Thanks to the folks over at Cartoon Brew, we now know about Chicken Core: The Rise of Kings — one of the first animated short films ever completely produced in the country of Nigeria. Here’s the description from YouTube: “Chicken Core is a Nigerian animated feature which follows the adventures of a group of chicken warriors in their quest to rid the land of Amaji from the clutches of the tyrannous Boar King and his minions.” Got that? It’s directed by Oricha Aliyu and produced by Sporedust Media. Animation in Nigeria is really starting from the ground up, as all the people who work for Sporedust are self-taught. Check out what they’ve created — and be on the lookout for what they do next.
Eat at the Bear’s
Shirokuma Cafe literally translates from Japanese as Polar Bear Cafe. It’s a manga series created by Aloha Higa, following the story of a little coffee house in Japan — run by a polar bear, and frequented by any number of zoo animals. The three main characters are Polar Bear, lazy young Panda, and lovesick Penguin. (Most of the animal characters in the series are simply naked after their species.) The manga has been running since 2008, but just this year a new anime series based on it came to TV thanks to Studio Pierrot. You can find out more at Anime News Network, or check out an actual episode at Crunchyroll.
Krazy Kat is Turning 100
Just in time for the 100th anniversary of George Herriman’s world-famous Krazy Kat comic strip, Sunday Press Books is re-releasing Krazy Kat: A Celebration of Sundays in hardcover. “A Centennial Celebration! Finally, Krazy Kat as it was meant to be seen. From the publishers of the celebrated and much-awarded Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays! deluxe oversized reprint edition, come 135 full-size Sunday pages from 1916-1944 — plus dozens more early comics from George Herriman. It’s the eternal triangle of the comics — Kat, Mouse, and Pupp, along with the catalytic brick. Here are their glorious, poignant, and hilarious stories from the genius of George Herriman, reprinted for the first time in their original size and colors. Included in the 14 x 17-inch collection is a sampling of all Herriman’s creations for the Sunday newspaper comics from 1901-1906: Professor Otto, The Two Jackies, Major Ozone, and more, many of which have never been reprinted before. Now, 100 years after Ignatz tossed his first brick, step back in time to delight in the timeless tales of America’s great comic strip artist and his greatest creation, Krazy Kat.” Check it out on Amazon.
Michael. Elephant. Detective.
There’s no way we could describe the new graphic novel District 14 any better than the publisher, Humanoids Inc., did in Previews magalog: “Follow Michael the elephant as he arrives to the city known as District 14, a labyrinthine metropolis where humans, animals and aliens all co-exist. A unique anthropomorphic mystery with an intricate plot and a fantastic cast of characters, this incredible French series is finally making its way across the Atlantic.” It’s written by Pierre Gabus and illustrated in black & white by Romuald Reutimann, and it’s coming out in hardcover this January.
High School Werewolves
Yaoi and werewolves? A winning combination for some adult-manga readers. Well that’s the idea behind Wild Honey, written and illustrated by Sei Takenaka. “Hina, the student council president at St. Jeremiah High School, has a secret. Hina is the head of a family that inherited werewolf blood, and recently, he has no memories of nights with a full moon. When he encounters the student council president of a rival school, he is aroused by a scent. While he is usually calm and unperturbed by anything, this scent has transformed his personality; even the mere memory of the scent triggers a passionate reaction.” It’s being released in North America by Digital Manga. You can read more about it at Anime News Network, or order it in paperback at Amazon.
The Fans Have Spoken!
It’s become evident that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is not the only animated TV series that has taken some interesting twists and turns thanks to on-line fan input. Fans of Adventure Time with Finn and Jake became obsessed with the idea of a gender-swapped variation on the popular series after the idea popped up on the Internet. And thus Fionna and Cake, human and cat, were born. Well now Boom! Studio’s Kaboom! line have added to their Adventure Time line with the premier of the new Fionna & Cake 6-issue mini-series (in full color). Here’s a write-up from Jim Hill Media: “The highly anticipated series will be written and illustrated by none other than the characters’ creator and Adventure Time storyboard artist Natasha Allegri with a full 32-page first issue. Join Cake the Cat and Fionna the Human in this totally algebraic new adventure! When Fionna rescues a feral flame boy from a pack of wild fire lions, it starts her on a quest she’ll never forget…” It all starts this coming January.
Dreamworks Adventure Magazine
If you haven’t seen it yet: Dreamworks Animation has a new regular publication, Dreamworks Adventure Magazine, which they put out through Ape Entertainment. Each issue features new full-color comics of various Dreamworks characters and movies, as well as puzzles, artwork, and more. The latest issue (#3) features a Madagascar 3 cover and comic story, ‘Long Live the King’ backed up by a Megamind story, ‘Minion, Where’s the Car?!’. It also features a double-sided pull-out poster for Madagascar 3 and Rise of the Guardians. You can find out more at the Ape Entertainment web site for the magazine, but your humble ed-otter found one for sale at his local supermarket.
Badger is Back and Even Badder
Look out! The Honey Badger is back! And he still doesn’t care… Once more Fred Perry and Jey Odin present the black & white adventures of the world’s toughest mustelid in Honey Badger vs. the World. “This is the Honey Badger. He’s had his own video, commercials, and even a comic book. But Honey Badger don’t care. Long as he gets to eat whenever he’s not asleep, that’s all that matters. Plenty of animals, people, and…things…have a problem with the Honey Badger’s attitude, and they’re all gonna be up in his furry grill, but when you’re that badass, you don’t give… well, you know.” This new one-shot is coming from Antarctic Press in January.
From the Forests… to Mars
The people of the dying planet Mars need a savior. Someone to free them from the evil forces destroying their world. In desperation they reach out to the blue planet, Earth, for aid. What they get is… a sasquatch. Seriously. That’s the premise of Bigfoot: Sword of the Earthman, a new full-color comic book series written by Josh Henaman. It’s illustrated by Andy Taylor and Thomas Bonvillain, and published by Brew House Comics. You can check it out at Josh’s official Bigfoot web site.