RedSilver: Nature’s Evolutions is a new anthropomorphic fantasy novel written by Steve Alford. It’s available now at Lulu.com. “When Red Sunset, an ordinary vixen from Devon, is chosen by Mother Gaia to defend the Heart Forest from attack, she can hardly believe what is happening to her. As one of the legendary Animentals, she can command powers she could only ever have dreamed of. But this is a far from idyllic situation. The Heart Forest is under attack by strange creatures unlike anything she has ever seen before. And if the Animentals fail, the consequences run far further than she could ever imagine…” The book is illustrated in black & white by the artist known as Silent Ravyn, who has also uploaded a collage of illustrations to their Fur Affinity page.
Trade Paperback
One Brave Young Polar Bear
Waluk is a newly-published full-color trade paperback graphic novel, coming to us from Graphic Universe. Check it out at Amazon. “Young Waluk is all alone. His mother has abandoned him, as is the way of polar bears, and now he must fend for himself. But he doesn’t know much about the world—and unfortunately, his Arctic world is changing quickly. The ice is melting, and food is hard to find. Luckily, Waluk meets Manitok, a wise old bear with missing teeth and a bad sense of smell. Manitok knows many survival tricks, and he teaches Waluk about seals, foxes, changing seasons, and—when Manitok is caught in a trap—human beings. Has Waluk learned enough from his friend to find a way to save him?” Waluk is written by Emilio Ruiz and illustrated by Ana Miralles. It includes an essay from the author discussing the current plight of real-life polar bears.
Elementary, My Dear Woof Woof
What if Sherlock Holmes was reincarnated as a dog? Well, it’s an idea, anyway. Sherlock Bones is a new black & white manga series created by Yuma Ando and illustrated by Yuki Sato. The digest-sized trade paperback is available at Barnes & Noble. This is from the publisher, Kodansha International: “When Takeru adopts his new pet, he’s in for a surprise—the dog is none other than the reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective. What’s more, this “Sherdog” has decided that Takeru is the reincarnation of his long-time assistant, Dr. Watson. Takeru may think Sherdog (or he himself) is crazy, but with no one else able to communicate with Holmes, he’s roped into becoming the canine’s assistant all the same. Using his exceptional sleuthing skills, Holmes uncovers clues to solve the trickiest crimes.”
A Rat, a Pig, and a Lawyer Walk Into a Space Bar…
Pearls Before Swine is a full-color on-line comic strip written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis — who was formerly a lawyer in California. “At its heart, Pearls Before Swine is the comic strip tale of two friends: An arrogant Rat who thinks he knows it all and a slow-witted Pig who doesn’t know any better. Together, this pair offers caustic commentary on humanity’s quest for the unattainable. Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams says that Pearls is ‘one of the few comics that makes me laugh out loud.'” Well there you have it. There have been several paperback book collections of Pearls Before Swine comic strips; the latest one, Rat’s Wars, is coming from Andrews McMeel Publishing this October. Check it out over at Amazon. And check out the comic itself over at GoComics.
That Crazy Dog Hits the Surf
Snoopy the dog is one of the most iconic anthropomorphic characters ever, but his notoriety seems to have been fading after the death of his creator. That’s something that the folks at AMP! Comics for Kids seem to be taking on directly: “Charles Schulz’s Peanuts is one of the most timeless and beloved comic strips ever. Now AMP! helps carry on that legacy with new collections of Peanuts classics focused around topics sure to resonate with middle-grade readers. Kicking off the series is Snoopy: Cowabunga! Together these books will introduce a new generation of kids to the lovable cast in time for the new animated Peanuts movie, which hits theaters fall 2014!” Oh really now? First we’ve heard of it too. Anyway, check out this first new collection at Mile High Comics. This full-color trade paperback collection comes out later this month.
The Moose of Might — or Vice Versa
Back from San Diego Comic Con, and we have SO much to tell you about! First up is Moos Miht, a black & white independent comic book series written and illustrated by Joshua Warner (and published by Hanging Chad Entertainment). It follows the adventures of a young adult moose living in Detroit who discovers that he is the son of a famous superhero, Mighty Moose — and several international crime organizations are after his hide because of it! According to Mr. Warner it’s less of a “spandex adventure” than a “noir crime drama” with animal characters. Decide for yourself: Visit the preview page at Comic Book Trailers. Recently, the first five-issue story arc has been collected into a trade paperback graphic novel.
All the Mightiest Pets
After a successful run of the DC Super Pets comic book series, now DC comics bring us the DC Super Pets Character Encyclopedia, coming later this month as a full-color trade paperback. This is from the pre-order page at Amazon: “Every super hero needs a Super-Pet! This illustrated encyclopedia features in-depth profiles, stats, and history about the DC Super-Pets and their owners. From Superman’s loyal dog, Krypto, to Batman’s heroic hound, Ace the Bat-Dog, this guide to the Worlds Greatest Pets has more than 200 DC characters, including many never-before-seen pets, all illustrated in Art Baltazar’s Eisner Award-winning style! With an introduction by legendary creator Geoff Johns, the DC Super-Pets Character Encyclopedia is sure to please comic book lovers young and old.” Not to forget, the text is written by Steve Korte. Take a closer look at the cover and you get an idea just how many animal characters are included here! [And with that, we’ll see you all after San Diego Comic Con!]
That New Rabbit is Strange…
Cantrip The Magic Rabbit is an on-line “anthropomorphic comedy” black & white comic created by “the popular Furrlough duo of Shon Howell and Phil Gibson” (according to the publishers). Here’s the description: “Strange things are happening in Templarsville, Oklahoma. The students at Julius Schwartz Memorial High are abuzz about the new girl, Candice Tripp. They say there’s something unusual about her, possibly unnatural. Of course, the fact that she was discovered in an abandoned house outside of town with complete amnesia lends itself well to these types of fanciful imagination. With her new friends, Candice will learn what it’s like to live in a normal town, until her very un-normal past comes back to haunt her!” Now Radio Comix are releasing the collected Cantrip The Magic Rabbit as a softcover graphic novel next month. You can find out more about it at Second Ed.
And Now, A Boy and His Dinosaur
We’ll let the publishers describe this one: “All of the grownups in Tib’s prehistoric tribe know that the dinosaurs disappeared ages ago. So of course they don’t believe that Tib has made friends with one. But Tumtum the dinosaur is very clever at hiding from grownups. When the friendly red dino saves the tribe’s kids from a pack of hungry wolves while the startled adults look on, the shaman decides that perhaps it’s time to welcome a dinosaur into the tribe.” Tib & Tumtum Volume 1: Welcome to the Tribe! is written by Grimaldi and illustrated by Bannister. This full-color paperback graphic novel is coming out next month from Graphic Universe, but you can pre-order it at Amazon right now.