of Sasquatch Mountain, our hero embarks on a treacherous journey to the Mastodon’s fortress, along the way getting beaten to a pulp by ogres, plague mutants, the king’s army, and goats!” We can’t make this stuff up folks. That’s why we just present it to you! It’s called Sabertooth Swordsman, and it’s coming in hardcover from Dark Horse Press this November. This black & white fantasy graphic novel was written by Damon Gentry (Eerie) and illustrated by Aaron Conley (Prophet). In addition to the story it features guest pin-up art by the likes of Mike Allred, Brandon Graham, David Lafuente, and others. For a first look, check out the preview article at Invade My Privacy.
Out of the Shadows and Into Your Game Console
The pizza-loving ninja-boys are back, in a brand new game created by Red Fly Studios and published by Activision. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a down-loadable game based largely on the current hit TMNT series on Nickelodeon, as well as the original comics of course. A 4-person co-op game (convenient huh?), it also features an optional 2-player off-line mode. It was released on August 28 for Xbox Live Arcade and Steam, and it will be released on September 24 for PlayStation Network. There’s a preview video of the game currently making the rounds on YouTube. You can also check out the game’s official page on Facebook.








