Robert Goodin is an animator who’s worked on TV shows like Rugrats and American Dad. Now he’s taken some time out from that the craft his first hardcover graphic novel, The Kurdles. “In the spirit of Hergé’s Tintin or Carl Barks’ Uncle Scrooge, The Kurdles is an all-ages comic spiced up with a teaspoon of strange. Sally is a teddy bear who gets separated from her owner while on a drive in the country. Desperate to find her way home, she stumbles upon Kurdleton, home to a most peculiar group of characters in the midst of a crisis; their forest house has grown hair, eyes, and a mouth! The creatures work with their new friend to keep Kurdleton from growing legs and running away!” Check it out over at the publisher, Fantagraphics Books.
Fantasy
… and They Can Talk to Her
“Kira is a young woman with a secret. She can psychically communicate with animals. She is also on the run from her abusive mate Toril, the hero turned warlord, who led the country’s forces to victory against the outland raiders. Only that was before his love of power consumed him. Now, his only focus is on tracking down Kira and making her punishment an example of his power.” So goes the story of The Healer’s Legacy, the first book in a new young-adult fantasy series by Sharon Skinner. She’s also the author of The Nelig Stones, a fantasy for younger readers featuring villainous talking dragons — and other magical folk. All of this and more can be found at Brick Cave Books. Turns out they also published The Last Incarnation by J.A. Giunta, which was previously reviewed here at In-Fur-Nation.
Snakes and Leaders
Michelle B. Assor is unlike many people out there: She’s fond of snakes. She actually likes them enough that she made them the star of her own fantasy novel series. The first book is called Snaygill: Slithery Temptations. “At birth, princes Ophis and Neddris barely escape death from a feathered earruda. They survive, and are destined to inherit the crown of Snaygill, a reptile-driven kingdom that has never before seen the presence of mankind – and is instead inhabited by crafty, mischievous snakes. As the brothers set off on the often bumpy road toward adulthood, they abandon the regal rules and find themselves confronted by temptations that lurk around every corner. Along their extraordinary quest, they attend a deceptive school, engage in forbidden journeys and meet alluring characters who contradict everything they thought they knew about the world. They even fall in love…” Her web site has more on this and other books that she’s working on.
Here Come the Wolves
Moving to a new town can be hard. Being a half-vampire/half-werewolf hybrid only makes things more complicated. But that’s what confronts teenage Angela, the protagonist of the Alpha Wolf series of books by horror and paranormal author Jennifer Maimone. Making matters more interesting is the fact that Angela’s best friends are all pure werewolves. Then a local werewolf brings them shocking news: Something powerful and demonic has been slaughtering local witches… and may soon turn its attention to werewolves. That’s the start of Demon’s Prize, the first book in the series, with the sequel A Cursed Soul coming out next year. The author’s web site has links to several places you can check out or purchase her books.
Timeless Tales from an Elderly Rodent
Grandpa Grey is a squirrel who specializes in spinning new fairy tales and fables. He’s the creation of author John William Wisor and illustrator Nila Brereton Hagood, and he’s also the thread weaving together their first book, Grandpa Grey’s Timeless Tales and Fabulous Fables. Among this first collection are stories about dragons, fairies, mermaids, and how God came to create pets. The Grandpa Grey web site has information about the book, illustrations from it, and a preview video for it. Grandpa Grey is represented by a custom-designed plushy toy, which is unfortunately not for sale. But the plushy toy of his eager young story listener, Baby Grey, is for sale.
A Girl Among Dragon-Kind
Fans of dragons and other scalies, take note: The Legend of Oescienne is a new fantasy series for younger readers, created by author and artist Jenna Elizabeth Johnson. (She even gets to draw her own covers!) In a far-off world humans have been extinct for centuries… those who remain have long ago been turned into dragons. But then, a real human girl is born, and the evil powers that brought about the transformation long ago are sure to notice. The few dragons who know of the girl’s existence swear to protect her… but to do that, they must keep her unaware of her destiny. In fact, they must not even let her know that she is human! There’s a lot more background on the series at the author’s web site, as well as other books that she’s written. Currently The Legend of Oescienne consists of three novels, one short story collection, and one stand-alone short story (which is available for free at the web site!).
Painted Pets
Laura Seeley is a classical fine artist… one who specializes in animal paintings. What’s more she’s even illustrated several books for children — Originally for various authors, but more recently for works she’s written herself. With galleries on her web site having names like “The Magic Cats”, “The Whimsy Cats”, and “A Cat Never Tells”, you can see where she’s coming from… though she does draw plenty of dogs and even whales, too! According to her web site, Best Friends Art Gallery, she plans on having pictures from her book projects up very soon.
The Beast, Yeah the Beast, Yeah the Beast is Back
Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact… Another animation-influenced graphic designer we’ve discovered is Christopher Lee — no, not that one, though he probably gets that all the time. This Christopher is an artist from Northern California who later moved down south to find work in art and animation. He did, working for graphic magazines like Vapors and Buck. Lately though he’s struck off on his own, creating a line of posters, prints, t-shirts, and even toy designs based on his original art. His web site is called The Beast Is Back, and on that ominous note you should go visit if you want to find out more. Seriously, you’ll see plenty of his art on just the front page.
The Boy and the Beast
Can’t think of a better title than that, so why try? Several places on the Net (including Flayrah) have already made note recently of The Boy and the Beast. It’s the latest anime feature from Hosoda Mamoru, the man who brought us Summer Wars and The Wolf Children. As you can tell from those works, the man has an interest in anthropomorphic characters — and this new one just may be his most furry feature yet! The Boy and the Beast “… tells the story of a lonely young boy who strays into a parallel world inhabited by supernatural creatures, where a bear-like beastman becomes his companion and mentor.” It’s set to premier in Japan this July. No word yet on any planned release in North America, but most of director Mamoru’s works have made it over here eventually. Check out the article over at Twitch Film — it includes a trailer with subtitles.








