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Funny Animal

C’mon Now… What Did You Expect?

In case you missed it: One of the break-out ‘stars’ of the Loki TV series over on Disney+ was Loki… as an alligator. Yes. Popular enough that now he even has his own comic book! We got this from Previews: “Bow down to the reptile in a helm who has enraptured the Ten Realms…with his cuteness! First Alligator Loki chomped down on Mjolnir, and then he chomped his way into our hearts. Now, the beloved Alligator of Mischief finds – and makes – trouble all across the Marvel Universe in his very own comic! Collecting the hit Infinity Comics series from the Marvel Unlimited app, this one-shot includes a never-before-seen adventure in the life of everyone’s favorite swamp-dwelling scamp!” Wow, we didn’t know that app thing… was a thing. Alligator Loki is on the shelves now!

image c. 2023 Marvel Comics

It’s A Busy World Full Of Sick People

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

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

What Doe, Ye Varlot!

Animation World Network recently ran an article about the upcoming slate of new animation headed to Cartoon Network this fall. Among them are new episodes of returning popular shows like Bugs Bunny Builders, Batwheels, and We Baby Bears. And one completely new show — at least to us: The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe. (Whew, long title!) ” The series tells the tale of Prince Ivandoe, a self-assured and delusional young buck, joined by his dedicated and clever squire, Bert, on a magical and hilarious hero’s quest, through kingdoms filled with swashbuckling, royal rivalries, and magical fairy tale creatures.” Prince Ivandoe will be arriving on Max this coming November.

image c. 2023 Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe

Stella!!

Here’s a new graphic novel for young folks we came across in Previews: The Cosmic Adventures of Astrid and Stella. “Meet Astrid and Stella! These best friends are ready to fire up the turbo blasters and take off into the stratosphere! They’ll just need a few things before it’s time to go: their special space suits, lots and lots of snacks, and their trusty robot Bobo… In their very first adventure, Astrid and Stella will discover the cute and cuddly planet Caturn and the beach-covered planet Bloop. At each stop, they’ll meet new pals, solve friendship conundrums, and stop one evil tyrant—with lots of dance breaks and snack attacks along the way.” It’s available now in hardcover from Amulet books, written by Sabrina Moyle, with art by Eunice Moyle.

image c. 2023 Amulet Books

VR to the Next Level

We just learned about Shangri-La Frontier, a black & white manga written by Katarina and illustrated by Ryosuke Fuji. “Second-year high school student Rakuro Hizutome loves nothing more than finding so-called ‘trash games’ and beating the crap out of them. When he decides to change things up by playing a new, ‘god-tier’ VR game known as Shangri-La Frontier (a.k.a. SLF), he does what he does best: Min-maxes, skips the prologue, and jumps straight into action! Clad in nothing but shorts and a bird mask, Rakuro (player name: Sunraku) launches into the world of SLF. Things are going well at first as he takes down a goblin, a bunny, and even a python. But then Sunraku comes up against a huge, hard-hitting wolf known as Lycagon the Nightslayer. Will Sunraku’s years of ‘trash game’ experience be enough, or is he about to suffer a rude awakening just a few hours into his SLF adventure?” The series is available now from Kodansha International. What’s more, there’s already an anime adaptation series available on Crunchyroll — and YouTube has a preview.

image c. 2023 Kodansha International

Bok to the Future

Sometimes manga can go in marvelously strange directions. Like things go in Rooster Fighter by Shu Sakuratami. “The neighborhood cock of the walk is more than just an ordinary rooster — he’s humanity’s greatest defender! His opponents may be ten stories tall, but nothing is bigger than his stout heart and his fearsome battle cry — cock-a-doodle-doo!” You don’t say? Well that’s what Viz Media tell us anyhow! Several black & white issues are out now.

image c. 2023 Viz Media

Don’t Wisk the Wath of a Wizard!

Well thank you, Amazon! They pointed us at The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms, a black & white yaoi manga that’s written and illustrated by Nagabe. “Hidden away deep within the woods, far from the prying eyes of the world, lies the Wizdom’s School of Wizarding. There beasts of all kinds gather to live, to learn, and to love. From everyday animals to fantastical creatures, these BL stories are told with a realistic and light-hearted touch.” Somehow we missed this on its initial release, but it’s available now from Seven Seas.

image c. 2023 Seven Seas Entertainment

All the Violence You Can Bear

IDW Comics just sent us an announcement for Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, a new “cozy horror” (what does that mean?) comic written and illustrated by Patrick Horvath. Set in a small town of anthropomorphic animals, it introduces us to a seemingly-nice middle-aged bear named Samantha. “In the tranquil and welcoming little town of Woodbrook, humanoid animals happily live in harmony. This cute community isn’t quite as calming as it seems, though. On the surface, Samantha is the friendly face who owns and manages the hardware store. But beneath the surface lies something more terrifying. She visits the nearby city to let her violent urges loose, and buries her victims in the woods… But what happens when the killing comes back to her harmonious home town and Samantha isn’t the only one unleashing her inner animal?” Hitting the stands this October, just in time for Halloween. Bleeding Cool (ha ha) has a preview. Make no mistake: This is harrowing stuff, and definitely not for younger readers.

image c. 2023 IDW Publishing