Your Guide to the World of Furry Fandom
Recently came across this one: The Escapades of Ponchi Panda is a very very strange black & white comic from Cosmic Lion, written and illustrated by D.B. Supr. “Join Inquisitor Ponchi Panda as he navigates the Dreamscape to rid its many realms of Creatures who feed on human emotion known as Nightmares. The Escapades of Ponchi Panda is a tale where Dreams, Folklore, and Reality all collide into one epic saga.” Check out the sample pages over at the web site.
image c. 2026 Cosmic Lion Productions
Recently we came across Thorn the Unicorn, a fantasy graphic novel series for young readers, written by Josh Oaktree (of Oak Tree Comics) and illustrated by A. D’Amico. Here’s the story in a nutshell: “When best friends Jack and Rosie discover an injured unicorn in the Fayre Woods, they risk their lives to come to her aid. Ruthless Lord Aldred and his guard of hunters are desperate to capture the elusive unicorn — anything to find a cure for the mysterious disease that plagues the land of Faerie. Can Jack and Rosie keep Thorn the unicorn safe, or will the Kingdom of the Seven Tapestries continue unraveling until there is no magic left to protect?” Now the tale has been gathered together in paperback.
image c. 2026 Oak Tree Comics
Misfit Island is a full-color comic we found at WonderCon this year — written by Nicholas Doan and Sara Silver, and illustrated by Bobby Timony. “There is an unknown island called Dissidentia. It is peacefully inhabited by Cryptids, monsters and creatures of Myth that have remained hidden for years. But what mysteries will Brody the jackalope and his friends learn about the island’s history? What will happen when Isla, the Harpy, flies to the mainland? And what about Henry, the son of a Frankenstein monster? All he wants to do is play guitar. How is he connected to this mysterious island?” Visit this link to find out more.
image c. 2026 Broken Oar Productions
Found recently at a convention: Can I Pet Your Werewolf is a 2017 collection of black & white short comics, edited by Kel McDonald and Molly Muldoon. “A different take on those who get fluffy under a full moon. This is a collection of goofy, cute, and sweet werewolf stories.” There’s more than a little queer spin on several of the stories here too! Visit Kel’s web site to find out more.
image c. 2026 by Melanie Ujimori
We found a new (to us!) comic series from Dark Horse, one that claims to be “Hellboy meets Redwall“. William of Newbury was created by Michael Avon Oeming, who previously brought us the well-known Mice Templar series. Here’s what Dark Horse says: “Loosely based on real events in 12th century England during what was known as ‘The Anarchy’. A time where the country was beset with plague, civil war, and demons. William of Newbury is a neurotic monk, fearful of the earthly world, but confident and unwavering in the face of true evil. He fights the dead to restore peace, but his brother is intent on stopping him, fearing for his soul. Newbury is dark, yet quaint, deadly yet cute. Follow him as he negotiates with thieves, evades his brother and the church, and battles the undead and evil spirits.” Issues 1 through 4 are now together in a trade paperback.
image c. 2026 Dark Horse Comics
So how did we miss this one? Let’s catch up! Cissy is a full-color creepy comic book series written by Charles Chester and illustrated by Alonso Gonzales. Eleven year-old Gabriel is awakened in the middle of the night — by his sister Maddy’s teddy bear Cissy, who can talk! Despite Cissy’s best efforts, a sinister and powerful being known as The Crying Man has stolen away Maddy and taken her to a frightening realm known as The Dark Lands. Now Cissy needs Gabriel’s help to mount a rescue mission! Issues are still available at Scout Comics.
image c. 2026 Scout Comics
Recently at a book store (remember those?) we came across the Impossible Creatures series of young adult fantasy novels, written by Katherine Rundell. The first book is called (appropriately) Impossible Creatures. “The day that Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever. It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago — a cluster of un-mapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, until now. And it’s the day he met Mal — a girl on the run, in desperate need of his help. Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: No one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.” And don’t forget to check out the second book in the series, The Poisoned King.
image c. 2026 Penguin Random House
Honestly, we couldn’t think of a better description than what the creators gave us! At Lightbox Expo we ran into the crew from Abyssmal Entertainment — the folks who gave is Isla Monstro. It’s an independent animated sci-fi/comedy directed by Steven Shea. “When loser Duke, who has screwed up every hair-brained scheme he’s ever come up with, accidentally falls off a cruise ship and wakes up on a mysteriously abandoned, top secret government island, he discovers that it’s overrun with mutants and monsters from a failed 1980s DARPA ‘super soldier’ project to stop the 2nd Cold War. He soon comes up with the incredible idea of turning the island into a world class getaway resort, utilizing the creatures as it’s staff, much to the dismay of the United States government”. And hey look: The mutants all seem to be anthropomorphic sea creatures! You can find the teaser trailer up on YouTube, as well as a how-we-made-it video.
image c. 2025 Abyssmal Entertainment
At the Lightbox Expo this year we met Greg Anderson-Elysee and learned about his graphic novel series, Is’Nana the Were-Spider. “Accidentally breaking a barrier between our world and theirs (called “The Mother Kingdom”), Is’nana, the son of Anansi (The West African God of Spiders) accepts the responsibility for releasing creatures of horror into our world, villains who want nothing more but to cause chaos and mayhem to achieve their own diabolical or selfish goals. With guidance from his father, Is’nana not only strives to live up to his father’s name but to also reach his own potential while he seeks to discover his individuality and place in the world.” Lots of animal-based gods and demons to be found here, all rendered in a dynamic painting style by artists Walter Ostlie and Lee Milewski. Find out more (and see all the issues) at the Webway Comics site.
image c. 2025 Webway Comics