So we were introduced to Clucked, a new full-color on-line comic created by Joie Brown and Joel Foster. “When a chicken lands on Earth in search of kin, he discovers that not only is his kind considered the tastiest thing in the universe… he’s also the only one left. Can he survive the hungering hordes, cosmic chases, and the entirety of the Galactic Federation long enough to save his homeworld?” Well if you want to help the creators bring us more of the trials and tribulations of Major Sanders (yes…), they have a Patreon link on their web site at www.cluckedcomic.com.
Comedy
He Speaks with the Trees
After becoming that much more well-known the world over (thanks to a certain hit live-action movie, we hear), both Rocket Raccoon and Groot (the talking tree) found time to star in their own full-color comic book series from Marvel. What fans wanted though, of course, was for them to team up again and bring more of their own special brand of mayhem to the galaxy. Wishes granted! Now Skottie Young (writer) and Filipe Andrade (illustrator) have returned with a brand new series called (what else?) Rocket Raccoon and Groot. And this time, Rocket is… an interplanetary crime boss? Say it isn’t so! See what they DO say over at the Marvel Comics web site, where they interview Mr. Young for his perspective on this. [And with that, we’ll see you after Further Confusion!]
Not Crazy, Just Proud
Most nerdy people out there (you know who you are!) who are also fans of music are familiar with the works of Jonathan Coulton. Well now after a successful Kickstarter campaign, several of Mr. Coulton’s most famous songs have been mashed together into a brand new full-color comic book series, Code Monkey Save World — written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa. “A put-upon coding monkey teams up with a seething, lovelorn super-villain to fight robots, office worker zombies, and maybe even each other as they struggle to impress the amazing women for whom they fruitlessly long.” It’s available now and you can find out more over at Monkey Brain Comics.
Panda POW!
Nolen Lee is another multi-talented artist, often employed in the animation business. He has a specialty though: Pandas. Specifically, pandas wearing boxing gloves. Who seem to have a thing about punching the nearest… whatever! Now Gallery Nucleus is selling Nolen’s portfolio book titled, appropriately enough, Punching Pandas. According to their web site: “Nolen Lee is a freelance animation artist from originally from Portland, Oregon who is now working from Seattle. His art book Punching Pandas is full of ink and digital works of fighting pandas in mischievious situations – often finding their way into a strange franchise or two. The idea may sound adorable, but don’t let these pandas fool you. They’ll punch anything and anyone, even you!” You should also visit Nolen’s web site to find out what other sort of merchandise (t-shirts, prints, etc.) you can decorate with your favorite pugilistic panda.
Kitties of Justice!
We almost let this pass us by. Betsy Bauer is an illustrator who’s worked in animation for some time (on projects like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2) as well as illustrated children’s books. But her latest project is… dumb. Or at least she says so. It’s called Super Dumb Coloring Book of Super Dumb Cats, and it’s a collection of dumb superhero puns — with cats. (Look, these are her words, not ours! Honest!) Join Catman, Sailor Mewn, and I-Yarn Man (!) and all the rest — and add some color to their lives. You can find this black & white (obviously) paperback at Amazon, Stuart Ng Books, and Gallery Nucleus.
In Space, No One Can Hear You Clean
Look, we just plain stole the under-title of this book … why? Because we can’t top it! From Titan Books and well-known SoCal artist Joey Spiotto comes Alien Next Door, “the first official Alien cartoon book!”. Here’s what they say: “See a new, caring side to the legendary science fiction monster as he tends to Jonesy the cat, endeavours to keep his house cleaner than the Nostromo, and searches for his place on a cold, new, alien world: Earth. From facehuggers to feather dusters, discover how the perfect killing machine relaxes after a day of scaring space marines.”. It’s available now in paperback.
People Are Strange, When You’re A Vixen
According to Cartoon Brew, Yoyotoki is a young vixen who “…was raised with cell phones, computers, and all of the other gadgets and trappings of modern life, but her parents soon got tired of the rat race and decided to move to the countryside, where they encountered a tornado and found themselves in a strange land called Mytholopia, a beautiful world filled with waterfall farms, rainbow forests, and desert canyons.” So says Niki Yang, creator of Yoyotoki: Happy Ears!, a new proposed animated TV series. Ms. Yang is known in animation circles for her work on shows like Fanboy and Chum Chum, Family Guy, Gravity Falls, Clarence, and Adventure Time. Now she’s brought us the adventures of Yoyotoki (and her friends, “…a fantastically elastic gummy bear named Steak and a sloppy pig named Hotwings…”) as her bid to be the next pilot show that’s picked up for production by Amazon Studios. Check out the Cartoon Brew article to find out more about the show and how to vote for it. You can also check out the pilot itself over at Sidereel and see for yourself.
I’m Bat Pat!
Woo! And one more more MIPCOM entry. Bat Pat is a production of Atlantyca Entertainment in Italy. According to Animation Magazine, “The 2D series follows the spooky and comical adventures of a talking bat, Bat Pat, and the [human] Silver siblings… as they unravel mysteries and cross paths with supernatural creatures of the night in the quirky town of Fogville.” According to Atlantyca, “Bat Pat grew up in a dark library in a different town, so he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the various creatures of the night. Bat Pat is like a kid full of wide-eyed wonder, he truly appreciates the little thing daytime offer but nighttime is where Bat Pat really thrives. Despite his initial fears, he’s equally driven to help supernatural creatures in need because Bat Pat shares a common link with them…they’re both creatures of the night and usually misunderstood by ‘normal’ people! Bat Pat is very loyal to the kids and they love him, they consider Bat Pat ‘the flying Silver’.” The show is based on the popular series of young reader books by Roberto Pavanello. Atlantyca has a production web site for the show that includes lots of background notes and a video trailer.
One Day a Little Kitty Went to Camp…
Another MIPCOM find, courtesy of Animation Magazine, called Welcome to Bric-A-Broc. “Mino is a lively city cat: cheerful, crafty and very boisterous. In the hope of calming him down, his parents have sent him to a countryside holiday camp for the summer. Mino can’t think of anything worse! He’s stuck in the middle of nowhere on a dilapidated farm run by an old goat and a scatter-brained giraffe. The manager is a stickler for rules and the instructor keeps organizing loads of outdoor activities to make the most of the fresh air when all Mino wants to do is stay inside where it’s warm and cosy and play computer games. Mino has to learn to make the best of it but his exuberant character turns every episode into an extraordinary escapade.” That’s the official description from Gaumont Animation in France, and you can see more at their web site. Currently they’re seeking distribution for Bric-A-Broc outside of Europe.