Your Guide to the World of Furry Fandom
Hey, look what we found on Twitter: A new “pixel art” game developed by EggNut and available on Steam. “Backbone: Prologue is the first act of a noir role-playing detective adventure. You are raccoon private eye Howard Lotor, a second-class citizen of a dystopian Vancouver, BC inhabited by animals. Interrogate a diverse cast of characters, collect evidence, and choose which leads to follow.” There’s a better trailer up on YouTube as well.
image c. 2020 EggNut
While we’re all huddled in our caves — why not visit with some friendly creatures who dance in theirs? Apple TV+ and the Jim Henson Company have brought back the stars of the beloved series Fraggle Rock in a new collection of shorts called Fraggle Rock: Rock On! “The Fraggles might be apart in separate caves, but they can still find ways to have fun together! Join Gobo, Red, Boober, Mokey, Wembley, and Uncle Traveling Matt for stories and songs that show everyone how we’re all connected.” Fun fact: How do you produce a new show when everyone is still in lock-down? Simple — the entire show is filmed on iPhones from the production staff’s homes and garages. Modern technology! Here’s a review over at Slashfilm, which includes the trailer.
image c. 2020 The Jim Henson Company
For some time now well-known illustrator Rod Espinosa has been giving us the latest story arch of his Adventure Finders fantasy comic series, called The Edge of Empire. It features, among many other characters, a friendly and helpful gnoll — basically a hyena on steroids. Well now Action Lab Entertainment have gathered this story arch together into a new full-color trade paperback. Take a look over at Graphic Policy for some preview pages.
image c. 2020 Action Lab Entertainment
Newly released this year, we have a new — or at least “improved” — Usagi Yojimbo series from IDW Publishing called Usagi Yojimbo Color Classics. “This series collects the original early issues of the acclaimed long-running series, now in full color! Every issue will also feature new behind-the-scenes material and art. Whether you’re a long-term Usagi fan or brand new to the adventures of the ronin rabbit, this series will be the perfect addition to your comic library!” Written and illustrated by Stan Sakai, of course, with new colors by Ronda Pattison.
image c. 2020 IDW Publishing
Something interesting has just hit the shelves (so to speak). The award-winning (and Ursa Major Award nominated) game Cuphead has a new tie-in book from Dark Horse Press called — wait for it — The Art of Cuphead. “Get transported back to the golden age of 1930s animation with an art book celebrating the acclaimed run & gun platformer Cuphead! Each page of this curated collection of artwork is designed to capture the vintage look and feel of the Thirties. Take a gander at the game’s traditional hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animation. Peek at the early concepts, production work, and early ideas that went into the making of Cuphead’s characters, bosses, stages, and more! And relive the most cherished and challenging moments of Cuphead and Mugman’s adventure to reclaim their souls from the Devil! Guided by personal insights from game directors Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, take a trip through the Inkwell Isles and discover a new appreciation for Cuphead’s animation style and challenging retro game-play.” It’s available now in hardcover from the Dark Horse web site.
image c. 2020 Dark Horse Press
Hello everyone! Belated Happy Easter to you all, and we hope you’re staying healthy and safe. While we’re at it, we’ll send you to take a look at Previews’ special feature for today, Five Favorite Comic Book Bunnies.
And now for something completely different, we need to tell you about a current Kickstarter campaign. You’re probably aware (and if you’re not you should be!) of Tracy Butler’s award-winning graphic series Lackadaisy. Well now there’s a Kickstarter up to finance the very first Lackadaisy animated short film. The campaign has already surpassed its goal (by leaps and bounds!), but you can still get some cool tie-in products if you contribute. Hurry though! This is the final week before the campaign ends. Act meow!
image c. 2020 by Tracy Butler
Recently Jake S. Friedman (author, researcher, and professor of art and animation, according to his web site) brought us his new book The Disney Afternoon: The Making of Television Renaissance. “When the Disney Afternoon premiered in 1990, kids tossed their backpacks aside to watch their favorite Disney television characters. Unlike with feature films, these stars had a new adventure every weekday, and their audience journeyed with them on a daily basis. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Disney raised the bar with a lineup of innovative, high-quality television animation. The characters were endearing, the writing was clever, and the art was exceptional. Those who grew up with these characters have continued their love affairs for shows like Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles, TaleSpin, and the irrepressibly beloved DuckTales, deep into adulthood. For the first time, learn the history of the Disney Afternoon shows, read interviews from the creative teams, and revel in rare, behind-the-scenes artwork, plus get the full making of story of the modern-day DuckTales series and its legacy connections to the past.” It’s available now in hardcover from Disney Editions. Order it from the author’s store — and check out his other titles.
image c. 2020 Disney Editions
Hey look at that — some locals! At this year’s Anime L.A. convention we came across Fantastic Fam, headquartered right here in Orange County CA. Here’s what they say about themselves: “We are designers, illustrators, retailers, and manufacturers of fun and unique fashion and accessories.” Simple enough. Right now they’re specializing in comfortable designer cloth face-masks (funny that), but the reason we noticed them was for their line of clothing that features Fluff the Corgi! Not just clothing but stickers, art prints, and other cool stuff. Take a look at their web site and see what we mean. Woof.
image c. 2020 Fantastic Fam, Inc.
Famed horror director John Carpenter came up with something interesting last year, in the form of a dark new comic book series. “Monica Bleue and her father move away to the country to start a new life after the death of her mother. Though she’s not speaking to her dad, she begins to find her way out from her anger and grief in her new surroundings. But while out wandering the forests near their home, she comes face to face with a hidden horror that changes her forever. Steve Niles and Damien Worm bring you Monica Bleue: A Werewolf Story, the first story in the new monthly anthology series, John Carpenter Presents Storm Kids.” Funny thing? Previews lists this as a “kid friendly” title…
image c. 2020 Storm King Productions
