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After the Children Go Home…

We haven’t heard of publisher Henry Holt before, but now they have brought us The Great Pet Escape, a new graphic novel for young readers written and illustrated by Victoria Jamieson. “The class pets at Daisy P. Flugelhorn Elementary School want OUT . . . and GW (short for George Washington), the deceptively cute hamster in the second-grade classroom, is just the guy to lead the way. But when he finally escapes and goes to find his former partners in crime, Barry and Biter, he finds that they actually LIKE being class pets. Impossible! Just as GW gets Barry and Biter to agree to leave with him, a mouse named Harriet and her many mouse minions get in their way. What follows is class-pet chaos guaranteed to make readers giggle . . . and maybe look at their class pets a little differently in the future.” Squeak on over to Kirkus Reviews to check it out. It’s available in hardcover and trade paperback.

image c. 2016 Henry Holt

image c. 2016 Henry Holt

Humans and Werewolves vs. Vampires

Horror writer Steve Niles has a thing for vampires — just not in the usual settings, as he proved with his famous comic book 30 Days of Night. Now, he’s taken them in a more science fiction direction with his latest work: Broken Moon, illustrated by Nat Jones and published by American Gothic Press. Here’s their summary: “After the world’s superpowers go nuclear on one another’s lunar mining colonies, destroying much of the moon, the human population of earth is largely wiped out in the ensuing natural disasters. In the wake of humanity’s near extinction, the monsters that had been banished to the shadows have risen up and seized power. The kingdom of vampires thrives under the cover of nuclear winter on the east coast. The werewolves live like nomad outlaws, prowling the plains of the west. And in the north, Dr. Frankenstein and his army of the re-animated wait. But while an uneasy truce has existed for decades, the clouds are beginning to recede, threatening the vampires and their dominion. War is coming.” The werewolf tribes and the few remaining humans form an uneasy alliance to keep the vampire lords from destroying the world. Want to find out more? Check out the preview over at Comics Alliance. The first volume of Broken Moon is on the shelves now.

image c. 2016 American Gothic Press

image c. 2016 American Gothic Press

Bat, Yer Up!

Another new full-color comic from the Previews kid-friendly special feature is Fuzzy Baseball, written and illustrated by John Steven Gurney. “It’s the game everyone has been waiting for-The Fernwood Valley Fuzzies Vs. The Rocky Ridge Red Claws! The Fuzzies, featuring such all-star players as Jackie Rabbitson, Sandy Kofox, and Hammy Sosa, are ready. So are the Red Claws, with players like Gator Gibson, Stetch Giraffolo, and Fernado del Toro. Together they’ll make this the greatest game ever played between the two longtime rivals. And you have a front row seat at Fuzzy Field!” It’s coming from Papercutz in late April. You can preview the first volume over at their web site.

image c. 2015 Papercutz

image c. 2015 Papercutz

Big Head, Big Heart, Big Adventure

In case you have missed Harvey Beaks, it’s an animated TV series on Nickelodeon, created by C.H. Greenblatt (who also created the successful series Chowder). From Wikipedia: “The series focuses on Harvey Beaks, a young, friendly bird, and his two best friends, the rambunctious twins Fee and Foo. Together, the trio seek adventure and mischief in Littlebark Grove, a magical forest that they call home.” Now Papercutz (yea, the home of Geronimo Stilton) have announced the publication of a series of Harvey Beaks full-color graphic novels for young readers. “Harvey has a big head and an even bigger heart, which is why everyone in Bigbark Woods loves him! He may be a rule follower, but after Fee and Foo show him some amazing adventures, this bird might just spread his wings.” The first one, Harvey Beaks: Inside Joke, is available in hardcover and paperback this coming March.

image c. 2016 Papercutz

image c. 2016 Papercutz

The Boy and His Dragon Return

Four Eyes is a comic book series created by writer Joe Kelly and illustrated by Max Fiumara in 2008. It’s set in Depression-era New York City on an alternate earth where dragons are enslaved by humans. The first story arc, Forged in Flames, “…is about a boy who’s trying to get back at a gang that’s directly responsible for his dad’s death…the world in which they live is a world where underground dragon fighting is entertainment for the masses” [Wikipedia]. Image Comics gathered together Forged in Flames as a trade paperback last year. Well now Image announced the publication of Four Eyes: Hearts of Fire. “Launching the second arc in the critically-acclaimed story of a boy and his dragon on the hunt for revenge in Depression-era New York City. The training begins.” The boy and his 4-eyed runt of a deadly dragon are out on the shelves now.

image c. 2016 Image Comics

The Boy and the Bears

Caught this one coming out! Fresh and new for 2016, this book describes itself best: “It starts with a chase. When Spencer Plain is pulled out of school in the middle of the day, he never expects to be speeding down the highway with his uncle, trying to outpace the car that’s tailing them. And he certainly never thought he’d find himself fleeing from a bear through the woods. And when he hears the bear say ‘We’ve been expecting you’, Spencer knows he’s just uncovered a whole world he’d never imagined. He’s brought to Bearhaven, a secret oasis his parents created for bears. But there are depths to Bearhaven that Spencer and his new bear cub friend, Kate, start to uncover. Spencer finds out he’s been there before, even if he can’t remember. He also stumbles into a rescue mission being planned, to save a bear in danger. He knows he can help, and he’s desperate to find clues to his parents’ whereabouts, so he and Kate decide to take matters into their own hands – even if they discover a secret that could threaten Bearhaven’s future!” The Secrets of Bearhaven by K.E. Rocha is available now in hardcover and paperback at Barnes & Noble — and check out this review site as well!

image c. 2016 Scholastic, Inc.

image c. 2016 Scholastic, Inc.

Panda POW!

Nolen Lee is another multi-talented artist, often employed in the animation business.  He has a specialty though: Pandas.  Specifically, pandas wearing boxing gloves.  Who seem to have a thing about punching the nearest… whatever! Now Gallery Nucleus is selling Nolen’s portfolio book titled, appropriately enough, Punching PandasAccording to their web site: “Nolen Lee is a freelance animation artist from originally from Portland, Oregon who is now working from Seattle. His art book Punching Pandas is full of ink and digital works of fighting pandas in mischievious situations – often finding their way into a strange franchise or two. The idea may sound adorable, but don’t let these pandas fool you. They’ll punch anything and anyone, even you!” You should also visit Nolen’s web site to find out what other sort of merchandise (t-shirts, prints, etc.) you can decorate with your favorite pugilistic panda.

image 2015 by Nolen Lee

image 2015 by Nolen Lee

Kitties of Justice!

We almost let this pass us by. Betsy Bauer is an illustrator who’s worked in animation for some time (on projects like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2) as well as illustrated children’s books. But her latest project is… dumb. Or at least she says so. It’s called Super Dumb Coloring Book of Super Dumb Cats, and it’s a collection of dumb superhero puns — with cats. (Look, these are her words, not ours! Honest!) Join Catman, Sailor Mewn, and I-Yarn Man (!) and all the rest — and add some color to their lives. You can find this black & white (obviously) paperback at Amazon, Stuart Ng Books, and Gallery Nucleus.

image c. 2015 by Betsy Bauer

image c. 2015 by Betsy Bauer

In Space, No One Can Hear You Clean

Look, we just plain stole the under-title of this book … why?  Because we can’t top it! From Titan Books and well-known SoCal artist Joey Spiotto comes Alien Next Door, “the first official Alien cartoon book!”. Here’s what they say: “See a new, caring side to the legendary science fiction monster as he tends to Jonesy the cat, endeavours to keep his house cleaner than the Nostromo, and searches for his place on a cold, new, alien world: Earth. From facehuggers to feather dusters, discover how the perfect killing machine relaxes after a day of scaring space marines.”. It’s available now in paperback.

image c. 2015 Titan Books

image c. 2015 Titan Books