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Fantasy

Out of Boneville… and Onto the Movie Screen

Thanks to Animation News Network we found out about an article over at the Hollywood Reporter. It seems that Mark Osborne (director of Kung Fu Panda and the recent film The Little Prince) has been tapped to finally adapt Jeff Smith’s award-winning comic Bone for the cinema — not just as one animated movie, but an entire trilogy to be produced by Warner Brothers. “The comic told of three Bone cousins — Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone, all small, bald and human-like creatures with big noses — who are separated and lost in a vast uncharted desert after being run out of Boneville. One by one they find their way into a deep forested valley filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures. The comics were published from 1991 to 2004 and then rediscovered by a new and more mainstream generation when Scholastic began releasing them in graphic novel form.” Adam Kline is writing the script for the first film, along with Mr. Osborne, and Animal Logic (Happy Feet) are involved as well, so expect some top-notch CGI. We’ll let you know when we find out a release date.

image c. 2016 by Jeff Smith

image c. 2016 by Jeff Smith

Giant Monsters Are On Their Way!

But enough about the recent election… Kronen’s Kaiju is a new full-color comic series written and illustrated by Chris Scalf (Werewolves vs. Dinosaurs). “Giant freaking city crushing monsters are real!  Darren Kronen lives in a small town. His friends all think he’s an awkward nerd living in a fantasy world obsessed with make-believe creatures and monsters. He even writes a blog called ‘Kronen’s Kaiju Chronicles’ where he speculates about the creatures of legend he obsesses over. But after a series of unexplained earthquakes brings teams of scientists and authorities into town to investigate, Darrin’s obsession grabs the unwanted attention of high level officials when details on his blog match the strange phenomenon that is secretly being investigated!” They’re coming to comic stores this December, thanks to American Mythology. Find out more over at Previews.

image c. 2016 American Mythology

image c. 2016 American Mythology

One Very Descriptive Title

Study Group Comics is a very large collective of writers and artists creating a whole slew of mini-comics, zines, and webcomics. Among them is Magical Character Rabbit, an on-line comic story created by Evans Kinoko. “Magical Character Rabbit is the tale of a young Magi who lives in an enchanted city full of wizards, witches, and warlocks. When she’s entrusted with performing the big Winter Solstice Ritual in front of the whole town, she must go on a quest to find the perfect spell as well as the courage to go forward. An engaging, all ages fantasy for fans of Richard Scarry, Hilda, and Steven Universe!” You can check out the on-line comic at the Study Group web site, but recently they’ve also released a one-shot version on paper which you can find at their Shop.

image c. 2016 Study Group

image c. 2016 Study Group Comics

The Duck is Cover

Now here’s a Donald who hasn’t been as much in the news lately — much to his chagrin, probably! IDW Publishing presents Donald Quest, a new full-color adventure mini-series featuring Disney’s favorite duck. “In the steampunk warrior world of Feudarnia, only the Magnus Malleus can save humanity from marauding Meteorbeasts! It’s an epic weapon for an epic hero… so why is it up to Donald Duck to grab it before Magica De Spell, the Beagle Boys, and the Phantom Blot get there first?” Guess we’ll find out soon enough. Donald Quest is written by Stefano Ambrosio and Pat McGreal, with illustration by Andrea Freccero. Check it out over at IDW. Issue #1 is on the shelves now.

image c. 2016 IDW Publishing

image c. 2016 IDW Publishing

Well Now, That’s Inventive!

Invention Story is a new CGI animated series created by Trad Animation (that’s the name!) from China. Commissioned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the show is intended to spark in young people an interest in science and engineering. “This series of stories take place in a forest surrounding a town called Carrot Town, full of joyful and magic air. The main character is an intelligent, thoughtful, and creative fox, who in each episode makes a new invention. These inventions associate various fields of production in our daily life, which children see, or use everyday, everywhere. In the process of carrying out each invention, our young audience will be thinking and understanding the science, knowledge, and principle behind them, arousing their interest in creating new devises.” That’s what they say. Interestingly, the story editor behind this new series is an American: None other than Jymn Magon, creator of Disney’s Gummi Bears and TaleSpin. The series began with a pilot movie, Agent F.O.X., which is available in English. Currently episodes of Invention Story are posted on YouTube in the original Chinese. No word yet on an English version!

image c. 2016 Trad Animation

image c. 2016 Trad Animation

Taking a TRIP Down Memory Lane

A lot of animation fans who weren’t around in the late 1960’s (or who weren’t watching cartoons regularly yet!) may not remember the very, very strange Depatie-Freleng series called Here Comes The Grump. Well now according to Cartoon Brew there’s going to be a new CGI version of the series and a CGI movie to kick things off — thanks to Mexico’s Anima Estudios, which previously brought us the CGI Top Cat movies a couple of years ago.  As for Here Comes The Grump, “The film tells the story of teenage boy Terry who has been transported to a magical land where he and some new friends must defeat a mean-spirited wizard called The Grump.” There’s some well-known talent behind the film: “Here Comes the Grump is based on a script from Jim Hecht (Ice Age: The Meltdown) and designs by Craig Kellman (Madagascar, Sausage Party, Samurai Jack, Hotel Transylvania). It is being directed by Andres Couturier, who also helmed Anima’s 2015 feature Top Cat Begins.” No word yet on any distribution planned for North America. Besides the grumpy wizard’s rather klutzy dragon, the Grump’s world features many fantastic creatures — and some that likely will only make sense if you’ve been chemically enhanced. Maybe.

image c. 2016 Anima Estudios

image c. 2016 Anima Estudios

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We Could Use Some Rainbows

And now for something a little less serious in comics… or at least, a lot more cute. Lion Forge bring us the on-paper version of the latest Care Bares digital comic, Care Bears: Rainbow River Rescue. “When Wonderheart Bear finds an old map of Care-a-Lot, she takes her friends to a long-forgotten part of the Forest of Feelings, where Humming Storks like to nest. The Storks have all flown south for the winder, except for one baby bird who was too sick to fly and got left behind! It’s up to Funshine Bear, Cheer Bear, and Grumpy Bear to reunite their new friend, Dizzy the Humming Stork, with her family on Far-Flung Island, through whitewater rapids, falling rocks, a few wrong turns, and at least one wild Panthrokeet.” This full-color (of course!) graphic story collection was written by Georgia Ball and illustrated by Melanie Gillman. It’s available now.

image c. 2016 Lion Forge

image c. 2016 Lion Forge

The Hog Returns — A New Man

This is an odd one — but what about the world of Jim Woodring isn’t? Back in 2010 the creator of the iconic/weird-and-wordless funny animal comic Frank brought us his first graphic novel, Weathercraft. Now Fantagraphics Books have re-released in a new hardcover format with some additional new artwork. “As it happens, Frank has only a brief supporting appearance in Weathercraft, which actually stars Manhog, Woodring’s pathetic, brutish everyman (or everyhog), who had previously made several appearances in Frank stories (as well as a stunning solo turn in the short story “Gentlemanhog”). After enduring 32 pages of almost incomprehensible suffering, Manhog embarks upon a transformative journey and attains enlightenment. He wants to go to celestial realms but instead altruistically returns to the Unifactor to undo a wrong he has inadvertently brought about: The transformation of the evil politician Whim into a mind-destroying plant-demon who distorts and enslaves Frank and his friends. The new and metaphysically expanded Manhog sets out for a final battle with Whim…” It may or may not make more sense if you pick it up, but it will be very interesting. Check it out over at Fantagraphics.

image c. 2016 Fantagraphics

image c. 2016 Fantagraphics

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Dream a Little Dream of Dogs

We couldn’t even begin to describe this one, folks. So we’ll leave that up to the publisher, Drawn & Quarterly: “Dogs and Water chronicles a piece of a lonely journey, without origin or destination. A young man wandering a nameless path has only a stuffed bear as a companion, which inertly endures his desperation, anger and musings along the way. The landscape is cold and bleak with few landmarks, and offers only precarious encounters with animals and armed men. These interactions are rife with instinct, the drive for survival, and human ethics concerning the killed and injured. He finds acceptance with a pack of dogs, though their nature is wild and their potential threat is as unsettling as the sudden presence of a massive pipeline on the horizon. In a dreamlike state, the endless land becomes a vast body of water where his boat is destroyed and his body floats in a subconscious space. On land, the road disappears and only blind circumstance remains. All is uncertain and all can be lost, but he continues on regardless. Created by Anders Nilsen, it’s available now in hardcover.

image c. 2016 Drawn & Quarterly

image c. 2016 Drawn & Quarterly

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