We caught up with author Janet Racciato at WonderCon, and she told us about her latest self-published fantasy series called Old Souls. The idea goes like this: “Have you ever met an animal who seemed different, who knew how to do thing that it shouldn’t? What about the news reports about wild animals saving people or entering buildings for no apparent reason? What if you learned that these animals, these Old Souls, were waging battles against the powers of darkness? This war has been raging since the beginning of time. The demons sent by Ahriman have been called abonsam, goblins… and gremlins. But while their names may have changed over time, their purpose has not. The only things stopping the creatures from causing chaos and suffering in the world are the Old Souls sent by Ahura Mazda. Now the creatures are after a little girl destined to be an instrument of the light, and a special Old Soul named Zada has been appointed to keep her safe.” Zada’s Story is available now in paperback.
Horse
You’re A Star!
Thanks to Cartoon Brew, we found out about several interesting new animated films coming soon to Netflix. Among them is Thelma the Unicorn. “Thelma is a small-time pony who dreams of becoming a glamorous music star. In a pink and glitter-filled moment of fate, Thelma is transformed into a unicorn and instantly rises to global stardom. But this new life of fame comes at a cost.” Don’t know much about this one otherwise, but it’s directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) and Lynn Wang (Unikitty!), and it’s due on May 17th.
Dog and Pony Show
Don’t blame us — that’s their joke. Here’s another phenomenon we somehow missed — brought back to us now by Acme Ink. “Here comes the first exciting issue of Charley & Humphrey — with cover art by Darick Robertson! When a motley crew of fleas stow away on Charley — it’s up to accident-prone Humphrey to save the day before the itchy interlopers ruin an important ceremony down at the Sea Horse Docks. Based upon the popular puppet characters created by Pat McCormick — which have delighted audiences for over 60 year! Get in on the adventures of America’s favorite Dog and Pony show!” Told you. It’s written by Justin Sane (!), with interior art by John Hageman.
Oh, You Know, Girls and Horses…
Boom! Studios (through their Kaboom! imprint) recently released a new full-color graphic novel called Wonder Pony, written and illustrated by Marie Spénale. “For Louison, going back to school for sixth grade looks set to be eventful to say the least . . . not only is it time to face the terrifying world of boarding school and making friends, but it turns out she has superpowers! Thanks to her friend Jean-Pierre – who happens to be a pink pony – Louison gains the ability to transform herself into a superheroine: Wonder Pony. Her mission? To watch over the school, and protect her classmates and friends from any dangers that might arise . . .” Boom! have an extensive preview at their web site. (Interesting how the ad says “Discover the Magical Power of Friendship…” Hee hee hee.)
Along Comes ANOTHER Pony
We’re already finding out more and more about new animated TV series to be looking for as we go galloping into 2020. Series like… It’s Pony, premiering later this month on Nickelodeon. “The 20-episode series follows the comedic adventures of Annie and her best friend, who just so happens to be an enthusiastic, unpredictable, and carefree pony… The series stars Jessica DiCicco (Adventure Time) as Annie, an optimistic and determined farm girl living in the city with her family and best friend Pony; Josh Zuckerman (Strange Angel) as Pony, who is naïve and impulsive, but loves Annie more than anything; Abe Benrubi (E.R.) as Dad, who treats Pony as a nuisance, but recognizes the special bond he shares with Annie; and India de Beaufort (All Hail King Julien) as Mom, who loves Annie and Pony’s relationship and always has a new project in the works.” Animation Scoop has a preview video to check out. [And with that — we wish you a Happy, Safe, and Very Furry New Year!]
The Audition of a Lifetime
Is it time to start thinking about the Holidays already? Evidently — Look what showed up in our in-box from Animation World Network: “U.S. distribution rights to Josh Hutcherson’s animated family feature Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer have been acquired by Screen Media, according to a Variety report, with a holiday season release set for November 30… In the film, written and directed by Jennifer Westcott, Blitzen announces his retirement on December 21, which gives Elliot, a miniature horse, only three days to travel to the North Pole, compete for the open spot and fulfill his lifelong dream of pulling Santa’s sleigh. Voice casting includes Hutcherson as Elliot and Samantha Bee as Hazel the goat, as well as John Cleese, Martin Short, Jeff Dunham, and Morena Baccarin.” Not sure if it’s a “release” to theaters or DVD, but we’ll find out!
The Book of Dark Pegasus
Recently a new young-readers’ book series premiered, courtesy of Jennifer Lynn Alvarez. Starfire is the first book in her new series The Guardian Herd, featuring a society of talking pegasi. “Once every hundred years, a black foal is born, prophesied to either unite or destroy the five herds of flying horses that live in Anok—fated to become the most powerful pegasus in all of the land. Star is this black foal. Even though Star has malformed wings that make him unable to fly, the leaders of each herd will take no risks and want to execute Star before his first birthday. With the help of his friends, Star must escape the clutches of the powerful leaders, and his epic journey of self-discovery turns into a battle between good and evil that will keep readers eagerly turning the pages.” They’ll have more pages to turn this coming April when Stormbound (the second book in the series) hits the shelves. Check out the official page from Harper Collins Publishers to find out more.
Hank the Horse, and a Lady
Hillary Bradfield describes herself as an animator, comic creator, and storyboard artist. Most recently she’s spent her time working on Disney XD’s Randy Cunningham, 9th Grade Ninja. On her own though, she’s created a comic strip adventure called Hank the Horse over on her blogspot. Follow the adventures of a cranky equine as he’s dragged along on a wild adventure by a young lady — who happens to look a lot like Hillary draws herself. Some of her Hank comics have been collected on dead trees as well, and Volumes 1 & 2 are available on her blogspot also.
She Said, The Horse Said
Back from Comic Con! Give us just a few minutes to get feeling back in our feet, and we’ll get busy with our reports.
Whew! All right, here we go then… Terry Cronin is a writer, best known for his comic book series Students of the Unusual and his Skinvestigator series of detective novels. Recently, inspired by his wife Ava (who loves horses), Terry hooked up with the artists Savannah McKendree and Gary Scott Beatty to create Horse Power G, the story of a young lady named Gertrude (“G”) and her prize horse, Amber. Sounds simple enough, yes? Here’s the twist: Read the comic forwards from the front to the middle and it’s told from the humans’ point of view, but read from the back to the middle and it’s the same story from the animals’ point of view! It all meets up right in the center with a cliffhanger leading right to the next issue. Horse Power G is published in full color by 3 Boys Productions. Visit the official Facebook page to find out more.