And more from Marvel! You’ve been hearing more about Howard the Duck too. Well guess what? 2023 marks his 50th anniversary in comics! With that in mind, Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones (creators of the recent Howard revival comic) have gathered some talented friends together to write and illustrate a special Howard the Duck One Shot to celebrate the event. “Meet Howard. He’s a hard-boiled P.I. with problems by the duckload. But a cosmic, all-seeing friend (?) known as the Peeper (!) is giving him a chance to see what his life could be! The joys he could have! All the ways his life could suck way less than it does now!”
Funny Animal
Who’s There? Land Shark!
My my, the things we miss on line… Fortunately most stuff eventually winds up on dead trees, and we get things like the new It’s Jeff! one-shot comic from Marvel. “Since his very first appearance, Jeff the Land Shark has flooded our hearts like an adorable tidal wave! Now the ingenious, the extraordinary, the unbearably innocent Jeff embarks on his own adventures across the Marvel Universe! You thought it was safe doing laundry or going for a leisurely swim in the pool…but no activity can protect against Jeff’s cuteness! Collecting the hit Infinity Comics series from the Marvel Unlimited app, this one-shot features a brand-new cover and tail…we mean tale!” Written by Kelly Thompson, illustrated by Gurihiru, and on the shelves right now.
So Who DID Come First?
Hitting at an interesting idea from several angles at once, Canadian production house Wind Sun Sky have given us Future Chicken, a new environmentally-themed presentation for children that’s arriving as a podcast, a streaming series, an interactive web site, and so forth. Here’s an announcement from Animation Magazine: “Wind Sun Sky Entertainment partnered with the Ontario Water Centre’s social enterprise ClearWater Farm are gearing up for the November 5 launch of Future Chicken — a new animation property designed to help children counter ‘climate doomism’ with hope, inspiration and empowerment — with the announcement of a coop-load of trailblazing green guest stars. This new global platform will launch with a digital series, a podcast, YouTube shorts, a Roblox experience and more. Featuring a variety of entertaining learning experiences for kids aged six to nine years old, the property revolves around a time-travelling eco-superhero chicken from 2050 named Potato, a.k.a. Future Chicken, who travels alongside other amusing characters, including a gossipy mushroom with a love of travel and an egg who wears rocket-pants.” Typical stuff that, of course. The official web site has a whole lot more.
Four Stars for Four Legs
And yet more MIPCOM stuff, this time out of China by way of Canada. Got that? Here, this is from Animation Magazine: “Canadian kids’ & family entertainment company WildBrain has partnered with Tencent Video and animation studio Miaow’s House as the exclusive worldwide distributor outside of mainland China of the new animated series, Pet Hotel. The series follows the comedic antics of Lili the dog, Bubu the guinea pig and cats Nai Nai and Vicky as they welcome new animal friends to their home at the Pet Hotel. Unlike other hotels, the Pet Hotel — which has been converted from an old grocery store — is filled with high-tech inventions created by the pets’ caregiver and hotel owner, Robin; from massage tables to automatic feeders! The animal buddies and their young owner face various quirky customers and their wacky pets every day, giving rise to numerous entertaining stories. It’s no question that every guest at the Pet Hotel will leave happy, having made a new set of friends.” Have a look at the article.
Talent, Kid, Talent!
Here’s something else we recently found at Animation Magazine: “Two Ireland-based animation houses, Lighthouse Studios (The Bob’s Burgers Movie, The Cuphead Show!) and Dog Ears (Puffin Rock and the New Friends) are partnering to co-produce an all-new animated adventure series for kids ages 5-7, dubbed Stage Struck!” The description goes like this: “Creatures large and small — including Coco the crocodile and her friends — are welcomed to Showtime School, founded by the much-loved Miss Feathers. At Showtime School, everyday classes present extraordinary performance challenges! In classrooms full of pianos and crash-mats, even the ‘normal’ subjects have a theatrical spin — from the history of puppetry to the science of sound waves! Showtime’s students get a taste of music, movement and razzle-dazzle from all over the world — drumming circles, beat-boxing, fox-trotting, monologues, card tricks, Beatniks, and up-tempo Bhangra. Every day is a creative adventure!” Currently it’s seeking world markets at MIPCOM. (Are we the only ones getting a severe Richard Scarry vibe out of that illustration? We can’t be.)
Yip, Yip, and Away!
More interesting MIPCOM stuff, thanks to Animation Magazine: “Kids’ entertainment specialist CAKE has partnered with Polish-based producers Animoon [Even Mice Belong In Heaven] and Letko on new the preschool animated series Toru Superfox… Toru Superfox is an adventurous fox on a quest to face the most puzzling of creatures: His emotions. Along with his best friends Bunio, a wild boar who loves napping and eating; Zoja, a resolute chick with an attitude; and shy hedgehog Fenio, they imagine that the forest where they play is inhabited by the characters from their favorite comic books — including Supervixen, the legendary guardian of the forest based on Toru’s Grandma! Toru’s super power is empathy and whenever someone is in trouble, Toru puts on his superhero mask and comes to their rescue!” Read the article to find out more, and see the trailer for the original European series over on YouTube.
Book Buddies to the Rescue
We found this in Animation Magazine, looked it up, and followed along to their web site… Atomic Cartoons present a new animated special for young folks, coming to PBS Kids right before New Years. “Rocket Saves the Day is a fun-filled adventure for preschoolers and their parents, based on the New York Times bestselling Rocket book series created by Tad Hills and published by Random House… The movie is a hero’s journey in which an enthusiastic young pup, Rocket, and his new best friend, Little Yellow Bird, embark on a quest to save their town through the power of reading. Throughout the journey, Rocket and his friends learn how to put letters and sounds together to make words – the building blocks of reading. Its animation style embodies a unique and distinctive hand-drawn look that mirrors Hills’ textured illustrations.” Look for it on December 26th.
Mythological Cuteness
Where have we been? We’ve been missing episodes of Fabulous Beasts (aka There Are Beasts), which started streaming back in April. There’s a detailed preview over at Yu-Alexius. “Known in Chinese as You Shou Yan, the donghua promises to deliver another adorable experience for Chinese animation viewers, especially to the fans of Non-Human (Fei Ren Zai), and All Saint’s Street (Wan Sheng Jie) since both shows feature mythological and supernatural creatures living in the modern day world.” [There’s even more we need to check out! — ye ed-otter] “Based on the popular manhua by Xue Xia Mao Yao Zi, There Are Beasts is produced by Bilibili and animated by Studio FENZ. [The show] follows Sibuxiang, a mythological animal who descends to the mortal world to help his fellow creatures survive in a time of scientific advancement. As Sibuxiang encounters a range of fascinating characters, including Pixiu, Tuye, and the Jue brothers, viewers will be treated to a thrilling blend of mythology and modernity, filled with exciting stories and characters that are sure to capture the imagination.” All of which fails to capture the essence of just how cute these characters and their adventures are. See what we mean over on YouTube.
Light The Lights
More interesting stuff showing up at MIP-COM and MIP-Junior. This time we came across a press release from The Jim Henson Company, talking about several new shows they’re offering for young viewers — at least two of which are especially furry-friendly. First off there’s Wowsabout: “Roxy the Hedgehog and Ronald the Piglet are on a walking-adventure to find the ‘Wows’ on this gorgeous planet they call home… Our heroes will experience the beauty of the northern lights, a hot air balloon festival, the magnificence of the world’s tallest building, and so much more!” And maybe not as quiet, there’s Monster Jam: “Get ready to stomp and roar! Right here on the dance floor! At the grooviest, funkiest, most monstrous club around. Everyone is invited to the Monster Jam – a safe place for kids to express their big emotions through physical movement, creative expression, and by letting their inner monster out!” Let’s hope they have good luck finding good markets — especially here in North America!