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Book

Does He Write Scripts?

Look, sometimes we just can’t explain something — so we simply have to give it to you as we found it. Things like Timothy Dinoman Saves The Cat, written and illustrated by Steve Thueson. “To learn what these suspected supervillains want with outer-space tech, the world’s nicest iguanodon will visit a mountain fortress, a giant blimp, and a diner with excellent pancakes. On the way, he’ll even meet a really cute cat. Grab your rocket boots and your fake mustache — it’s time to crack the case with Timothy!” Find out what’s it’s all about from Lerner.

image c. 2023 Lerner Books

Wander into Wonder

A new full-color graphic novel for young readers: It’s called The Wondrous Wonders, written and illustrated by Camille Jourdy. “Hurt by her parents’ divorce and struggling to accept her new step-family, she decides to run away and live alone in the woods. But she soon discovers that she’s far from alone. Jo stumbles into a fantastical world full of tiny elves, talking foxes, and mischievous, multicolored ponies known as the Wondrous Wonders. Her new friends are on a mission: Rise up against Emperor Tomcat, the tyrannical leader who rules the enchanted forest they call home. Can Jo find the courage to vanquish an evil empire and get back to her family before dinnertime?” Find out now, in hardcover from Macmillan. (Merry Christmas and a Blessed Solstice!)

image c. 2023 First Second

One Little Spark

The Dragons of Ember City is a new full-color graphic novel series for young readers, created by Shane Richardson and Sarah Marino (both of whom are animators at Nickelodeon). The first book in the series is called Happy Spark Day. “Drake, Li, and Runa are three young dragons in Ember City, where a dragon’s spark is their special power and every dragon’s spark is unique. Ember is a city that burns brightest when its citizens use their sparks to help each other and their community. The more they use their spark, the brighter Ember City glows and provides for all its dragons. Can Drake, Li, and Runa learn to get along after uncovering their powers?” All this and more from Simon & Schuster.

image c. 2023 Aladdin Books

This Would Be… Bad…?

And now for something altogether different… Night of the Living Cat, a new black & white manga created by Hawkman and Mecha-Roots. “A virus spreads across the world, transforming all humankind into wild, slavering, furry beasts: Cats, to be precise. Those few survivors who remain human take refuge in the dark corners of the earth as they fight back against the feline horde. Kunagi, a man with no memory of his past yet a deep knowledge of cats, struggles to hold on with only his wits and a will to survive. Yet the virus transmits merely through cuddles, and Kunagi finds kitties so hard to resist! Is his willpower strong enough to withstand this hair-raising cat-tastrophe?” Find out from Seven Seas.

image c. 2023 Seven Seas Entertainment

Cat-Spiracy

We missed out on The Evil Secret Society of Cats — but maybe we found out just in time! It’s a full-color manga series written and illustrated by Pandania. “They may seem cute and cuddly, but these kitties are up to no good! Under the direction of the purple-caped Feline Commander, the Evil Secret Society of Cats schemes against humanity in a series of humorous stories as adorable as they are diabolical. After all, the complex nature of cats is part of their charm.” Several volumes are available now from Seven Seas.

image c. 2023 Seven Seas

Not Yet Ready to Rumble

Missed this before, but we came across it now… Team-Up: El Toro & Friends, a graphic novel for kids by the award-winning artist known as Raul the Third. “El Toro and friends make a great team! But that wasn’t always the case. A long time ago, they went to Ricky Ratón’s School of Lucha, learning everything from strength training to patience. When it comes time for one final test, El Toro and friends have to decide whether working alone is the best way to go or if teaming up might make things easier… and more fun!” It’s available now from Versify.

image c. 2023 Versify

Time for a Tiger’s Tale?

For a while now we’ve been following the news that Lawrence Yep’s popular fantasy novel The Tiger’s Apprentice was being made into a feature film. Not certain what happened to that project over the course of a pandemic and several Hollywood strikes, but now we’re getting word that a different animated movie based on the novel is making its way to Paramount+ next February. And this time we even get a teaser trailer! “Based on the popular children’s book series of the same name by Laurence Yep, the film follows Chinese American teenager Tom Lee, whose life changes forever when he discovers he is part of a long lineage of magical protectors known as the Guardians… In the film, with guidance from a mythical tiger named Hu, Tom trains to take on Loo, a force that is as powerful as a Guardian but has evil intentions of using magic to destroy humanity. To fight against Loo, Tom must reunite all twelve Zodiac animal warriors and master his own newly discovered powers.” There’s more details and an interesting cast list over at Animation World Network.

image c. 2023 Paramount+

Adrift, But Not Alone

Another author we met at at MFF goes by the name of Utunu. Their book is an adult-themed adventure called Rafts. “Kunet, a young human pearl-diver from a small coastal fishing village, seeks to prove himself. Yet when the gods of sea and sky clash, it wreaks havoc on those caught between. In the wake of catastrophe, he finds himself adrift with an unexpected companion. Torn from their homes and everything they once knew, two strangers must now work together to survive, even as an unlikely relationship blossoms between them.” You can see from the cover just what sort of thing that companion actually is! The illustrated novel is available now at their web site.

image c. 2023 by Utunu

Finding His Own Kind. Maybe.

Back from MidWest FurFest, and of course we have a lot to talk about! One person we met was Daniel Becker, an author with a brand-new self-published anthropomorphic science fiction series to his credit. The first book in Daniel’s American Feral series is called Imprint. “Waking up drugged, confused, and blindfolded, a human teenager named Ghent Sparrow is kidnapped by Primes: Half-animal half-human hybrids created by the military. They suspect Ghent of being a Prime himself. Brought to the Prime capital Kingdom, Ghent is offered a chance to represent humanity as the first human soldier in the Prime army. Knowing there may be no world for him back in the United States as a hybrid, Ghent accepts the offer and is initiated into the Prime Liberation Force. He must battle the rigorous training from his wolf commander, being threatened by Evolutionaries (who seek to exterminate humanity), and learn his place in society as the bottom of the food chain… which makes him question his humanity in a world of beasts.” Book two in the series, Identity, is also available.

image c. 2023 by Daniel Becker