InFurNation Rotating Header Image

Monsters

Cute Little Not-Animals

Leslie Levings is a sculptor and artist who created a line of colorful and imaginative clay creatures known as Beastlies before she even started high school. Now she’s all grown up — and she creates them full time! Each individual beastlie is a unique creation out of clay, made by hand. Most of them aren’t based on any recognizable animal species, but they are most certainly non-human characters with a lot of personality. Visit her web site to see her currently available models, and follow the link to her gallery of previous designs.

image c. 2016 by Leslie Levings

image c. 2016 by Leslie Levings

Their Fate is Sealed?

Aaron Galvin is young man who has already spent years as an actor (The Dark Knight), script writer, and stand-up comedian. Now he has added “book writer” to his resume’ thanks to several series of dark fantasy novels for young adults.  The series of particular note for furry fans is the Salted series, concerning a society of selkies (Celted were-seals, if you need a refresher). In the first book, Salted, a group of selkies travel to the surface, charged with retrieving an escaped human slave. Unfortunately, they soon discover that their mission is much more complicated than their leaders let on. In book two, Taken With A Grain Of Salt, a pair of teenage human slaves plot their own escape… but soon they learn that there are darker forces in the deep than selkie slavers. Both books were published by Create Space, and they’re available as signed paperback editions at Aaron’s web site.

image c. 2016 Aaron Galvin / Create Space

image c. 2016 Aaron Galvin

Watch Out for the Wicked Wolf

Here’s one we nearly missed, from Amigo Comics: A full-color one-shot comic called Sidney Hammer Versus The Wicked Wolf. “Sidney Hammer, the scantily-clad, sardonic, grind-house reporter is back! She only wanted a cold beer, but Sidney has found herself looking for a missing girl and being hunted by a big bad werewolf! And this time Sidney doesn’t know if the tabloid she’s working for will pay for the investigation of this spooky case! Spanish artist Massacre returns with the sassiest hack of all.” That all comes to us directly from Previews. Look for it on the shelves now.

image c. 2016 Amigo Comics

image c. 2016 Amigo Comics

Save

Save

One Day For Digimon

According to Animation World Network, Toei Animation and Eleven Arts are set to release the latest Digimon anime feature in an English-language version for North America this fall. Entitled Digimon Adventure tri. – Chapter 1: Reunion. (whew!), the film is set to premier as a one-day-only Fathom Events screening at select theaters, followed by a more traditional roll-out to various cities. “It’s been six years since the summer adventure when Tai (now in high school) and the rest of the DigiDestined crossed over to the Digital World and nearly three years since frenzied final battles between warring factions. With the gate to the Digital World closed, time continues to pass, until the adventure Digivolves once again.” Unfortunately, being from a different generation of Digimon, it’s unlikely that Guilmon or Renamon will make an appearance in this film. Pity! Anyway, look for this exclusive screening in one of 300 cities on September 15th.

image c. 2016 Toei Animation

image c. 2016 Toei Animation

Save

Vroom Vroom

Back from CaliFur, and there’s lots to talk about! Over at Cartoon Brew they have an article about the first trailer for the upcoming live-action film Monster Trucks. “The film, based on Hasbro’s Monster Trucks toy line, has been covered here on Cartoon Brew because it is the live-action directorial debut of Ice Age director and Blue Sky co-founder Chris Wedge. Wedge directs from a story by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger (Kung Fu Panda, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Trolls) and Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying), and screenplay by Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed, Jurassic World).” The story follows a high-school boy named Trip who discovers a gelatinous, tentacled, very toothy — yet very friendly monster. Said monster (Trip calls him “Creech”) has the strange ability to meld himself (itself?) with Trip’s pick-up truck — hence the film’s title. Adventures and hi jinks ensue. The film has been delayed several times in its production history: Originally set for release in May of 2015, Paramount is now hoping to have it out in January of 2017.

image c. 2016 Paramount Pictures

image c. 2016 Paramount Pictures

Ruh Roh!

If you haven’t caught the word, this May DC Comics and Hanna Barbera plan to take Scooby Doo and the gang in a very… different direction, with the premier of the new full-color comic book series Scooby Apocalypse. “Those meddling kids — Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and their dog, Scooby-Doo — get more ghost-debunking than they bargained for when faced with a fundamental change in their world. The apocalypse has happened. Old rules about logic no longer apply. The creatures of the night are among us, and the crew of the Magical Mystery Machine has to fight to survive—because in the apocalyptic badlands of the near-future, the horrors are real! This new monthly series takes Scooby and the gang to a whole new level and features character designs by comics superstar Jim Lee!” Plus writing by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, with regular art by Howard Porter. Read an interview with Mr. Giffen over at Newsarama.

image c. 2016 DC Comics

image c. 2016 DC Comics

Art Is A Gateway

Found these folks at WonderCon too: The Brothers Uber describe themselves as “… an independent, creative publishing company specializing in children’s books. Focusing on art as a gateway to another realm, we pride ourselves on finding the best illustrators and working with them to bring the best books to life.” To that end they have already published several books which you can find at their web site. Of immediate note to furry fans are two: The Dragon and the Princess (written by Erik Peterson and illustrated by Mina Sanwald) is a counting book that also tells the story of a magical friendship between, yes, a dragon and a princess. Then there’s Critters Fantastique, a coloring book by Dusty Catlett featuring a variety of legendary creatures and monsters.

image c. 2016 by Dusty Catlett

image c. 2016 by Dusty Catlett

Animals Real, Fantastic, and Odd

Devin Elle Kurtz is a professional illustrator and visual development artist. Her full-color paintings specialize in animals real and un-real with more than a splash of personality. She also brings the same touch of whimsy (and yes, at times weirdness) to her line of pet portrait commissions. She has released some of her work as prints, available at her web site, and we hope she brings out more soon.

image c. 2016 Devin Elle Kurtz

image c. 2016 Devin Elle Kurtz

Daddy! Look What Followed Me Home!

We found this in the Previews magalog: “Animation visionary Phil Mendez (creator of Kissyfur and The Black Snowman) brings an old legend to life in the story of the mystery and mayhem that occurs when an Ohgrr Pup and a Human Child meet over a magical bowl of soup. Take a sip of this fun tale for kids of all ages!” Oghrr Soup, a full-color graphic novel in hardcover, is available now from Bliss On Tap Publishing. Stuart Ng books has a black & white preview also.

image c. 2016 Bliss On Tap

image c. 2016 Bliss On Tap