Your Guide to the World of Furry Fandom
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
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
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! Remember when the worst thing we had to worry about was killer pizza robots? The folks at Scholastic do… “Don’t miss the first-ever graphic novel for Five Nights at Freddy’s, an adaptation of the #1 New York Times bestselling novel The Silver Eyes, illustrated by fan-favorite game artist Claudia Schröder! Ten years after the horrific murders at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza that ripped their town apart, Charlie, whose father owned the restaurant, and her childhood friends reunite on the anniversary of the tragedy and find themselves at the old pizza place which had been locked up and abandoned for years. After they discover a way inside, they realize that things are not as they used to be. The four adult-sized animatronic mascots that once entertained patrons have changed. They now have a dark secret . . . and a murderous agenda.” It’s available now in hardcover and trade paperback at Comixology.
image c. 2020 Scholastic, Inc.
Recently Arcana Studios brought us Go Fish, written by Sean O’Reilly and illustrated by Beto Nascimento. It’s a full-color hardcover one-shot that’s the prequel to a film of the same name — which we’ve never heard of. “Alex the Parrotfish is off to the undersea city of New Corralton in search of fame and fortune (or at least a decent job). Before he’s through, he’ll face down hungry sharks, rude bureaucrat fish, and a shocking threat to the whole reef! How will Alex make it out in one piece?” See some preview pages over at Comixology.
image c. 2020 Arcana Studios
Sorry about that… Thanks to Twitter we learned about a new animal fantasy series from Bad Dog Books: Disbanded, first in the Serpentia series by Frances Pauli. “Sookahr the architect is just one of many snakes within Serpentia, an underground society where snakes and their rodent companions have lived in peace for as long as anyone can remember. Their destinies are preordained at birth, when they are fit with skymetal bands to enhance the telekinetic powers that aid them everyday. Given an opportunity unheard of for a snake of his caste, Sookahr and Kwirk, his mouse aid, venture to a recently-destroyed outpost at the far edges of Serpentia, hoping to redesign the structure and prove his skill as an architect. But something watches from the jungle, and whatever attacked the outpost is poised to strike again. Will Sookahr’s drive to rise above his station get his team killed? Or will he respond to the call he’s heard since birth, and be the hero who can save them all?” Not a lot of books out there starring snakes, let alone furry fantasy books! Take a look over at Barnes & Noble to find out more and order it in papeback.
image c. 2020 Bad Dog Books
New from Ablaze Publishing is Wild Thing, Or: My Life as a Wolf, a full-color graphic novel written and illustrated by Clayton Junior. “Wild Thing Or: My Life as a Wolf tells the story of an affectionate and inquisitive Labrador named Silver, who grew up on a farm with his master and his hundreds of sheep. But Silver dreams of adventure, bored by the monotony of his farm life… What is beyond the hills? Where does the river flow? Which animals live in the forest? So many questions without answers… One night, Silver meets a trio of hungry wolves. Attracted by their unhindered life-as enticing as it is dangerous-he decides to follow them, and learns to live the wild life with the pack, which is rough and exhilarating at the same time. Along the way he discovers love, and the ravages of human civilization that are reducing the living space of animals, threatening their very existence.” Find out more at the creator’s web site.
image c. 2020 Ablaze Publishing
Something rather different — from Disney’s publishing house no less! The Fashion Kitty Collection brings together both volumes of this popular children’s comic book series written and illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper. “Fashion Kitty’s here to save the day! *fist pump* A brain that can mix and match hundreds of outfits in a second. X-ray eyes that can see through buildings and anything else in the way. Ears that hear the distress call of someone in need of fashion help. Tail of comfort. One touch of the tail makes everything seem all right. Supersonic feet that make Fashion Kitty really bounce.” No kidding. And it’s available now from Little Brown Books and Disney Hyperion.
image c. 2020 Little Brown Books
It goes without saying perhaps: One of the “casualties” of conventions and conferences being canceled or postponed left and right is vendors who had made big plans to sell product at those events. Here’s one — John Bailey has a new novel out, the first in his Feathers & Flames series, called Dire. “Euraiya is a lazy gryphon, content to let her traps hunt for her. Roving thieves and bullish curs are her only concerns. But after she fails to save her home from a far greater threat, her world erupts into flames. Broken and half dead, she must claw her way to find a place within a new pride that’s poised to exile her with one wrong move. Forced to prove her worth, her warnings are silenced. But with the leaders distracted and a rogue lord poised to take advantage of any weakness, Euraiya must confront them and herself before it’s too late. Can Euraiya save what’s left of her future before the fires rain down again? Dire is the first novel in a new creature fiction fantasy series that pits gryphons against wyverns in a battle for land and survival.” The author was all set to make a book-signing tour of various furry conventions, but now that’s not happening. Find the book over at Amazon, and see if you can help out a creative writer!
image c. 2020 Mythic House
