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Books and Trade Paperbacks

Who’s A Good Boy?

Nov 24th, 2023
by rodney.
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Yehudi Mercado is a creator we’ve heard about before ’round here. Well now he’s back as the writer and illustrator of a really unusual, nearly-wordless graphic novel “for kids” from DC Comics called Barkham Asylum. “When the Super-Villains of Gotham get thrown into Arkham Asylum, their hench-pets go to the maximum-security pound known as Barkham Asylum. Fur flies when Jester, The Joker’s dog, gets a tough-talking stray cat named Penny tossed into lockup with him. But they’ll have to work together to figure out what the evil Dr. Hugo Mange is up to. And the only way to stop this terrifying team-up is to win the talent show and get visitation with their masters at Arkham on the hill. Because the Joker is sure to help! What could go wrong with that plan?” It’s escaping next February.

image c. 2023 DC Comics

Dino Girls and Grumpy Bears

Nov 10th, 2023
by rodney.
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Recently at a local children’s book store we stumbled across the works of artist and author Ryan T. Higgins. His two most famous series of illustrated books, Mother Bruce and Penelope Rex, are decidedly furry and very, very silly. Which you can probably tell from the title of the first Penelope book, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates. The follow up to that is We Don’t Lose Our Class Goldfish, and check out this opening: “Penelope Rex was seven feet tall and covered in scales. Other than that, she was just like every other kid.” And so it goes, as you can imagine. Check out Mr. Higgins’ web site to see more of what he’s been bringing the world — and what awards he’s been given for it so far.

image c. 2023 Disney Books

All the Pretty Animals

Oct 29th, 2023
by rodney.
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This weekend we made a quick stop by the Lightbox Expo, an annual animation industry trade-show in Pasadena, California. Lots and lots of artists showing off their talents there, and lots of animation studios looking for help. Among the former was an artist all the way from France named Julie Mellan. Her specialty is traditional “funny animals” drawn in a very sweet style and colored in traditional inks and watercolors. (She even created the cover for the book The Last Rabbit by Shelley Moore Thomas, which we’ve reviewed here before.) You can see a lot of Ms. Mellan’s work at her web site — or, you can pick up her book Instants — The Art of Julie Mellan, and hold the art in your own two paws!

image c. 2023 by Julie Mellan

Gotta See ’em All

Oct 9th, 2023
by rodney.
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We came across an article at The Nerdist about the artist Joshua Dunlop. He’s been working on a project he calls Pokemon Zoology, trying to create realistic portrayals of what various well-known pokemon might look like out here in this world. To that end he’s set up a Kickstarter campaign — which has already surpassed its goal, even though it’s running through the end of this month. “My name is Joshua Dunlop; I’m a Senior Freelance Concept Artist from the UK. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some amazing companies such as Disney and Netflix, and I’ve had amazing success over the last 7 years with my personal project, Pokemon Zoology! And now I’m thrilled to present this unofficial collection of 151 realistic digital concept art pieces depicting the iconic original Pokemon from Generation 1.” Looks like it’ll be available in hardcover real soon.

image c. 2023 by Joshua Dunlop

Anything Can Happen — and It Usually Does

Oct 3rd, 2023
by rodney.
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Gustav and Henri is a new graphic novel series for younger readers, written by Andy Matthews and illustrated by Peader Thomas. The first paperback volume is called Space Time Cake! No really. “Gustav is a goofy, optimistic and naively enthusiastic pig. Henri is a grounded, pragmatic and quietly sceptical dog. They are as drawn to each other as they are to the weird and ridiculous. Which is a lot. Whether it’s venturing into space to find a lost shuttlecock, or shrinking to the size of microbes to fight a cold, Gustav and Henri are always up for a madcap adventure, so long as they have each other.” Check out their web site too.

image c. 2023 Red Comet Press

Your Mentor is Evil. But Soft.

Sep 21st, 2023
by rodney.
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We talked before about author John Scalzi’s recent book The Kaiju Preservation Society. Well the prolific author is back with another interesting take on science fiction tropes with Starter Villain. “Inheriting your mysterious uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than you might imagine. Sure, there are the things you’d expect. The undersea volcano lairs. The minions. The plots to take over the world. The international networks of rivals who want you dead. Much harder to get used to… are the the sentient, language-using, computer-savvy cats. And the fact that in the overall organization, they’re management.” The book just hit the shelves this week, from Tor, in hardcover.

image c. 2023 Tor Books

Veterans Who Go to the Vet

Sep 14th, 2023
by rodney.
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We’re mostly about anthropomorphic animals around here, obviously, but now and then it’s interesting to find a project about real-life non-humans and their adventures. Such is the case with Four-Fisted Tales: Animals In Combat, a new non-fiction graphic novel by Ben Towle. “In virtually every military conflict in recorded history animals have fought — and often died — alongside their human counterparts. While countless stories of the men and women who’ve served in the trenches, jungles, and deserts of the world’s battlefields have been told, Four-Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat shares the stories of the animals who fought alongside them. From Hannibal’s elephants in ancient Rome to mine-sniffing rats in Vietnam and everything in between, Four-Fisted Tales highlights the real-life contributions of these underappreciated animal warriors. Whether in active combat or simply as companions, these animals served and made their mark on history.” It’s available now from Dead Reckoning.

image c. 2023 Dead Reckoning

It’s A Busy World Full Of Sick People

Sep 7th, 2023
by rodney.
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Okay, so it’s called Health and Wealth: A Graphic Guide to the U.S. Healthcare System. The creators at the Center for Cartoon Studies describe it like this: “The goal of this concise and engaging 32-page comic is to provide a baseline understanding of the healthcare system so people can feel a little less intimidated by its complexity and cruelty, and more empowered to advocate for themselves and those they care for. We hope Health and Wealth will generate discussions around healthcare and healthcare reform.” So why should we especially care about it here? Well, because the creators made the decision to illustrate their comic in an obvious homage to the familiar style of author and illustrator Richard Scarry (What Do People Do All Day?).

image c. 2023 Center for Cartoon Studies

Bugs and Books

Sep 2nd, 2023
by rodney.
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Somehow we missed the Sir Ladybug stories by award-winning creator Corey L. Tabor, but now they’re out with the third volume in this series of graphic novels for young readers. Here’s what the publisher says about Sir Ladybug and the Bookworms: “Sir Ladybug — the duke of the dandelion patch, champion of truth and justice — must fulfill a most noble duty! Upon his knightly honor, Sir Ladybug vows to return his library book before it is overdue. But some diabolical creatures dare to stop this hero and his friends… Beware of the Bookworms!” All the books are available now in hardcover from Harper Collins.

image c. 2023 Balzer + Bray

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