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Graphic Novel

Beware the Worgen

And now something for fans of the massive on-line role-playing game World of Warcraft — and also fans of werewolves. DC Comics is collecting the five-issue miniseries World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen into a single hardcover graphic novel, coming this September. This is from the publisher’s notes: “A series of grisly, animalistic murders have rocked the walled town of Gilneas. A famous detective sets out to discover the perpetrators and finds far more than he bargained for. To find the truth, he must delve through years of twisted history – both the history of his family and Gilneas itself.” The original series was written by Micky Neilson and James Waugh, and illustrated in full-color by Ludo Lullabi and Tony Washington.

 

image c. 2011 DC Comics

Oh My!

Hermes Press have announced they are now the new publishers of Mike Bullock and Michael Metcalf’s well-known (and well-loved) comic book series Lions, Tigers, and Bears. The long-awaited full-color Volume 3 graphic novel is available now in softcover.  This is from their press release: “Mike Bullock’s internationally acclaimed, best selling title has a new home with Hermes Press! The long awaited Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Volume 3 arrives in stores March, 2011. ‘Lions, Tigers, and Bears is a remarkable title, with memorable characters, an enchanting concept, and beautiful artwork,’ observed Hermes Press’ Publisher, Dan Herman. ‘We’re really excited about releasing all new adventures of Joey, Courtney, Ares, Venus, Pallo and Minerva as a graphic novel.'” For those who haven’t found it yet, Lions, Tigers, and Bears is the story of a group of kids who discover that their stuffed animal toys have the ability to come to life — as rather large animals — to protect the children in their care from an invasion of other-worldly demons.

Big Simians Save the World

Missing Linx is a brand new softcover full-color graphic novel coming from Viper Comics this April. It’s written by Dale Martin and illustrated by Courtney Huddleston. Here’s their description: “Dr. Erasmus Q Bedfellow is bent on releasing the creatures of the Fantasy Realm into our dimension, using the creatures of nightmares to rule the world.  Only one thing stands in his way:  An unlikely group of heroes – the result of Bedfellow’s last attempt to breach the border between realities. They are Big Foot, Sasquatch, Skunk Ape, and the Yeti.”  Viper Comic’s web site has a preview of the graphic novel, as well as a link to a comic book “trailer” for the project on YouTube.

The Isle of 100,000 Graves

The European artist known only as Jason is known for is stark graphic style and his rather eccentric stories, often told without dialogue — works like Werewolves of Montpellier and Meow, Baby! Now, Jason has returned with a new hardcover, full-color graphic novel for Fantagraphics Books, and he’s enlisted the services of award-winning French writer Fabien Vehlmann. The Isle of 100,000 Graves comes to stores this April. In it, we meet a little girl searching for her father, who encounters blood-thirsty pirates… and an island where young executioners go to learn their deadly art! Of course there’s an entry for the book at Amazon.

 

image c. 2011 Fantagraphics Books

Amity Blamity

Now how could you miss a title like that? What is it? A new black & white graphic novel written and illustrated by Mike White, coming this May from Slave Labor Graphics. Here’s the publisher’s press release: “Meet Gretchen & Chester. Gretchen is a shy 4 year old girl and Chester is a talking potbellied pig. They live with Gretchen’s Grandma and listless Uncle Downey in rural America. Mistaking their afternoon activity of playing ‘office’ for entrepreneurial gusto, Downey recruits the duo to assist in his deluded aspirations of running ‘moonshine’. Unbeknownst to the outlandish family and their activities, strange forest critters begin to lurk in the woods nearby, disrupting their quirky daily life and sending them on an adventure to save their degenerate Uncle from a strange genetic mutation!” You read it here folks. Amity Blamity, in softcover this May. Yep.

Rottentail

You have been warned… Here’s the description that comic book writer and creator David Hayes put up on his web site: “April 2011 is the debut of Rottentail. This 60-page graphic novel from Creators Edge Press, written and created by David Hayes, tells the bizarre tale of young Peter Cotton, who grew up in the town of Easter Falls and loves rabbits. Peter’s science project on rabbit breeding is ruined when the school bullies beat up and actually kill his rabbit. Years later, the kindly but still shy Dr. Cotton works steadily, gently with his rabbits to cure human infertility. Unbeknownst to Peter, the military is perverting his work, developing fierce soldiers with strength far exceeding a human of their size, and with Peter’s fertility serum, the ability to breed in the field. Peter discovers the true nature of the experiment and tries to stop it. But in an accident of poetic justice, a bite from an experimental rabbit combines with Peter’s own serum to transform him into the evil Rottentail. This creature heads to Easter Falls to exact revenge for the wrongdoings of his youth and to finally lay claim to the love of his life. His timing could not be better since Easter Falls biggest day of the year is coming up and the entire town will be there to watch the annual Easter Parade.” How could we top that? This black & white graphic novel was written by David Hayes and Kevin Moyers, illustrated by Kurt Belcher and Heinrik Horvath, with pin-up art by Michael Bracco. Look for it this coming March.

Polar Bear Adventures

Erin Hunter is a collective writer (yes, “she” is a team) best known for the Warriors series of cat fantasy novels. More recently, Erin has been creating the Seekers series, a set of fantasy novels featuring bears of various sorts. Now, this coming February brings us Seekers: Kallik’s Adventures, an illustrated black & white graphic novel co-published by Harper Collins and Tokyo Pop. The illustrations are by Bettina Kurkoski. “Polar bear cub Kallik and her brother, Taqqiq, live in a cozy den nestled into the side of a snowy hill. Their mother, Nisa, tells them stories of the great world beyond their little den: stories of other bears, endless snow, and flecks of ice in the sky called stars. Kallik and Taqqiq can’t wait to explore everything, though Nisa says they’re still too little to venture out. But when the two cubs sneak out one day, they discover some startling new things about life in the wild and make a new friend—whose life may be in danger!” Amazon. com has more about this new softcover book.

BOOM Go the Ducks

Boom! Studios have two new Disney-Duck-related items on the shelves at your local comic book store right now. Darkwing Duck Volume 1: The Duck Knight Returns brings together the first Darkwing Duck story arc in a single full-color trade paperback, written by Ian Brill and illustrated by James Silvani. The people of St. Canard have grown worried when their loyal protector, “the terror that flaps in the night”, hasn’t been seen in more than a year… and evil is on the rise again. Is it time for the Duck Knight to rise again too? Meanwhile, readers looking for more of Don Rosa’s The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck should look for the new hardcover, The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion. It features “the pre-chapters, the post-chapters, and the in-between chapters” of Don Rosa’s sought-after work. You can find out more about both of these at Boom! Studio’s web site.

The Puppy Sister Graphic Novel

The Puppy Sister is a 1997 novel by a well-known author of books for young readers, S. E. Hinton. It tells the comic story of Aleasha, a newly-adopted puppy who decides that her human family will be much better off if she becomes human too — and so, she sets out to do precisely that, and the book details her adventures as told from her point of view. Now, Bluewater Productions have released a new edition of The Puppy Sister as a full-color graphic novel, illustrated by Ramon Salas. It’s available now from (among other places) the Barnes & Noble web site.