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Fantasy

And Speaking of Monsters…

Wendy Grieb is a professional animation storyboard artist. She is also the illustrator of the Monster & Me series of illustrated children’s books, written by Paul Czajak. There are some good reviews of the adventures of Monster and Boy (in such books as Monster Needs A Costume, Monster Needs A Party, and Monster Needs Your Vote) over at Kid Lit Reviews. “All of the Monster & Me books are fun, carefree, and highly entertaining. Wendy Grieb’s brightly colored illustrations breathe extra life into Paul Czajak’s stories. Monster is a great character. Who wouldn’t want to listen to Monster tell a story. Who wouldn’t want to pretend they are Boy and sled down a hill with Monster at their side, or with Monster screaming up and down a rollercoaster hills?” You can also visit Ms. Grieb’s web site to find out more about her illustrations and storyboards.

image c. 2016 by Wendy Grieb

image c. 2016 by Wendy Grieb

Monsters From Around The World

Tiki Machine describe themselves as an “Indie/self-publisher featuring children’s books, art books, comics/graphic novels, and secret ancient tiki manuscripts”. Oh. Among the art books are a series of collections that feature different artists and animators illustrating a given topic. One of those is called Monster Mythos: A Folklore Bestiary. “A compilation art book of 50 legendary beasts, fiends and mystical creatures pulled from folklore and legend from the four corners of the world. Beautifully brought to life and interpreted by 18 animators and illustrators, whose hope is that the stories within will bring the same wonder and inspiration as they have for countless generations. Introduction by Dead of Night creator Dick Grunert.You can pick it up over at Abe Books.

image c. 2016 Tiki Machine

image c. 2016 Tiki Machine

She Sings, She Travels Between Worlds

Jonathan St. Amant is the creator of Shelby and the Blooms, a series of black & white mini-comics. Shelby is a lonely young slug, rejected by most of her hard-shelled insectoid peers in school. So what else to do but form a rock band with other misfits, with herself as lead singer of course! Well that’s how things start, anyway. Not long after Shelby discovers that he has the power to travel into a magical parallel world, filled with wizards both good and evil. And strange creatures, like a friendly little thing that is part unicorn, part narwal, and part water balloon. Yes. You can find out more about all of this at his Jonathan’s new personal web site. It includes a link to his Etsy store where you’ll find his comics.

image c. 2016 by Jon St. Amant

image c. 2016 by Jon St. Amant

Before the Movie, the Manga

Just in time for the full North American release of  Mamoru Hosoda’s latest anime feature, The Boy and the Beast (on the same weekend as Zootopia’s release, grumble grumble…), Yen Press have published Mr. Hosoda’s black & white manga of the same title. “Fleeing tragedy and mistreatment, a young boy named Ren hides among the crowds in Tokyo’s busy Shibuya ward. His efforts to run away are more successful than he realizes when he ends up in the world of the beasts! A rough-living bear named Kumatetsu gives Ren a new life and a new name–Kyuta–but is Kumatetsu really up to the job of being a mentor?” Find out! And check it out over at Yen’s web site.

image c. 2016 Yen Press

image c. 2016 Yen Press

So, How Long Ya In For, Doc?

Boom! Studios have a new full-color four-issue mini-series, Kennel Block Blues. Written by Ryan Ferrier and illustrated by Daniel Bayliss, you’ll find it on the shelves now. And oh my is it Furry! “Oliver is a good dog. A family dog. But without warning, he’s sentenced to Jackson Kennel, where he’s instantly placed on Death Row with the rest of his fellow inmates, awaiting a lethal appointment on The Table if salvation doesn’t come. He’ll need help escaping the Kennel, but when the stress of prison life builds, he starts escaping reality instead, imagining a fantasy world of cartoon friends. It’s time to break out…into a musical number?There’s a preview with several images over at Comic Book Resources.

image c. 2016 Boom! Studios

image c. 2016 Boom! Studios

Ground Control to Major Tom Cat…

We’re not sure exactly what to say about Kitty Jenkins: Purrvana, a new full-color comic created by Daniel De Sosa. Well, other than to say what he says: “Kitty Jenkins returns to guide you on an absurdly amusing odyssey through time and meowter space”. Gotcha. Mr. De Sosa also created the Animal Dreamers Art Therapy Coloring Book, so evidently imagination is not in short supply. It’s all published by Backwards Burd, a comic book publisher in the UK that specializes in diverse art styles and hand-printed zines. Not to mention 3-eyed space cats. Check out their web site for more interesting and unusual titles.

image c. 2016 Backwards Burd

image c. 2016 Backwards Burd

The Good, The Bad, and the Bunny

Writer Carlo San Juan and Eisner-Award nominated artist Rod Espinosa have combined their talents to bring us a new 4-issue full-color steam-punk fantasy comic mini-series, Immortal Wings. “Deep in the wild wastelands of the cosmic frontier, bounty hunter Blaze and her draconic partner, Gruffyd, combining fighting prowess and magical might to stay alive as they make a living.  Now they dodge the forces of the Galactic Shogunate, as they have partnered with the greatest threat to the empire’s reign…a bunny named Mortimer. ” We think it makes more sense if you read it. Regardless, it’s on the shelves now from Antarctic Press. There’s an interview with the creators over at Two Geeks Talking.

image c. 2016 Antarctic Press

image c. 2016 Antarctic Press

Beware the Moon Rabbit

Previews magalog was kind enough to point out some new upcoming kid-friendly comic book titles — several of which are definitely anthropomorphic. First up is The Mighty Zodiac, written by J. Torres and illustrated by Corin Howell and Maarta Laiho. “When the Blue Dragon dies, six stars fall out of the night sky! Ailing Master Long, leader of the Mighty Zodiac, orders his warriors to gather the stars, lest they fall into the hands of the malevolent Moon Rabbit Army. With the stars, the Mighty Zodiac may yet revive their master, rescue their world, and restore the light. Without the stars, the darkness threatens to divide the tribes and destroy Gaya… ” Got all that? Look for it from Oni Press in early April.

image c. 2016 Oni Press

image c. 2016 Oni Press

The Boy and His Dragon Return

Four Eyes is a comic book series created by writer Joe Kelly and illustrated by Max Fiumara in 2008. It’s set in Depression-era New York City on an alternate earth where dragons are enslaved by humans. The first story arc, Forged in Flames, “…is about a boy who’s trying to get back at a gang that’s directly responsible for his dad’s death…the world in which they live is a world where underground dragon fighting is entertainment for the masses” [Wikipedia]. Image Comics gathered together Forged in Flames as a trade paperback last year. Well now Image announced the publication of Four Eyes: Hearts of Fire. “Launching the second arc in the critically-acclaimed story of a boy and his dragon on the hunt for revenge in Depression-era New York City. The training begins.” The boy and his 4-eyed runt of a deadly dragon are out on the shelves now.

image c. 2016 Image Comics