Dunno how we missed this one, but… here’s more dark, distressing oddness from Source Point Press. “Torsobear: Yarns From Toyburg is a collection of 12 grisly crime yarns, written in the style of old film noir and set in a world of toys. In the fluffy-noir world of Toyburg, some toys just don’t play nice… Dismembered teddy bears are being found in the back alleys of this sweet city. It’s up to our hero, rookie detective Ruxby Bear, and his partner, Officer Hazbrow to solve the string of murders, no matter how high and far the clues take them.” No description of who wrote or drew it, but they’re up to Volume 3 of this trade paperback series.
Books and Trade Paperbacks
Witch’s Cat, Off On His Own
Something we recently discovered: The Freelance Familiars series of fantasy novels by Daniel Potter. Here, check out this summary of the first book, Off Leash: “When Thomas Khatt awakens to the magical world following the sudden, violent death of his elderly Archmagus neighbor, he doesn’t get the standard package of awesome power combined with a hero destiny. Nope, he trades his thumbs in for a tail, tawny fur and four feet with a very low co-efficient of friction on linoleum. His destiny as one of three talking mountain lions in the magical world? To be sold at auction and bonded to some pimply faced apprentice for life. Thomas would rather eat dirty kitty litter. Armed only with an impressive set of chompers and buckets of snark, Thomas faces off against a lightning-bolt throwing granny and a sexy union recruiter as he desperately tries hold the threads of his old life together. To stay off the leash he’ll have to take advantage of the chaos caused by the Archmagus’ death and help the local Inquisition solve his murder. A pyromanic squirrel, religious werewolves, and cat-hating cops all add to the chaos as Thomas attempts to become the first Freelance Familiar.” Mr. Potter has already finished two more books in the series, Marking Territory and High Steaks, with a fourth on the way, Rudy and the Warren Warriors. Want more? He also has a separate fantasy series about air pirates fighting dragons. Yes. Needless to say, you should visit his web site!
Ancient Adventures
Cretaceous is a new full-color graphic novel written and illustrated by Tadd Galusha and coming soon from Oni Press. “When a Tyrannosaurus Rex is separated from its family unit, it embarks on a harrowing journey to reunite with them before the raw, real dangers of the Cretaceous Era separate them for good. This heart-wrenching story takes to the skies and dives into the sea—and explores everywhere in between—in this research-based, fictional account.” Want more? Go check out the detailed preview over at SyFy Wire.
The Bug and the Bullies
The folks over at Previews magalog let us know about this new book. “From the visionary Shaun Tan, an inspirational story for older picture book readers and beyond. Cicada tells the story of a hardworking little cicada who is completely unappreciated for what he does. But in the end, just when you think he’s given up, he makes a transformation into something ineffably beautiful. A metaphor for growing up? A bit of inspiration for the unappreciated striver in all of us? Yes, yes, and more.” It’s available now from Arthur A. Levine Books.
What Crawls Beneath
Definitely a darker sort of anthropomorphic story — that’s The Rats of Heaven, a new novel by J.J. Elliot. “The Rats of Heaven tells the story of the fallen angel Rahab, as he seeks revenge on the angels that exiled him to live out his existence on Earth as a rat. When the fallen angel meets a dying serial killer in the sewers they strike a deal that will terrorize a city. Only a 12 year-old boy knows what their secret and how to stop them. The Rats of Heaven will take the reader from the sewers of a modern city to the gardens of Heaven.” What a ride. Check it out over at Amazon.
From Back To Front
Honestly, we never knew this was back there — and now here it is right in front of us! Turns out that Aspen Comics have been running a series for young readers called Aspen Mascots as back-up stories in other comics for some time now. Finally, they have gathered them all together and put them out in Aspen Mascots: The Complete Collection. “Aspen Comics’ most popular mascots, critters and creatures star in this all in one jam-packed comic, coloring and activity book! Join Wormier, a fearless millipede, along with his lovable sidekick Griff, as they plot to go back in time in order to reverse the destruction of his worm village! Along the way, the pair will discover different eras, allies-and enemies! Plus, with over 5 incredible bonus stories, readers and fans alike will be able to color in the fun with added puzzles, exciting activities and a whole lot more!” Take a look over at Comixology.
Apes of War
Evidently this has been a thing for a while, but somehow we missed it. Now, thanks to Oni Press, it’s all together in one place. “Brahm Revel’s critically-acclaimed series is collected for the first time in one volume in the Guerillas: Omnibus Edition! Private John Francis Clayton is on his first tour of duty in Vietnam, facing death at every turn in the middle of a war he doesn’t understand. Clayton is just trying to stay alive when he encounters an elite platoon of…. simian soldiers?!? This squad of chain-smoking chimps is the most dangerous fighting force in the jungle… but whose side are they on?” Find out when this hits the shelves in late March.
HOW It All Started with a Mouse
Seems like we just can’t get enough of Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday celebration — and here’s a whole bunch of it at once! Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Complete History is a very thick compendium book from Taschen, edited by David Gerstein, J.B. Kaufman, and Daniel Kothenschulte. “On November 18, 1928, the world’s most famous mouse made his very first public debut. Today, we celebrate 90 years of Mickey in one of the most expansive illustrated publications on the Disney universe. Starting with the first sketches of a character who was almost named Mortimer, we trace the career of Walt Disney’s and Ub Iwerk’s most famous creation, one met with an explosion of worldwide popularity preceded only by the earlier successes of Charlie Chaplin. With unlimited access to Disney’s vast historical collections as well as public and private collections, the authors bring Mickey’s success story to life: concept art, story sketches, background paintings, and animation drawings as well as historical photographs trace the origins and evolution of such timeless favorites as Steamboat Willie, The Band Concert, and Brave Little Tailor. They also follow Mickey as he builds on this legendary library of short cartoons by appearing in two historic feature-length films, Fantasia and Fun and Fancy Free.” All that and much, much more. It’s available now in hardcover.
Kitty and Monster Unite
Tiger vs. Nightmare is a new full-color graphic novel for young readers, created by Emily Tetri and published by First Second. “Tiger is a very lucky kid: She has a monster living under her bed. Every night, Tiger and Monster play games until it’s time for lights out. Of course, Monster would never try to scare Tiger—that’s not what best friends do. But Monster needs to scare someone…it’s a monster, after all. So while Tiger sleeps, Monster scares all of her nightmares away. Thanks to her friend, Tiger has nothing but good dreams. But waiting in the darkness is a nightmare so big and mean that Monster can’t fight it alone. Only teamwork and a lot of bravery can chase this nightmare away.” The book is available now in hardcover from Macmillan, and they’ve got a preview up as well.