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Cats

The Cat of Cali

Remember when we told you about P-22, the famous “Hollywood Puma”, whom we lost in 2022? Well author Henry Hoke has a very special take on a similar urban cat in his novel called Open Throat. “A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Lonely and fascinated by humanity’s foibles, the lion spends their days protecting a nearby homeless encampment, observing hikers complain about their trauma, and, in quiet moments, grappling with the complexities of their gender identity, memories of a vicious father, and the indignities of sentience. When a man-made fire engulfs the encampment, the lion is forced from the hills down into the city the hikers call ‘ellay’. As the lion confronts a carousel of temptations and threats, they take us on a tour that spans the cruel inequalities of Los Angeles and the toll of climate grief.” Find out more in this new hardcover best-seller.

image c. 2023 MacMillan Publishing

Raw Men

Hey, thanks! A new recommendation recently came across our desk: Ramen Wolf and Curry Tiger, a black & white manga written and illustrated by the creator known as Emboss. “Meet your new favorite food critics: A chubby wolf named Mita Jiro, and a ripped tiger named Yanagi Kagetora. Kagetora used to eat to live, but that changed when he met Jiro — who lives to eat! Jiro is more than happy to help his striped friend explore the restaurants and delicacies tucked within their city, and he enjoys all their finds with great relish. There’s nothing better than a hot meal to bring two (animal) people together in this deliciously illustrated story.” Comixology has sample pages to check out.

image c. 2023 Seven Seas

Fame Can Be Ruff

Dog Squad is the first in a new series of “children’s middle grade action and adventure books” (says the publisher) written by Chris Grabenstein. “Duke is not your average dog. Along with his crew, he fights crime and goes on claw-biting adventures helping dogs in peril in the hit streaming sensation: Dog Squad! Fred is a pretty average dog. He’s scrappy. He’s lovable. But he’s not brave like his heroes on Dog Squad. Fred looks an awful lot like Duke from Dog Squad though. In fact, when Duke needs a stand-in, Fred’s the perfect choice. But the Dog Squad action doesn’t always stop on screen! When there’s danger in real life, can Fred find the courage to step up and save the day?!” Don’t look now, but the second book in the series is out also — Dog Squad 2: Cat Crew. Knew it!

image c. 2023 Penguin Random House

You Are Diversity Incarnate

BatCat is a new graphic novel for young readers, written and illustrated by Meggie Ramm. “Batcat loves being all alone in their home on Spooky Island. Up in their tree house, they pass the time playing video games and watching TV. But when Batcat suddenly finds themself haunted by an annoying, ice cream–stealing ghost, they visit the local Island Witch for a spell to remove their ghastly guest permanently! With their Ghost-B-Gone spell in hand, Batcat travels across Spooky Island to gather ingredients — to the Cavernous Caves where the bats tell them they’re too round to be a bat, and to the Whispering Cemetery where the cats will help only if they commit to being a true cat. But Batcat is neither, and that’s what makes them special, right? From up-and-coming author Meggie Ramm comes a sweet and fun story about accepting yourself when you’re perfectly in-between here and there.” Find it now at Abrams Books.

image c. 2023 Abrams Books

This Kitty Is Foul

Years ago we stumbled across a trailer for the Turkish animated film Bad Cat, based on the graphic novel Kötu Kedi Şerafettin by Bülent Üstün. Now the film, directed by Mehmet Kurtuluş and Ayse Ünal, has been dubbed into English and picked up by Tubi. “In the film, a profane house cat must deal with the arrival of his illegitimate son, an accidental killing, his owner’s eviction, and more – all within a day of debauchery and mayhem.” As you can probably tell, this features a lot of adults-only content! Animation World Network has the trailer.

image c. 2023 Tubi

Wild, Wild Planet

Recently made a visit to the L.A. Times Festival of Books in Los Angeles (of course), and as usual came across some interesting furry items we want to tell you about. First up is the Red’s Planet series of graphic novels by Eddie Pittman — a Disney animator who worked on films like Emperor’s New Groove and Lilo & Stitch, as well as TV series like Phineas and Ferb. Here’s the run down: “Meet Red, a quirky, headstrong 10-year-old who longs to live in her own perfect paradise far away from her annoying foster family. But when a UFO mistakenly kidnaps her, Red finds herself farther away than she could have possibly imagined—across the galaxy and aboard an enormous spaceship owned by the Aquilari, an ancient creature with a taste for rare and unusual treasures. Before Red can be discovered as a stowaway, the great ship crashes on a small deserted planet, leaving her marooned with a menagerie of misfit aliens. With her newfound friend, a small gray alien named Tawee, Red must find a way to survive the hostile castaways, evade the ravenous wildlife, and contend with Goose, the planet’s grumpy, felinoid custodian. Surely this can’t be the paradise she’s been hoping for.” Three hardcover books are out so far from Amulet.

image c. 2023 Amulet Books

Protect the People

Atlas Games has created a new all-ages role-playing game called Magical Kitties Save The Day. Which is precisely what it’s about! “You are Cute. You are Cunning. You are Fierce. You are Magical Kitties, and it’s time to Save the Day! Every Magical Kitty has a human. Every human has a Problem. In Magical Kitties Save the Day, you need to use your magical powers to solve problems and save the day! But kitties live in Hometowns that are filled with Troubles like witches, aliens, and hyper-intelligent raccoons. Troubles make Problems worse, so the kitties need to go on adventures to take care of the Troubles before that can happen.” After a successful Kickstarter campaign (with several stretch goals already acheived!), the game is available on-line now.

image c. 2023 Atlas Games

Be A Hero! Wear Your Identity!

At this year’s WonderCon in Anaheim, we had the honor of meeting Knave Murdock and joining them on a panel discussion of LGBTQ-themed furry comics over the decades. Knave is the creator of the comic book TransCat. What’s it about? “TransCat is a transgender superhero who fights evil and doesn’t afraid of anything! Follow TransCat on her adventures as she goes to school, hangs out with friends, goes on dates, and saves the world from the forces of darkness!” All with the help of her magical cat-hat. Visit the official web site to find out all about it — or, look for the paper version where-ever indie comic books are sold.

image c. 2023 Parasomniac Comics

Another Dynamite Rabbit Returns

Bunnicula, a horror/comedy novel for young readers by Deborah Howe and James Howe, has been a fan favorite for decades. It was even an animated cartoon series. Now, Atheneum Books has brought us Bunnicula — The Graphic Novel. It’s adapted by original author James Howe, with the help of Andrew Donkin and illustrations by Stephen Gilpin. “Harold the dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the newest pet in the Monroe household — a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual habits… and fangs! Could this innocent-seeming rabbit actually be a vampire?” Find out now, before it’s too late!

image c. 2023 Atheneum Books