Interesting story out of Variety (by way of Animation World Network): “Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard is attached to helm a computer-animated adaptation of the beloved 1980s Rankin Bass animated series Thundercats for Warner Bros., from a script Wingard will write with frequent collaborator Simon Barrett (You’re Next, The Guest)… The original series, which aired from 1985 to 1989, was revived for a single season Cartoon Network in 2011, and then again in 2020 under the title Thundercats Roar. But as a feature film, Thundercats has been a tricky project to crack for the studio, which has hired a small parade of screenwriters and producers since at least 2007 to bring a movie to life. The underlying story is at once relatively simple — a team of humanoid cat-people (or cat-like humans) like Lion-O, Panthro, and Cheetara fight the evil wizard Mumm-Ra on the planet of Third Earth — and surprisingly complicated, with a mix of technological space sci-fi and swords-and-sorcery fantasy.” Read the article at Variety for much more on this latest take on our friends from Thundera.
Science Fiction
It’s A Lost Art
For those who remember the early days of CGI animated TV series… IDW brings us a brand new Transformers: Beast Wars comic series. “Celebrating 25 years of Beast Wars! In the future, the planet Cybertron belongs to the scientific-minded Maximals and the action-oriented Predacons! When a crew of Predacons, led by the successor to the Megatron name, steal a golden disk and a ship capable of traveling through time, it’s up to Optimus Primal and his Maximal crew—Rattrap, Rhinox, Cheetor, and new character Nyx—to catch them! A brand-new Beast era begins in an oversized first issue by Erik Burnham (Ghostbusters) and Josh Burcham (Transformers Galaxies).” Issues are available now.
The Best Laid Plans — In Space
[Sorry we’ve been dormant a few days folks — Had some technical arguments with WordPress to work out. That done, here were are again! — ye ed-otter] Ursa Major Award favorite Rick Griffin has a new science fiction book out. It’s available in paperback, and digitally at Smashwords: “The Captain’s Oath is the second installment of The Final Days of the White Flower II Trilogy by multi-award-winning artist and writer, Rick Griffin. Featuring nine illustrations by the author himself, this science fiction epic continues the exciting story of struggle against oppression that began in Traitors, Thieves, and Liars… The best-laid plans of geroo and ringel often go awry. Nobody knows that as well as the crew of the White Flower II, the geroo ship whose captain still bears the literal scars of his last failure. Despite their best efforts, his ship and its crew still languish in slavery to the cruel krakun. But when a new opportunity for freedom presents itself, will the geroo be able to pull off an even more daring escape plan — right under the nose of a krakun overseer?” We missed plugging the first book, so we’d better get off our fuzzy butts and help to plug the second!
Dogged Determination
Hound Heroes is a new superhero graphic novel series for some of the youngest readers, available now from Scholastic. “Meet the Hound Heroes: Fearless Captain Chihuahua, the big-hearted Great, Great Dane, super-speedy Poodle Girl, cyborg pup Power Pug, and the loveable yet irritating Super Sheep Dog. Together they make up earth’s furriest heroes! In this first adventure, the Hound Heroes’ origin story is revealed when a spaceship crashes in their backyard, giving them super powers! But they aren’t the only ones who benefit — neighborhood alleycat The Claw also gains powers, and she only wants one thing: To destory the Hound Heroes!” Okay, so it’s more for “dog people” than it is for “cat people” — unless you’re into super-villains perhaps! Hound Heroes Volume 1: Beware The Claw is written and illustrated by Todd Goldman.
Down Down, Down in the Water
Bound Tales is an imprint of the ever-reliable Thurston Howl Publications. One of their recurring titles is the anthology called SPECIES… and the latest release is about none “otter” than everyone’s favorite water-weasels. “SPECIES: Otters showcases drama, action, and adventure. Otters construct planet-circling water slides, uncover covert knowledge sunk to the bottom of a river, and confront what it means to be an otter. With stories by Frances Pauli, Mary E. Lowd, and Madison Keller, this anthology invites you to dive into masterfully crafted anthropomorphic fiction!” Edited by Significant Otter — of course. You can find out more over at the Storenvy page.
Cats… Saviors of the Universe
Another animated series for the young fans — and where-have-WE-been, it’s already getting into its second season! This from Animation World Network: “Nelvana and Discovery have greenlit a second season of redknot’s inaugural series, Agent Binky: Pets of The Universe… Based on the bestselling Kids Can Press graphic novels (written and illustrated by Ashley Spires), P.U.R.S.T. agents Binky, Gracie, Gordon, Loo, and Nola are back on the case and ready to protect their human families from even more aliens, robots, and interstellar threats. Certified and ready for action, the team is determined to go where no pet has gone before! Equipped with even more gadgets, the agents set off on exciting adventures, exploring new locations, and meeting new friends.” It’s scheduled for later this year in Canada, but no word on a date for the USA.
In A World…
Proper movie-trailer speak. This is one we came across on Facebook, of all places. Brok The InvestiGator is a new “narrative-driven adventure game” that’s coming soon from Cowcat and Gog. “In a futuristic ‘light cyberpunk’ world where animals have replaced humans, privileged citizens live under a dome protected from the ambient pollution while others struggle to make a living outside. Brok, a private detective and former boxer, lives with Graff, the son of his deceased wife. Although he could never elucidate her accident, recent events may shed some light on an even more tragic outcome… one that may be linked to their own existence. Will they be able to withstand the threats of this corrupted world and face their own destiny?” There’s a cool trailer on YouTube as well.
Wolves Are After Us
“Wasteland is a web series being created for YouTube that follows a pack of wolves attempting to survive the apocalypse.” Sounds pretty straight forward. “There are 7 main characters, and the show is being produced as a semi-realistic 3D animation. The story is told from the wolves’ point of view as they must fight to protect their family, and the world, from the new viral threat.” The Kickstarter campaign for UK-based Blue Biscuits Studios (the brainchild of animator Molly Babington) has already passed its goals, so things are looking up. Check out the teaser trailer on YouTube also. Watch it through to the end.
For Your Friends, They Are A’Changin’
Literally one of the most well-known animal transformation stories on our planet has returned — as a full-color graphic novel series from Scholastic. It’s Animorphs, Volume 1: The Invasion. “The wildly popular, bestselling sci-fi series by Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant returns in a new full-color graphic novel series, adapted by Chris Grine. Sometimes weird things happen to people. Ask Jake. He could tell you about the night he and his friends saw a strange light in the sky that seemed to be heading right for them. That was the night five normal kids learned that humanity is under a silent attack — and were given the power to fight back. Now Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco can transform into some of the most dangerous creatures on Earth. And they must use that power to outsmart an evil greater than anything the world has ever seen. . . ” Volume 1 is available now from Barnes & Noble.