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Book

A Boy Becomes A Man… And A Dragon?

He Walks With Dragons is the first book in a new fantasy series of the same name by author and poet Stanley S. Thornton. As he points out, unlike your average fantasy series this does not take place in a fantasy land — it imagines dragons in our actual world, influencing human history and human evolution. “Draig, a boy on the verge of his manhood, is summoned to the majestic mountain by the Great Ones. There he finds out he is about to transcend the ages and risk his life to prevent the destruction of mankind. Born into the naïve innocence of ancient man, Draig lives a simple pastoral existence in a quiet, small village. But one day he is flung on a magical journey into a forbidden new world. There Draconos, a dragon, befriends the boy, training him in the art of warfare. From this day forward, the young boy finds himself in awe at the wonders the world holds for him. Not only has Draig become a man, but he is living like a dragon and learning their mystical powers… And when the time comes, will Draig be willing to lay down his life for the sake of saving the dragons? And when the dragons are gone, where will he go?” He Walks With Dragons and The Staff And The Orb, the 2nd book in the planned 4-book series, are available now. Visit the author’s web site to find out more about the series and when the next books are coming.

image c. 2014 Mystic Dragon Publishing

image c. 2014 Mystic Dragon Publishing

Man of Design

Walt Disney referred to Marc Davis as his “Renaissance Man” because Marc could seemingly do anything… He could do storyboards, design characters, animate, and he could even help to design new attractions for Walt’s theme parks. And now professionals from each of those departments and more have gathered together to celebrate Marc’s life and legacy in a massive new hardcover book, Marc Davis: Walt Disney’s Renaissance Man, coming this October from Disney Editions.  It’s filled with Marc’s original sketches and designs, as well as background information from his friends and co-workers. Need a furry tie-in for all this? Look no further than his character designs for The Country Bears and America Sings attractions at Disneyland. But there’s more.

image c. 2014 Disney Editions

image c. 2014 Disney Editions

After the Last Ride

And now for something completely different: Anthropomorphic… amusement park rides. Yes. “What happens to amusement park rides once they are put into storage or destroyed? They are magically transported to a place only known as ‘Amusement Park Between’, a park that co-exist within any other and is only accessible by those who are of its blood. There are no limits and no humans. The only residents are the rides. However, they are much different from our own. Amusement Park Between’s rides are ALIVE, having both the characteristics of man and beast. Amusement Park Between was once merry and joyous, but for the past several years it has spiraled into turmoil. An evil tyrant known as Ironwheel has taken control, casting a dark shadow over Amusement Park Between, and whose evil intentions endanger both their world and our own. The rides only hope is the key to their prophecy; the red will defeat the black. That particular key is the only ride that was created differently. The red roller coaster, Railrunner. And this is his story.” Got all that? It’s all there in Twisted, a new illustrated novel from the artist and writer Miranda Leek. You can read more about it and see all of her illustrations for Twisted over at her personal web site. The book is available now.

image c. 2014 by Miranda Leek

image c. 2014 by Miranda Leek

Out There Be Dragons

Dynamite Entertainment have announced the first English language release of In Search of Lost Dragons, “a gorgeous illustrated storybook that captures glimpses of the majestic flying reptiles hiding throughout our world.  For the first time ever, the sensational French art book by celebrated storytellers Elian Black’Mor and Carine-M is adapted to English in a luscious, full-color, and oversized hardcover, presenting over 200 pages of dragon illustrations and Victorian-style sketches with a captivating accompanying narrative. Originally published in France as Sur La Piste Des Dragons Oublies, this fantastic adventure follows an intrepid illustrator and reporter’s  journeys from Europe through the Middle East and finally to Saigon in search of the dark caverns and mountaintop perches where the elusive winged serpents dwell.  With the gift of seeing the invisible, our explorer friend records each encounter in a journal of gorgeous, fully painted artwork, capturing every majestic and fearsome visual detail of the scaly behemoths, and accompanies his findings with snippets of local lore as evidence that these hidden beasts continue to shape the world in ways we may never expect.” In Search of Lost Dragons makes an appearance this October. Take a look at the preview over at Bleeding Cool.

image c. 2014 Dynamite Entertainment

image c. 2014 Dynamite Entertainment

From Bunny to Scrat and Beyond

Over the past 15 years Blue Sky Studios have made a name for themselves with wildly successful animated features like Ice Age and Rio and their sequels. Now The Art of Blue Sky Studios: Ice Age to the Digital Age (edited by Jake S. Friedman) brings together numerous never-before concept art pieces and early sketches from all those years into one deluxe hardcover coffee-table book. “With exclusive access to Blue Sky’s archives and the exceptional artists who have made characters like Ice Age’s Scrat and Rio’s Blu and Jewel household names, this book takes an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at one of animation’s greatest success stories.” It’s available to order on Amazon, and coming to stores this October from Insight Editions.

image c. 2014 Insight Editions

image c. 2014 Insight Editions

One Lonely Shrew

Disney/Pixar have launched their new Studio Artist Showcase series with Over There, a full-color hardcover book for young readers written and illustrated by Steve Pilcher. “Shredder is a little shrew who lives by himself, and while he loves his forest home, he gets a bit lonely. There must be something more, he thinks. So when he sees a ‘silver line twinkling in the distance,’ he decides to find out what it is. He discovers a beautiful stream, but then he gets caught up in the current! Luckily, a mole named Nosey saves him. As they explore, Shredder begins to miss the forest, so he and Nosey return together, and Shredder realizes that all he really needed was a friend.” Over There is available later this month, and it’s been reviewed over at Publishers Weekly.

image c. 2014 Disney Publishing

image c. 2014 Disney Publishing

The Return of Inspector LeBrock

Steampunk and furry fans may both rejoice as writer/artist Brian Talbot brings us the latest edition of his anthropomorphic alternate history series in Grandville Noel, coming this November in hardcover from Dark Horse Press. “With his trusty adjunct, Detective Sergeant Ratzi, away for Christmas, there’s no holiday for Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard as he embarks on an investigation into the disappearance of his housekeeper’s niece, Bunty Spall.  The trail leads to a growing religious cult, where a charismatic unicorn messiah and his con men cronies, already responsible for mass murder in the United States, are about to lead a crusade for the ethnic cleansing of the French Empire’s doughfaces – the derogatory nickname for humans used by the majority, animal-headed population. Teaming up with Chance Lucas, a gun-slinging operative of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, and reigniting his steamy love affair with the voluptuous Parisian badger prostitute Billie, LeBrock clashes with both cult fanatics and doughface terrorists, uncovering in the process a centuries-old religious conspiracy that threatens to plunge the world into bloody civil war.” Find out more about this full-color series at Brian Talbot’s blog page.

image c. 2014 Dark Horse Press

image c. 2014 Dark Horse Press

Behind the Bricks

If you’re a fan of Lego System’s surprise furry hit The Legend of Chima, there are a couple of new resources out you might want to find. With LEGO Legends of Chima: The Secret History you can “Dive into the world of Chima and follow the epic story of the LEGO® Legends of Chima minifigures as they feud over the energy source CHI in LEGO® Legends of Chima: The Secret History. Relive the adventure while learning tons of information about your favorite LEGO Legends of Chima tribes, locations, and minifigures including Laval, Eris, Razar and the infamous Cragger. Learn battle plans and attack strategies, the difference between the five main tribes, and much more in this exciting new LEGO book. LEGO® Legends of Chima: The Secret History presents the world of Chima like never before!” according to Brickipedia (gotta love that). Then there’s the Chima Character Encyclopedia, which is pretty much self-explanatory — and currently available at Barnes & Noble. Both of them are published by DK Books.

image c. 2014 DK Books

image c. 2014 DK Publishing

The Most Famous Furry in the World?

It’s quite possible that Mickey Mouse could well be that — though, of course, Bugs Bunny could also be considered a serious contender. Still, The Mouse has been around the longest, and author Garry Apgar decided to take a look what possibly accounts for Mickey’s world-wide appeal in a new hardcover book. “Since his modest debut in 1928, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse has evolved into arguably the world’s most recognized and beloved fictional figure. Mickey Mouse: Emblem of the American Spirit is the illustrated biography of a unique cartoon character, his life and times, and his impact and influence around the world in art and literature. Part art history and part cultural study, Apgar’s Mickey Mouse narrates how the character was initially developed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, how his irrepressible spirit grew to huge popularity during the Depression, and how he became a politically charged cultural icon of international reach.” You can order the book at Midtown Comics. It’s coming later this month from Simon & Schuster.

image c. 2014 Simon & Schuster

image c. 2014 Simon & Schuster