It’s always nice to see funny animal projects supporting charity — there are, of course, a lot of them out there! This particular one from Alterna Comics has the rather lengthy title of The Unlikely Trio: Last Barn on the Left. Their web site describes this one-shot black & white comic (written by Scott and Callie West and illustrated by Scott) like this: “A story of three unlikely friends, Lil’Bit the mouse, Mrs. Butters the cat, and Abby the Collie dog that join together to brave the last barn on the left in their small town. The only problem is that a scary monster is said to lurk in the shadows of the barn! Printed in black and white (so kids can be the colorist!) and featuring fun activities in the back of the book, The Unlikely Trio will be sure to entertain even after you’re done reading!” Best of all, $2.00 from the sale of each book will be donated to the ASPCA. The Alterna Comics page also features a preview of the comic, and a link to The Unlikely Trio’s official web site.
Comic Books
Duncan the Wonder Dog
Here’s how Adhouse describes writer and artist Adam Hines’ new graphic novel miniseries, Duncan the Wonder Dog: “What if animals could talk? Would some of them form a militant group in reaction to how humans treat them? Would humans treat them different? Come explore this dense tome of an alternate universe where the lavish renderings recall Dave McKean. 2009 Xeric winning Duncan the Wonder Dog WILL be one of the most talked about books of 2010.” Really now. We’ll certainly see. The first 400-page, softcover volume of this black & white series is available now from Adhouse. There’s also a multi-page preview available for viewing at Newsarama.com.
Bears on Mars
Here’s the description of The Martian Confederacy, a new series of full-color graphic novels published by Girl Twirl Comics: “Toxic air. Bloodthirsty politicians. Drinking bears. Welcome to Mars in the year 3535. Stripped of its natural resources and forgotten as a vacation destination, Martians struggle to afford breathable air. Boone, Spinner and Lou were three outlaws looking out for themselves. But when a cure for Mars’s toxic air falls into the wrong hands, thieves are forced to become heroes. And as an entire planet gasps for air, three rednecks will fight for the survival of their planet.” It should be mentioned that the three main characters here are a human male, a female-shaped android, and an 8-foot tall talking bear working to protect his wife and two cubs. The eagerly-awaited second issue of the series is coming out in October. The Martian Confederacy is written by Jason McNamara (First Moon) and illustrated by Paige Braddock (Jane’s World). Visit their web site to see more.
image c. 2008 Girl Twirl Comics
Science Dog!
Worlds-within-worlds stuff is always complicated to explain, but here we go… Readers of the Invincible comic book (from Image Comics) will recall that perhaps the favorite comic book character of Mark Grayson (aka Invincible) is named Science Dog — pulp hero of comic books, Saturday morning cartoon shows, and numerous product tie-ins. Well, the creators of Invincible eventually started putting actual Science Dog stories in the Invincible comics as back-ups. Now, Image Comics has collected the original full-color Science Dog stories from Invincible #25, #50, and #75 in Science Dog Special #1, coming this September from writer Robert Kirkman and illustrator Cory Walker. Science Dog! Once an ordinary pet dog living in a brilliant scientist’s lab… but then transformed by a freakish time-travel accident into a super-smart, super-strong humanoid adventurer on a never-ending mission to destroy evil! Got all that? You can find out more about the story at ComicVine.com.
Ratchet and Clank: The Comic
The well-known, Ursa-Major Award-winning Ratchet and Clank video game series is now being released as a 6-issue full-color comic book mini-series by the Wildstorm imprint of DC comics. The story takes place in the aftermath of the Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time game. Here’s how the publisher puts it: “With Dr. Nefarious defeated and the universe safe, galactic heroes Ratchet and Clank return to the Solana galaxy for some well-earned rest and relaxation. But when entire planets begin disappearing from the universe without a trace, Galactic President Qwark calls them back into action to solve the mystery. As the rest of the universe erupts in panic, the duo must embark on an epic adventure that will pit them against their most capable adversary to date: a Markazian planet thief named Artemis Zogg!” The series is written by T.J. Fixman (an employee at Ratchet and Clank’s home base, Insomniac Games) and illustrated by Adam Archer. Look for it stores this September.
image c. 2010 Wildstorm
Ani-Max: The One-Shot
Ani-Max is an animated TV series concept created by Sharad Devarajan and Gotham Chopra. With the series still in development, Dynamite Entertainment is releasing Ani-Max as a one-shot full-color comic book, written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Jeevan J. Kang and the artist collective known as Liquid Comics. “Lost and separated from his family during a vacation in the dense Amazon jungle, 12-year old Max Duncan is chosen by the Earth Spirits as the latest in a long lineage of planetary defenders. Entrusted with a mystical artifact known as the Animus Stone, Max gains the power to absorb the abilities of any animal he touches and transform himself into a human-animal hybrid for seven minutes at a time. Taking on the attributes of lizards, lions, tigers, elephants, spiders, dolphins, and more – sometimes the transformations are gross, weird and bizarre – Max has a power no one else in the world seems to have. Joined by his faithful friends, Chris and Jenny, the three young heroes gradually find a way to use Max’s abilities to protect the planet and all its many creatures.” Comic Book Bin has more information and preview pages to see. The one-shot is available now.
New from Jeff Smith
Fans of Jeff Smith’s award-winning Bone series are looking forward to Bone: Tall Tales, a brand-new full-color collection coming from (where else) Cartoon Books. Smiley Bone sits down at a campfire to tell a group of young bone scouts (and his rat creature friend) the story of Big Johnson Bone, the greatest Bone adventurer ever and the founder of Boneville. The stories originally published in the Stupid Stupid Rat Creatures mini-series are here, as well as new stories written by Tom Sniegoski. This new book is available now in hardcover and softcover editions. Check it out at Amazon.com.
Nine Lives on his side
Scratch 9 is brand new 4-part full-color comic book mini-series, written by Rob M. Worley and illustrated by Jason T. Kruse. The first issue’s front cover was illustrated by Mike Kunkel, creator of Herobear and the Kid. Here’s the story: Scratch is the black & white pet cat of a little girl named Penelope… but little does she know that her pet cat is actually a superhero! Scratch has the ability to call up the powers of his previous 8 lives when he needs them. That can be especially useful when his first life was a saber-toothed tiger! Scratch 9 #1 is out this month from Ape Entertainment. Have a look at Mr. Worley’s Scratch 9 web site too.
image c. 2010 Ape Entertainment
Dragon Puncher
James Kochalka (creator of Monkey vs. Robot and other strangeness) is back with a new full-color, hardcover graphic novel from Top Shelf Productions. Dragon Puncher Volume 1 gives us the adventures of, well, Dragon Puncher: “A cute but ruthless kitty in an armored battle suit, dedicated to defeating dangerous dragons wherever they may be. The Dragon Puncher and his would-be sidekick Spoony-E (a fuzzy little fellow armed with a wooden spoon) confront a gigantic, drooling dragon and have a ridiculous, hilarious brawl”. You heard ’em. The artwork combines Kolchalka’s well-known funny animal style with humorous photography for a “goofy backyard adventure”.
