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Hardcover Books

Hello Beastie!

Kraken Me Up (gotta love that) is a new hardcover graphic novel for beginning readers, written and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. “Izzie can’t wait to debut her pet at the county fair. While the other children have brought pigs or chickens, Izzie brought a…Kraken! Even though everyone thinks Kraken is big and frightening, he is not. He’s like Izzie, sweet and shy. Kraken and Izzie use creativity and humor to win over the crowd in this hilariously adorable comic.” Find out more over at the Random House web site.

image c. 2021 Penguin Random House

Feed the Kitties. Now.

Out now from Harper Collins is the first volume of Cat & Cat Adventures, written and illustrated by Susie Yi. It’s called The Quest for Snacks. “One day when their human leaves for work, Squash and Ginny find themselves in the most unfortunate predicament: Without snacks. With a little help from a magical portal, the two cats embark on a quest to find ingredients for a potion that will produce unlimited goodies. At first, their mission doesn’t seem so tough. It takes them on a boat race across Mewmaid Ocean and a hot air balloon ride over Mount Lava. But when the cats reach the Enchanted Rain Forest to gather enchanted rainwater, the last item on their list, their mission runs dry. . . It turns out it hasn’t rained in the Enchanted Rain Forest in weeks!” Find out what happens next to our heroes at the publisher’s official web site.

image c. 2021 Harper Collins

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.

image c. 2021 Scholastic

Finnish, the Story

We should apologize for that… Mari Ahokoivu is a Finnish illustrator and a comic artist. Her magnum opus is a massive 400-page graphic novel called Oksi, illustrated in her striking artistic style. “Poorling is a little bear. She’s a bit different from her brothers. Mother keeps their family safe. For the Forest is full of dangers. It is there that Mana lives, with her Shadow children. And above them all, Emuu, the great Grandma in the Sky. From the heart of Finnish folklore comes a breathtaking tale of mothers, daughters, stars and legends, and the old gods and the new.” Now Chronicle Books have released Oksi in an English translation, available in hard or softcover. There’s a look inside at Bleeding Cool.

image c. 2021 Chronicle Books

Off With Her Haida!

And now for something quite a bit different… A popular and award-winning anime series takes on a classic of European fantasy with Aggretsuko: Down The Rabbit Hole. “When Retsuko attempts to go on vacation with Gori and Washimi, she’s pulled into a terrible world where she’s forced to work for her freedom. Featuring all of the fan favorite characters from the office in twisted versions of themselves, Aggretsuko must navigate the twists and turns of a world gone mad!” Written and illustrated by Patabot, this new hardcover graphic novel from the folks at Oni Press hits the shelves this October.

image c. 2021 Oni Press

To Whom It May Concern…

There’s a new hardcover book available from our friends at Magnetic Press. “Letters From Animals is a collection of stories told from the perspective of different animals whose lives are impacted by human society. It’s a graphical adaptation of wildlife conservationist Allain Bourgrain Dubourg’s celebrated book by the same title… Adapted by wildlife comic author Fred Brremaud (Love, Little Tails, etc) this volume is presented in a visually engaging animated style by artist Giovanni Rigano (Illegal, Artemis Fowl)”. Check out the detailed previews over at the publisher’s web site and also at Comic Book Resources.

image c. 2021 Magnetic Press

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.

image c. 2021 Rebellion Publishing

Worry’s For Another Day

Fans of Muppets and Really Good TV: Rejoice! There’s a new book out called Fraggle Rock: The Ultimate Visual History, edited by Noel Murray and Jody Revenson. “It’s been over thirty-five years since the irrepressible Fraggles first hit the screen in the beloved children’s television hit Fraggle Rock. Created by the legendary Jim Henson, along with Michael K. Frith, Jerry Juhl, Duncan Kenworthy, and Jocelyn Stevenson, Fraggle Rock remains a favorite of fans to this day. This delightful volume tells the incredible story of the bighearted show that helped instill open-minded values in a whole generation of viewers. Fraggle Rock: The Ultimate Visual History follows the show’s creation, from early concepts to the incredible puppetry that brought the unforgettable characters, such as Gobo, Red, and Mokey, to life. Exclusive interviews with Stevenson, Frith, Kenworthy, and several other major contributors reveal fascinating, exclusive insights that take the reader further into Jim Henson’s world than ever before.” It’s available later this month, in hardcover from Simon & Schuster.

image c. 2021 Simon & Schuster

You Were Watching It For Them Anyway, Right?

When Avatar the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra were all the rage in TV animation circles, furry fans of course zeroed in on all of the interesting and strange wildlife to be found in that fantasy universe. Well soon Dark Horse Comics will be publishing a new compendium of creatures called Beasts of the Four Nations. “Part of what everyone loves about the Four Nations is all the strange and wonderful (and sometimes scary!) creatures that inhabit them! From the Air Nomads’ flying bison, to Kyoshi Island’s elephant koi, to the Earth Kingdom’s singing groundhogs and the little purple pentapus, look to this hardcover collection for images and information on Avatar and Korra’s creatures large and small, including many from the spirit world!” Different sources give different release dates for it, from this coming December to next February.

image c. 2021 Dark Horse Comics