Your Guide to the World of Furry Fandom
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the creator known as McMadmissile is ready to spring their latest project on the world: A series of cute, colorful, magical lycanthrope plush toys known as… wait for it… Care-Weres. Yes. Pre-orders have closed, but pay attention to their FurAffinity page for information on the next batch, plus lots of original design art of the characters too. Awoo!
image c. 2023 by McMadmissile
Something we’ve missed out on, but we’re getting caught up thanks to Animation World Network: “Paper Owl Films’ Happy the Hoglet, an animated preschool series aimed at helping kids overcome negative feelings and make the most of positive emotions, was greenlit for a second season… Happy the Hoglet follows a baby hedgehog’s adventures with his friends as they explore their feelings. Each episode focuses on an adventure during which Happy learns to understand emotions, from feeling excited to ‘hangry’ or feeling like he just needs a quiet minute.” The show premiered in November of 2022, and more new episodes are due in 2024. Not certain where and how they’re being distributed in North America, but episodes are available to see on YouTube.
image c. 2023 Paper Owl Films
Bunnicula, a horror/comedy novel for young readers by Deborah Howe and James Howe, has been a fan favorite for decades. It was even an animated cartoon series. Now, Atheneum Books has brought us Bunnicula — The Graphic Novel. It’s adapted by original author James Howe, with the help of Andrew Donkin and illustrations by Stephen Gilpin. “Harold the dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the newest pet in the Monroe household — a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual habits… and fangs! Could this innocent-seeming rabbit actually be a vampire?” Find out now, before it’s too late!
image c. 2023 Atheneum Books
A long, long time ago, we told you about Pug Davis, a very very strange science fiction on-line comic written and illustrated by a talented young creator. Well, in the years since then that person, Rebecca Sugar, has become known for creating this cartoon called Steven Universe… you’ve probably heard of it. And now, Albatross Funny Books and Dark Horse Press have teamed up to bring us the Pug Davis Trade Paperback, collecting the on-line comics in a single book. “Pug Davis is a curmudgeonly astronaut in the vein of Buck Rodgers via John Wayne. He also happens to have the head of a Pug. Reluctantly teamed with his sensitive partner, Blouse, he fights aliens in space so we don’t have to fight them here.” It’s available now from Dark Horse Press.
image c. 2023 Dark Horse Press
Got this directly from Animation Magazine: “Radar Pictures has secured the feature film rights for Italian children’s book favorite Geronimo Stilton, which follows the adventures of the eponymous mouse, a newspaper editor on New Mouse Island. Award-winning filmmaker David Soren (Turbo, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, the upcoming Under the Boardwalk) has been attached to adapt the beloved series into an animated feature and direct. Geronimo Stilton, created by Italian author Elisabetta Dami, has been featured in over 300 books translated into over 50 languages, which have sold over 180 million copies in 150 countries, making it one of the best-selling book series of all time. The intrepid rodent has also appeared in graphic novels, an animated series, eight live stage productions, video games, toys and more.” And the plot? “Longing to be taken seriously as a journalist and move beyond the cheesy puff pieces he’s usually assigned, Geronimo stumbles onto a conspiracy far bigger than anyone expected. He’s out of his league and with his eccentric family always up in his business, Geronimo’s problems seem insurmountable. But, working together, they might stand a chance as long as they can stay one step ahead of his foes in this explosive game of cat and mouse.” Stay tooned!
image c. 2023 Radar Pictures
We got this directly from the creator themselves! “Smallbug Press is proud to announce the release of the Lauren Ipsum book by Charles Brubaker. The 130-page black-and-white paperback contains over 200 Lauren Ipsum comic strips, as well as a bonus story The Flying Catfish. The comic stars a rabbit named Lauren, who works as a professional librarian and part-time writer. Along with Dewey DeSmall (a fox) and Gutenberg (a cat), she runs a library in the all-animal city of St. Paws… Lauren Ipsum first appeared online on October 31, 2022, and has since gained a dedicated following. The Weakley County Press started running the strip on November 15th of the same year. Lauren Ipsum is available for purchase through Amazon worldwide. Signed copies can be purchased directly from the creator at laurenbook.smallbugstudio.com.” You can also find the latest on-line comic strips there as well.
image c. 2023 Smallbug Press
So here’s a brand new comic book series from Aftershock, with a very straight-forward title: Samurai Doggy. “During the Fourth War of the Sun, a small dog named Doggy experienced an irreparable trauma: His mother was brutally murdered, and his eight brothers, still puppies, were kidnapped by a mysterious man. To save them, Doggy fought bravely against the terrible killer, but all his efforts were in vain, and he was left for dead. What nobody imagined was that a technological vulture scavenging the region for corpses would be the one to rescue the dying dog from death’s scythe. Now, Doggy has become Samurai Doggy, and his only goal is to quench his thirst for revenge.” As told to us by writer Chris Tex and illustrator Santtos, the team behind Blackout.
image c. 2023 Aftershock
And then we met these folks at a local comic book and toy convention… “Fleaboy & Weasel is a fictional comic strip about a man named Fleaboy and his pet, Weasel. Fleaboy adopts Weasel from the animal shelter thinking he would be the perfect pet dog. While Fleaboy is brainless and Weasel is quite smart, the two characters develop a unique bond that take them on many adventures (and misadventures).” The strip was created by Ashlee Wyatt and her father more than a decade ago. Now he’s moved on from the project, leaving Ashlee as the primary creative force behind the silliness. Visit the official web site to see more.
image c. 2023 by Ashlee Wyatt
We stumbled across this on Twitter, and found our way to their web site: “Tim and Bash is a new online comic series about a firefighter who adopts the world’s most adorable dragon… and biggest pain in the neck. We have an upcoming live action series in development, so check out our Patreon page if you are interested in getting exclusive updates and behind-the-scenes content!” You heard what they said folks. The web site includes not just the on-line comic but also a collection of mugs, prints, posters, and other goodies featuring the little blue menace. Tim and Bash was created by Daniel Crook and Andy Bashforth.
image c. 2023 Crook and Bashforth
