It’s not too soon to start thinking about Free Comic Book Day this year. Not with titles like The Intrepid Escape Goat coming our way. If you’ve not heard, every year during the first weekend in May, comic book publishers from all over flood your local comic book shops with miniature versions of their upcoming titles to give away for free to prospective buyers. There’s a web site dedicated to the event where you can find out all about it. And this year one of the titles to look for is an anthropomorphic steam-punk adventure written and illustrated (in full color) by Brian Smith, Mike Raicht, and Charles Paul Wilson III. It’s published by Th3rd World Studios. “It is the dawn of the 20th Century, and one brave soul dares to walk the line between the worlds of science and the arcane; he is Thomas Fleet… The Intrepid Escape Goat! Touring with his ward and assistant Isis (a 2,000-year-old mummy girl), Escape Goat performs to sold-out crowds around the globe… but it’s what happens off-stage, when locals call upon him to solve the paranormal mysteries plaguing their cities, that provides the most peril! Also in this issue: A special preview of The Stuff of Legend Volume 3, continuing the saga of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel!” The Stuff of Legend, of course, is Th3rd World’s continuing series about an army of loyal toys out to save their missing master — and children the world over — from an invasion of nightmare demons.
Comic Books
Warriors of the Dharuk
Creators Edge Press is releasing a new full-color 4-issue mini-series this coming February. It’s called Warriors of the Dharuk, and here’s the description we found from the creators: “From the mind of Stephen Lindsay of Jesus Hates Zombies fame, and amazing art by Dave Myers and Alfredo Lopez Jr., comes an epic adventure all-ages book just in time for the holidays! Warriors of the Dharuk is the tale of Jody, a young warrior-in-training among the Clan of the Dharuk – a Koala clan that lives in harmonious existence with nature. As Jody prepares to enter The Trails — the tests of manhood for all warriors to-be — he is thrust into the middle of a brewing conflict between the Clan of the Dharuk and the Shak-ta, a technology-obsessed clan of Sugar Gliders. The Shak-ta have no respect for the ways of the Dharuk and see them as archaic hold-outs of a world long gone. For the Shak-ta to progress further, they need the Dharuk moved off of their lands or eliminated all together. To the Shak-ta, either end is acceptable. When a failed Dharuk warrior turns traitor, the very existence of the Dharuk is threatened. But the Dharuk holy man, Yuan — a blind skunk — tasks Jody and his new friend and protector, a wandering armadillo warrior named Ota, with finding a way to stop the Shak-ta.” Heavy Ink is taking pre-orders for the first issue on-line.
Elephantmen: Cover Stories
This coming February, in preparation for the return of artist Ladronn to the pages of Elephantmen, Image Comics will be presenting a special art collection, Elephantmen: Cover Stories. It’s 64 pages of Elephantmen and Hip Flask covers and cover sketches by Ladronn, page-flipped with covers and cover sketches by current Elephantmen artist Boo Cook. The collection also includes a 5-page preview of Elephantmen Volume 4 by Ladronn.
Spider-Man: Animal Magnetism
Full-color funny animal silliness from Marvel Comics, collected together in one big trade paperback for your enjoyment. Spider-Man: Animal Magnetism hits the shelves this January, collecting Spider-Man: Back in Quack (a team-up with Howard the Duck which you may recall we talked about before), The Spider-Ham 25th Anniversary Special (a classic funny-animal spoof of the web slinger, complete with new material), The Ultimate Civil War Spider-Ham (don’t even ask!), and Top Dog #10 (about, you guessed it, a super-dog). Some of the guilty party include writers Stuart Moore, Tom Defalco, J. Michael Straczynski (!), Tom Peyer, and George Caragonne; along with artists Mark Brooks, Joe Suitor, Jacob Chabot, Adam Deraker, Agnes Garbowska, Joe Jusko, and Warren Kremer. The cover art was completed by the late Mike Wieringo of Tellos fame.
Starman and Congorilla
Okay, try to keep up here: Mikaal Thomas — known as the superhero Starman — and Congorilla — a talking ape from Gorilla City, made famous in the pages of The Flash — team up to “unlock the secrets behind the toxic Omega Man’s dark energy, which has encased Washington, D.C.”. All righty then. In this full-color one-shot from DC Comics, our heroes — one blue, one furry — encounter several friends and foes from the DC universe, including Animal Man, Sirocco, and “a certain wonder-dog named Rex”. You can thank writer James Robinson, illustrator Brett Booth, and cover-artist Gene Ha when Starman/Congorilla hits the shelves in early January.
Tales (Tails?) of the Trickster Spirit
Many cultures in our world have a long tradition of folklore relating to the trickster spirit — a being of great power who mostly uses that power to steal food or precious possessions, cheat at games, fool the opposite sex (or sometimes the same one!), and so forth. Often enough the trickster spirit is embodied as an animal — Reynard the fox from Europe and The Monkey King from Asia are great examples. Native American cultures also have rich traditions of trickster story, whether he (or she, or both) takes the form of a raven, a rabbit, a coyote, or whatever. Now Fulcrum Publishing have brought together many of these stories in a new full-color comic trade paperback: Trickster — Native American Tales — A Graphic Anthology, edited by Matt Dembicki. More than twenty Native American story-tellers worked together with a select group of artists to bring to life stories like “Coyote and the Pebbles”, “How Wildcat Caught a Turkey” , “Rabbit’s Choctaw Tail Tale”, and many more. Take a look at Fulcrum’s web site for the book.
Return of the Rescue Rangers
Once again BOOM! Studios have stepped up to the task of bringing the Disney Afternoon back to life. Following on the webbed heels of their successful Darkwing Duck comic book series, now comes the full-color return of Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers, written by Ian Brill and illustrated by Leonel Castellani. You can see a preview of this new series, as well as the various alternate covers for the first issue, at BOOM! Studio’s web site.
The Age of Reptiles Omnibus
It may seem only sideways anthropomorphic, but Ricardo Delgado’s Age of Reptiles comic book series earns a place here by virtue of its viewpoint: Life seen through the eyes of dinosaurs, and many species of dinosaurs at that. Besides, Ricardo Delgado himself was a guest speaker at several early furry fandom conventions! Now Dark Horse Comics is releasing the Age of Reptiles Omnibus, collecting the long out-of-print Age of Reptiles original series, the Age of Reptiles: The Hunt follow-up, and the never-before-collected third series, Age of Reptiles: The Journey. It’s a full-color trade paperback, and it’s coming to stores this February.
BOOM Go the Ducks
Boom! Studios have two new Disney-Duck-related items on the shelves at your local comic book store right now. Darkwing Duck Volume 1: The Duck Knight Returns brings together the first Darkwing Duck story arc in a single full-color trade paperback, written by Ian Brill and illustrated by James Silvani. The people of St. Canard have grown worried when their loyal protector, “the terror that flaps in the night”, hasn’t been seen in more than a year… and evil is on the rise again. Is it time for the Duck Knight to rise again too? Meanwhile, readers looking for more of Don Rosa’s The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck should look for the new hardcover, The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion. It features “the pre-chapters, the post-chapters, and the in-between chapters” of Don Rosa’s sought-after work. You can find out more about both of these at Boom! Studio’s web site.


