InFurNation Rotating Header Image

This Guy’s Got Class

Here’s a new full-color graphic novel we discovered thanks to Previews: Mr. Wolf’s Class.From Eisner Award-–winning creator Aron Nels Steinke, a vibrant, funny new series that charmingly captures the everyday antics of a fourth–grade classroom! Mr. Wolf has just started teaching at Hazelwood Elementary. He wants the first day of school to go well, but he’s got his hands full with his new class. Some of his students include: Margot, who is new in town and is trying to make friends. Sampson, who brought something special to school for show-–and-–tell. Aziza, who just wants everyone to be quiet and do their work. And Penny, who is very sleepy because she has a new baby brother at home, goes missing!” Look for it in hardcover over at Scholastic. Oh,  and makes sure to check out the sequel, Mr. Wolf’s Class: Mystery Club.

image c. 2019 Graphix

 

Save the Hive — Save the World

We’ll admit we weren’t familiar with the works of comic creator Mary Fleener, but maybe we should have been: Check out her new graphic novel from Fantagraphics, Billie The Bee. “Meet Billie, an oversized honeybee with an even bigger personality! She’s bold, boisterous, and always singin’ up a storm. Billie lives a sweet life exploring the marshes of San Diego and making friends with Kay the kind Fox, Rayleen the rattlesnake, and Flo and Mo, the dirty joke-telling turtle sisters. But one day humans arrive and illegally release some rabid creatures into the marsh lands, upsetting the delicate ecological balance of the habitat. Can Billie and her woodland friends band together to repel these wild outsiders? And when a natural disaster strikes, does Billie have what it takes to lead the hive? Mary Fleener’s intricate crosshatching and signature mind-bending forays into cubist storytelling masterfully conjure up the world of her plucky honeybee protagonist. A deep dive into the secret life of bees, Billie’s story is by turns both charming and harrowing.” It’s available now in hardcover.

image c. 2019 Fantagraphics Books

Can’t Stop The Rock

Archaia has a special edition reprint you should know about — with a long title! See what’s happening down at Fraggle Rock… “It’s the annual ‘Splish-Splash Friend Bash’ at Fraggle Pond and all of Fraggle Rock is invited! But when a few bullies decide to crash the party, Gobo, Boober, and the other Fraggles will have to look out for one another and come up with a plan to help everyone get along. Written and illustrated  by Jay Fosgitt (Bodie Troll), Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock: The Rough Side of the Rock celebrates Jim Henson’s timeless television series with an inspiring story of acceptance and friendship for fans of all ages.” It’s issue #2 of Archaia’s Fraggle Rock comic, but now it’s in a premium hardcover picture book format. Check out the preview over at Graphic Policy. (Happy 4th!)

image c. 2019 Archaia

The Ponies Carry On

Whoa there! This flew beneath our radar… so it’s time to catch up! As of course you’ve heard (herd?), My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic will be leaving us after this season. (Sniff…) But do not lose hope! It looks like Equestria shall live on… in the pages of IDW comics anyhow.  And they’ve been doing a good job of it so far! Now they’ve decided to celebrate the 75th issue of their flagship series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic with a special double-sized issue — celebrating the return of original MLP comic writer Katie Cook to the family. “My Little Pony celebrates 75 issues of friendship and fun with this double-sized adventure! When a chance purchase leads to a legendary quest for a missing constellation, the ponies reach for the stars and find themselves in the path of their most galactic villain yet… the chaotic Cosmos!” Illustrated by fan favorites Andy Price and Heather Breckel, it’s on the shelves now. And hey, while you’re at it, make sure to look for My Little Pony: To Where and Back Again, written by Justin Eisinger and illustrated by various artists. It’s part of a new series of trade paperback graphic novels from IDW, illustrating favorite episodes of the TV series — in this case, the popular finale of Season Six.

image c. 2019 IDW Publishing

Telling Stories and Drawing Concepts

Recently made a trip to the Ground Zero Animation Expo in Orange County, CA (which we highly recommend if you’re an artist in Southern California, by the way!). There we met Beth Hughes, a character designer and freelance illustrator. “I love telling stories and using my art to get those stories out. My work credits include children’s books, mural designs, and concept art and character design work for various animation companies.” Those companies include places like Nick Jr., Gamesys, and McGraw-Hill Education. Visit her web site to see her resume and lots of her previous illustrations too. And keep an eye out for her new on-line store, coming soon!

image c. 2019 by Beth Hughes

More Than Socks

The Puppetry Institute of Santa Cruz is the impressive name of a California facility that believe in “…giving all who walk through the doors a chance to experience first hand the beauty and wonder of an art form that encompasses all the other arts into one.” No prizes for guessing: They’re located in Santa Cruz, at the Capitola Mall, “Just around the corner from the Santa Cruz Museum of Discovery”.  But they also get out and about to various conventions and fannish events — we found them at BLFC! According to their web site, they give adults, kids, and families a chance to “Explore puppetry through workshops, classes, and demonstrations. Puppetry is more then just a sock with googly eyes — it’s design, construction, movement, masks, sewing — the list goes on. We offer a wide variety of classes in puppetry, theater, and FX skills, that cannot only be counted as art credits but also math, science, and engineering. We have 1000 sq ft space where students can learn in a lively and creative environment; or, we can do 1 and 2 hr pop-up classes at a location of your choosing.” The sight includes a lot of photos of their projects past and present. (Be sure to ask them about the “Dragon Petting Zoo”!)

image c. 2019 The Puppetry Institute

Proudly… a dog!

Happy Pride Month! Gab Shiba is a humorous slice-of-life on-line comic (decidedly Adults Only at times, but not always) that we came across at BLFC this year. It’s written by Cross and illustrated in a manga-style by Zurdo. On their web site, they say this: “It’s a furry openly gay webcomic that tells the story of 3 dogs and their friends, being GAB (The Protagonist), a cute shiba inu, lover of hot guys and sweet moments; and his roomies, WANG, a geek Chow Chow who is a programmer; and BAU, a Husky very musky. They live in the big city, where we show their misadventures and weird experiences, where we all can relate.” Interestingly, the comic is mostly dialogue-free, so it’s readable most anywhere in the world. They have tie-in merchandise they’ve been selling at conventions, and their on-line store is set to open soon.

image c. 2019 gabshiba.com

Fred Patten Lives On… In Writing

We got this direct from the late Fred Patten’s sister Sherry Patten: McFarland Publishers will soon be releasing one of Fred’s last books, Furry Tales: A Review of Essential Anthropomorphic Fiction (which features a forward from none other than Kyell Gold). From now through June 30th, McFarland is offering a 25% discount on books ordered on line — including not-yet-published books like this one! The book itself is set to be released this summer, according to McFarland. Visit the publisher’s web site to find out more.

image c. 2019 McFarland Publishing

Your Childhood Is Not Safe…

Seriously, are we the last ones to know about this…? If so we’re embarrassed. Following the latest… trend (?), Hollywood is making a big budget, live action adaptation of Hanna-Barbera’s 60’s and 70’s icons The Banana Splits… as a horror movie. No, we are not joking or insane. Check out this from MovieWeb.com: “The upcoming horror thriller centers on a boy named Harley who attends a taping of The Banana Splits TV show with his brother Austin, mother Beth, and father, Mitch. It was supposed to be business as usual for the producer of the series, Rebecca, and a fun-filled birthday for young Harley. But things take an unexpected turn… and fittingly the body count quickly rises. Will Harley and company survive? And if so, what will be left of them?” It seems that a review copy of the film is already making the rounds — and the MPAA have given it an R rating for “horror violence and gore”. Honestly, what can we even say…? (Does it surprise anyone that the Syfy Channel has a hand in this?)

image c. 2019 Hanna-Barbera