Fur-funding week in review: 6-16-13
Graphic novel awesomeness this week with Digger, SOLO, and World War Kaiju.
Like 46 new pet-wrangling video games launched this week. There was the brief thought of giving them ALL their own posts, but, no, graphic novels. We’ll start with a quick mention for Digger, not sure it needs the publicity though! Then a look at the crazed Frazettaform rat-infested battle-orgy that is Solo: Cannibal World, and end on a (30 stories) high note with World War Kaiju.
And then a bunch of other stuff.
The Digger Omnibus
So, if you haven’t visited FurAffinity, SofaWolf Press, or, indeed, Kickstarter, you might have missed the launch of the Digger Omnibus kickstarter. It’s been pretty darn successful. I’m not sure SofaWolf had plans for $200,000 stretch goals, but they seem pretty reachable with the way week one has gone!
Digger is–was–a webcomic that ran from 2007-2011, in which Digger, a wombat miner, dug her way into a strange and dark world of gods (living, dead, between), hyenas, lizard-people…it’d be hard to do the series justice in a few words.
The kickstarter is an effort to fund a bound edition of all the Digger comics, and at this point, it’s a success. The higher-level opportunities are just as strange as the comics–your own wombat-sized miner’s pick, a talking fruit…it’s worth a tour of the site just to see the add-ons, but the comic itself is very pretty, and the bound edition is half-past time.
SOLO: Cannibal World
Oscar Martin’s professional work covers a broad spectrum, from serious commercial properties like Tom and Jerry and Simba to graphic novels in the style of Blacksad. Much of it is hard to find and
inscrutable for us monolingual United Statesians, which is unfortunate, because he’s really really good. One of his more memorable characters is SOLO, a rat barbarian trying to rescue his family in a brutal post-apocalypse world. If you can somehow manage to find a halfway point between “Mad Max” and “Tom and Jerry” you’ve got it about right.
Along with a business partner, Martin is currently crowdfunding an animated version of his rat warrior, ideally a feature-length film. Unfortunately, it’s pretty Europe-only, but it’s a really neat project, worth a review, and possibly a few dollars just because the artist deserves it! When you finish glancing over SOLO’s IGG, check out Martin’s art blog. If you like your Frazetta you’ll love Martin’s work.
World War Kaiju
Not so furry perhaps, so we’ll keep it short, but worth a callout and a lookover, and I’m a sucker for retrohistorical alternate universe Soviet propaganda. World War Kaiju imagines a world where, instead of World War II ending with the first nuclear bombs dropping over Japan, the forces unleashed by the dark side of science were city-crushing monsters on the order of Godzilla and Gamara. Then, roll it forward to see how the next decades unfold.
The Kickstarter page is surprisingly immersive. One of the project goals is to create artifacts of the WWK world–cold war propaganda posters, kid’s products, even a “Duck and Cover” booklet are in the works. So, lots of toys, all very “period.” The World War Kaiju website does a better job of opening up the world, the beasts, and the first 17 pages of the graphic novel, so dig around there. (Note: The links on that page are oddly organized, your results may vary.)
Art/Web
Vilious Art-Pack1 (Ends: 6/25/2013)
Sergals and other alien creatures in their natural habitat.
More of the artist’s work on FurAffinity.
Turn John Rosenberger’s Clay Creatures to Molten Metal !!! (Ends: 6/27/2013)
Surreal critters sculpted in clay, kickstarting for metal casts. Unfortunately, you can’t take them home with you, but worth a look-over.
Dustbunny Pictures Comics (Ends: 7/17/2013)
A collection of five web comics, including Popiki’s Island, gearing up for an expansion and relaunch.
Audio
Masters of the Tooniverse podcast (Ends: 7/1/2013)
“Two highly animated nerds seek funding to aid in their quest to create the universe’s best cartoon podcast.” Help two nerds build their recording studio for a weekly cartoon–vintage and modern–review.
Books/Print
The Moscow Metro Dogs (Ends: 6/30/2013)
An exploration (book and blog) of the complex society of the semi-feral dogs of Moscow who have–really!–learned to commute and adapt to the city.
World of Afar: An Illustrated Story Collection (Ends: 7/10/2013)
Mysterious little aardvark-like creatures in a magical, illustrated world.
Is it furry? Eh, maybe a little, but the illustrations are as pretty as stained glass, so stretch with me here.
The Howl of the Dead (Ends: 7/12/2013)
The outlines are your basic zombie apocalypse novel–asteroid strikes earth, things turn cannibal. But this one’s zombie dogs, which is worth bonus points. And, great title.
Children’s Products
The Audrey Amaka Storybooks (Ends: 6/22/2013)
Sweet, cartoony illustrated book, featuring Audrey (a neckless giraffe) and her frankly awesome shoes.
Re: the promo video: Ventriloquist’s dummy. *shudder.* Also I have a profound, visceral reaction to the word “heartwarming.” But it IS pretty cute stuff.
Laslo the Lark (Ends: 6/29/2013)
A cute little cartoon-book about a bird who has to sing, even though he’s going to be eaten by a fox.
Okay, it’s not great, and more “talking animal” than anthro, but the illustrations in this one are really charismatic, give it a look :)
Foxy and Quilly (Ends: 7/3/2013)
Educational animation project: the animals of the Empyrean Forest seek shelter as their forest home is invaded by big machines. Cute stuff.
Fans of South Park will know why naming your lead character “Foxy the Fox” is a bad idea.
Robot and Fox: The Amazing Journey (Ends: 7/10/2013)
Boy robot meets girl robot. They fall in love. Boy robot crashes ship on Earth, meets fox. That pretty much covers this book project. Really cute fox!
The fox’s cuteness is making me just a little ill.
The Great Safari Adventure Show (Ends: 7/13/2013)
A costumed, musical Las Vegas family production, with lots of chances for kids to get up and move. Plot: Child lost in Africa, finds magic talisman that transforms the local animals into exercise-obsessed mentors.
This would have been benefited by MORE exposure to the fandom, working through some anthro issues. Heart’s in the right place though!
Clothing/Costumes
Halo Mini Illuminated Pet Collars (Ends: 7/26/2013)
LED-illuminated pet collars with deep color and flash mode.
I know, these are for dogs. But they’d match one of my costumes!
Comics/Graphic Novels
Jade Dragon Book 1 (Ends: 6/19/2013)
American Manga graphic novel: Gathering together the beasts of the Zodiac to fight a world-threatening evil.
You can find the artist’s work at Deviantart. Look for “Friendship is Sisterhood” in particular.
The Lions of Valletta (Ends: 6/28/2013)
A graphic novel of cats, philosophy, and the meaning of life, with loving background detail and very charismatic cats.
Amazingly, this one reached its goal in three hours!
A Tiger’s Last Song (Episode 1) (Ends: 7/10/2013)
A graphic novel of the final days of the thylacine/Tasmanian wolf, in the talking animal-survival story genre.
The Digger Omnibus (Ends: 7/10/2013)
A dark fantasy graphic novel. Digger the wombat inadvertently digs her way into an underground world of hyenas, gods, and strange powers. A kickstarter for a bound edition of the original six-graphic novel series.
Great stretch goals and bonus items on this well-organized kickstarter!
Antarctic Press: Keeping it Cold in the Antarctic (Ends: 7/15/2013)
An ask from Antarctic Press to help restore their financial balance after some mass-distribution experiments and other financial challenges.
Before there was the Internet fandom there was Antarctic Press, makers of Albedo Anthropormorphics, Furrlough, Shanda the Panda…See also Radio Comix, who took on the furry mantle.
World War Kaiju graphic novel (Ends: 8/12/2013)
What if the ultimate weapon that ended World War II didn’t usher in the atomic age, but the Kaiju (giant city-crushing monster) age? Excellent video, great retro propaganda visuals, and bizarre immersive stretch goal toys.
“Furry” is a stretch, but there’s a lot to like here for fans of giant, Tokyo-crushing armadillos.
Film/Animation/Theater
Valeyard “Be Prepared” song and Animatic (Ends: 6/20/2013)
Seeking funding for a Brony song parody and animation of “Be Prepared.” Great publicity shot, worth checking the project just for that…
Rabbithole “Summer Days” music video (Ends: 6/30/2013)
Help this band from Manchester add visuals to their journey down the rabbit hole in their video, “Summerdays,” featuring human butterflies and a really BIG rabbit.
Animals of the Urban Jungle – a Nature Documentary Series (Ends: 7/7/2013)
Animals in the cities, a six-episode web series in HD of the life and struggles of urban wildlife and their interactions with humanity. Foxes!
Plusses: It’s British, so MORE foxes. Negatives: The author did his PhD work on spiders.
SOLO Cannibal World (Ends: 7/13/2013)
One rat’s war in a post-apocalyptic word. This isn’t Redwall. Check the artist’s blog (it’s in Italian) for more art and world.
This must be the buffest rodent ever. Now I have to learn Italian.
Tikis & Mikis Show (Ends: 7/22/2013)
A quirky, animated tiger faces off with a quirky, animated alien with a disintegration ray. Fun stuff!
Check the animated shorts on YouTube.
Fursona Non Grata (Ends: 7/30/2013)
A play written for the fandom by the creator of American Dragon: Jake Long. What happens when a young woman brings her fiancée home to meet her all-furry family?
“This will be awesome if you can make it to California” seems to be a running joke in the fandom.
Solrac Ventures (Ends: 7/30/2013)
Animated short series for the bronies. Ponies: you can make it happen.
The art on this one’s pretty high quality. Pony fans should definitely take a look!
Tabletop Games
Terreria Tactics (Ends: 6/24/2013)
A tactical, armies-of-fantasy vs. armies-of-SciFi card game, loaded with anthro dragons and eagles, simulating classic console RPG battles in a tabletop game.
Great illustrations for a card game! Supervising artist is Megillakitty, check her on FurAffinity.
Tonaba: The Book of Secrets Strategic Card Game (Ends: 7/7/2013)
A richly-illustrated card game focused on small decks, agency over luck, and a theme of narrative, authors, and writing.
This is a well-planned Kickstarter, with a hefty goal. Good luck!
Tech Stuff
Tanuki tails for USB devices (Ends: 7/3/2013)
With this flash drive in the shape of a faux-fur raccoon-dog tail, any USB compatible device instantly becomes a tanuki.
Where is the line between “effing BRILLIANT” and “incredibly stupid?” Is there any line at all?
Video Games
Beast’s Fury (Ends: 6/18/2013)
An anthro-vs-anthro 2D fighting game, with great-looking characters and bosses!
Someone give me $7500 so the world can finally play a Mexican hairless blogger in a 2D fighter.
Pawtergeist (Ends: 7/1/2013)
Protect your house from a ghostly cat in this 360° gyroscopic shooter.
Goatlings: Virtual Goat Petsite (Ends: 7/7/2013)
It’s sort of “My Little Pony” meets “Neopets,” but with cute candy-sparkle goats and their human (or anthro) friends.
It’s sort of the “sparkledog” concept, but with goats. Diabetics probably shouldn’t play this game.
ElPetz (Ends: 7/10/2013)
Your basic Farmville/monster-breeder/combat mobile & tablet game, but with a weirdly cute set of monsters, particularly if you like your wolves perfectly spherical.
I’m not feeling a lot of originality here. But you get to hit your wolf with a hairbrush, so that’s something.
Fleish & Cherry in Crazy Hotel (Ends: 7/11/2013)
An isomorphic period adventure game and puzzler set in a 1930s wacky black and white cartoon. Lots of anthro characters and dancing furniture!
It’s a neat role-reversal to have the damsel save her boyfriend, but unfortunately for fox-lovers, you have to play the human :( Maybe there’ll be a fan-mod someday.
BEEF (Ends: 7/14/2013)
Now YOU play a sentient, walking mutant cow! Try to escape Meatjoy the Butcher and his abattoir of doom in this first-person survival horror/humor game.
…weirdly atmospheric.
Pooka Pets (Ends: 7/14/2013)
A cute sandbox/exploration interactive pet game featuring shape-shifting fairies. Very MLP.
Okay, maybe too many “pets” games this week. But bondage wolves and the African wild dog skin sold me on this.
Stray Cats (Ends: 7/17/2013)
Alley cats fight for food and territory in this quirky game for Android/IOS.
Not madly in love with the art or business model. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to include it, but the sketch art won me over.
Adult
Pixel Vixens on DVD: My Little Pony Cosplay Parody (Ends: 7/2/2013)
Fandom-inspired parody porn by the Pixel Vixens, who are ready to commit Rule 34 for the masses.
Neko Adventures: Real Cat Girl Porn (Ends: 7/29/2013)
DVD/web release of cat girls, free from their imprisonment on DeviantArt and sexing it up IRL. Not just for manga anymore.
MANDROID – The Pervy Adult Tamagotchi of Online Hookups (Offbeatr voting period)
Smartphone app for hookups with some personal safety features and a virtual pet/avatar, theoretically for all genders and orientations but mostly targeting gay men. Not so furry maybe, but aimed at a community reflecting “every race, ethnicity, body type, and species.”
Furstarter does not condone this applet. But we would seriously consider condoning that wolf.
Pocket Pussies: The Legend of Seven Purity Seals (Offbeatr voting period)
Zelda/Pokemon hybrid exploration/battling seizure monsters game, loaded with cheesecake pokemon, cat girls, and assorted anime-esque hotness.
…Meh.
Chronicles of Jason Vann: The Case of the Melted Fox (Ends: 6/27/2013): The last kickstarter for this Gshep police drama failed–well, it was pulled 10 days before close–it’s reposted at half the goal. *sigh*
JR & Ollie Adventure fun game (Ends: 6/30/2013): A story-driven puzzle/adventure game in a world of anthro characters. Click, look at the cute angry foxes, move on.
“Willie the Wolf and the 3 Pig Brothers” (Ends: 7/10/2013): Children’s/YA illustrated book about bullies and coping. Points for an interesting wolf illustration or two.
Animato Anthropomorphica (Ends: 8/9/2013): A furry short film from the Bill Plimpton school of animation. I want to like this, but not a lot of love on the IGG itself :(. Try harder next time!
…Causes
Blue Wolf Sanctuary and Village (Ends: 7/6/2013): A sustainable community of simple houses with bed and breakfast, workshop space, etc, and a sanctuary for both wolves and humans.
Preservation of Dingo Records (Ends: 7/7/2013): Campaign to preserve archives of Berenice Walters, “The Dingo Lady,” a body of over 30 years of dingo research and preservation.
Save the African Wild Dog (Ends: 7/11/2013): Working to preserve the Wild Dog–veterinary costs, snare removal, tracking collars, research materials
Ma Pacu Meaw (Ends: 7/20/2013): Quirky stop live action/beatbox/stop-motion bird conservation awareness music video. Playful, fun stuff, particularly the intro video.
Sand Animals (Ends: 8/6/2013): An animated film series to teach the Armenian alphabet through animation, and teach students about animation. Simple, graceful, animated animals.
…Just For Fun
Gatekeeper – A Meeting of Giants (Ends: 6/21/2013): Star Wars ACTUALLY meets Star Trek in this 120-minute film featuring original actors.
The Untold History of Japanese Video games (Ends: 6/30/2013): An ambitious book unpacking some early video game history, with extensive interviews from Japanese developers.
Blaster Battle Royale: Attack of the Foam (Ends: 7/18/2013): A Guinness record attempt for largest foam-dart-blaster battle EVER. With Star Wars burlesque, sci-fi costumes, and other awesomeness. Geek history in the making.
DUBWARS (Ends: 7/21/2013): “A dubstep-fuelled, top-down, twin-stick shooter.” Bringing wub-wubs and blasters to your mac, PC, or Android/iOS.
…Coming soon?
“Otto” (pre-launch): An old-school Mario/Sonic-esque side-scroller. You’re the orb-slinging dog in a beret. Berets=love.