It was inevitable, most likely… The hugely popular Cartoon Network series We Bare Bears has been re-imagined as the new series We Baby Bears, coming in 2022. Turns out it’s actually been in development for a while now, according to the CN Wiki: “We Baby Bears is an upcoming spin-off series of We Bare Bears, which was confirmed for development by Cartoon Network on May 31, 2019. The series will focus on the baby bears and will explore fresh and fun stories with the show’s most beloved characters… Overloaded with the cuteness and humor that fans around the globe adore them for, the series tracks Baby Grizzly, Baby Panda, and Baby Ice Bear through a multitude of imaginative worlds, but this time via their magical box.” Check out the trailer on YouTube right now.
Comedy
Walkies Or Else
Last summer we let you know about the DC League of Super Pets, a new animated film starring Dwayne Johnson as Superman’s loyal pet dog Krypto. Before we just had a teaser trailer — but now Warner Brothers has dropped the first official trailer for the film, which is set to premier in May of ’22. It’s interesting to note that, except for Krypto himself, none of the animals in this new “League” are characters who have appeared in previous DC League of Super Pets comics.
Not Actually A Cat At All
No, honestly, we’re not off on a feline kick! It just that a lot of the stuff we’re finding is… Like most any serious Marvel fan will tell you, a flerken is not a cat — even if they look very much like one. Well thanks to Nao Fuji, everyone’s favorite flerken has her own comic strip, Marvel Meow. “Join Captain Marvel’s pet, Chewie, as she wreaks havoc in the lives of Marvel’s most popular characters! Gain a new perspective on beloved favorites such as Spider-Man and Iron Man, formidable villains including Thanos and Galactus, and antiheroes like Deadpool, as they all become the playthings of this capricious ‘cat’ creature. Originally shared on Marvel’s official Instagram, these comic strips have been collected with all-new content into a gift book that will delight Marvel and cat enthusiasts alike!” Look (out) for it now from Viz Media.
You Need A Cat About The House
Many of us have found our cats are taking over our lives. Well this young woman has found it beyond the pale in The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today (whew!), a new black & white manga graphic novel written and illustrated by Hitsuji Yamada. “Saku is an ordinary young woman who works long hours and lives alone with her cat, Yukichi. Yukichi, however, is not an ordinary house cat. For one, the temperamental feline towers over Saku and walks around on two legs. Instead of playing with toy mice, he scours supermarket flyers for good deals and keeps the house spotless. With a pet like that, it’s hard to tell who’s taking care of who!” Find out now thanks to Seven Seas.
The Clever Cat and his Minions
Staying with cats for a while, once again we have something cool coming to Europe… and likely not coming to North America. This one we’ve mentioned before, and now we’ve got an update (with lots of pictures) thanks to Animation Magazine. “Sky (U.K.) released first-look character images and new teaser poster for The Amazing Maurice, a Sky Original arriving next year to mark the 20th Anniversary of the book by Sir Terry Pratchett… In The Amazing Maurice, Maurice is a streetwise ginger cat who comes up with a money-making scam by befriending a group of self-taught talking rats. When Maurice and the rodents reach the stricken town of Bad Blintz, they meet a bookworm called Malicia and their little con soon goes down the drain.” There’s quite an amazing cast of voice actors for this one, so look for it if you can when it arrives on Sky in 2022.
Defender of the City. Heaven Help Us All.
We’ve heard a lot lately from comic writer Steve Foxe. Well now he’s back again with a new full-color graphic novel, illustrated by Shadia Amin. “Experience a laugh-out-loud day in the life of Spider-Ham! After long being derided by the citizens of New York, Spider-Ham has finally been recognized for his outsized contribution to the city’s safety, and receives the key to the city from none other than the mayor (and, being a cartoon universe, the key actually unlocks New York City’s political and financial institutions). Sure, it’s just a publicity stunt for the beleaguered mayor-and yeah, maybe every single other super hero was busy that day — but an award is an award!” Spider Ham: Great Power, No Responsibility is available now in trade paperback or hardcover from Scholastic. There’s an interesting video up on YouTube as well.
Watch Out for the Weasel
American Mythology has a new horror mini-series comic, and it’s out now just in time for the Halloween Season. Willy’s Wonderland was a surprise hit horror movie from earlier this year. Though at first dismissed as an obvious Five Nights At Freddy’s cash-in (duh!), it turned out people really liked the film, mostly for the over-the-top performance of star Nicolas Cage. So the folks at American Mythology wondered: What happened before the movie? “Hey Kids! Do you know what time it is? It’s your birthday and we want you to have Fun! Welcome to Willy’s Wonderland! Nicolas Cage unleashes a can of Punch Pop on the Willy’s serial killing animatronic crew in the film, but what came before the janitorial rampage? Find out here in this official prequel to the movie giving you all the party filled blood spatter you can handle! Willy, Ozzie, Arty, Cammy, Tito, Gus, Sara, and Knighty Knight all are back with a blood soaked romp through homicidal birthday parties!” This special series is written by SA Check (Volcanosaurus) and James Kuhoric (Freddy vs Jason vs Ash) with interior art by Puis Calzada (Hatchet).” Looks like there’s a lot of seasoned horror talent behind this thing.
TV for the Young and Young At Heart
Cartoon Brew just announced that Neflix has given the green-light to four new animated TV series for young viewers… and the cool thing is, three of them are quite furry! Check out The Creature Cases, created by Gabe Pulliam. “An animated action-comedy series which follows the adventures of Sam Snow and Kit Casey, agents of CLADE: the Covert League of Animal Detective Experts. In a world populated exclusively by animals, these brilliant sleuths travel the globe solving mind-boggling mysteries that mix real zoological facts with wild detective action!” Then there’s Big Tree City: “Hot-sauce volcanoes, biscuit dinosaur mysteries, and exploding soda pop factories; join the wild rescues of Major Prickles and his overzealous team, as they try to save the animal citizens of Big Tree City.” And finally there’s Deepa and Anoop, “An all-new animated preschool series from Mattel Television that follows the adventures of fun-loving seven-year-old Deepa and her best friend Anoop, a color-changing elephant, at Deepa’s family’s bed and breakfast Mango Manor.” All heading our way in 2022.
Dice-Rolling Rovers
A friend pointed this out to us — and just in time too, as it just hit the shelves! It’s Campaigns & Companions, a new hard-cover book by Andi Ewington, Rhianna Pratchett, and Alex De Campi, with illustrations by Calum Alexander Watt. “If there are two things all geeks love, it’s roleplaying games, and their pets. So why not fuse the two? It’s time to grab your dice, dust off that character sheet, and let your cat or dog (or guinea pig, or iguana, or budgie) accompany you on an epic adventure! It’ll be great! … unless you have pets like these.” Distributed by Simon & Schuster, it’s available everywhere now.