Sofawolf Press have announced that Caterwall, a new full-color young adult graphic novel by Spain Fischer, will be arriving this summer. Originally announced last spring, this sword & sorcery tale follows the adventures of Pax, a feline would-be adventurer. Pax is ” the orphaned son of the kingdom of Katia’s greatest knights. His family name and reputation has been tarnished, however, and Pax is to blame. When the young cat intercepts troubling news from the neighboring kingdom of the dogs, Dewshire, his warnings fall on deaf ears. Banished from Caterwall after insulting the Dewshire diplomat, Pax must decide if he will try to stop the dangerous tide approaching Caterwal l– or turn his back on the home which cast him out.” The story will be told in a series of three 100-page graphic novels. We’ll admit to some confusion regarding the web site for this project. Some promotional posters released at Further Confusion and elsewhere give the web site as www.caterwall.net, which leads you to a “Coming Soon” page with an illustration. More actual information, however, can be found at www.caterwall.com, which includes artwork and background write-ups.
Funny Animal
Coming from the 24th-and-a-Half CEN-tury…!
The Duck Dodgers TV series — based, as if you didn’t know, on the Chuck Jones-directed cartoon Duck Dodgers in the 24th 1/2 Century — ran on Cartoon Network from 2003 to 2005. [My, was it really that long ago? Sheesh… Ye ed-otter] Besides the obvious cast of Daffy Duck as Duck Dodgers, Porky Pig as The Eager Young Space Cadet, and Marvin the Martian as the terrible Commander X-2, the show featured a host of Warner Brothers characters in bit roles — not to mention new characters like the dreaded Martian Queen. The regular voice cast included well-known voice actors like Joe Alaskey, Bob Bergen, Richard McGonagle, and John O’Hurley, as well as Michael Dorn (from Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Tia Carrere (as the Martian Queen). Now Warner Brothers Home Video have (finally!) released the first 13 episodes on DVD in a collection entitled Duck Dodgers – Season 1: Dark Side of the Duck. It’s available now in stores and on-line everywhere.
A Young Dog Learning New Tricks
Valley Dog is a full-color on-line comic created by Michael Adinso Rebrekal, also known as Mike Folf. “Born and raised in the affluent and bustling capital of Washington, DC. The young Francis Gris knows of nothing but a life of strict and stern professionalism, shunned from the likes of artistically creative endeavors. This all changes when, for business reasons, the coyote and his family move across the country to the small town of Silvercreek, California. In order to maintain his lifestyle, Francis’ parents enroll him into Picasso Charter High School – the one school in town that is renowned for its emphasis on professionalism. However, it soon turns out that the school (and the town as a whole) is anything but.” You can find out more and see the latest adventures at — where else? — www.valleydogcomic.com.
Welcome to Hodges Pond
Hodges Pond is the latest on-line funny animal comic strip created by Albert C. Pena. It carries on the characters and storyline originally presented in Orville (co-written with Richard Tackett) and Critter Country. The weekly black & white strip follows the adventures of Orville the flying squirrel and his friends and associates: Ralph, Rudy, twin sister Judy, Steve, Peter, the Reverend Jonas, and others in a quiet woodland setting that somehow is never far from its own brand of chaos. You can follow it on Twitter, or just check out the official web site.
Nine Lives of Power
Also on Free Comic Book Day, look for the special issue of Scratch9 to be released by Hermes Press. In case you don’t remember Scratch9, it’s the Eisner-Award nominated full-color all-ages comic book about a cat with the magical ability to summon the spirits of any one of his nine lives to help him in his adventures. It’s written by Rob Worley and illustrated by Jason T. Kruse. This special FCBD edition re-prints the premier issue with a brand new cover (by Armand Villavert, Jr.) and some brand new back-up material.
Free Turtles!
It might seem early in the year to think about it, but the publishers already are: Saturday May 4th is Free Comic Book Day, when various publishers put out special “sampler issues” to be given away at comic book shops across America. First up, IDW Publishing have announced a new full-color tie-in with the hit Ninja Turtles CGI series, featuring art and stories by various people and a color cover by Dario Brizuela. “Jumping from screen to page, it’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles New Animated Adventures! This unique series captures the heart of the smash Nickelodeon television show with brand-new stories. Full of action, excitement and laughs, this is the perfect all-ages comic to get you seeing green!!” Check out more of what’s coming on Free Comic Book Day by visiting the official web site.
Classic Disney Poems
Here’s something new that Disney art and story collectors can look forward to this February: Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Tales, coming in hardcover from Random House. “Originally published in Good Housekeeping magazine, these legendary one-page features translated Disney’s newest releases into rollicking comic poems illustrated by master Disney painters Tom Wood and Hank Porter. This collection of 50 of the funniest and most fascinating features are presented in a hardcover family-friendly book to Disney fans of all ages. A trip back to Mickey and Minnie’s musical heyday, these beautifully illustrated and condensed re-tellings of some of Disney’s most delightful shorts will entrance fans young and old.” Check it out at Cheap Graphic Novels.
Little Mouse Gets Ready
Jeff Smith, the multiple-award-winning creator of Bone, has returned with a new full-color softcover children’s book from Toon Books. In Little Mouse Gets Ready, “There’s lots to do before Little Mouse is ready to go visit the barn. Will he master all the intricacies of getting dressed, from snaps and buttons to Velcro and tail holes?” According to Amazon, this book has already been given the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award. So how the heck did we miss this one? It came out in 2009!








