We know, we know — too early to talk about Christmas stuff. But maybe a perfect time to talk about monster comics! Especially when they’re monstrous cats. “Grumpy Cat: The Grumpus and Other Horrible Holiday Tales is a collection of stories featuring everyone’s favorite feline sourpuss that will help keep you in the grumpy spirit all throughout the most joyous season of the year!” The title story is a spoof on everyone’s favorite Christmas monster, the Krampus. Other titles in the collection include “Grumpy the Snow-Cat”, “Grumpy Cat vs. Merry Martians”, and “You’re a Mean One, Ms. Grumpy”. Created by a whole slew of writers and artists, it’s all put together by Ablaze Comics.
Funny Animal
No Touchy!
And now for something considerably different, courtesy of IDW and Top Shelf: The Unpetables, a new graphic novel for young folks from Dennis Messner. “Pigmund and Lizárdo are free! They recently “declared independence” from their petting zoo…. and now this pot-bellied pig and iguana are out to See The World. They are The Unpetables — and they’re available for temporary work as ‘freelance pets’. But no matter what gigs the Unpetables may get, they have one very big rule: No More Petting!” You heard it here folks. And, it’s available now in trade paperback from Penguin Random House.
Friendship Is Weird
Another interesting graphic novel we came across: Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures, written and illustrated by Jason Pamment. “Ember is a tiny boy (literally) all alone in a giant world who longs to fit in. His dream may finally come true when his adopted guardian, Lua, a warmhearted sea turtle, escorts him across the ocean to a school for little creatures on the mysterious Puzzle Island. This hidden place is brimming with fantastical life, and as Ember explores the lush forests and deep caves, he’s filled with wonder and curiosity. There’s only one problem — his new classmates don’t seem at all interested in being his friend.” Check out the sample pages over at Books of Wonder.
Monsters with a Difference
The Cryptid Kids are off and running with their first graphic novel, The Bawk-Ness Monster, written by Sara Goetter and illustrated by Natalie Riess. “Penny swears that when she was a little girl, a creature called the Bawk-ness Monster — half sea serpent, half chicken — saved her from drowning. Now, years later, she’s about to move away to a new city, and before she goes, she needs the help of her best friends, Luc and K, for a vitally important mission: seeing ‘Bessie’ one more time. But in their quest to find Bessie and give Penny the send-off she deserves, the kids stumble into a whole new problem: Cryptids are being kidnapped by an evil collector, and only Penny, Luc, and K can save them!” Available now in hardcover or paperback, from First Second.
Keep Trying ‘Till You HIT!
And speak of the Devil… Here’s another bit of Viva Pictures news we got (again from Cartoon Brew): “Viva Pictures has signed on as the U.S. distributor of Hitpig! and will release the film theatrically on November 1, 2024. The film, adapted from characters first introduced in the children’s book Pete & Pickles by Bloom County creator Berkeley Breathed, is from British production company Aniventure, which has previously completed Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank and Riverdance: The Animated Adventure. The animation provider is Cinesite (The Addams Family 2, Iwájú, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem).” Here’s the official synopsis: “Hitpig is a clever bounty hunting pig who catches escaped animals and returns them to their owners. His next job is his biggest yet: return a dancing elephant named Pickles to a maniacal Vegas showman, for a million bucks. The mission quickly escalates into a wild adventure around the world. When danger looms, it is up to Hitpig to save the day but he can’t do it alone.” As you can see, there’s a lot of “professional furry” experience behind this film, and we’ve been talking about it for a while now. See the trailer, too!
Race to the Rides
More interesting news from Cartoon Brew: “Viva Pictures has picked up North American rights to the animated feature Grand Prix of Europe. The story of the film revolves around Edda, a racing car-obsessed young mouse, who must disguise herself as her idol, Ed, and take his place to compete in the Grand Prix to save her family’s amusement park. The film is a tie-in for the German theme park Europa-Park, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year. The theme park has won the Golden Ticket Award eight times for being the best park worldwide.” Viva Pictures is also making quite a name for itself for distributing more obscure animated feature films. After finding success with The Amazing Maurice, they went on to bring us Dragonkeeper and the upcoming 200% Wolf.
It All Began With A Dog
Steve Lafler is a renowned underground cartoonist who has made appearances here before. Now thanks to Cat-Head Comics we have a chance to see where he started with Dog Boy: Choice Cuts & Happy Endings. From Previews: “The 328-page oversize volume collects the best of Lafler’s pioneering 1980’s alternative comics title Dog Boy, known for its undulating psychedelic twists, coupled with low-brow tropes that border on slapstick. The date is 1982, the early dawn in the alternative comics movement. Steve Lafler, bohemian cartoonist, taps into his unconscious mind and finds his inner Dog Boy: An unruly man-child equipped with a Golden Retriever head!” It’s available now in trade paperback.
By His Stripes You Shall Know Him
Another graphic novel for young readers — and cat fans! It’s the Tig and Lily series of books, written and illustrated by Dan Thompson. “What makes a tiger, a tiger? Is it the stripes? The roar? This is something that Lily, the tiger at the local zoo, has never had to worry about — until she meets the fiercest animal of them all… her new roommate. Tig might look like a house cat, might sound like a house cat, but Tig knows he is a Tiger. The competition is on as these two cats figure out what it means to be a Tiger… and a friend.” Find Tiger Trouble and more books in the series over at Penguin Random House.
Bound for School — But Not for Long
Another graphic novel for young readers that we stumbled across: Clementine Fox and the Great Island Adventure, written and illustrated by Leigh Luna. “Clementine is supposed to be on her way to school… but why not go out for a day of adventure and exploration instead? She recruits her friends Nubbins Squirrel and Penelope Rabbit and heads to the beach, where Jesse Otter is preparing to take his giant Turtle, Annabella, to a mysterious local island. Clementine’s great-aunt Marnie lives there — far away from math tests and tutors — so Clementine and her friends hitch a ride to the island as stowaways. What could go wrong?” Check out the preview pages over at Books of Wonder.