Bekyoot.com, in their own words, “features one-of-a-kind original designs and character merchandise inspired by life, laughter, and the pursuit of cuteness. There is a story behind every character — a life of whimsy and simplicity sure to set a smile on your face”.Though characters like Fat Cat, The Evil Landlord (a chibi raccoon fem), Pudge the Pug, and Kyoot Bear look like they stepped right out of Japanese culture, Bekyoot is actually based in Houston, Texas. Besides their web site they have an on-line comic strip (Where Cute Things Go) and of course a store full of merchandise featuring their characters.
Manga
Wolf God
Kyonosuke is a strange boy with sparkling golden eyes… He sniffs Koyuki like a dog, and then asks her “Have you seen my brother?”. It seems that Kyonosuke is not human… he’s a member of the Inugami, a tribe of wolf-gods in disguise. But what mysterious key does young Koyuki hold to his missing brother? To find out, read Wolf God, a new 3-part black & white manga miniseries written and illustrated by Ai Tenkawa. It’s available now from Digital Manga.
Recently Discovered Furry Manga
Three black & white manga titles published by Yen Press have recently caught our eyes. Cat Paradise (written and drawn by Yuji Iwahara) tells the story of Matabi Academy, where students are allowed to keep their pet cats in their dorm rooms with them. Trouble begins with a bang when a rip between the worlds occurs and a violent cat-demon intent on revenge is released. Now the students and their friendly cat-spirit companions find themselves in a battle not only for their lives and their school, but for the whole world! Then there’s Laon, written by Young Bin Kim and drawn by Hyun You. Laon is a magical nine-tails fox who found himself on the losing end of a bet in Heaven. Now he finds himself cast out of the realm of the gods, sent to earth in the guise of a young boy — and all of his tails have been removed, cast to the four winds, along with his heavenly powers! Now the exiled fox is determined to get back his powers, and his place in Heaven, one tail at a time! Yen Press is also the home of Spice and Wolf, of course. This popular manga by Isuna Hasekura and Ju Ayakura follows the medieval adventures of a human merchant and his friend, a pretty Wolf-God of the Harvest. Volume 4 of Cat Paradise and Volume 2 of Laon are coming from Yen this May. Volume 2 of Spice and Wolf will be out in June.
Vote for the Ursa Major Awards!
Once again, it’s time for you the fans to vote for the best that anthropomorphics have to offer with the annual Ursa Major Awards. From the web site: “More formally known as the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Awards, the Ursa Major Awards are presented annually for excellence in the furry arts. They are intended as Anthropomorphic (a.k.a. Furry) Fandom’s equivalent of the Hugo Awards presented by the World Science Fiction Society, mystery fandom’s Anthony Awards, horror fandom’s Bram Stoker Awards, and so forth.” For 2009, the nominees in 10 categories include:
Best Motion Picture - Live-action or animated feature-length movies. * "Avatar" * "Fantastic Mr Fox" * "The Princess and the Frog" * "Up" * "Where the Wild Things Are" Best Dramatic Short Work or Series - TV series or one-shots, advertisements or short videos. * "The Cat Piano" * "Partly Cloudy" * "The Penguins of Madagascar" * "Prep and Landing" * "The Secret Saturdays" Best Novel - Written works of 40,000 words or more. Serialized novels qualify only for the year that the final chapter is published. * "Bone Crossed" by Patricia Briggs * "Cheetah's Win" by Phil Geusz * "Jazmyn" by Bernard Doove * "Out of Position" by Kyell Gold * "Return to the Hundred Acre Wood" by David Benedictus * "The Unscratchables" by Cornelius Kane Best Short Fiction - Stories less than 40,000 words, poetry, and other short written works. * "Drifting" by Kyell Gold * "Moonthief" by Not Tube * "Stop the World" by Kyell Gold * "Thou Shalt Not Make Wrongful Use Of The Name Of Thy Lord" by Whyte Yote * "Trading Wishes" by Kevin Frane Best Other Literary Work - Story collections, comic collections, graphic novels, non-fiction works, and convention program books. * "Bloom County - The Complete Library, Volume 1" by Berke Breathed * "Draw Furries: How to Create Anthropomorphic and Fantasy Animals" by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges * "The First Book of Lapism" by Phil Geusz * "Who Are The Furries?" by Denise Winterman * "X" edited by Kyell Gold Best Graphic Story - Includes comic books and serialized online stories. * "Concession" by Immelman * "Furthia High" by QuetzaDrake * "Jack" by David Hopkins * "Lackadaisy" by Tracy J. Butler * "Twokinds" by Tom Fischbach Best Comic Strip - Newspaper-style strips, including those with ongoing arcs. * "Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures" by Amber M. Williams * "Doc Rat" by Jenner * "Freefall" by Mark Stanley * "Housepets!" by Rick Griffin * "Kevin and Kell" by Bill Holbrook Best Magazine - Professional magazines, amateur zines, fanzines, and internet-only magazines. * "ANTHRO" edited by Quentin Long * "Heat" published by Sofawolf * "New Fables" edited by Tim Susman * "South Fur Lands" edited by Bernard Doove * "Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe" edited by Gene Breshears Best Published Illustration - Illustrations for books, magazines, convention program books, cover art for such, coffee table portfolios. * "Gaia's Strange Seedlike Brood (Homage to Lynn Margulis)" by Patrick Farley * "It's Beautiful" by Jailbird * "Jazmyn" by Sara Palmer * "New Coyote" by Kenket * "Out of Position" by Blotch Best Game - Computer or console games, role-playing games, board games. * "Earth Eternal" * "G-Force: The Video Game" * "Predation: The Board Game" * "Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time"
Voting is open now, and will close on April 18th -- with the awards to be presented in early summer. Visit the Ursa Major Awards web site to find out more about the nominees -- or, more importantly, to vote! Make your voice heard!
Want to Draw Furries?
Manga artists Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges (Peach Fuzz) have put together a new paperback art how-to book called Draw Furries: How to Create Anthropomorphic and Fantasy Animals. This is from Lindsay’s blog: “In a nutshell, Draw Furries: How to Create Anthropomorphic and Fantasy Animals is a how-to book that goes over drawing anthropomorphic and animal characters. We cover anatomy and poses, step-by-step, for feline, canine, equine, rodent and avian characters, plus coloring and backgrounds. The book is coming out around November 2009.” Meanwhile, Amazon.com lists the book as coming out in early December, from Impact. Here’s the description: “What do you get when you cross a human with a horse (or a hamster, or a hummingbird)? You get any one of a number of fun anthropomorphic animals, also known as “furries” to their friends. From facial expressions to creative coloring, this book contains all the know-how you need to create anthropomorphic cat, dog, horse, rodent and bird characters. Step by step, you’ll learn how to:
- Draw species-appropriate tails, eyes, wings and other fun details
- Give your characters clothes, poses and personalities
- Create the perfect backgrounds for your furry antics – with two start-to-finish demonstrations showing how
Packed with tons of inspiration – from teeny-bopper bunnies and yorky glamour queens to Ninja squirrels and lion kings – Draw Furries will help you create a world of crazy, cool characters just waiting to burst out of your imagination.”
Monster Comics on your Phone!
We found this on The Unofficial Apple Weblog:
“Now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch directly from the iTunes store, Crispy Comics is producing a comic book series specifically for those devices. And did I mention the comic is absolutely free? Here’s the scoop directly from Crispy Comics:
Super Kaiju Hero Force is the comedic story of 3 young fanboys who win a trip to Japan and end up trapped inside the monster costumes used on the hit live-action superhero show Colossal Man. This first 11-chapter series follows Garganturo, Democules, and Mungor in the exciting origin to the series.
The series, which will be released on a bi-weekly basis and runs between 20 and 25 pages, will tell a continuing story culminating with a chilling cliffhanger. Then, once the original series runs its course, the Crispy Comics will release a Special Edition with features such as creator commentary and iPhone wallpapers. The Special Edition will come with a minimal cost which is yet to be determined. The company also plans to release the Special Edition on other platforms such as Android in the Summer of 2009. Check it out and if you do, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments.”
You can also find out more at the Crispy Comics Web Site.
[For those who don’t know, “Kaiju” is the general Japanese term for giant, city-crunching monsters like Gamera, Godzilla, Rodan, and so forth — ye helpful Ed-Otter ]
Arigato, Tezuka Sensei
This October, Abrams Comic Arts will release a new hardcover book, The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga. The press release at amazon.com says it best: “Osamu Tezuka has often been called ‘the god of manga’ and ‘the Walt Disney of Japan,’ but he was far more than that. Tezuka was Walt Disney, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Tim Burton, and Carl Sagan all rolled into one incredibly prolific creator, changing the face of Japanese culture forever. Best known for Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, Tezuka was instrumental in developing Japanese animation and modern manga comics. The Art of Osamu Tezuka is the first authorized biography celebrating his work and life and featuring over 300 images—many of which have never been seen outside of Japan. With text by respected manga expert Helen McCarthy, The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga pays tribute to the work of an artist, writer, animator, doctor, entrepreneur, and traveler whose curious mind spawned dozens of animated films, and over 170,000 pages of comics art in one astonishingly creative lifetime. The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga also includes an exclusive 45-minute DVD documentary covering Tezuka’s prolific career, from his early manga characters to his later animation work.”
The Secret Saturdays Graphic Novel
Del Ray Manga has released a new full color “film comic” based on the hit animated TV series The Secret Saturdays from Cartoon Network. Join the Saturdays: A family of explorers and cryptozoologists as they protect the secret artifacts and mysterious monsters of the world from exploitation. On the way making friends with sasquatch, dinosaurs, and many other strange creatures.
A Feline Tour of Old Tokyo!
Also just found on Amazon: Edo Cats: Tails of Old Tokyo, written and illustrated by Ryuto Kanzaki. It’s available this May in hardcover and softcover from Japanime Company. “Acclaimed manga artist and historian Ryuto Kanzaki takes readers on a whimsical tour of Edo (Old Tokyo) as seen through the eyes of the local cats. Discover the costumes, customs, and color of bygone Japan. Teeming with history and nostalgia, Edo Cats: Tails of Old Tokyo will delight manga fans and feline-lovers alike!”
