Ursa Minor: It’s a new full-color comic series in the horror genre, starting this month from Big Dog Ink. “Nature’s supernatural balance is shattered when werewolves kill the President and vampires come to mankind’s aide. Now, one girl with a power she can barely control sets out to right what has gone horribly wrong the only way she knows how. Kill them all!” We think the cover illustration from the preview issue (shown below) makes it pretty clear exactly what this young lady’s power is! Ursa Minor is written by Tom Hutchison and illustrated by Ian Snyder. Big Dog’s web site has more information. Meanwhile, Big Dog is also bringing out issue #12 of The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West (also, interestingly, written by Tom Hutchison). This full-color series smooshes together L. Frank Baum’s creation with a spaghetti western — no we’re not kidding. This new issue begins a story arch looking at the back history of the deadly Flying Monkeys.
Horror
Werewolves in the Big Easy
We can’t put this any better than they do at Dark Horse: “Cassian Steele is the boss of the werewolf mafia in the Big Easy, and he’s got a problem. The old witch Verona knows his secret and has gone into hiding. Cassian wants her dead. So he sends out the word: An open contract. The first monster to dust Verona gets a big payday. What no one realizes is that Barnabus Black, a demon desperately trying to regain his halo, is her protection.” Kiss Me, Satan! is a new full-color miniseries written by Victor Gischler (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike—A Dark Place) and illustrated by Juan Ferreyra (Colder). Find out a lot more at Comic Book Resources. Then look for the premier this September.
For Those Who Like Their Werewolves Evil…
Straight from the Press Release at Previews magalog: “George RR Martin returns to comics with his World Fantasy Award winning story, Skin Trade! With scripting by Martin’s long-time partner, Daniel Abraham, and art by horror legend Mike Wolfer, Skin Trade is set to be one of the must have comics this summer. Private investigator Randi Wade sees the ravaged remains of innocent victims that have been savagely murdered and skinned alive. As the mysterious secrets of the Blackstone Manor begin to be uncovered, she gets ever closer to the monstrous truth…werewolves are real!” Look for it monthly in full color from Avatar Press, starting this July.
Men who are Monsters — for a Living
Further Confusion in San Jose hosted well over 3000 fans, and a great time was had by all. Over the next few days we’ll be posting several of the cool items we came across during the convention. Starting with…
After a successful Kickstarter campaign producer, director, and all-around monster fan Frank H. Woodward managed to finish his latest documentary, Men in Suits. It’s the story of several men (and yes, women) who have made names for themselves in Hollywood (and other centers of movie-making) by putting on giant, bulky, uncomfortable rubber suits and portraying giant monsters in movies, TV series, commercials and more. People like Doug Jones (from Hellboy), Haruo Nakajima (from MANY Godzilla movies), Michelan Sisti (from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Bobby Clark (the Gorn from the original Star Trek), and many many more. Some of them are no longer with us (like the great Kevin Peter Hall from Alien and Harry & the Hendersons), but this film interviews a great many actors who still are, letting us in on what it’s like to work in such conditions — and what it’s like to find your job being replaced by CGI. Slash Film has an article about the film project from back in August, which also includes several clips, and you can find out about how to get your copy of the completed film on DVD by visiting Amazon.
Cages Will Not Hold Them
James Patterson is a world-famous thriller and mystery novelist, well-known for such best-selling book lines as the Alex Cross Series (including Kiss the Girls and Along Came A Spider, both of which have been adapted into movies). Now his latest work, Zoo, has been adapted before it even comes out… this time, as a graphic novel! Written by Mr. Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, Zoo has been adapted and illustrated by Andy McDonald. The hardcover black & white book will be released by Yen Press in November. So what’s it about, and why are we telling you here? Check it: “All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear. With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it’s too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide. ”
Werewolves vs. Bikers from Hell
First off, wishing a very Happy Independence Day to all of you and yours!
Later this month Moonstone Publishing will bring us Werewolves of New Idria, an illustrated novel / trade paperback written by John Chadwell with art by Duncan Long. Here’s the publisher’s description: ” The Aceves family is like no other. With patriarch, Roberto Aceves, forever a Spanish knight after being bitten by a werewolf, he and his clan have secretly fought man’s wars for 900 years. Today, near the abandoned mining town of New Idria, they must battle against a demon and his biker gang who want nothing more than to destroy the entire clan. A new breed of werewolf! Holy warriors, led by a 900-year-old knight who fought beside El Cid, now in a deadly struggle against a motorcycle gang headed by Satan’s ken, hell bent on revenge!” Check out the pre-order page at Amazon.com.
The Lady and the Wolf
Kyell Gold is a well-known author of anthropomorphic fiction. How well known? He currently holds the record for the most Ursa Major Award wins by an individual — for novels, short stories, and story collections combined. Usually his work is known for two things: Eroticism, and a male-to-male emphasis. However, his latest novel is considerably more straight — straight romance, and straight horror. The Silver Circle tells the story of a woman named Valerie, who heads off into the woods on vacation after a messy divorce. She’s determined to try and relax, in spite of the warnings of deadly wolves infesting the forest. Then, she comes across a mutilated dead man, a young man with an arrow in his side… and a hunter who insists that the wounded young man is a werewolf. From there, things get complicated. The Silver Circle is being released as a Kindle e-book from Amazon Digital Services this month.
Romance on Werewolf Mountain
It’s called Three Wolves Mountain, and its’ a new black & white manga of the yaoi variety, created by Naono Bohra. We think that the description on Amazon summarizes it best: “Way up in the mountains, far from any major cities or towns, Kaya Susugi runs a small cafe by day and guards a haunted cemetery by night. Then, one night, he comes across werewolf brothers Taro and Jiro. Cheerful but klutzy younger brother Jiro quickly falls head over heels for the capable loner Kaya. What results is a dive into the hot, tail-twitching delight of werewolf mating season!” You read it here folks. It comes out in June from SuBLime, and obviously it’s Adults Only.
Brave Pets vs. the Undead
Who says there aren’t any original ideas anymore? Even if they involve combining other ideas, still: “In the wake of a zombie apocalypse, a small band of animals, led by a hyper-intelligent Golden Retriever named Rex, and accompanied by a baseball bat-wielding gorilla, begin their cross-country journey in the hope of finding safety…and a home.” It’s Rex: Zombie Killer, a brand new double-thick one-shot comic book that’s coming soon from Big Dog Ink. Written by Rob Anderson and illustrated in full color by Dafu Yu, it’s scheduled for release (escape?) in early April. Check out the Rex: Zombie Killer web site to meet all the characters and find out more about the comic.








